You Hate Me?
Believe it or not, I hear that a lot. The words, "I hate you." People compare and they critique. They belittle and they begrudge. "I hate you." Followed by a lighthearted chuckle or a smirk. "I hate you." Followed ever-so-closely by a "just kidding." "I hate you."...
Love, Your Lifeguard
Dear Beloved Daughters, You are both growing up so fast! I am afraid that if I blink, I will miss something important. I am doing my absolute best to bring you up to be strong, genuine, intelligent, compassionate young women. It's hard today -- there are so many...
Nervous? Scared? Apprehensive? All Of The Above!
Okay, here's the deal: September is a really tough month for me. Most of my nearest and dearest know that I have a love/hate relationship with September in even the best of years. It is when school starts and our schedules get completely insane. It gets colder, the...
Witnessing My Daughters’ Version of “The Starfish Story” — In Person.
If you have never heard about The Starfish Story, also called The Star Thrower, I am going to include an adaptation for you to read, and then I would like to tell you a little story of my own. A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had...
You May Want to Sit Yo Ass Down For This One!
Are you ready for some befores and afters that are totally going to rock your world? Are you ready to see what happens when the timing is right and the commitment level is high? Are you ready to gaze at what a structured caloric intake/nutrition program can do for...
Friends Who Care Enough to Answer Tough Questions
Late last winter, I read this great book called The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. I am self-employed in an industry that can test your mettle and I was doing some personal development to get better at being consistent. I have tremendous respect for Darren and I...
Dealing With a Weighty Issue
This is going to be a really difficult post for me to write, but I hope you will hear me out because I have a lot to say. I am about to share something with you that I don't normally like to talk about, but it needs to be said. I am sharing because I know countless of...
Slow the *&%! Down: August Break #4
Just a beneficial thought that I wanted to share with you today. Take some time to slow down and enjoy your surroundings. To be completely and perfectly present. To spend some time with people that mean a lot to you. To write a note. To appreciate nature. To soothe...
There Is No Natalie Gulbis Here! (August Break #3)
August Break #3: A few pics of my girls doing fun summer stuff like mini golfing with their friends. We hit up a local favorite, McGolf. The girls played golf (based on the results, I dont' think we have any future Natalie Gulbis' in the family) and then had ice...
It’s a Crawfish-Humma-Moth! (August Break #2)
I honestly have no idea what this thing is. It looks like part crawfish or lobster. Part moth. And it has the wings and the coloring of a hummingbird. It's like a very fascinating mutant feeding in my garden. Tragic results of Global Warming? Or brilliant new species?...
The August Break Is On!
Because it is summer (and I love summer), and the weather is gorgeous (I love gorgeous, sunshiney weather), and my camera has been largely underutilized (I want to take more pictures) -- I am going to devote this month to the August Break. The concept, created by the...
Self Esteem Through Art #2 — Register Today!
The Self Esteem Through Art class that we offered this month was such an overwhelming success that we are going to do it again. We had tremendous feedback from the parents. Things like, "Thank you for helping my daughter come out of her shell." To, "You have no idea...