I came across this New Year’s blessing from Neil Gaiman many years ago. I’ve always liked it. A year filled with magic, dreaming, good madness, fine books, kisses, personal passion, and a surprise sounds wonderful.
I add to this, may your year be full of love and kindness, to yourself, to those around you, and to all living beings.… Continue reading
Cold and Flu season is upon us. As we head into the winter months, we spending more time indoors. This means we’re spending more time surrounded by the dry air produced by forced-air heating. We get more-frequent exposure to the germs that come from other people’s coughs, sneezes, and touch. We also increase our general sickness exposure by spending more time gathering with family and friends. … Continue reading
This is the time of year when many people host an array of holiday gatherings for family, friends, and colleagues. It can be a lot of fun, but it can also result in a lot of waste.
Not only is there paper waste from gift wrapping that gets immediately discarded (you can find more sustainable package decorating suggestions HERE), but people frequently use disposable goods in order to lessen the work involved with hosting a party. … Continue reading
Our thoughts define who we are. Let’s choose thoughts that are beautiful, kind, and full of love. And may those compassionate thoughts make all of us lovely.
“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”… Continue reading
Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I thought you might find a reminder about this post from over the summer helpful. In it, my friend Lainie discusses how she uses a Sticky Note Wall to help involve her kids in preparing for a big gathering or celebration.
You can find the post HERE.
This is a great suggestion for families, especially once your kids can read.… Continue reading
Before my children move out of the house, there are a wide variety of skills that I want them to master. Basic self-care, home care (HERE and HERE), basic repair skills, cooking (see HERE), financial literacy, and many other things along these lines. One of these skills is doing laundry.
My 7-year-old, who has watched me do laundry from the time I wore him as a newborn, recently expressed an interest in doing the laundry himself. … Continue reading
This last week I’ve heard people say that this election proves that our country is falling apart. Others declare that finally our country can be saved.
Whatever your belief, and no matter who you voted for, I hope we can agree that we all need to treat each other with kindness and compassion. As humans, our similarities are far greater than our differences.… Continue reading
“Mama, wait!” my three-year-old called as we were leaving the park, “There’s a worm on the sidewalk and I must save him.” My son did his best to gently pick up the worm (it took three tries to get the worm securely onto his palm), then explained to it that worms need dirt to survive so he was going to relocate the worm to the nearby grassy area. … Continue reading
Our thoughts lay the foundation for the rest of our lives. Knowing that, let us choose thoughts that will drive us toward the lives we want to live.
Think peace. Think simplicity. Think gentleness. Think brotherhood. Think sympathy. Think honesty. Think kindness. Think justice. Think understanding. Think benevolence. Think integrity. Think harmony. Think compassion. Think love.
“Let your thoughts be positive for they will become your words.… Continue reading
Election season is upon us. No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, I hope that you agree that voicing your opinion by casting a vote is vital to protecting our freedoms and shaping our government.
Voting is the chief right and duty of all citizens. Our founding fathers granted a vote to white landowners at the founding of our nation. … Continue reading