After a month in “sick-bay” I’m starting to feel like I ‘m back among the living. Tuesday was the first day I’ve been out of the house, except for doctor’s appointments.
I met the Happy Hoofers, after their performance at Hearth and Home for our monthly birthday luncheon and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lianne Wilkens shares the trials and tribulations of being a “Mom on the Run.“

Mary Foley is executive director at the The Voluntary Action Center in Manassas.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares easy-to-make, healthy recipes in her weekly column, “Shortcuts.“

Talk has been swirling in the entertainment community after a few racy photos of R&B singer Cassie surfaced online followed by some even racier photos of the evermore relevant R&B superstar Rihanna.

Instantly I knew what my son was looking for when he appeared this morning, wearing only an undershirt and underwear, and bent over the basket of clean laundry. He peered in, reached out his hands, and, “Are you looking for your lacrosse jersey?” I asked. We hadn’t discussed it, but it’s game day and I haven’t seen it, so ….

Chorizo, paella, gazpacho, salsa. Thanks to Spanish and Mexican cultures for introducing these dishes on the American food scene. Their popularity has grown exponentially in U.S. kitchens and restaurants over the years.

Are you free for lunch on Tuesday? If you are then please join those wonderful volunteers from the Sheriff’s Department support our American Red Cross at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Woodbridge. They are selling tickets for $12 for a super lunch to include the works, dessert and beverage and Cheeseburger in Paradise will donate all the proceeds to the American Red Cross. Please call Nancy at the Sheriff’s Department at 703-792-5817 for a ticket.

How, exactly, do you pay tribute to a mom? I mean a real tribute, something meaningful done so that the mom will accept it, and not think you went overboard.

Good morning Prince William, and happy Mother’s Day to all you special moms out there! There is a lot going on in our community during the month of May. So, make your mom proud and get out there and volunteer!

Mary Ann Kauchak spent several days experimenting in her kitchen to give you easy-to-make Greek meatballs in her weekly column, “Shortcuts.“

Lianne Wilkens shares the trials and tribulations of being a “Mom on the Run.“

Good morning Prince William, here's a huge cheers to the Prince William Area Quality Child Care Partnership! This newly filed non-profit organization is committed to improving the quality of early childhood education.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares this easy-to-make recipe for a healthy Mediterranean Wrap in her weekly food column, “Shortcuts.“

I pull up to the middle school at exactly 4:30 p.m. to pick my son up after lacrosse practice. The place is a zoo, with a line of big orange buses, idling cars, and dozens of kids milling about ready to go home.

I’m in the kitchen — I swear, I’m always in the kitchen, how can three meals a day for four people take so much time? — as my kids and I bustle around, getting breakfast. I’m at the sink, rinsing dishes.

My son and I are huddled in the downstairs bathroom together, lights off, holding a flashlight up to the duck egg, trying to see what’s inside. “What do you think?” I ask him. “I don’t know,” he answers back in hushed tones. Being in the dark makes us whisper.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares this easy-to-make recipe for Meyer lemon pie in her weekly column “Shortcuts.“

I’m at work, half-way through a slow, extended conversation with my daughter. It’s been a few minutes since the last message and the issue is not resolved, so I’m expecting it when my phone vibrates again. I pick it up, flip it open, and wait for the new picture message to open.

I hesitated before I punched the “cash back” button on the debit card reader at Costco. I hadn’t planned to get cash, but … well, I didn’t have even a dollar. So, “OK,” I tapped, and received a crisp $20 bill.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares easy to make recipes in her weekly food column, “Shortcuts.“

I know something’s up when my daughter actually comes to find me. I’m playing mah jongg online, an absolute time-waster but also an absolute addiction, and normally I would have expected her to just holler, “Mom?!” and her question, or send me a text message, from wherever she was in the house.

It’s daffodil time in Prince William and that means those super folks at the American Cancer Society need your help right now. As you recall this is a fabulous fundraiser for the organization and all these lovely flowers certainly raise the spirit of all concerned.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares her recipe for Italian greens and beans in her weekly Taste column, “Shortcuts.“

Lianne Wilkens bids farewell to her son’s favorite pants in her weekly column exploring the trials and tribulations of being a “Mom on the Run.“

Mary Foley is shares volunteer opportunities.

Lianne Wilkens shares the trials and tribulations of being a “Mom on the Run.“

Mary Foley spreads the word about volunteer opportunities in Prince William County.

Mary Ann Kauchak shares an easy-to-make recipe for Wonton Ravioli in her weekly column, “Shortcuts.“

It’s been at least a couple of years since I created my Facebook profile. I started a MySpace page too, so I could check out my kids’ pages, see what they were up to, keep them safe. It was all over the news then, the dangerous things happening on MySpace and Facebook, the bad guys that lurked there.