THE PILE HIGH CLUB by Alison Lebovitz Hello, my name is Alison, and I am a pile-oholic. It has been twenty-one days since my last pile and I truly believe that I am finally on a path towards a clutter-free life. When I was twenty-four and living in Chicago, my best friend took me to [...]

Balancing Act by Alison Lebovitz My closet has become a veritable three-ring circus. Every morning as I enter my not-so-big tent to get dressed, I wave to the animal print garments and faux-fur accessories surrounding me, nod approvingly at the crowd of shoes below me and then begin my daily high wire act. This precarious [...]

The Acne of Defeat by Alison Lebovitz They say with age comes a clearer understanding of the world around you. This may be true, but at this point I would settle for a clearer complexion of the skin around me. As a teenager I never had more than the occasional pimple, so I just don’t [...]

YouTubing by Alison Lebovitz When our youngest son, Levi, turned seven he could read like a champ, do math like a whiz, and even play chess like a young Bobby Fischer. What he couldn’t do, however, was tie his own shoes. I blame myself, of course. The years of buying those revolutionary no-tie sneaks with [...]

by Alison Lebovitz. It’s been a long time since I took my driver’s test, but for some reason I don’t recall there being a section of either the written or practical part that prepares you for the one skill that every parent must ultimately learn to perfect – the ability to drive and DJ at [...]

Dear Tooth Fairy by Alison Lebovitz Now that I am officially in my forties (okay, so I just turned forty-one), I am desperately hanging on to all of the things I took for granted when I was in my twenties and thirties – my wrinkle-free skin, my ability to function on less than seven hours [...]

Only the Lonely by Alison Lebovitz The third-born child had been living like a second-class citizen in his own home.  It was finally his chance to make a few decisions for himself and by himself without anyone interfering. This past summer, while our two oldest boys spent four weeks at overnight camp, our youngest son [...]

“AIM HIGHER” by Alison Lebovitz When it comes to my own children, instead of offering them a spoonful of sugar, I inject them with a healthy dose of reality. They want Mary Poppins, and I give them Dirty Harry. Our ten-year-old son, Arthur, is really into basketball these days. Actually, he is really into sports [...]

by Alison Lebovitz Why is it so easy for us to make mistakes and yet so difficult for us to render apologies?  And I’m not talking about the lackadaisical, loose-lipped, less-than-legitimate kind of apology that most people give while basically saying it in passing – “Oh…sorry.” Or the adamant, angry, accusatory apology that comes in [...]

There’s No Business Like Snow Business by Alison Lebovitz There is nothing that tests the limits of a family better than a snowstorm. Especially when your family happens to live in the South. That’s because even the mere threat of a snowfall in the South triggers the same degrees of panic and preparation most would [...]