If everyone woman stopped micromanaging ...
If everyone woman stopped micromanaging her relationship…
…imagine how much time we’d have leftover! We could take over the world….OR…we could actually find time to relax and take care of ourselves. I’ve been getting better and better at letting go and trusting Jim can take care of himself. I have miles to go, but it’s a process and I’m on the road to recovery. How about you? Do you ever find it...Riding the creative wife’s financial rol...
Riding the creative wife’s financial roller coaster
My income is never consistent. It could be if I took on reliable work, but instead, my husband and I decided it was acceptable for me to make a living in the arts. Bless his heart. Now, I haven’t let go of a steady income stream entirely as I do teach several yoga classes per week. But the pay I receive for those regular classes is dependent on how many students show up. My monthly...Check yourself before you wreck your mar...
Check yourself before you wreck your marriage
Has this happened to you? You’re on a couples date and the dinner talk goes from two couples laughing together over the latest movie to one couple arguing alone about the husband’s popcorn allergy? Out of nowhere, the bickering twosome strap on their dysfunctional communication voices and drive the evening off a cliff. Single people look on from the distance and...Nothing says romance like a discussion a...
Nothing says romance like a discussion about joint finances
Imagine this: a home-cooked dinner for two, candles throwing a gentle and flattering light, sexy jazz playing softly … and spreadsheets marked up with red pen covering every surface of our living room. That’s right, Jim and I are planning an evening of budget planning. To date, dealing with money has been the most difficult subject to tackle in our marriage. We both entered our...Shopping Cart Blanche
Shopping Cart Blanche
While I never had the opportunity to shop in Soviet Russia, my guess is that the Trader Joe’s in Union Square is as close to the hammer and sickle as I’m going to get. The only difference is that I choose to be there and my hair isn’t feathered. The florescent lights zombify everyone below, the shelves are often bare and the lines are as epic as the 45th...Women on the verge….
Women on the verge….
I just witnessed, what I think was a woman coming undone. Here’s my dramatic reinterpretation: A half-full bus, daytime. The passengers quietly reading, texting or gazing out the window. A man speaks on his phone. Not too loud – conversationally. All is peaceful. All of a sudden, a woman jumps from her seat and throttles her body towards the man on the phone. WOMAN:...To Wake or Not…
To Wake or Not…
I just drank two cups of coffee because 1) Coffee is the best and 2) Getting out of bed was an epic feat today. My husband and I have a weekday morning ritual that goes something like this: Alarm goes off – snooze Alarm goes off – I scream, “Turn it off, ” as though acid is being poured directly onto my face. Peter and I lie in bed and lament the start of the...Multitasking and the modern woman
Multitasking and the modern woman
The follow is a piece I wrote for the Paper Machete. I couldn’t help but think of Ready, Set…Wife and all of you when I created it. I hope you enjoy! — Robyn Okrant When I was in the fifth grade, my Language Arts teacher said he’d give extra credit to whichever student could pat her head and rub her belly simultaneously for the longest time. (I went to public...Take the money and run to your nearest t...
Take the money and run to your nearest therapist.
I had a good, old fashioned break-down last night. It was about money. It’s always about money. I don’t make enough of it. I never have. What sparked my emotional toilet flush was the realization – I’m always broke. Like a ton bricks hitting my head, I finally put two and two together. If someone is chronically anything for a decade — overweight,...A feminist can wear an apron
A feminist can wear an apron
When Peg Bracken authored the best selling I HATE TO COOK BOOK back in 1960, it was undeniably the wife’s job to put a hot meal on the table every night, even if she had her own career or busy life. It didn’t occur to many men back then, including several male editors who passed on publishing Bracken’s book, that women might not actually enjoy this task. Bracken’s attitude was...The Wives are...
Cathleen Carr & Robyn Okrant
Follow Ready, Set…Wife!
