Tag Archives: shopping center

Coffee, What Coffee?

What is that delicate coffee-colored ring peeking out from under my notes? Perhaps it is the work of tiny aliens, who tired of all of the work of creating large crop circles have moved on to coffee rings in order to have a better chance at grabbing our attention. After all, how many more of us sit at a desk staring at a screen versus walking though a corn field on a daily basis? Why do you think I drink coffee? Have you ever seen it happen? Do you think that I’ll grab a cup in the wee hours of … Continue reading →

A Sense for Humor

When I teach courses I typically start with something my students don’t expect. I force them to scream in unison, do a funny dance, throw hundreds of paper airplanes my direction at the same time. These strange beginnings tend to reenforce a message I want to send to them: this can be fun. My message of fun is typically backed up by experience. Sure, there will be students who won’t have fun. There always are. The vast majority of students will enjoy the courses I teach because I teach art. I know, I see some of you raising your hands … Continue reading →

The Great Household Debate

Okay, here is one of the top debates in many households. Huge arguments have been fought over this one. Whole factions of people have taken sides one way or another. This issue can pit brother against brother and father against son. Some families have learned to adapt, with one person getting his way and the others paying huge therapy bills. Some lucky families see things the same way and grow stronger. Others fall. What is this great household debate? Ready for it? The debate concerns a personal issue: which way to hang the toilet paper (or bathroom tissue in polite … Continue reading →

Top Ten Signs You Are a Dedicated Parent

Have you earned your parent wings? Of course you have! Here is a humorous look at the top ten ways that you know you have gone from single sophisticate to dedicated parent. 10. You pack yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You already have the ingredients out on the counter anyway, and let’s face it, in your sleep deprived state it would just take too much effort to try to assemble something else. 9. You carry hand sanitizer wherever you go. A good cold was once a good excuse for staying home from work and indulging in a day … Continue reading →

Clever Mom Awards

Moms everywhere do a million, no make that a billion little things for their family that hardly go noticed. Well, I for one think that there should be some acknowledgment somewhere for all of the things that moms do (and yes, I am a mom, so I am biased). This is even more-so for all of the clever solutions that moms dream up in order to just get through the day. Hey, we can’t be everywhere at once, and multitasking can only be taken so far. Even though we have eyes in the back of our heads, we still only … Continue reading →

Friday Funny: the Befuddled Santa

Our scrapbooking blogger Nicole had a series she called the Friday Funnies . In that spirit I offer this humorous holiday incident, wondering whether other adopted kids have had the same experience. My five-year-old and I were at a smaller shopping mall in our neighborhood. Santa wasn’t busy at the time. He saw my daughter looking at him and came closer to the picket fence of the space defined for photo-taking. “Nee How! Nee How!” he said leaning toward Regina. He waved vigorously. “Nee how!” I was wondering what was in Santa’s eggnog that day when I remembered that Ni … Continue reading →

How Do You Sort Laundry?

All across the land, people are hiding a dirt little secret…their laundry. One thing I have discovered lately, is that people are reluctant to talk about how they do their laundry, when and how often they do their laundry and how they sort it all. Why is this? Keep reading and then share your thoughts. I often ask people how they do their laundry, partly because I am just curious and partly because I want some reassurance that I am doing it the right way. But laundry is personal. Not only is it the evidence of our real life personal … Continue reading →

Weight a Minute! Interview with a Gila Monster

Today we are joined by Mr. G. M. Jones (pictured, left) president of The Society for the Prevention of the Exploitation of Lizard Secretions. Mr. Jones contacted me after reading my last blog here in weight loss, about the use of Gila monster saliva in weight loss formulations. Mr. Jones was born and raised in the Gila monster community and has devoted his life to forwarding the cause of his species. Me: Mr. Jones, thank you for contacting me. You mentioned in your e-mail that you are very concerned about what this recent medical discovery will mean for members of … Continue reading →

Do Your Pets Have a Sense of Humor?

Do your pets understand laughter? Do they understand it’s a good thing when they make you laugh? Do they do things on purpose to make you laugh? Do they even “laugh” themselves? Mine do. What Murphy Does to Make Me Laugh Murph can be quite the clown when he wants to, but his most favorite way to get me to laugh is by stealing socks. He’ll snag a dirty one from the dirty clothes, run up to me with tail wagging and eyes bright, and wait for me to say, “Oooo! Whatcha got there, puppy? Give me that, you Sock … Continue reading →

When Toothbrushes Don’t Fit in the Holders

One thing in our house that drives me absolutely batty is the fact that our built in toothbrush holders are absolutely useless. These holder that are cemented in the wall as part of the design of the bathrooms, even matching the tile, have the standard holes for toothbrushes, up to six. But none of our toothbrushes will actually fit in those holes. The standard toothbrush holders (which are still being manufactured today) were designed back when all toothbrushes were pretty much created equally. Toothbrushes were slim Popsicle sticks that came in either red or blue, and sometimes even pink or … Continue reading →