Welcome to acuMOM

My black & white photo makes it look tame; In reality it looks angry and red, a slash across my shoulder blade, like I was in a bar fight.

Unboxing is all the rage and I’ve tried a few over the years. But today? Today I received my box from nuuly. And I am THRILLED.

If you send a kid a care package, chances are they’ll want one every holiday day. And if you’re like me and didn’t quite get one ordered ...

We made it to three Firefly Music Festivals starting when my daughter was 15. That sounds ridiculously young now, but somehow seemed perf...

I have always loved fall. But never more than this year, because this summer…this summer crushed me. The summer of loss and relentless li...

This is personal. And if you’re a human, living on this planet, it should be personal for you too. It has to be. On June 30th I read this...

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.”  ~Al Bernstein June equals freedom, amiright? There is something so deliciously f...

Sometimes they’re lemons, bitter and hard, and sometimes they’re cool, sweet refreshing lemonade. I hope your kids have some of both.

“You’re gorgeous. Wanna go out sometime?” Not offensive right? Would you go so far as to say it’s a compliment? Me too. But what if your ...

*Updated to include the website created by Samantha Josephson’s parents. Please support their mission. Click the link below to learn how ...

We talk a lot about tests at Acumen, and as a mom I’ve been living tests for y-e-a-r-s: entrance exams, achievement tests, mid-terms, fin...

“Do I have everything?" My college roommates and I used to ask that every time we walked out the door to go somewhere. None of us carried...

February. Dreaduary. Am I right? And no, I’m not a Valentine’s Day hater. We’re holiday people around here, so we’re all about heart shap...

I made a New Year’s Resolution to try new things/experiences in 2019, and I’m soon to have 2 kids in college, so the things on the list n...

“If I were him, I’d be offended.” That’s what my daughter said when she read my last blog. Whoops. Definitely not my intent. So, in the i...

You know the tune, sing it with me…On the twelfth day of Christmas, my college kid gave to me… Twelve dirty dishes (in the sink. Every da...

Pretend this was written 3 weeks ago when that quote was still funny. That was my intent. But then, you know, life happened. And now sudd...

📷 Let’s talk essays. Say that out loud to your teen and I bet the conversation stops faster than a Waze driver hearing “police ahead.” E...

📷 “WHAT ARE THE SATs??” That’s what my brother yelled into the phone at me in 1988. He was a high school senior and I was a college juni...

📷 “So where are you going to school next year?” You’ll want to ask every high school senior that starting in about November. Don’t. Seri...