Posts By: MJ Pullen
M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.
Since we are now expectant parents, MDH and I decided recently it was time to grow up and get life insurance. I have to say, there’s something a little morbid and scary about the concept of life insurance, and it’s not easy to talk about the life of yourself, and especially the one you love […]
For the second time in 3 years, we have wrens nesting in the planter just outside our front door. This means that I had to scrap my early spring plans of putting ivy in the shady planter, but it’s totally worth it. Two years ago, we called our feathered visitor “Gertie the Birdie,” (we’re sort […]
with apologies to John Cage* So, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter for me and my crazy schedule. The stressful (and expensive) chaos I talked about in the last entry has mostly subsided, and one-by-one I’m checking things off my list. So, in between things, I’m delighted to return to […]
So it’s a little embarrassing to look back at my blog history and realize that I’ve only put up one tiny post in nearly two months… And it’s even more embarrassing to have to confess that — even though I am constantly preaching balance and stress management to my clients and friends — the main […]
I like mustard on my fries. It’s weird, I know, but I’ve done it for years (originating during my years working at McDonald’s in high school — nothing turns you off to the normal fry condiment like constantly wiping stale, wet ketchup off trashcans, tables and trays). I used to like only mustard because of […]
I read today that a recent study (summary here) at the University of Kentucky strongly linked aggressive behavior with social rejection. In other words, people who are rejected socially are more likely to exhibit aggressive and violent behavior toward others. Well, duh, right? It may seem obvious, but this is apparently one of the more […]
One funny thing about getting pregnant is that suddenly your life is measured in weeks. It’s 40 weeks from start (well, before start, technically) to finish; and each week is brimming with developmental significance. Thanks to ever-improving technology, we know more and more about what happens with a developing fetus from week to week. So […]
Well, it’s not really my inaugural blog – it’s my blog about yesterday’s inauguration. I’m sure I am echoing the sentiments of many when I say this, but it’s astonishing to me how the peaceful fulfillment of the democratic process fills me with an increasing sense of awe, year after year. I’m a fairly worldly […]
I figured it out the other day — I’m 33 years old, and I have spent almost exactly two-thirds of my life in school (at least part time). My first reaction as I write that sentence is to question the wisdom of all that higher education, and the next one is to try not to […]
On New Year’s Eve, a few friends converged on our house for a cozy evening of pizza and silly board games. It was wonderful. Earlier that morning, a colleague shared with me a NYE tradition she has: writing down things she wants to leave behind from the old year, and burning them in a bonfire. […]
