Okay, I’m a day late, but wow — I had my in-laws over for Easter dinner, which was mostly effortless, but when it was all over I just collapsed from exhaustion. I was in bed by eight (again; I’m on a streak) and was barely functional following dessert (strawberry shortcake jelly roll recipe from Cooking Light: excellent!)

I think I need a vacation. No, wait, that’s too much work.

This time, I check out the newest stuff at Kohl’s. Read Shop Talk for this week.

Today’s shopping column is all about my favorite spring fashions; and a special one for woman’s best friend. No, not the credit card, your dog!

Nope! I’m not giving away a prize (I wish I were)!

From time to time I read an article about some group of families or friends that get together and cook enough meals for a month to freeze. I’m always amazed at the thriftiness and organization and think; oh that’s brillant; I wish I could pull it together enough to do that.

Well today I read an article about three services in the St. Louis area where you can go and create meals in a big kitchen with pre-set ingredients; and take home a whole month’s worth of homemade meals for your family! You can even pay extra and have someone else do the work for you and just pick up the frozen foods once a month (this seems like cheating, but I’m all for it.)

Here are three sites that offer the service:
www.letsmakeameal.com
www.mealmakers.net
www.timefordinner.com

Here’s another idea — consider this as a GIFT for someone who just had a baby! Wouldn’t that be the BEST?

I haven’t been posting as regularly since I’ve been down with the f-l-u. It’s amazing — everyone I know is either coming down with it, just got over it or has it. It was five straight days of bad sore throat, cough, achyness — ugh. Thursday was the first day and today, a whole week later, I’m finally starting to feel normal.

I usually get a flu shot but this year they were not to be found. I was able to get my son one; apparently if you have asthma you can get one even when there’s a shortage. Just FYI for future flu seasons.

I overheard my daughter (eight years old) playing “office” with her dolls. She was conducting a meeting and wanted everyone around the table to contribute to the topic, “How blogging has changed my life.”

I had no idea Build A Bear creations were into blogging.

I did one of these longevity tests today and the result said I would live to be 102. I did this one a minute ago:

Longevity Test

. . . and it said I’ll live to be 113!

It’s a good thing, too, because I have a lot to do.

This week’s Shop Talk column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

From today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Working moms

Percentage of working mothers who agree that having a career makes them a better mother: 96

Percentage of moms who work because it is important to them both financially and emotionally: 70

Percentage who feel societal pressure or guilt that they should be “stay-at-home-moms”: 36

Interesting — a web support group for Work at Home Moms in St. Louis — http://wahm.meetup.com/118/