13th November 2009
To a little girl, birthdays are a big deal. In fact, when I asked an 8-year-old friend of mine what her favorite holiday was, she replied, "My birthday." Making a young girl's birthday memorable is an important and fun responsibility for parents. The b...
12th November 2009
In just a few short weeks, the spooky fall holiday will be knocking at the door in the form of childhood trick-or-treaters. Candy, costumes, scary movies, ghoulish decorations and haunted parties usually typify Halloween. These parts of Halloween can al...
09th November 2009
I am pretty convinced that airports can bring out the worst in people. It seems like everyone is either extremely agitated about one thing or another or they are in a huge hurry. Last weekend, my husband and I took a flight to visit my family and I was ...
05th November 2009
The holidays are just around the corner, which means lots of opportunities for entertaining. More than likely, you will have many family members and friends that you have not seen in years stop by to visit. As much as we all hate to admit it, people jud...
05th November 2009
The other day I learned this term known in the food technology world as the "chilling injury." To me, this term means too cold of whether causes physical damage, as is evidenced by my frostbitten toes from a cold winter's night last year. But that is an...
26th October 2009
The smell of campfire smoke always reminds me of those beautiful fall nights under the stars with my family when we would go for a camping adventure. Fall is the ultimate time of year for strengthening family relationships because the outdoor weather is ...
20th October 2009
My dad was in the Marines; I guess this is the reason he regularly reminded me to stand up straight. In fact, when I told him I actually preferred to slouch a little, he informed me that I looked lazy and unprofessional. He was, and is, still right, but...
20th October 2009
The other day I called my youngest sister, Cassidy. She is in 5th grade and easily the lowest maintenance, most kind-hearted, 10-year-old girl I know. It broke my heart when she answered the phone without her normal chipper greeting. She told me it had ...
08th October 2009
When I got married, I received some absolutely stunning presents, but the best gift I got was a piece of advice I received at my bridal shower from one of my cousins. "Always greet your husband when he comes home and look pretty when you do!" I have fou...
07th October 2009
Have you ever seen a little kid drop his sucker on the ground, pick it up, and then continue licking away? It doesn't matter to that little kid that there could be dirt or germs on his lollipop, because he picked it up in less than five seconds; the chil...
06th October 2009
Wake up, grab a bite to eat, swig some coffee and hit the road. After a long day of work and completing the much needed chores around the house, it can be hard to get to bed at a reasonable hour and actually manage to squeeze in a deep, relaxing, good ni...
29th September 2009
The H1N1, Swine Flu, or the 2009 Influenza A Virus—no matter what you call this flu, you do not want to get it this year. Since October 2008, the Center for Disease Control has characterized over 2,100 seasonal flu viruses and nearly 500 H1N1 flu cases ...
29th September 2009
I will never forget the first time my husband called me by a pet name. Oh, how I had been dreaming about this moment for months! I could just imagine him giving me a hug one night and telling me, "I'll pick you up tomorrow night then, babe." Nope. It ...
29th September 2009
A popular saying reads, "No good deed goes unpunished." I do agree with this quote in some ways, not because I believe truly righteous deeds should result in ingratitude, but because I think there are people in this world who should be punished after the...
22nd September 2009
As the old adage goes, "You never have a second chance to make a first impression." That can be a scary thought for some, considering that within as little as the first few seconds of meeting someone, judgment has been passed. If you are prepared, howev...
