How I Stay Stress-Free During the Holidays

Growing up, my mom made Christmas perfect in every way. We had multiple trees decorated with their own themes, Christmas dishes that we ate every single meal on (including snacks), constant roaring fires, delicious smells wafting through the house from her endless baking, and Christmas music blaring from every speaker we owned. My mom made it looks easy. She took her Christmasing very seriously--and still does today. If you don't believe me, check out the video I made that showcases just the decorations in the guest bathroom.

As a child I took it for granted that everyone had a mom that could trim a tree, bake fudge, and wrap a billion gifts in an afternoon with a smile on her face. I thought all moms could do that. Looking back now I'm trying to see if my mom ever uttered cries for help. I don't think she did. I think she is a rare beast who really enjoys all of that stuff.

Tips for Getting Your Kids to Talk About the Little Things (So They'll Talk About the Big Things)

It's that time of year again when the kids go back to school and they suddenly seem to clam up. What is that all about? We all want to know what our kids are up to and get them talking, but they come home mute and can't seem to remember what they did all day.

Parenting can be so hard sometimes, can't it? Getting our kids to open up and talk to us is hard work! I'm always looking for sneaky ways I can get my kids to tell me what's REALLY going on in their lives, because we all know that when they share the smaller parts of their days, they feel more comfortable coming to us with the BIG things they're dealing with.

I asked my Facebook friends for their best tips and tricks to get their kids to spill the beans and they came through like champs. Thank you for all of the awesome responses!! I want to share them with you, because it takes a village to raise our kids!

Responsibility Starts With Us

As you know, this year I've partnered with Responsibility.org as one of their #TalkEarly bloggers.

This is the 25th anniversary of Responsibility.org. Twenty-five years. Whoa. That sounds like a long time doesn't it? To celebrate, they asked me to dig up a picture of myself from 25 years ago that I could share. My first thought was, "I need to call my mom, because I need baby pictures."

What?? I was an English major in college, not a math major. I'm not so good with numbers ... or aging.

So, here I am. Twenty-five years ago on The Great Wall of China trying to look casual and cool with a hint of mysterious-international-traveler thrown in. I still have the same haircut. It might be time to change my look. Nah, I'll wait another 25 years.

This Year I Resolve to Be More Responsible

You might remember that last year I had a partnership with Responsibility.org as one of their #TalkEarly bloggers. It was an awesome fit for me and you. The topics I covered got a lot of conversations started and I was so pleased to hear from so many of you. I was very excited and pleased to be asked back again this year! Yay!

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, Responsiblity.org is the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. Don't worry, they're not the Booze Police. They're not going to tell you to put down your glass or wine or cancel Happy Hour. They just want to make sure that you're drinking responsibly. And the #TalkEarly program is designed to help parents talk to their kids about responsible consumption. I think that's something that we all want to do. Right?

My Funny Bone Probably Needs Some Fixing

You might remember that this year I've partnered with Responsibility.org as one of their #TalkEarly bloggers. It's been a really good partnership for me, because I'm learning a lot about myself. Last month I took a closer look at mydrinking habits. This month I'm re-examining my funny bone with their #RefreshYourFunny campaign.

Figuring Out Why I Drink

This year I've partnered with Responsibility.org as one of their #TalkEarly bloggers. I was very excited when Responsibility.org asked me to join them, because now that my kids are getting older―Gomer is 10 and Adolpha is 8―we're talking more and more about the pressures they're already starting to face with regards to alcohol. I'm amazed by how many questions they're asking me! 

“Why do people drink alcohol?” 

“Why is it only for adults?”

“What does it taste like?” 

“Can't I just try it?” 

“My friend gets wine at Christmas, can I have some?” 

And on and on and on. Luckily, by teaming up with Responsibility.org and the #TalkEarly program I'm going to learn a lot and I'll be able to answer those questions. This experience will also give me the tools I need to have great conversations with my kids about ALL OF US making good choices when it comes to drinking responsibly. April is Alcohol Responsibility Month and so now is the perfect time to start having some conversations with your kids.

One of the conversations I want to have is why I choose to drink alcohol.