When you see a happy family out in public, whether it's at Costco, the zoo, church, in a restaurant at a campground, wherever, does it warm your heart and help you know that all is well and going to continue to be good?

Because our brains are wired to look for what's wrong (they've been that way for millions of years and are slow to change) we can tend to let the dysfunctional families stick out.

If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.

Children with no boundaries are going to get our attention hanging on the railing around the polar bears, or running through stores and restaurants either unattended or void of parents who discipline such behavior, than the children who happily stay within the family unit and display the good behavior that requires endless guidance. 

I received an email from Brenda Lovell, who told me that my sister's and my books had helped her as a mother of nine girls. A mother of nine girls! When you read a sentence like that, does it blow your mind? Nine (9) girls? How did she do it? Thank goodness she included a photo of her family and allowed me to share it with you!

When I first looked at the picture, the father was the one who caught my eye. He looked so proud and happy and perhaps a little dazed by the amount of estrogen in the air. This man must be very close to saint hood.

Then Brenda caught my eye. She looked lovely, poised, peaceful and way too young to have had nine babies. I wonder if she has a single stretch mark. As you look at each beautiful happy face, you won't find one woman in the bunch, who isn't lovely. You all know it takes work to turn babies into good citizens. It also takes time, courage and faith! And above all it takes love, kindness and wisdom. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Lovell!

When you see families like Brenda's, you know all is well. There was a plaque I saw at a Hallmark store years ago and I wrote about it Sidetracked Home Executives: from pigpen to paradise. It said:

If We’d Just….

Really the little things we do are what save us time, money and stress. Like if we’d just look at the calendar before we go to bed, we’d catch those easy-to-forget appointments we’ve made for early in the next day. Or maybe we should just make all appointments for afternoon when we know for sure we’ll be wide awake and have really had a chance to seize the day.

If we’d just get dressed first thing in the morning, we’d be free to go at a moment’s notice, instead of missing opportunities where nightgowns aren’t welcomed as the proper dress.

And this one, hit home last weekend. If we’d just put name tags on our suitcases we wouldn’t end up without them if we leave them somewhere. See I didn’t have a tag on my carry-on because, well, it was going to be with me during the flight and I saw no reason to have my name and address flapping around for all to see. If someone asked, “Whose is that, I’d be there to say, “Mine.”

All went well when I took the tagless suitcase on the Alaska flight to Spokane, Washington where I spent four days at a Sweet Adeline regional competition. I roomed with the same three really good friends I shared a room with last year during competition. They are all BOs (Born Organized) and I’d forgotten how amazing these women are when it comes to being prepared! (I’ll get back to the suitcase fiasco in a minute. I’ll just tell you it was on the way home that I had a problem.)

I swear between these three women, (I'm front/right) they were prepared to preform minor surgery, repair mechanical devices, feed us in case the hotel restaurant closed down, dress for every kind of weather situation, and treat most physical ailments from sore throat and constipation to indigestion, headaches, and leg pains. And they can sing!  

I love these women and truly appreciate how organized they are. I used to want to be that organized, but as I’ve matured, I’m so happy to be traveling light so to speak (hence the carry-on). They all had to check big suitcases to carry all their organized stuff.

One of my roomies just happened to be going on the same flight I was taking home and she offered to make shuttle reservations for both of us because “the shuttles fill up fast with so many leaving at the same time,” she explained. She took care of it the day before (of course). That morning (9:30) it turned out the van was only one quarter full, so my SHE (Sidetracked Home Executive) factor wouldn’t have prevented me from going in it at that time.

We shared the van with four other Sweet Adeliners, all going on Alaska Air, and a couple that weren’t part of our group. When the driver asked us what airline, they said, “Southwest Air.” When we got to the airport, Alaska was the first stop and the driver got out our luggage, we tipped him and he was gone. We rolled our suitcases, talking and laughing, into the terminal. I love the new rollers because they allow you to walk beside your suitcase like it’s a child on roller skates (and like a child, you can’t leave it unattended on the slightest incline).  

I bet you don't know this answer! 

Young people don’t have bucket lists.There’s just too much they want to do to bother making a list. Besides, young people are too busy with NOW to think much about TOMORROWS. They’ll also discover as they age, they could never imagine some of the stuff they’ll do, without it ever appearing on a list. Like this duck who never dreamed he'd swim with the flamingos, ended up doing it without it being on his bucket list.

My bucket list is getting shorter (like that duck's legs), but it’s a good thing. I’m finding out, I cross off been-there-done-that stuff faster than I’m adding more to do.  

Then there are those desires that gradually fade in time. For example, I carried around a wish for fifty years that I’m “happily” crossing off my bucket list, not because I did it, but because now I don’t want to. With just a little thought I got to the bottom of why it’s been such a perennial desire. ADVERTISING!

Does it bug you when you're around someone who smacks while eating? 

Unless you’re taught to close your lips while you masticate, the sound coming out of your mouth (especially when you’re eating something crunchy) is very unpleasant for those around you. If you think about it; when your kids are little and they smack, because they haven’t learned how not to, you might say to your child, “Stop smacking!" But rarely do you demonstrate what it sounds like to smack and actually show how to fix it. Who do you know that gives anti-smacking lessons? The House Fairy, of course!

The House Fairy Program has more than 65 videos starring the House Fairy teaching children the basics of keeping their rooms neat and tidy and having good manners. She has helped thousands of kids, but some of her videos have helped adults.  See the video.

One woman wrote that when her “smacking” friend saw the video with the House Fairy showing what it sounds like to smack and how to prevent it, her friend realized she was a smacker herself and took steps to change her behavior. (She told her friend that she tends to forget not to smack when she’s really hungry, but she's getting better.)

Speaking of smacking, here’s an email from one of the House Fairy's Snuggle Bunny graduates, twelve-year-old Brady Main. It's so sweet. 

Maternity Awards? Could there be such a thing?

It's graduation time again, and it got me to thinking about it, which lead me to the idea of celebrating. I looked up the definition of celebration and it said: a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event.

When we’re young, because we’re growing and changing, there’s cause to celebrate those achievements of going from grade school through high school and college, as well as celebrating the holidays and birthdays.

If we work at a job, there’s usually the annual awards banquet giving out Employee of the Year statues and BO (Born Organized) achievement pins and certificates. I know because as a keynote speaker, I’ve sat through hours of achievement awards presentations. 

But what about us moms? Yeah we might get a Hallmark card once in a while, but there’s no annual awards banquet for Mom or Dad.

Also, a great graduation gift idea below.

It's worth a try! 

You were probably thinking, when you read the title of this blog, that I was writing about drinking gin.

Well, this blog is about the card game called gin rummy. (Incidentally, this is my husband in his winning costume when we went to a Halloween party as Dow and Jones, during the stock market scare.)

Okay, I’m not a marriage counselor so I probably shouldn’t be going around giving advice to married couples, especially since I’m on my second marriage and so is my husband, but the idea of letting a little gin improve your marriage is really a good one, at least for Terry and me and I thought I’d share with you why it is.

You probably should know that Terry is a workaholic because that’s one of the reasons I came up with this idea in the first place. He’s never without his cell phone or IPAD and he looks at weekends as catch up days to finish all the work he didn’t accomplish during the week because of overbooking. It seems when each day comes to an end, his “to do” list is longer because for every task he crosses off, he adds a couple more jobs.

I don’t think guys like tricks played on them.

When you’ve lost weight on a low-carb diet or maintained your weight with a lifestyle of limited carbohydrates, but then you gradually start gaining, it’s because of one reason (well unless you’re pregnant), you’ve let carbs sneak back into your diet.

Scientists have proof that carbohydrates are addictive. They include, all sugars, breads, pasta, rice, corn, beans and potatoes. Because they are addictive, they come to mind way more often than the thought of a spinach leaf or a stalk of celery does. A carb-thought turns into a carb-excuse like: “Just this once,” or “Oh, well, it’s been a while since I’ve had French Fries,” or “Hey it‘s my birthday or his birthday or the neighborhood party.” The carb-excuse turns into carb-consumption. Ultimately, the carb-thought turns into carb-consumption.

The solution is so simple because you’re so smart! There are two parts to the solution. One is metal and one is physical and you can do them both at the same time or separately.

1. If your home is immaculate and running like a well-oiled clock.

2. Your family begs to help with household chores.

3. You’re happy with your weight.

4. You’re wealthy and debt free.

5. You have a team of professional housecleaners who come and clean daily.

6. You are ecstatic with your marriage.

7. Okay, I thought of another one, you’re never late.

If these reasons aren’t yours, read more. Disorganization affects every area of your life; your finances, your health, your relationships, your stress level and I’m sure you can think of more ways it affects your life.

A Little Organization Goes a Long Way

Get organized just enough to please you. That's your goal. The only reason to get organized is so that life doesn’t get in the way of YOU. When you’re disorganized, you let life run you as you stomp out fires caused by your disorganization. But a little organization goes a long way. Just getting in the habit of looking at your calendar every evening and then again in the morning will increase your level of organization tenfold!

What can be discouraging is trying to get organized when you’re in a huge mess and you don’t know
where to start. That’s like trying to waterski under water. If you’ve ever waterskied you know getting up is the part that takes the most effort, but once you’re on top of the water that’s when the fun begins. It’s exactly the same with being organized in your life. Once you’ve established just a few good habits and you get into a routine that serves you, you’ll glide along with ease. It’s the establishing part that takes a little extra effort. 

Where Should You Start?

If you'll look closely, you'll see a woman with outstretched arms, greeting her morning with profound gratitude. Either that or the police are out of the shot with guns and a megaphone saying, "Arms up! You're under arrest."