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Posts from the ‘Life Experiences’ Category

30
Dec

The Photo Christmas Card and Family Letter

It’s December and the annual “Christmas Card” has not been created or mailed. Every year our family has sporadic conversations throughout the year about what our Christmas photo card should be. We’ve recreated musicals, historical events, period pieces, and spoofed ourselves all in the name of fun and enjoying the holidays.
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26
Dec

Ypres, Belgium: The Christmas Truce

Three years ago while my daughter was on a school trip, my husband and I went on a weeklong WWI battlefield tour.  Normally, I am the travel agent in the family securing flights, hotels, rental cars, and doing most of the research. But, this trip was my husband’s brainchild and all I had to do was show up because this adventure was a “duty” trip: the only reason I was going was to spend time with him.  My husband bought books, maps, made endless phone calls, and spoke to other WWI enthusiasts before deciding which sites, museums, and towns we needed to visit. And, he made the hotel reservations and mapped out our whole trip. Read more »

20
Dec

A Lunch Conversation With My Teenage Daughter

My daughter and I went out to lunch recently.  After we settled in at the table, I could tell something was bothering her so I asked what was on her mind. She told me about a friend whose mother told her daughter to stop hanging around with my daughter because my daughter would be a bad influence. Read more »

16
Dec

The Christmas of ’51

On the way home from school a few nights ago, my daughter was admiring all the bright multi-colored holiday lights on the street poles and houses remarking how festive the area looks. When we returned to our dark home, my daughter said “Mom, we are a family with no holiday spirit” as we had nary a decoration in sight. Read more »

12
Dec

The Palm Beach Half Marathon

I’m scheduled to run 13.1 miles in the Palm Beach Half Marathon and nervousness and anxiety are setting in because the temperatures are predicted to be in the high 70’s, which is very warm for a runner like me who has been training in 40-50 degree temps. Read more »

8
Dec

The Impasse at Home

For the past week, my husband has been playing Mr. Mom taking care of our daughter (and animals) while I spent some time in Florida getting acclimated to the humidity and preparing to run a half marathon.  Last night, my husband called and there was silence at the other end of the phone.  The conversation went like this: Read more »
30
Nov

The Changing Role of Motherhood: Life With a Teenage Daughter

My 15-year old daughter recently asked me if I missed the old days when she was little and although my brain was screaming “YES, YES, YES, ” I calmly admitted to sometimes missing those days we spent together running errands, seeing Disney on Ice, having lunch together, and reading a book before bedtime (6:30 pm back then). Right now I would go so far as to admit that I would welcome seeing “Barney’s Big Adventure” again (and I’ve seen it at least four times and each time was more painful than the previous). Read more »

4
Nov

Random Acts of Rudeness and Kindness

Connecticut was slammed this week with a record-breaking early snowfall that resulted in trees bringing down power lines across the state, especially in the central and northern parts of the state. The story began last Saturday at noon when snow started to fall  – big beautiful fluffy white flakes.  Eight inches were predicted – but by 3:00 am on Sunday morning, more than 17 inches had fallen at Bradley – the nearby airport serving the Hartford/Springfield area. Read more »
31
Oct

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few months ago, I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies from a Neiman Marcus recipe that has been passed along on the internet for years.  The story of the recipe isn’t important as any person reading about its origination (a woman having lunch at Neiman Marcus ordering a chocolate chip cookie and getting a bill for $250 for the recipe) would question why the woman even had a credit card. And, who has ever seen a recipe for sale on a lunch menu? But, that’s not the point.  The issue is:  are the cookies good? I thought so because they contain ground oatmeal and I love oatmeal but that’s not what my family and friends think. Read more »
21
Oct

An Open Letter to the President of Bloomingdale’s

Dear Mr. Lundgren:

News Flash:  Your company call centers in India are awful and are in desperate need of an overhaul. The employees need to be trained to speak and understand English better in order to effectively communicate with customers. If your company doesn’t want to provide training, then close your call centers in India and bring the jobs back to the United States and train the employees here. Really, your customers will be happier and you will be commended for creating  jobs in the country in which your company is based. Read more »
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