How To Have A Happy 1980's 4th of July

For those of us who grew up in the 1980’s the 4^th of July was the event of the summer. This year show your family what the best summer holiday was like back in the day.

Netflix Killed the Video Store

Netflix, I love you. I really, really do but--you killed the video store. And as I sit here with a glass of wine and a high-calorie snack, putting on another episode of my latest 'it' show, I can't help but remember how much I loved the video store. First, the mom and pop shop down the street. The one where I rented every slasher film--the good, the bad and the horrible--with forged parental notes. The one where I spent hours searching through movies filled with worlds so different from my own.  Okay, maybe not hours because usually the owner would kick us out after about twenty minutes. I loved that place, even the cantankerous owner and his equally grumpy wife. 

A Return to 1980's Scare Tactic Parenting: YOU'LL DIE!!

As a mother trying to parent in the 21st century, I do my best to warn my kids of the dangers out there in the world. Today with the advent of a digital network that connects the entire world in seconds, our new reality is a cozy place where people (even the dangerous sort) have access to our children.

When I think of this I begin to wonder....

A 1987 8th Grade Fantasy: Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

Picture it....1987--Revere, Massachusetts. I was 12, it was a summer day. August 21st to be exact. I walked to the movie theater because back then that's what kids did. It was that or taking the bus, because I was also a city kid. I went with my best friend. The two of us were going to see a new movie called Dirty Dancing.