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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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Playing Possum and Other Myths of the Animal Kingdom
Playing possum isn’t playing at all I saw an opossum in the road the other day, but didn’t know if it was dead or just “playing possum.” When I drove by the following day and saw it holding the same pose, I knew it wasn’t practicing its thespian skills. Playing possum does not work if
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Like the Back of My Hand
How well do you really know the back of your hand? I know a lot of things about my husband after 31 years of marriage. You might say I know him like the back of my hand. But apparently, one thing I don’t know about him is actually… the back of his hand. We
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The Nickname Game
Choosing Your Own Nickname is Harder Than You Think. We are planning a big trip with four generations of family. In addition to making memories of a lifetime, this trip provides great opportunity to embarrass the children. I’m talking family sing-alongs, group pictures at every restaurant, and matching T-shirts in neon colors. With family nicknames
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A New Approach to New Year’s Resolutions
Reality never matches the ambition of New Year’s resolutions. Each January 1st I channel my inner optimist and set goals for improving myself in the coming year. In reality, my New Year’s resolutions become a To Do list for the month of January. Like my favorite football team, my new routines and healthier habits barely
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The Recipe Rebel
There are two types of people in the world: those who read the directions, and those who should have. I am usually a rule follower. I don’t drink milk beyond its sell-by date. I launder my whites and darks separately. I always fasten my seatbelt. But when I flip open a cookbook to create
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The Handbook of Christmas Traditions
For my tradition-loving family, Christmas is our favorite time of year. We love every aspect of the Christmas holiday. Our family has traditions for everything from worship services to decorations to food and entertainment. You might say we are wrapped in tradition. In fact, we could publish a handbook of standard operating procedures for our
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Becoming A Celebrity Canine Agent
Dog’s Stage Debut Makes Him a Canine Celebrity Our daughter’s dog Flame just made his stage debut in the fall musical at her college. At her request I brought him to the auditions, where he impressed the director and won the part. Since Flame lives at home while his mama resides in the dorm, it
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Too Old to be Outdated
You are as old and as young as the words you speak. I try not to be lured into clicking those outrageous headlines in my browser’s sidebar. But as a slightly compulsive wordsmith, once in a while a great grammatical hook has me taking the bait. Recently, the article that caught my eye was “Outdated
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The Dog Spoon
Don’t judge me by the utensils I use. The first time I met my prospective in-laws I really wanted to make a good impression. Instead, I scandalized them by using the wrong spoon. It wasn’t a breach of etiquette. I’m not some ditzy debutante who can’t navigate a formal place setting. I was helping prepare