Inspiration
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Acceptance. A Letter to Teens.
We all want to feel accepted. Acceptance is love. We want to feel connected to others and not separate. We want people to like us, and depending on our life circumstance, whether we have good parents or role models in our life, a safe environment, opportunities available to us, they all combine to form our self-perception. Do we see ourselves as loved? Do we love ourselves? To all the kids who have a parent who loves you for exactly who you are–you’re lucky. It’s up to you to be a good friend to those who don’t.
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Rediscovering Home
I’ve been following Organically Twisted on Instagram for months and drooling over all his creations. Finally, we decided to drive to Naples, which really isn’t that far, and find the famous food truck. Wow, our lunch was incredible! Click here for the menu. Delicious!
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It’s the Holidays! 5 Ways to Keep Joy from Escaping Like The Gingerbread Man
I don’t know about you, but this time of year can leave me feeling overwhelmed. Buying gifts, baking cookies, decorating, wrapping presents, planning meals, on top of all the daily household chores and writing a novel. I’m busy. It’s not that I don’t like doing any of those things, I just forget to enjoy them while I’m doing them because my mind keeps reminding me of the things I have yet to accomplish. That’s when I begin to shut down. Well, my heart shuts down, or numbs joy, and as soon as this happens the annoying voice in mind pipes up: It’s the holidays stop being such a Scrooge!
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Don’t wait for the door to open. Open It!
From the time I was young, there was always this feeling that someone was going to come along and sweep me off my feet, or I’d be discovered by an agent and get a role in a movie, or maybe even win the lottery and become a millionaire. It’s a fun dream that requires little effort. It’s rarely the reality. When I became a teacher, I’d watch students jot down two or three sloppy sentences when asked to summarize, hand it in and expect an A. It was then that I began talking about effort. There seemed to be an expectation of a reward without the work. The reality is…
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The Blessing of a Friend
Today I spent the afternoon with my friend. We’ve known each other for eighteen years, raised our children together, laughed and cried together, been to countless birthdays, many graduations, and even took a cruise together. Even though she teases me and says, had she known I was ten months younger all those years ago when we first met, she would have ditched me so she could be the youngest mom in our circle of friends, I know she loves me because she’s willing to sit with me for hours while I sign books at a craft fair. When people asked about my new book, she answered, showing them all of Muza’s…
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Bad Teacher or Bad Parent
I was perusing Facebook when I found this post: 6 Telling Signs Your Child Has a Bad Teacher I became immediately annoyed. Really? If your child’s bored or disinterested with school, let’s blame it on the teacher? No. That’s not taking responsibility for your child’s education. That’s a blame game. Imagine spending hours on the weekend preparing lessons you’re excited to share in the classroom. You’re standing in front of the room, ready to teach your incredible lesson, and eighty percent of the class is sitting, listening, ready to begin. Just as the other twenty percent settle down, a student lets one rip, sending the class into hysterics and four of his teammates up…
