Weird cousin: 1 ~ Tobi: zero by Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Every family has one. An eccentric cousin, uncle or sister-in-law who marches to the beat of her own drum. Maybe she’s…
BLOG: Moving Right Along
Who’s More Secretive, Men or Women?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Short answer: It depends. When it comes to sex, Sociologist Eve Stern says, “New research shows women may be more likely to be the culprits of infidelity…
Do YOU Have One of the Worst Passwords of 2015?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Anything’s gotta be better than 123456, right? Well, yes. But that would be 1234567, which is in 9th place on SplashData’s “Worst Passwords of 2015” list. It’s…
She puts me through Hell, yet I still love her
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Nope. I am not talking about my teenage daughter (although I certainly could be, #shesaidwithasmile). I’m talking about another young woman whose name is Stephanie Hitchcock. She’s…
When’s the last time you wrote a check?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Jeff Yeager is the author of Don’t Throw That Away!, The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches and The Cheapskate Next Door. He’s also a blogger…
I Now Have Proof! High School Gym CAN Ruin Your Life!
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell (Spoiler Alert: In case the title doesn’t tip you off, this article was written in satiric style. But make no mistake about it. It is based on…
The Halloween Dilemma
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Our kids always knew what they wanted to be for Halloween. Or at least they never outwardly pondered their costumes. As a matter of fact, our daughter…
Back to School: Extreme Edition
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Buying backpacks, spiral notebooks, and folders festooned with kittens is one thing. Shopping for comforters, coffee makers and Twin XL sheets is another. No doubt about it,…
Am I the only person who likes to cook on vacation?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Our family gave up hotel vacationing a long time ago, and instead have been going the rental route. Stan, the kids and I manage quite well in…
How to Get into a Hammock
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell You’re on Day 3 of vacation, that delicious zone where you are 98% relaxed, and you’ve got more vacay ahead of you than behind you. You’ve slept…
Stuck in the Middle with…Who?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell I was at a convention last week, and as it was nearing the end, I heard a guy tell the people he was with, “I’m tired. I’m…
Why Won’t Our Kids Talk to Us?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell I don’t know about you, but even if my teenaged daughter and I haven’t had a screaming match that day, she’d still rather text me than call…
When did my SPAM get so boring?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell When did I go from penis and breast enhancement SPAM, to cures for gout and high cholesterol? Or cutting my electric bill and thinking about reverse mortgages?…
What Do Star Wars, Melanoma & Candied Orange Peels have in Common?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell I am writing this on May 4, 2015. And if you’re a Star Wars fan—and especially if you’re Howard Yermish fan—you already know what is meaningful about…
Why My Keys Hang from a Big Gold Hoop
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell I will never forget that day in December 1988. I had just given birth to my son—my first child—the month before. It was grocery shopping day, so…
Kraft Foods’ Dirty Deed
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell What is the most disgusting food you can think of from your 50s or 60s childhood? Hamburger Helper? Spam? Fizzies? According to Michael Moss, it was Kraft…
Who are You Sleeping With?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Confession: I’m sleeping with someone besides my husband. And Stan’s okay with it because he’s sleeping with this guy, too. We’re sleeping with Fred. He’s our dog. Once…
50 Shades of Betty: My Strange Sophomore Sleepovers
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell When my friend Carol and I were sophomores in high school, we’d have sleepovers most Saturday nights. When we slept at her house, we’d share the double…
A World without Chocolate? Say it Ain’t So!
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell Okay. I don’t want to alarm you, but industry specialists are predicting that by 2020, we could be in for a major chocolate shortage. And though 2020…
What do Baby Boomer Women REALLY Want?
By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell I’m not an expert, but I did publish a magazine for and about Baby Boomer Women for seven years, plus I happen to be one (a Baby…