Ideas for Everyone on Your List

No, really. Here’s a full list of affordable, wow-worthy ideas for everyone on your list. It’s my gift to you, so you can put that research and shopping time toward a warm bath and good book. Don’t believe me? This should about cover it, right? Kids 3-8 Kids 9-12 Teenagers Collegiates and Twenty-Somethings Moms Dads Grandparents … More Ideas for Everyone on Your List

Get Things Done

What is it about the change of the calendar to fall that makes us itch to get things done? Maybe it goes back to our gather-and-hibernate instinct… Regardless, I happened upon this TED Talk video yesterday, and it’s an excellent follow up to my post about stress-free productivity last week.

Work Better

As we approach Labor Day, I’d like to make this public service announcement: You don’t have to work harder to work better. If I read that before I started my freelance business, I would’ve thought, “Yeah, right.” But five years of being my own boss has taught me many surprising things about true productivity, all … More Work Better

DIY Pedicure

Yep, it’s not what you usually see on here, but I think you need a break. And how often do you have an hour or two to make a appointment, drive to the spa, wait, be pampered, wait some more, and drive back home? Did I hear a “NEVER”? Good news! All you need is … More DIY Pedicure

Souvenirs

Now that vacation season is in full swing, what kind of souvenirs do you buy on a trip? Do you wander the trinket shops, aimlessly looking for something that strikes your fancy (grumbling husband in tow)? What if souvenirs could be part of the adventure of your vacation, like a quest for a specific piece … More Souvenirs

Seeing Is Believing

The parade floated by. Bands bang-boomed. Dancers high stepped a twirling march. My toddler was in awe, clapping and toe-tapping with uninhibited glee. “March with me, Mumma!” she squealed, grabbing my hand with her tiny one, trying to pull me off the curb.

Character Development

Carl Jung’s (and later Joseph Campbell’s) monomyth theory holds that all human stories—across all ages and cultures—experience the same basic journey. And over the course of that life story, the “hero” (or main character) encounters this cast of characters: Mentor Threshold Guardian Herald Henchmen Shape Shifter Hero’s Shadow (Villain) Trickster Take The Wizard of Oz, for instance:

Innovation

We had boxes of these in my house growing up. Do you know what it is? It’s a toothpaste tube roller. My Great Uncle Albert made them—hundreds of them actually. He invented them. I remember going to Uncle Charlie’s inventors’ shop once when I was little. My eyes were just high enough to peer down … More Innovation

Story

Once upon a time, there was a hero. (S)he lived in a world where things weren’t perfect, but they were livable. Then something happened to change all that. At first (s)he denied it. Then someone convinced the hero otherwise. (S)he set off to do something. Things challenged the hero along the way. Eventually, (s)he got … More Story