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How to Stay Connected After the Kids Move Out
One challenge of empty nest parenting is how to stay connected after the kids move out. I spent years preparing them to live independently, but now I miss the mundane intimacy we shared while they were under my roof. We try to be intentional about planning family dinners, game nights, and movie dates. We video
Kathy Giles
Speaker / Writer
Archives
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The Great Zucchini Debate
Some Families Debate Politics, We Argue Over Vegetables “Look at the size of this one!” Many summer memories on my in-laws’ farm featured Dad emerging triumphant from the garden, holding an enormous zucchini aloft. Mom, on the porch, admired and exclaimed over the gigantic harvest, declaring each time that surely this is the biggest zucchini
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Jack Misses His Breakfast
A Tale of Overthinking “Here, Jack! Here, Kitty, Kitty!” I shake the bowl so the kibbles rattle against the sides. “Jack-Jack! Come get your breakfast!” Most days, my cats come running within a few minutes of being summoned. But not today. I wait expectantly for the blur of orange to race into the garage and
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I Set My Alarm Clock for Success
Waking up well starts at bedtime I enjoy being a morning person, but I’d never be a successful one without my alarm clock. In fact, the way I get out of bed determines my success as a human being each day. There’s definitely a science to waking up well. For me, it starts at
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When Meal Planning Derails the Meal Making
The path to my kitchen is paved with good intentions Meal planning starts with the best of intentions. Every time I enter the kitchen I intend to create an amazing, nutritious meal my family will love. Unfortunately, the reality of meal-making squashes the fantasy of meal planning. Statistically, just 6% of the meals I prepare
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The Smell of Optimism
If optimism had a scent it would smell like a new car If I had to create a perfume guaranteed to attract my husband it would smell like a new car. To be honest, the new car smell is one of my favorites too. I can’t explain why, except to say that the smell
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Build a Better Fly Swatter
I don’t need a better mousetrap Build a better mousetrap and the world might beat a path to your door, but I won’t be leading that charge. I don’t need a better mousetrap (I have cats). I do need a better fly swatter. Because I can’t swat a fly to save my life. Instead, my
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33 Lessons from Marriage
Every anniversary is a milestone Milestones mark significant points along a journey. In the case of marriage, the “milestone” anniversaries are generally the decades, or the quarter or half centuries. But I prefer to believe every anniversary is a milestone. After all, each year represents 365 more days of mutual commitment to the institution
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Cats, Mice and Olympic Ambition
Catching Mice Should Be an Olympic Sport I’ve never been a runner. But yell, “Jack’s got a mouse!” and watch me take off like an Olympic sprinter after the starting gun. Unlike my Olympic counterparts, my 50-yard dash doesn’t end when I cross the finish line. It ends when I fling open the back door
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The Toothpaste Test
Living in harmony starts with the toothpaste test As another wedding anniversary looms I find myself thinking back to those early years of learning to live together in harmony. The difference between deciding to marry and living everyday life together is like fishing for sardines and landing a 100-pound halibut. The reality is so much