A college boyfriend once asked me the following question: What does every person on earth need to survive?

He liked to quiz me like this every so often. His tone made it clear that there was only one correct answer.

“Love,” I said instantly, 100% confident my answer was right.

Hurricane Irene is set to hit in a day, and as I’m contemplating rescheduling my husband’s 40th surprise party (worrying about reserving a tent, if the DJ can make it, if any of the 52 guests that said yes will show up), I was slapped with a reality stick.

I know I shouldn’t be writing about this, being that she’s a pretty public figure and all, but you know that feeling you get when you’ve left dinner, lunch, a party with friends, dear friends that you just love and you’re all giddy inside because they just lit up your soul?

Mom sleepovers are essential to your good health. The concept sounded strange to me. Last week, a group of women writer friends and I planned to attend a convention in San Diego.

I was in elementary school in the suburbs in the early eighties, when kids could still ride bikes to their friend’s houses, walk alone to school, and play outside in the summer until it got dark and the fireflies began to light up the sky.

I was driving home the other night and heard a song that took me back 10 yrs to a special time that I shared with a close girlfriend with whom I’ve

My friend and fellow mommy blogger, Erica Diamond, Women On The Fence featured part of my “Bad Mommy” blog on her site.

Twenty years ago, a dress changed my life. I was living a modern-day Cinderella nightmare. The villain: my physically abusive husband. Instead of worrying some prince would never rescue me, I agonized over how to leave my pseudo soulmate without dropping out of the MBA program I needed to secure a future free of bruises and erratic terror.

In the middle of this drama, a long-standing upper crusty friend took me to New York City.

Stress relief. When things get crazy, you might feel far too busy to schedule that brunch. But when you’re slammed, that’s actually when you need your friends the most: the laughter, distraction, and catharsis that they can provide are among the best medicine there is.

Volunteer. I know, I know. You barely have time to buy new underwear. How could you possibly commit to a soup kitchen?