If you are as happy as I am that this week marked the return of a certain female morning television anchor (after her five-month maternity leave), then we have something in common! Hoda Kotb returned to the Today Show on Tuesday morning, and judging by the large crowds that were there to welcome her back, I am not her one and only fan. Hoda’s maternity leave (and return to work) made headline news, not only because she is a popular public figure, but also because of her age…she turned 55 last month. I have always said that older Moms make the best ones because of their inherent patience, wisdom and grace. Hoda would be the first to tell you that she is a better mother today than she would have been decades ago when she was extremely career-focused. She has openly talked about how different her life is today than it was just three years ago and that you never know what lies ahead of you.   The Today Show is known for its “Syria to Syrup” approach to the news, meaning in just a few hours every morning, the topics range the gamut from the violence, protests and civil war in Syria to the latest and greatest maple syrup recipe. I tune in every morning to stay informed on the news.Who would have ever thought that the most I learned from that show would come from the five month period that Hoda was not on the air? In the few interviews that she granted while she was on her leave, Hoda described her simple and delightful daily routine with her children. Hoda said that every morning, she did the same thing with her two daughters (a 2 year old toddler and a brand new baby) which included going to the same shop to get their morning muffins and then spending time blowing their "morning bubbles". For the first time ever in her life, she unplugged from the news, social media, and her habit of constantly checking her phone for updates and messages. She said it helped her to get into the “present moment” and to be fully participatory in her daughters’ daily lives. Her two year old daughter Haley taught her the best lesson of all…it’s the simple things that matter. This week she described the delight that her daughter had in discovering that her shirt had pockets (“Look Mom, I have pockets!!!”) and how tickled she was by a trip up an escalator ("Wow! Mom, isn't this amazing?!"). Now that she is back to work, Hoda has made herself a promise to live each day the same way she did when she was off from work…relishing every moment, finding joy in the simple things and turning her devices off for long periods of time.    Read More

I was recently part of a rather large move-in day with 2,000 of my closest friends! Just kidding...it was College Freshmen Move-In Day for my son. It is impossible to watch people hoisting sofas over the heads and carrying couches up four flights of stairs without thinking of a very popular and funny episode of the sitcom “Friends”. Some people purposely volunteer to help their friends move just so they can repeatedly (and loudly) shout out the word “PIVOT!” For those of you who remember the episode, I know you are already chuckling to yourself. If the “Friends” phenomenon passed you over, then allow me to offer a brief synopsis of this fan-favorite scene: Ross enlists the help of two of the ‘friends’ - Chandler and Rachel - to help him move a couch into his apartment. He even provides them with a sketch/drawing in which he has mapped out his moving strategy. What he apparently forget to calculate was exactly how the couch would be able to wrap around each flight of stairs. With Chandler handling the middle of the couch and Ross and Rachel lifting either end, the trio of best friends attempts to make the impossible happen. When they are unable to navigate the turns given the girth of the couch, Ross resorts to shouting out his solution to them and his only bit of advice is: “PIVOT! PIVOT!...”which he repeats very loudly six times. Chandler responds with an equal number of: “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” When they are forced to give up their plan, Ross says “I cannot believe that didn’t work” to which Rachel says “Yeah, and you had that sketch too.” This leaves Chandler saying “What did you mean when you said PIVOT?” The word PIVOT has several meanings, one of which is “the person or thing on which something depends; the central or crucial factor”, also “a shaft or pin on which something turns”. We are approaching the changing of the seasons which prompted me to blog last week about making a fresh start during this most wonderful time of the year. I suggested that you take this time to evaluate where you are and come up with a plan for where you would like to be. This may require you to PIVOT in order to accomplish this. Read More

I live in the Northeast and "Back to School" season is fast approaching (it has happened already in the southern states). I love this time of year! For me, it feels like Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day all rolled into one. It is not because I relish a quiet, empty house while my sons are at school. I am actually quite sad about that part. However, I do enjoy everything that a busy school year has to offer...including the very early morning wake-ups, making big healthy breakfasts and brown bag lunches, and a bulletin board filled with notices, announcements and new syllabuses. What I really look forward to, however, is taking advantage of the back-to-school supplies sales opportunities and abundant inventory. It brings me joy to see notebooks and folders for less than a quarter and featured in every color of the rainbow. I love post-it-notes and sharpies and highlighters and have a use for all of them. It’s a contest each year to see who stocks up on more of the deals....my sons or their stationery supplies-loving Mom!   When was the last time you treated yourself to a beautiful new planner, a Wall Calendar with extra big boxes, or some fancy pens? If it’s been awhile, then you deserve an afternoon of "retail therapy" at a place like Staples or Office Max and now is the perfect time to do it!   Read More

When it comes to condiments, people generally fall into one of two camps...mustard or ketchup. Personally, I would give up both if I could just put Chick-Fil-A’s sauce on everything. If you have ever tried it, you will understand my obsession. However, given the choice between ketchup or mustard, I will choose mustard each and every time. The zesty condiment comes in a variety of flavors and selections and has the added bonus of having the herb with medicinal qualities (turmeric) as one of its ingredients. Did you know that there is even a Mustard of the Month Club? Recently I was faced with a situation involving mustard, but it wasn’t as simple as choosing dijon or classic yellow. For the first time in my life, I heard the phrase: MUSTARD ALGAE. I had never put those two words together before! What appeared to my naked eye to be dirt on the bottom of my backyard pool turned out to be something more difficult to clean up...yes, you guessed correctly...it was mustard algae. I won’t bore you with the details of how one goes about eradicating this yellowish-brownish pesky nuisance. I will just tell you that if I had known that one day I would own a pool, I would have paid much closer attention in my high school chemistry class! Pool owners know that it is all about getting the chemistry “just right”. The water has to be the perfect balance of PH, hardness, calcium, chlorine and phosphates. When one thing is off, everything else is impacted. Read More

A movie was recently released that I have been anxiously waiting to see! It is called “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and it is based upon Garth Stein’s novel of the same name. If you did not read the book and are looking for an inspirational read about the meaning of life, run!-don’t walk to your local library or bookstore! I absolutely loved this book and dog-eared so many pages in order to revisit the beautifully written passages at a later time. It is a sweet story about a dog named Enzo (narrated in the movie by none other than Kevin Costner) and his owner Denny who is played in the movie by Milo Ventimiglia of “This Is Us” fame. The book intertwines the life of Enzo the dog with Denny’s life as a husband, father and Formula One race-car driver. You never know when a book will hand you a powerful and helpful life lesson. This book did that for me. Read More

Are you a mountain person or a beach one?That is one of the questions that appears on those personality quizzes often found in magazines. If you prefer to head to the mountains, apparently you are an introspective person who prefers a quiet night-in versus a night out clubbing. You are self sufficient, independent, introspective and likely enjoy quiet activities such as painting and writing. Those of us who are beach-lovers are said to be extroverts who are energetic, active, and upbeat. We enjoy meeting new people and turning small talk into lengthy conversations. You won’t find us laying on a blanket on the sand because apparently we will be too busy hosting a beach party, swimming in the water and playing beach volleyball.    You may have figured out by now, that given a choice, I will always pick the ocean over a mountain.Whether you are a land-lover or a fan of the deep blue sea, we can probably all agree that we can learn a great deal about life from the ocean.   Read More

We recently marked the one-year countdown to the 2020 Summer Olympics which will take place in Tokyo, Japan. This time next year, the world’s greatest and most elite athletes will be gathered together…more than 11,000 athletes representing 206 nations will compete for over 300 gold medals. A year may seem like a long time, but in the world of the Olympic Games, you cannot start planning, training and working soon enough. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger”. It dates back to 1894 when it was proposed by the French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin who became known as the ‘Father of the Olympics’ and was responsible for the creation of the International Olympic Committee. The three words “faster, higher, stronger” encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition and to view their hard work and efforts as a victory. The motto means that winning is not necessarily the biggest and only priority, but that giving one's best, pushing yourself to the next level and striving for personal excellence are exemplary goals to strive towards. This message is a powerful one and it can apply equally to the Olympic athletes and to those of us watching the games from afar. Read More

This joke has been around for a very long time. A tourist gets out of cab on 57th Street in New York City and asks a passerby “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The person replies “Practice, Practice, practice!” The joke is so old and has been repeated so often, that it even has a place on Carnegie Hall’s website. If you have ever had the opportunity to see a performance at the famed and historic concert venue, then you undoubtedly agree that the musicians have spent an entire lifetime ‘practicing, practicing, practicing’ to perform on that hallowed stage. When you wait and work your whole life for such a prestigious honor, then you do not let anything stand in your way. That tenacity, dedication and commitment were on full display this past weekend when the lights went out in NYC and the Millennial Choir and Orchestra’s performance at Carnegie Hall was cancelled due to the complete blackout that took place in the city. Read More