by Marguerite Elisofon | Sep 10, 2015 | biking, brunches, dessert, Gurney's Inn, hiking, holidays, kayaking, Labor Day, Lake Mohonk, massage, moisturizer, mountain resorts, rain, spas, summer, sun, swimming, traffic, travel tips, umbrellas
view from our room Like last summer, Henry and I remained in our mostly-empty nest until Labor Day weekend. Unlike last summer, we opted for Mohonk Mountain House and choosing to spend our long weekend at a lake and mountain retreat instead of the ocean and beach...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jan 16, 2015 | autism, basketball, Colorado, empty nest, Florida, football, Giants, hibernating, holidays, Idaho, January sales, Knicks, ski resorts, sledding, snowbirds, twins, Utah, winter
Now that the holidays are behind us—and the January sales are upon us—how do we cope with all these frigid, dark days? It’s not like spring is around the corner; we still have to slog through February and March (possibly the cruelest months). Yes, I know...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jan 2, 2015 | baby boomers, baby proofing, babysitters, birthdays, cancer, empty nest, Febreze, Google, grandparents, holidays, Lego, suburbia, the next generation, twins
Hatching the Next Generation Instead of looking back at 2014, I thought it would be more fun to look forward. What happens to new empty nesters down the road after their offspring have flown the coop? Some parents may preserve a grown up child’s room...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Dec 26, 2014 | Black Friday, Chinese food, Christmas, Cyber Monday, Dnna Reed, Hanukah, holidays, ipads, Jewish, Jimmy Stewary, Norman Rockwell, Santa Claus, twins. birthdays, xbox
If you’re Jewish like me and—and not very religious—your experience of Christmas is probably very different from the traditional family holiday featured in a Norman Rockwell painting. Even if you light Hanukkah candles every night and wrap eight gifts for each...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Nov 21, 2014 | "White Christmas, autism, birthdays, Christmas, college graduates, empty nest, family traditions, Hanukah, holiday songs, holidays, Jews, menorah, millennials, New Year's Eve, Scrooge, single women, Thanksgiving
When I was single in my 20s, I dreaded the holiday trifecta: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The ordeal began on Thanksgiving, when my parents cross-examined me about my social life. If I was dating anyone, they wanted to know if “the relationship...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Feb 14, 2014 | fantasies, feminine, flowers, gender roles, greeting cards, hearts, holidays, masculine, restaurants, roses, sex, Valentine's Day
A close friend assumed I would be writing about Valentine’s Day this week. Actually, I hadn’ t planned on it. Why not? I could see the question on my friend’s face; her expression was puzzled and playful. Immediately, I began thinking about the answer, and...
Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism. 