By Carrie Eckles I was three years old when I first realized that I wasn’t like everyone else. I ached and I was tired all the time. But I ignored it, because I told myself I was the only one and there was nothing that could be done about it. However, my parents noticed the […]


Honorary Spicie Woman Nominee: Pauley Perrette
By Carrie Eckles Pauley Perrette is a name that came up as part of our search for honorary Spicie women who we feel merits some discussion. After some reflection on her career and life, we feel that she possesses many of the qualities that we feel make up what it is to be Spicie. Smart, […]

4 Tips to Revitalize Your Spring Wardrobe
By Carrie Eckles Spring is coming. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not one to say such a thing, what with my very severe obsession with “Game of Thrones,” but it’s true: spring is coming. I’m not a spring person. I have allergies and I hate the heat, but, for me, there is one consolation: […]

Non-food items I have put in my mouth and what you can do to stop your kid from doing it
By Carrie Eckles I’m not a parent, yet I always find myself giving out—I won’t say “advice”, because it’s not so much that, but—helpful hints about dealing with children. The reason for this has nothing to do with the fact that I was always the third parent in my family, if not the parent of […]

Asteroids, Meteors and Fireballs! What would you do if it happened to you?
By Carrie Eckles February 15, 2013 was an interesting day astronomically speaking. For some people, it was absolutely terrifying. The day began with a meteor that wreaked havoc in the Chelyabinsk area of Russia’s Ural Mountains. Later on that day, planet Earth was treated to an extremely close (by cosmic standards) flyby of an asteroid. […]

A Friend List for the Friendless
By Carrie Eckles As of the posting of this article, I am twenty-four years old. If I live to be a hundred years old (and I’d like to live longer, because I love this planet), I’m basically a quarter of the way through life. I’ve learned a lot—so far. Life is a constant learning experience […]

A Guide to Modern High School Parties, Tips for Parents and Teens
High school parties today are nothing like they were when you were a kid. I can say that with confidence, because I started high school ten years ago. I know what kids get up to, because a very short time ago, I was one. Today’s high school parties are essentially Roman orgies but with a […]

How To Plan Christmas In A Multigenerational, Multiblended Family Without Duels To The Death
By Carrie Eckles The bulk of my childhood was spent splitting Christmas day between the houses of both of my grandmothers’. For lunch, we would go to my dad’s mom’s (Ma’s) house; for supper, we would go to my mom’s mom’s (Grandmommy’s) house. And it was very evenly split like that until my mom’s mom […]

Love, Life, and Family-Mend Fences at the Holidays
By Carrie Eckles December 25, 2012 will be my first Christmas without my mom. The furthest I’ve ever been away from her was a six hour drive. There isn’t a greater distance than the distance between life and death. And I’m not talking about the afterlife or how they’re in your heart—they’re always close […]
