Articles written by Maureen Barnes

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About me - Maureen Barnes

I am a mother with a husband 4 adult children and 3 grandchildren. I was born and raised in New York, but now live in Florida.

I fell in love with writing when my children were small, and have never fallen out of love with it.

I enjoy reading mysteries.

Now that

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Life: 5 of 343
GROCERY SHOPPING WITH A CHEAPSKATEIt started innocently enough; one of my grocery bags broke as I was carrying it from the car to the house. As quick as I could, I chased cans down the sidewalk and rescued packages of food that ants were gathering to eat.I was picking up the last package of food when my husband came out of th... More..
Creative Writing > Essays Essays: Me, myself & men: 6 of 42
JEKYLL AND HYDE TAKE A RIDEDo we ever know anyone completely? They say to really know someone you have to live with them. I say to really know someone you have to take a car ride with them.My husband very rarely lost his temper and when he did it was usually over something really big, so imagine my surprise when I first notic... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Relationships: 13 of 78
HIRE MOM SHE WORKS FOR FREEMy oldest son had discovered the wonderful world of money, and the things it could buy. For a while he was satisfied with his allowance, but the older he got the more money he wanted. That's how I became introduced to the exciting world of newspaper routes.Every day, without fail, my newspaper waite... More..
Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games (Other) Finding your ideal hobby: 8 of 36
WATER, WATER EVERYWHEREI ALMOST TOOK A DRINKSCUBA DIVING I HAVE FOUNDIS A GOOD WAY TO DROWNMy husband has many hobbies, and I am interest in none of them. But his latest hobby of scuba diving intrigued me, especially when he showed pictures of the underwater world. I was hooked, kind of like a fish.To be able to scuba dive, l... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Lack of sanity: 19 of 71
MR. FIX ITAll my friends tell me how lucky I am to have a husband who can fix anything in the house that breaks down, and most of the time I am. It is the other times that I question my luck.My husband is a good auto mechanic and most times keeps the family car running. It is when he comes into the house and starts repairing ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Fun and funk: 6 of 22
THE CLEANING FREAK Isn't it just like a man to think he knows how to do everything? When I started back to work my husband, kicking and screaming every step of the way, agreed to help out around the house. I thought there would be no problem with this arrangement until I arrived home from work the first day and found my husba... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Grandparenting Ideal gifts for Grandma: 4 of 10
RETURN POLICY GUARANTEEDIT'S NICE WHEN THE GRANDCHILDREN COME TO VISIT AND PLAYAND EVEN NICER WHEN THEY LEAVE THE SAME DAYIt was early Saturday morning, everything of value had been put away in anticipation of a visit from the grandchildren. Grandma and Grandpa would be baby sitting for the weekend.Our Daughter, who is never ... More..
Health & Fitness > Diet & Weight Loss Fast track to weight loss: How to lose weight in a hurry: 4 of 10
DIET DIARY DISASTERI innocently walked by a mirror. What I saw made me back up and take a closer look. I had put on weight. Not a little weight but a lot of weight. That ruined my whole day.I had to do something. I knew what that something was. I had to go on another dreaded diet.It was Friday. I knew I should start the diet ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights The search for visionary awareness: 4 of 9
NOT OF THIS WORLD As a young child, I was very close to my mother, and trusted her completely on everything. I could tell mom anything and knew she would not judge, but help me. When she gave advice, I never doubted what she said. Mom always had my best interest at heart. When I married and left home, mom and I were still ver... More..
Travel > Vacations Ideas for great vacations: 31 of 63
FLORIDA'S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTHLocated between North East and Central East Florida can be found St. Augustine, known as the "Ancient City" is the nation's oldest city. First visited in 1513 by Ponce de Leon who was looking for the fabled Fountain of Youth.Today you can visit the archeological park which contains foundations and a... More..