The attached mom has a strong grip on the doings of her family. She is the heartbeat of the home, a true engineer of time and space. She runs on a schedule and has her family adhering to it like clockwork. She wears makeup, even when she has no intention of leaving the house. She thrives off of order and cleanliness. Dare I say, she gets high off a clean house? She champions mealtime, providing meals at set times where all sit at the dinner table and cannot leave until excused. She's involved in her kids' lives, scheduling time to work with them on homework and other extracurricular activities. Bath time and bedtime are absolutes, and she will always step away from her social life to get her kids home and into bed on time. And somewhere in that busy day, she still has time to do her grocery shopping (with kids in tow), dentist appointments, and get to yoga class. She has a new family photo taken every year. Her blog is up to date. She is the master of time management. She says NO (gasp!) to volunteering when it doesn't fit her family's schedule. Her kids are annoying overachievers.

The detached mom is loosely involved in the dealings of her family. She attempts to create a schedule, but whatever. Her kids are used to waking up before she does, helping themselves to cookies and hot dogs for breakfast. When she rolls out of bed, she turns a blind eye to the chaos of the family room which is riddled with forts and LEGOS and library books. Shower today? Maybe. She checks her email and her facebook and gets sucked into reading a couple blogs or two, after a round of pinning. When she realizes what time it suddenly is, she jumps up in a panic and gets the kids into a frenzied bath and out the door to the library, followed by a prolonged lunch at a fast-food joint. While library-ing and lunching, she frequently responds to texts and facebook while her kids are running willy-nilly all over the place. When she realizes how late in the day it is, she rushes the kids back into the car, which has Cheezits ground into the carpet, and tanks back home. In a frenzy, she pulls out chicken to thaw and becomes exasperated by the mess surrounding her. Delegating to the kids is too much emotional drama (they fight her tooth and nail), so she sends them all down to the basement while she turns up iTunes and scrubs the kitchen like nobody's business. Taking frequent breaks to check on messages and facebook, she somehow manages to get dinner on the table sometime around sevenish and decides the dishes can wait until tomorrow morning. Homework with the kids is done under tense pressure. Right now all she wants to do is have her kids snuggle with her in her bedroom, where they all crash out, one by one. She's too self-absorbed to realize that she's the master of breeding chaos. Oh darn! She forgot to exercise—again. And as she responds to emails before she sleeps (on her phone, no less), she has volunteered herself for several school and church-related activities. She's out of control.

I'm a detached mom. I breed chaos. People tell me things like, "you're so creative, you're such a fun mom." Yeah. And it comes at a price. I'm sure this is NOT what Joseph Schumpeter had in mind when he coined the phrase "creative destruction," but it seems to describe me so well. I can plan and execute an event like nobody's business, but I can't fold the laundry to save my life. It doesn't help when I read books like this where I learn that moms sincerely do love cleaning and organizing and have a seasonal wardrobe from Anthropologie. Depression and self-loathing come easier for me than order and motivation. I TRULY want to be an attached mom. The majority of my close friends are attached. I gravitate to them for obvious reasons.

Which category are you more prone to? Or are you a hybrid?

1) Juno Temple as Betsy  2) Connie Nielsen as Mrs. Daventry  3) Lesley Nicol as Aunt Amelia  4) Helen McCrory as Mrs. Fairhurst  5) Jason Isaacs as Mr. Clumpett  6) Alex Kingston as Mrs. Clumpett

Who would you cast? Remember to go to my facebook page and leave a comment by Saturday, March 17th to win one of two Advanced Reader's Copies of Edenbrooke!

1) Helen Mirren as Grandmother  2) Jonny Lee Miller as Phillip Wyndham  3) Timothy Spall as Mr. Whittles  4) Emma Watson as Marianne Daventry  5) Zoe Boyle as Cecily Daventry  6) Olivia Williams as Lady Caroline  7) Charlie Hunnam as Mr. Beaufort  8) Tom Hardy as William Wyndham  9) Kate Beckinsale as Rachel Wyndham  10) Carey Mulligan as Grace Fairhurst  11) Alessandro Nivola as Mr. Kellet  12) Rooney Mara as Louisa Wyndham  13) Julian Sands as Mr. Daventry

Easy on the eyes, aren't they?

I enjoyed Julie's book so much that I had a hard time putting it down. My favorite part was this precarious moment shared between Marianne and Phillip in the library:

I felt trapped in his gaze. I was suddenly overcome with the sensation that if I looked deeply enough into Phillip's eyes I would find a beautiful, important secret. I drew in a breath, and as I did I leaned closer. The sensation grew stronger, convincing me that it was only the distance between us that was keeping me from uncovering the truth. If I leaned toward him, something would happen. I was sure of it. But if I leaned away, nothing would happen. So I stayed perfectly still, balanced between something and nothing, not knowing which way I wanted to fall.

Not since Lucy and George from A Room With a View have I been so anxious for a couple to fall in love! I know you will enjoy this novel as much as I did.

To win one of the two ARCs of Edenbrooke, like my facebook page and leave a comment there by Saturday, March 17th. Two winners will be chosen at random and notified next Monday, March 19th, 2012. Good luck!

Something strange has happened to me. It could be that the days are getting longer. It could be the sixty-degree days between blizzards. It could be the book I'm reading. It could be that delicious bottle of basil dish soap I'm using. I'm nesting, an instinct not indigenous to me. This newfound desire is something awesome and has preoccupied me for a couple weeks. I've also become a little obsessed with ridding my house of toxic chemicals and using simple, green solutions instead. What can I say? I'm a late bloomer. For this reason I'm going to refocus my month from just spring cleaning to green cleaning; spreen cleaning.

Pinterest has steered me toward several great green cleaning websites; if you are interested in making your own cleaning solutions with products from your pantry, go here and here.

Here's a recipe to try on for size:

Homemade Soap Residue Remover

• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup concentrated dish soap

Pour dish soap into an empty spray bottle. Meanwhile, heat vinegar in microwave for two minutes. Carefully pour heated vinegar into spray bottle over dish soap; tighten lid and give a vigorous shake until well mixed. Spray solution onto bath and shower surface and let sit for one hour. When done, spray down with water until mixture and residue are gone. You shouldn't have to use a cloth to wipe down unless you've applied your solution higher than the showerstream can reach. This worked great on the tub, tile, window and showercurtain* in our shower. For tough ring around the tub, spray more of the vinegar-soap solution on the affected area and let sit for a couple minutes. Sprinkle some baking soda on a sponge and gently scrub away. Rinse with water and voila!

*Did you know you can throw your shower liner into the washer to remove residue and hard water stains? Works like a charm.

via PinterestYou may be more familiar with the version seen in bakeries this time of year; a yeasty bread ring topped with white frosting and purple, green and yellow sprinkles. In college, I once had a friend send me a king cake all the way from New Orleans! It was such a treat especially to share it with friends and see who had the good fortune of finding the baby charm inside. To try your hand at baking a traditional galette des rois (like the one pictured above), go here.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Clockwise, from top left: Spoon Fork Bacon, Brown Dress with White Dots, The Wedding Dish, Canelle et Vanille

photo via Martha Stewart

Which do you prefer: high-waisted or low-rise? Ever walk into a room and the artwork on the wall looks something like pants pulled up to armpits? Artwork that is hung too high is a common issue, mainly because there is a burning need to fill so much dead space. Here is a rule of thumb: keep things at eye level and dead space will disappear.

What level should artwork be hung? Gallery standard, or 57" is the most comfortable and the most aesthetically pleasing. From the floor, measure up 57" on the wall; this is where the center of your artwork will lie. If you've been hanging your photos high for many years, this height will feel very uncomfortable at first. Go with eye level which will fall somewhere between 57" and 60". When playing with smaller-framed pieces, you may have to bump them up a few inches, but resist the desire to place them anywhere above 60" as this will exaggerate their tininess the higher you go.

If you're concerned about your high ceilings, then you need bigger artwork or you need to bulk up your artwork arrangements. By hanging your artwork at eye level, it will balance the negative space and bring the ceiling down. Any higher than this and you make the room feel taller and your artwork smaller.

Clockwise from top left: Gold arrow bracelet, Gilt. Red Velvet arrow cupcakes, Bakerella. DIY Cupid's arrow, Creature Comforts. On the Mark necklace, Mya Brenner for Stella & Dot. Robin Hood cookies via Kara's Party Ideas. Vintage Valentine arrows, Design*Sponge. Glass cookie topper, Cookies and Cups.

photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat