Wise Words From Readers: On why I love the holidays

The most wonderful time of year is upon us! Yes, I’m talking about the time of family, love, hot chocolate and general merriment. I’ll admit that I’ve been a bit curmudgeon-y this year when it comes to the onset of Santa Season, saying a time or two, “What are these holiday commercials doing on so early?” Then we had the first sprinkles of snow last week, and it formed a pretty light dusting on the ground. So! Maybe I’ll get excited sooner rather than later after all. And something tells me you’re pretty excited too, friends…

*Getting everything done early so you can enjoy the holiday with family and friends at home by the tree and avoid the rush…best part is Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner. All together!

*We don’t celebrate the holidays much, but I do like driving around and seeing everyone else’s decorations.

*Grand kids!

*This holiday season I’m most looking forward to spending time with my husband and our pets, playing board games and watching holiday movies!

*Making peanut brittle.

*Cozy morning with my husband and the boys, with presents and food and no rushing.

*Fire in the fireplace, twinkly lights, cozy. Seeing loved ones. The rush of successful performances and/or students’ performances. Memories of going into Chicago with the family to see a show every Thanksgiving when we were growing up.

This year, I’m looking forward to decorating our tree over Thanksgiving, eating lots of my mom’s almond cookies, seeing her sing in the church choir on Christmas Eve and UNPLUGGING for awhile to savor lots of family time. There’s nothing like the three of us hunkering down in my mom’s room and watching House Hunters and The Big Bang Theory — those are the memories I’m going to look back on in 10 years and smile just thinking about them. Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do with your winnings and why?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)


[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: Let’s get organized…

It’s a dilemma as old as time itself. It’s baffled everyone from parents to psychologists, and everyone, it seems, is looking for that elusive formula.

Ahhh, yes. I’m talking about organization. Such a long word for such a complicated task, don’t you think?

But there has to be some magical potion out there, right? Some set of rules to follow that will bring a new sense of clarity — and at the same time, zap away all that evil stress! Well, it’s something that I’ve been trying to master for more years than I care to admit, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in scouting out the best organizing tips…

*Keeping up with things is the best way to stay organized. I found if I slack off and THEN have to catch up, I get overwhelmed!

*I can’t get organized!

*Don’t do anything!

*We used to struggle with mail – incoming and bill paying. Now when the mail arrives it is immediately sorted into the recycle bin, magazine to read, catalog to read or recycle, junk, bills to pay. We pay most bills on line so I pay the bill immediately or within a day or so, to get it out of the way. We sort the mail right on the kitchen counter so in order to prep for dinner it has to be where it’s supposed to be. The recycle bin is handy, as are envelopes and stamps to send out the bill. That has helped a lot.

As for me, I love what my friend Grace had to say about the quest for organizing perfection: “Is anyone truly organized?” Something tells me that she’s right. Maybe it’s not about total and complete perfection at all. Maybe it’s about finding those little shortcuts that make your life easier — and more fun! Because sometimes, I feel like I stay organized as a way to have more fun in life, not necessarily to get more items checked off my to-do list. Does that make sense, friends? And really, who couldn’t benefit from a bit more fun in life? Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What are you most looking forward to about the holiday season? Do you have a favorite tradition?



Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: If you could dine with one famous person…

It must be the writer in me, but I’ve often thought of all the famous people I’d like to break bread with. Not so much because I’m a fan girl (I suppose T. Swift would be the exception here…), but because it would be fascinating to have the chance to ask them all sorts of questions. Imagine getting all sorts of unfiltered, uncensored answers. It would be like hitting the celebrity jackpot! And this week, you had some specific dinner guests in mind…

*Barbara Kingsolver because she wrote my desert island novel, The Bean Trees!

*Gale Gand — I’m mesmerized by her love for food and the personal connection spin she places on it. I feel connected to her like a dear friend who gets me.

*Teresa Giudice because hers is my favorite cookbook or her daughter Milania Giudice because we would probably have candy for dinner!

*Martin Luther King Jr. No, Gandhi — he could use some meat on his bones.

As for me? Well, you all know I’ve fallen for a fictional character or two over the years, but as for real life, in-the-flesh famous folks, the journalist in me would love to sit down with someone like Hillary Clinton or Diane Sawyer — two amazing women who are so strong and inspiring. I’d love to hear their take on being a woman in 2014 and how they came into their own. I can only imagine the amazing stories they’d have to share! Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What is your #1 tip for staying organized? Why has this worked well for you over the years?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)


[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On favorite Halloween costumes…

Speaking of Halloween, it was such a magical time when you were a kid, wasn’t it? It was the day of the year where you could be anything you wanted to be. A cowboy. A queen. A ghost. A Disney character. Needless to say, the possibilities were endless — as wide as our imagination, actually. Half the time, choosing a costume was more fun than going trick-or-treating. Even years later, there are those costumes that hold a special place in our hearts, and it didn’t take you very long to remember them, friends…

*We went trick-or-treating with our besties, and it was always AMAZING!! Some of our best times growing up. The best costume was homemade! My middle brother and I were tots and our mom made us home-sewn (with wigs) Raggedy Ann and Andy.

*I like the challenge of being creative with costumes. Each year, creative folks try to out-do themselves from the year before. Nothing like some creative competition with oneself. My favorite costume from when I was a kid was either when I was Cinderella, my own pumpkin coach included, or when my mother made me into a pizza! No one else I know was ever a pizza for Halloween, and that makes me proud of the creative person my mother is, and my willingness to be different during my early adolescents.

*I love Halloween because it’s a time where most people can be who they truly feel inside with no judgments. My dad worked for Union Carbide; they made Glad bags. Not much money, but we had a whole lot of fun. We would wear them as costumes!

*Pooling all our candy in mom’s big silver bowl. She kept in on top of the fridge and doled it out. Tootsie Pops were my favorite.

Growing up, I remember sporting a variety of costumes over the years. I’m pretty sure that my mom dressed me as a pumpkin for the first few years of my life. I’ve also been a devil and a clown, but my absolute favorite was when my older cousin Mona and I dressed up as matching dice. She was always like that older sister I looked up to, so I felt quite cool walking next to her! Oh, the lovely memories! Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

If you could eat dinner with any famous person, who would you choose and why?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)


[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On sibling memories…

With Janelle’s birthday last week, I really got to thinking more about the power of our siblings. We’ve talked lots of times about siblings before, but if you think about it, a brother or sister can be many things: A best friend, an enemy, a co-conspirator, a confidant. And most importantly, when you’re young, a sibling is usually that person you go on tons of adventures with, and it’s these adventures that give us lasting memories come adulthood. A few of you had some awesome stories of your own…

*Disney World as kids! One of my brothers is a fireman, and I could not be more proud of him following in our Grandpa’s footsteps. I admire his caring spirit and love for his community (my hometown). My other brother is the light-hearted, comic of the family! His sense of humor is epic. He is the baby of the family and truly completes our family.

*My favorite memory with my sister was staying up all night playing gin and eating mac and cheese while Jewel played on repeat in the background.

Ahhh!! So many wonderful memories! For me, the one that sticks out in my mind is when Janelle and I took the same Spanish class in college. It was fun and pretty hilarious to be in the same class. And of course, there was some friendly competition going on because, really, who isn’t at least a little competitive with their siblings? We both ended up with an “A” in the class, but Janelle got a higher “A.” She always has been the smarter sibling. Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What do you love about Halloween? What was your favorite costume growing up and why?



Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)

[Photos via We Heart It]