1. My puppy, Darwin gained 11 lbs in 20 days.
2. My daughter’s theology homework makes absolutely no sense, and no one can figure out what it all means.
3. My allergies are so bad, I used 500 sheets of Kleenex in 24 hours.
4. People talk about Super Bowl commercials way too much. They’re not that important or fascinating.
5. Postage stamps are really expensive.
6. Facebook changed the way my home page looks and works. Why?
7. Pure sunshine always puts me in a good mood.
8. My city is now recycling junk mail, and it is shocking how many papers I can now recycle! Where was that all going before?
9. The lady on TV on that religious channel, who has a huge pink hair wig and only one outfit is always bawling her eyes out. Why?
10. Working out after dinner gives me acid reflux.

I’m off to the YMCA. And I just ate.

Here’s mine:

• Blue skies.
• Cool breeze.
• No humidity!
• Finally!
• Working outside on patio with laptop.
• New Puppy a handful.
• Very cute though.
• Lunch with friend Tim.
• Out on patio.
• Homemade.
• Great conversation.
• Book review up.
• On Amazon.
• Linchpin.
• By Seth Godin.
• Calm.
• Happy.
• Grateful.
• Even though getting bit by mosquitos!
• Did I say puppy cute?

As we all know, Haiti is in great need after the earthquake(s). But what’s the best way to help out? Here are the best links I could find, whether you’d like to donate goods, money or volunteer. Some of these sites also have many links to other sites:

1. Embassy of Haiti in Washington DC Earthquake Information and Emergency Response.
2. Haiti Tourism’s Official Site of the Secretary Of State for Haiti – Learn what you can do to help Haiti
3. The White House Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund or William Clinton Foundation
4. USAID – Help Haiti
5. American Red Cross – Donate $
6. Habitat for Humanity Help Earthquake Victims
7. National Nurses Unites – Every $ raised will go to sending nurses to Haiti
8. Healing the Children – Haiti Relief Efforts
9. Save the Children – Racing Relief to help the children in Haiti
10. World Vision – Many ways to donate and help out

In addition to national organizations, many local businesses, places or worship and schools in your community are taking donations as well. Water, food and diapers are in great need.

There are countless other options. Before you donate, make sure you are giving to a viable, honest organization. Find out how much of the $ you give will be going directly to disaster victims rather than marketing efforts. Don’t get scammed! Despite the many selfless people out there who are doing all they can to help, there are a few thieves amongst us just waiting to take advantage of an unfortunate event such as this.

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Talk to your children about the earthquake (and the need of the Haitian people even before this disaster.) Living in Miami, it is impossible not to know someone who is from Haiti, desperately worrying about their loved ones (or still unable to locate them.)

Watching the news and seeing the generous people who hurried to help really restores my faith in humanity.  The volunteers are sleeping on the streets and taking health risks. Have you ever thought to yourself, “Wow, look at what these people are doing to help out. I’m glad it’s them and not me?” We all need assistance in our lives at one time or another. How have you helped others in great need? Who has help you?  Now is the time to take stock, to be grateful and to lend a hand. Whether it is money, goods or your time, give today.

Well, I’ve finally updated my 2010 calendar with all the school activities, days off, holidays and birthdays, work events and even marked every Miami Heat Basketball Game through the end of the season for my husband. (What a great wife I am!) And OMG, my daughter is graduating from high school in May!

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Have you ever looked through your calendar from a previous year? It is shocking to do so, because you realize just how fast time zipped by. I feel the same way every time I take out and put away the Christmas decorations. Was that really already one year ago that I at did this? I have to say that the older I get, the faster the time goes by. How cliche, yet true.

This year I promise myself I will do a better job of checking my calendar at least twice a day! Why write it down if you never look at it?!

Now if I could only figure out how to slow time down so I can make my daughter’s time at home lat longer. Anybody got any suggestions?

My sister and I visited our Mother’s and Grandparents’ graves today. Without even thinking about it, today was exactly the 11 year anniversary of our Grandmother’s passing. She and Gramps are buried next to Gramp’s 2 brothers and their wives. Standing over their headstones got me thinking. For years my Grandfather and Granny lived in a 2 level house south of Chicago. They were on the lower level. Gramps’ youngest brother, Harry and wife, Harriet lived upstairs. Both levels were identical in layout. Their furnishings were quite similar. My Grandparents had 2 sons; my Aunt and Uncle had 2 daughters. Gramps and his brother owned a small hardware store together for some 50 years. They invested their money in the same ways, educated their children in the same way and had all the same friends. When they retired, they moved at the same time to a nice apartment complex in Chicago. I think they were getting a bit tired of each other’s constant company by then, because they lived in separate buildings, but once again had the same exact apartment layout.

(L to R – Grandma Nellie, Grandpa Joe, Uncle Harry, Aunt Harriet)

After a short while, both families decided to move to South Florida to get away from the brutal Chicago winters. Naturally, they each bought codnods in the same condo association. Different buildings, but the same corner apartment on the second floor on the golf course, with the same layout and similar furniture and decorations. For years I often heard about how my Aunt and Uncle were “closer to the community pool.” But they had a “darker apartment because the Northern exposure meant less sunshine in their apartment.” The brothers golfed together (but my Uncle was a better golfer than my Gramps). They often ate lunch and dinner together, socialized together, played bridge together, (but my Grandfather was a better bridge player). They traveled together and sometimes, just sometimes, they complained about each other.

Their original hardware store. No longer There.

Flash forward to today. There I was standing over their graves. Brothers. Next door neighbors. Inches apart. Just like old times.

Now and forever, and ever.

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1. Spend more time with people you love.
2. Spend less time with people you don’t love.
3. Appreciate your spouse.
4. Appreciate your children.
5. Tell someone how wonderful you think he or she is.
6. Tell someone how not-so-wonderful you think he or she is.
7. Get rid of clutter in your house
8. Get rid of clutter in your life.
9. Travel to a place you’ve never been before.
10. Learn how to really use your camera or other electronic device.
11. Read more books.
12. Enjoy children’s artwork.
13. Visit all the museums in your area.
14. Meditate.
15. Do yoga.
16. Get into shape.
17. Quit smoking, drinking, drugging, overeating.
18. Save more $.
19. Be more generous.
20. Get less furious at horrible drivers.
21. Listen better.
22. Speak less.
23. Speak more.
24. Train your pet.
25. Spend less time on the computer.
26. Learn to do something new.
27. Perfect something you already know how to do.
28. Exercise more with your pet.
29. Adopt a roadway to clean.
30. Grow an amazing garden.
31. Stop making commitments you don’t really want to make.
32. Resolve not to make resolutions.

The news about Tiger Woods’ indiscretions has taken over the airways for well over a week now. And it’s no surprise that the media and many of us are so interested in the story. As soon as the story broke, all I could think of is: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

We tell our kids all the time that there are consequences for their actions. Tiger is now experiencing his own self-inflicted consequences. Does the punishment fit the crime? His punishment includes humiliation and embarrassment on a global scale; and possibly a financial impact if he loses endorsement opportunities. His fame for his positive accomplishments created the environment where his transgressions are now also played out for the world to see.

I am sure there are plenty of people on earth who have gotten away with terrible actions. But I’d like to think that in some way even those people face their own unpleasant challenges due to their actions. What was Tiger thinking? How dumb was that of him to leave a voice mail on one of his mistresses’ cell phones? Did he honestly think he could continue his “transgressions” and not be found out? And it doesn’t appear to be one solitary incident or person involved, but “several.”

All famous people are deeply sorry when they have been humiliated all over the world. Was Tiger sorry the day before he was busted?  Men who cheat sometimes attend sex addiction rehab as though their infidelity is a disease. Famous couples that include a cheating husband immediately go to marriage counseling. Naturally, the cheaters then truly and deeply love their spouses, their “soul mates.” The affairs meant nothing to them.

There is a price for fame, and it is HUGE. If you project integrity when you face the camera every day, you better walk the walk and talk the talk.  Secrets are awfully hard for a famous person to keep. If one other person knows something, that something is no longer a secret. I think some ultra successful people acquire such large egos that they believe they are invincible. The public puts them on a pedestal and the pressure for them to be perfect must be stressful. Famous people are human too.

I’m not sure why most celebrities get married. You’d be hard pressed to find 10 celebrity couples who have been married for 30+ years. How about even 10 years? Why bother? Why not just stay single and date any and everyone you please? I guess on some level they want stability that a marriage can offer, but that rush of excitement of getting away with something forbidden, may be worth the risk for some.

Tiger Woods is an amazing golfer and has unparalleled discipline and motivation. I don’t even like golf, but I like to watch him golf. But now, for the rest of his life he is going to be known as the best golfer of all time who had some trouble driving (and with his putter). Whether he insists on keeping his privacy or not, he will be asked to comment about this recent situation for years to come. It will really never go away. It will never be like it was. The respect people had for him is never going to be quite same. And he worked so hard for what he accomplished professionally.

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I don’t know if the reaction is always equal, but it is something to always keep in mind.

What are you thankful about? Think about it. Thanksgiving should be more about the thanking than the eating. Come up with 5 simple things right now. Here’s what I am thankful about today:

1. My family’s unconditional love and support
2. Having had eleven incredible years with my dog, Gigi
3. Receiving 90+ entries for our contest so far!
4. Thriving tomato plants in my garden!
5. Warm, sunny weather day after day

Be Thankful

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With the time change and winter approaching, (I have to laugh here, because I am in South Florida) I feel different. It happens to me every year. I want to eat dinner earlier, get into bed earlier and stay home more often. And what about mornings? I wake up to early, and that is why I want to go to bed earlier.  I just plain feel like I have a lot less time to get things done. But it’s really not true. I’ve got to snap out of it.

This got me thinking about the Americans who work during the night hours and sleep during the day. Just how do they do it? I would be totally depressed not seeing the sun – especially after living here! Just think about how a night job would change your life. You could not really socialize or attend daytime events. You’d be home sleeping while everyone else is living. I’ve read how many people doing this need to be treated with florescent light exposure to simulate the sun and get them out of their depression.

I don’t think we were meant to stay up all night. I’ll stick to “normal” hours.

1. Surf the web for ideas for your next vacation
2. Send a bunch of people you know emails so they can ask, “What were you doing up at that hour?!”
3. Watch a B movie on an obscure TV channel
4. Flip channels such that you try to only watch commercials on TV (like those for sleeping pills)
5. Listen to an old episode of “This American Life” on NPR on your computer
6. Make a list of all the things you need to get done that day
7. Make a list of all the things you accomplished that day
8. Write an old-fashioned letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a while
9. Write a poem for the love of your life or about how you wish you had a love of your life
10. Organize your sock or undies drawer
11. Play solitaire
12. Stare at the ceiling
13. Do yoga in bed
14. Call someone you know in a much different time zone, who would be awake at that time
15. Flip your head to where your feet normally are, and see if that helps you sleep
16. Toss your pillow on the floor and lay flat with your arms at your sides, and see if that helps you sleep
17. Drink a cup of hot decaf tea or even hot water, honey and lemon
18. Plan out what you are going to wear to work
19. Read something rather boring
20. Meditate

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