In the garden….it’s time to till the beds and add fresh mulch prior to planting the fall flowers. What looks nice for quite some time and pairs well with our Houston climate are mums. I even have some that made it through the hot summer and are fix’in to bloom yet again! At the...
Living The Sweet Life: Dear my Forever Best Friend…. We all have friends. Some of them are always there whilst others tend to shrink into the backgrounds of our lives when things are going a bit rough. We all know who “those” friends are. It’s not often that you run across people that...
In the garden keep weeds under control and get outside and tend to those in the morning before it gets too hot and steamy to manage for very long. Harvesting of tomatoes and cucumbers will be at times overwhelming, especially if you planted a multitude of seeds and plants. These will need a...
Teaching Teens “Intentions” Each of us as parents are faced with many challenges. For some it is a child born to us that has from the very moment of his or her existence a determination to explore and refusal to listen. Others still have the task of facing learning and other challenges. I have...
The month on March will be a great one this year…even on the 28th day. For that day will mark the anniversary of my mother’s death. For the first time in my 41 years living without her it won’t seem sad. I found...
It’s really amazing how time flies. It seeps away with days passing into months and months passing into years. Forty years to be exact. Yes, as I look at myself in the mirror each morning and see a fading version of my mother and a transformation of myself that even I have disbelief that...
March is full of promise and hope that Spring will soon be sprung! From the looks of all the grey weather we’ve been having I for one can not wait! With the weather warming it’s time to order much and turn over all the beds prepping them for annuals. A hearty annual that I...
Of course out was going to happen again….it seems like it is becoming our norm and that scares me. It should scare you too! What I am referring to is the latest massacre at the High School in Florida. At what point are we going to find the answers to the questions of...
Where’s your happy place? Mine is the beach…which is where I am right now…in my mind! If you desire to find peace and quiet on a daily basis, one way is to take something very special to you that reminds you of your special spot and to make a place for that in your...
Did you know that there are many birds that mate for life? One day a few years ago I was startled by a very loud and persistent chirping outside my bedroom door. I opened the door to find a slightly injured brown color cardinal and her husband screaming from the bird feeder at her...
Q. My daughter has always paid attention to her looks and I suppose that is hopefully because of my teaching her to bath daily and make sure she has on some clean underwear! Lately though as she has entered her teen years she has become quite slack about her hair and perhaps the most...
Q. My son has a friend that his parent’s allow him to play video games all the time and he has become very self absorbed. As the boys are entering high school my son has lots of homework, projects and sports and his friend seems to have very little discipline or guidance. I want...
The holidays always present some challenges for most families. For some, each holiday the peacekeeping is just a matter of taking a deep breath and walking into the next room. After all, we do not choose our families and because of that tempered tolerance is necessary. These are people we are related to and...
Q. I am a father of three with my children ranging in age from 2-8. I have been teaching them manners ever since they were very little and sometimes they still forget the basics! What are in your opinion, the top 10 best manner practices for parents to teach their kids? I want to...
Q. I have a daughter that from day one has been headstrong. As an infant she would scream until whatever demands she was making were met and now as a toddler she will not listen to me at all. I have asked her repeatedly not to rip the pages in her books and she...
June HFM “GOOD TIMES” Q. Recently my daughter had a birthday party and she received quite a few gifts. Although she personally thanked each of her guests that day at the party, I have asked her to write each person and send a thank you note. I asked her a second time and she...
Q. I am a new mother and of course I appreciate “helpful advice” from both my mother and mother in law but at every corner I feel like I am getting a lecture on what to do or even what I am doing wrong. This “advice” is putting a strain on my relationships. Do...
Well my friends, it’s January! With the beginning of each year most of us want to access things, improve ourselves in someway. That’s where all the resolutions come from right? Organizing I have found is either something one does oneself or something that you hire for others to do for you. It’s one...
The art of power is a finely trained skill. Power is most often described as someone who can overtake, force change etc. What if we looked at this differently? Instead of striving to be powerful and strong in a forceful display, perhaps we should consider being more weak and kind. Our society trains...
So recently I was visiting with some friends and the conversation turned to how much do you love yourself? Most of us do not love ourselves like we should. The amount of time we spend in our negative thought patterns really does effect our relationship with others and most importantly ourselves. Our thoughts...
