Passion Comes in Little Things by Melissa Swedoski
January 7th, 2014
[caption id="attachment_291" align="alignleft" width="226"] (source)[/caption] Whenever I hear someone speak of passion, I'm not going to lie - I think about romance novels. You can laugh, but haven't we sort of been trained to think of passion in a romantic, even sexual, sense? You've seen the book covers or the DVD ...
My Crazy Fears by Conlee Ricketts
December 16th, 2013
I have an irrational fear of bouillon cubes, chicken stock, and heavy cream. I’m not lying—this is one of my shameful truths. It’s a crippling fear. I shy away from glorious looking recipes because I see the words “bouillon cube” or “heavy cream” in the ingredients. That’s just crazy! Right? I ...
Stumbling Through Midlife Without The Right Shoes by Melissa Swedoski
December 10th, 2013
Lately I've been pondering this conundrum of midlife parenting, because not only do I have two toddler girls just beginning their journey, but I have a 72-year-old father who just started a new job. Just goes to show that whatever you think is going to happen, never happens quite that ...
Willie’s Home by Conlee Ricketts
December 2nd, 2013
This is an essay I wrote a few years ago. As I muddle through holidays, a sick child, bad attitudes, laughter, and chaos, I needed to post this to remind myself and others how it's the little things we do that teach our children about poverty, mental illness, and compassion ...
A Wife, Mother and Now, a Brand by Melissa Swedoski
November 12th, 2013
Can you effectively juggle all the things you have going in your life? I'm not even talking about balance, because as someone recently pointed out to me, there is no such thing. When you are with your kids, your work life is out of balance. When you're at work, your ...
A friend is always there…by Meng Fong
October 30th, 2013
[caption id="attachment_15464" align="alignright" width="314" caption="Peanuts Wisdom ..by Charles Schulz, 1922 - 2000"][/caption]I am in the process of coming out of hibernation. Looking for a full-time job after a 7 year sojourn into Mommy-dom will do that to you. A couple of weeks ago, I started to ping people I knew on ...
Small Talk by Conlee Ricketts
October 21st, 2013
I confess: I am socially awkward. Small talk physically hurts me. Barbeques, potlucks, staff meetings, work parties, birthday parties, it all hurts. It's a weird kind of physical pain that obviously starts in my head the minute I know I will be expected to attend any of these events. Next ...
When I’m 95 by Conlee Ricketts
October 14th, 2013
The following is a personal exercise I did during a 21 day course called Remember and Do What Matters offered by Artist, Author, and Actionista, Mary Anne Radmacher. The exercise was for me to write a letter to myself now, from my 95 year old self. Enjoy a private peek ...
Call Me…Maybe by Conlee Ricketts
October 7th, 2013
I set my ringer to “Vintage,” turned off all my other phone alerts and went to bed. I had decided to try a day without texts, emails and social media. I announced on Facebook that if anyone needed me they would actually have to call me. I knew my “absence from ...
Peace of Mind from Good Weather Days by Melissa Swedoski
September 17th, 2013
It's a funny thing about the weather. It can make you feel upbeat and cheerful when the sun is shining just right and the wind is gently blowing, and it's not too hot, not too cold. It can make you feel miserable inside and out when it's cold, wet, gray ...
