Some of my favorite posts springs from the ideas of others. This week’s thoughts are brought to you by my friend, Catherine.

Catherine has a delightful spirit filled with wonder and creativity. She is an artist and when you visit Catherine’s website, she proclaims: “ok, you spent years learning how to do this painting thing, now unlearn it…

Now that summer is upon us, my children and I have had a lot of “together” time, to say the least. And, as wonderous and adventuresome the time can be, it can also be a challenge, as my three children would all be considered “high-maintenance.”

At my wit’s end, I drew up what I consider my “parents bill of rights” and, to be fair, I allowed…

The old Virginia Street is currently being demolished. The grand dame of Reno has been working hard since 1905, allowing traffic to cross the Truckee River for over 100 years!. The bridge was showing signs of extreme wear and it needed to be replaced for safety reasons.

The bridge was on the National Registry of Historic Places and as such, the project to replace it…

There’s a new movie out–it’s called, “Aloha,” and I can’t wait to see it. After all, I love a good Hawaii movie, even more so now that I live here. Plus, it stars Bradley Cooper, and he’s kind of easy on the eyes!

So, you can imagine my horror when I heard that “many” people who live in Hawaii were offended the director chose the name, “Aloha” for the title of the movie. Then, a cultural advocacy group was offended there weren’t enough Asian Americans in…

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

There is a traditional Chinese character for the word “ting” which means “to listen.”

Its component parts exemplify the essence of good listening. That’s what I love about it.

First, there are the ears. You can hear without them. It’s more than just the words, though. What is…

I read an interesting book lately that turns a lot of parenting theories on their heads. And, one of the most compelling chapters had to do with tattle-taling (is that a word?)What I learned went against everything I used to believe as a parent. I was told that a parent shouldn’t allow tattle-taling at all. If a child is prone to tattle-taling, then, I have to shut it down. It’s wrong, I was told. And, I believed it.

However, the book really made a good…

I read an interesting article last year about women and decision-making.

Turns out that when stress levels are low and easily managed, men and women make decisions involving risk in a similar manner. They gather information, assess costs and benefits and choose a path of action.

This similarity takes a different turn when you throw them both in a pressure…

We all know that pets provide companionship and unconditional love. But, did you know they can be ideal confidantes, too?

A recent article in the Deseret News cited a U.K. study showing that children facing a crisis at home are more likely to speak to their pets about it instead of with their siblings or peers.

Matt Cassels was the researcher behind…

This topic is so important, I decided to devote three posts to it. How do you overcome resistance to caregiving? Click here for Parts 1 and 2.

• Explain your needs – You get so wrapped up in the needs of your loved one, remember you have needs to. Gently remind him/her that you worry about their {insert or…