It was a sunny spring morning and I had the day off. What could be better? I clutched my coffee cup and looked out the kitchen window. Dew sparkled on the grass and dripped slowly from the eaves. Two cardinals perched on our backyard feeder — a male and a female. It was absolute serenity. "Mom, where are you?" My son bolted into the room, sounding peeved. "Mom you forgot to include the W-2 forms when you mailed our tax returns. Now what?" Serenity gone, instantly. I had screwed up, big time. My mistake would delay the refund we were counting on to pay Matt's tuition. Even worse, my husband would be disappointed. He had gone out of town, trusting me to figure and submit our tax return. And I had botched it, at least partially. ...more

February 10, 2008