The dog days of summer are here - the slow roll from the 4th to mid-August when the back to school frenzy begins. In between, senses heightening all around: the smell of sunscreen and chlorine that lingers on in the car and on the damp heads of sleepy children. Fiery sunsets and fireflies in the yards beyond the porches. The hiss of sparklers and the boom of fireworks. Ice cold sauvignon blanc, a grilled hot dog, the ripest of ripe watermelon, so juicy that it runs down your

I’m sitting on the beach yesterday and a group of teens walk by; I’m reading my book and drinking my Fresca and not paying any attention and I hear “hi, Mrs. Murphy." I glance up. Neighborhood pool kid, long time classmate of my kids, stopping in the middle of his walk on the beach with his board and his swagger to say hello to this middle aged pool mom. I mean, what a nice kid. There are just nice kids out there; nice to their peers, nice to some random mom lady, nice to the

Yes, I’m a teen mom. No, not a mom that is a teen - but rather a mom OF teens. 1. Teens are nocturnal. Yes, they want to rock and roll all night, but instead of party ev-er-y day they just want to sleep late and then eat multiple bowls of cereal each day. It’s a throwback from when the elders would go into the caves and the teens of the pack would stand guard for predators. I have opted to let this go and let them get all the sleep they want/need in the summer time. September

It’s the dog days of summer and my kids are living their best lives, sleeping late and binging Stranger Things and biking to the pool and eating their way through our monthly grocery budget each week. Good grief can they put cereal away. Is this normal how much food they consume and how much debris they leave behind? On the regular, a trail of nearly-empty water cups, socks, unfolded blankets, and empty food packaging. I sigh, yell, beg, plead, bribe and for like a day or two