Search Results for: blog five years later let us take a moment

2,000 Days

I wonder if the forest preservation people realize how much paper the average kindergarten class bleeds through in an academic year? I had the equivalent of at least a few hundred murdered trees stacked in my mock mud room courtesy of my just graduated kindergartener. Miles of worksheets interspersed with dozens of art projects, end of the school year autograph books (translation: scrap pieces of paper stapled to form a book with the names of each of my daughter’s classmates scribbled in kindergarten cursive), and mountains of registration material for everything from summer Bible camp to youth soccer sessions. Post … Continue reading →

The 80 Year Kiss

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Take a moment to get to know Frank and Anita Milford who celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary on May 26th (while most Americans were celebrating Memorial Day). The couple attributes the success of their marriages to the ‘little kisses’ they share throughout the day, but especially the ones before bed time. The couple is believed to be the oldest married couple in Britain and Mrs. Milford had some advice for younger couples: Couples these days don’t last long because they don’t take enough time for each other. There just isn’t enough respect. Our advice to young couples would be to … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Aubrey Mace on Life Lessons

We are joined today by new author Aubrey Mace. If you missed the first part of our discussion with Aubrey, click here to catch up. Aubrey, like the main character in your novel, “Spare Change,” you work in a cancer treatment center. What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned from working with cancer patients? Mostly that life is uncertain, and even though you think you have a lifetime to do all the things you want, you never know when it might be cut short. My stepbrother, who I mention at the beginning of the book, lost his … Continue reading →

The Widows of 9/11: Already Remarrying?

Today is a sad day in American History. Who doesn’t remember where they were this day six years ago when the world as we knew it changed forever? No matter where we were, we were all affected, yes. But there are some who were affected much more than others. Those who lived in New York, or in Washington, or who had loved ones on any of the planes that went down. I got to thinking about the widows of 9/11 after reading an article in Woman’s World about one who found love again. A love that has since led to … Continue reading →

Taking Back 9-11

It’s the 6th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Like Pearl Harbor before it, September 11th is a day that will live in infamy for our generation. My daughter, who will be 7 in November, has no real clear cut idea of what today means. She just knows that today is a sad day. She cannot comprehend what happened. She cannot fathom the depth of grief, fear or pain that occurred. I am glad. Taking Back Today I remember each and every detail of the day in stark relief. I remember the way the house smelled. I remember the clothes … Continue reading →

The Trouble With Twins

If you have any of my blogs in the past, you probably know that I have five kids, and that the last two came as a matching pair two years ago. Now my twins are not identical, (they are in fact fraternal) but they look awfully similar. In fact if they are not standing side by side together, I have to be no further than five or six feet away to tell them apart. Even then, if I am looking at the first twin Emily, I’m not really sure who it is that I’m looking at. If the other twin, … Continue reading →

Exercise & Trauma

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A few years ago, when I lived in Virginia we faced 9/11 with fear and uncertainty. I remember the absolute silence in the skies as all planes were grounded. I remember worrying about the friend of ours who worked at the Pentagon and the hours it took to find out whether he was still alive or not. I remember with cold, crystal clarity the sickening realization that my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephew were originally going to fly out that morning, but changed their flights to later in the day because my sister-in-law didn’t want to have to get up so … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Play Now; Pay Later

I told my daughter not to do something the other day and another mother suggested that I was being too protective. I considered her comment for a long moment and then said, “Maybe so, but no matter how flexible she is now and how quick she is to bounce back from hurting herself – if she doesn’t do something right and learn how to do it the right way now – long term stress injuries are going to plague her later.” Maybe it’s because I write about fitness for a living or maybe it’s because I have my own host … Continue reading →

What Will Those Designer Jeans Actually Cost You?

I had a college friend who had an annoying little habit. Whenever it was time to pay the rent, buy groceries, or split the utility bills she would say something like, “well, there goes seven hours worth of tips” (she was a waitress). When we went shopping and she was debating on whether or not to purchase a pair of designer jeans or ones from a discount store like Wal-Mart she would ask us, “do you think they are worth five hours of housekeeping”? (She cleaned hotel rooms too). It was annoying because she was constantly calculating every purchase with … Continue reading →

Forgetting to Remember: Part 1

Does your child forget easily? Do you have to repeat instructions or remind your child on a regular basis? Many learning disabled kids have the symptom of poor memory. Daniel, our youngest, falls in this category. The old saying, “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on”, pretty much describes his ability to remember things. We have a weekly chart to help him remember his daily chores, including tooth brushing and flossing, walking the dog, emptying the trash, etc. I strategically place post-it reminders in areas to help him remember to do whatever he needs to on a given … Continue reading →