Back to Allen - Lisa Allen | Mom, Blogger, Author, Freelance Writer, Cupcake Baker

I spent last weekend in Chicago for my step-sister's wedding. So excited to go, all I could think of was the excitement I felt the very first time I landed at Midway and found my way to the Orange line way back in 1988, when I traveled there to visit Loyola. I couldn't wait to [...]

My son is mad at me. He's starting high school this year and I'm making him take Debate. It's my rule…each of the kids will be FORCED to take at least one year of debate. It's my secret desire that they'll fall in love with it and stick to it for their entire high school [...]

It's meme-Monday at Music Savvy Mom. You should play, too Ri's orginal post, followed by my answers, below: Today’s Music Meme Monday: YOU. Behind the Music. This week, I’m ripping off the list of questions used by James Lipton at the end of “Inside the Actor’s Studio“. I don’t feel guilty, though, because he ripped [...]

I want to be just like her. She turns 7 today…..7. Doesn't seem like such a big number (like her brother's double digit birthday of late) but still–7!!! Such a short amount of time, really, when you think about it; yet like the time since her biggest brother was born it seems like it's zipped [...]

Funky momma Ri threw down this morning and challenged us to a shuffle…..too much fun. Come on, you know you wanna play Here's how: Directions: 1. Copy and paste the list below into a new post on your blog. (Or, if you HAVE no blog or website to link to…then click HERE to go to [...]

Seriously. 14 years since I became a mommy for the very first time. To this precious, delicate, helpless little bundle of perfection. I remember it all like it was yesterday….the contractions starting around midnight; calling Anna to help me time them only to have her doze off on the phone; waking Phil and saying 'it's [...]

Loaded word, expectations. Wonderful, if everyone involved is on the same page. Potentially devastating if not. And oh-so-very easy to misinterpret. How often does one really say what they mean? Granted, it's no easy task to translate the thoughts, feelings and all that other stuff that fills our heads….but really, how difficult is it to [...]

Feeling a bit too restless lately. Not that there’s a lack of anything to do. Just the opposite actually–seems that even though I thrive on overload and pressure, when it gets to be just too much I become scattered and can’t seem to focus on anything like I should. I jump from one thing to [...]

“> This song struck me today. Watching the video (which I hadn’t seen before) brought me to tears. Listening to the words I found myself remembering little things about the houses we lived in when I was growing up–the ‘secret closet hallway’ that connected two bedrooms on Maple Street, the huge walk-in closets of the [...]

Steel Magnolias is one of those movies that when I see it on tv–doesn’t even have to be uncut cable, commercial-ridden Oxygen works for me too–I get sucked in. Doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it, I have to watch. It’s like crack (for suburban moms, that is). Love the one liners in this [...]