The weekend after Thanksgiving is when we "deck the halls." I know many people whose tradition is the same as mine. If my sons had their way, the house would be decorated for Christmas immediately after the last trick-or-treater is handed a Snickers bar. They start playing holiday music on November 1st and they start counting down to the moment that I drag the boxes of ornaments and bags of trees (we put up 10 trees) from the storage room in our basement. I am faced with the same dilemma every year. Even though each tree is carefully un-decorated each year, and the ornaments and lights are painstakingly reorganized and stored, there are many strands of lights that inevitably no longer work. What happens to them in those boxes for the 10 months of the year they are in hibernation? Read More

You have heard the slogan for years: "Walt Disney World - The Happiest Place on Earth." It's a great tagline. It ranks right up there with some of the best taglines of all time - NIKE-Just Do It, Kentucky Fried Chicken-Finger Lickin' Good, Wendy's-Where's The Beef?, and Bounty-The Quicker Picker Upper. I am here to tell you that Disney World is actually NOT the happiest place on Earth. Read More

Those three words send tingles up my spine when I hear them. I am not the world's greatest flyer. Ask anyone who has flown with me or has had the unfortunate opportunity to sit near me. It's not just that I have my rosary beads out and my Holy Water vial in my lap. I also have a tight grip on the arm of the person sitting in the adjacent seat. If I am in the middle seat, then my white knuckles are firmly gripped on the arms of both of my left-hand side and right-hand side neighbors. When the plane is taking off, my eyes are completely shut and I am leaning back and pulling up as if I am the one flying the plane and holding the throttle. I act as if my leaning and pulling are necessary in order to get the plane off of the ground. When the plane is racing down the runway to achieve the speed necessary for take off, I am tense, tight and stressed the entire time. Instead of feeling relieved when the plane lifts up and takes off, I am left feeling exhausted and completely drained. This whole scenario is a metaphor for life. Read More

When it comes to fiber, there are more ways to eat them than just chomping on some prunes. (Which also totally might not be your thing to begin with.) Read More

Full disclosure: I am a Soccer Mom. I have been one for many years now, complete with the goals all over my yard, the minivan filled with gear, and the garage that could serve as a shoe store with cleats in every size, color and brand. So it will probably come as no surprise that soccer videos capture my attention. The one I saw this week really stopped me in my tracks and I realized after watching it that there is a huge life lesson embedded in there. Watch the video before you read on. Read More