What Would Queen Sarah Saturday Do?

My own King Friday took me to see the new Mister Rogers movie this weekend.  I knew I'd love "Won't you be my neighbor", because, well, I am Queen Sarah Saturday.  But he really loved it, too! What I couldn't get over during the film was how the topics covered during the tenure of his TV show were still relevant nearly 50 years later.  Building a wall to keep folks out, divorce, terrorism, civil rights, diversity...every issue that is a "hot button" issue in 2018 was covered.  Remarkable. During the film, I was also reminded of how powerful love is.  Fred Rogers was an ordained minister.  He taught Christ's mission of loving your neighbors through his actions demonstrated on TV.  It's amazing to think of the number of children watching who may not had ever had someone tell them that they are special and that they are liked "just for being you." Again, remarkable.  I am a child of the Mister Rogers generation.  The show launch...

A cute graphic came up on my FB page last week with this message, "My mind is like an Internet browser: 19 tabs open, 3 of them are frozen, & I have no idea where the music is coming from."  I read it out loud to my husband, and he just about spit out his coffee.  This is soooo me. At any given time, if you opened up my Mac, you would find at least 10 tabs open (as I type this 14 are open).  Since I'm on my "work" Mac (just a year old) nothing is frozen and thankfully I've remembered to turn off the sound.  However, if I were typing this at home on my 7-year-old dinosaur of a Mac, no doubt files would be frozen and Chrome would be churning, but not kicking in.  I am who I am. I have a love-hate relationship with Mac.  I expect it to work perfectly all the time.  Even when I don't shut down for weeks on end. Or if I don't update programs.  Or if I refuse to delete email, so I have 48,000 unread messages in my inbox.  When it doesn'...

NKOTB.  Or simply, the New Kids.  No, I don't mean the 90s boy band.  I'm talking about being the actual  new kid  on the block. If you haven't been a new kid at school, you certainly know one.  Or remember one.  When I was in elementary school, Tiffany moved to my neighborhood.  She had come from somewhere exotic, like Phoenix.  She was blonde and worldly and super cool.  I still remember when she moved in...40 years later.  Yep, new kids make an impact. I never had to move as a kid.  But, I've made my own kids move A LOT.  They are pros at coming into a new school and getting comfortable.  Luckily, kids are resilient. It's a lot tougher for adults.  Really.  We're old and stuck in the mud.  We don't want to change, nor do we want to "put ourselves out there" over and over again.  But, we do because life is a lot more enjoyable with a posse of folks you care about. So what does this have t...

I loved the TV show "The Middle." For years it was part of my family's Wednesday night routine.  The characters were so relatable. You could look at your own kids and pinpoint your Axel, Sue, and Brick...or at least those who had Axel, Sue, and Brick moments!  And, I'm sure I was just like Frankie on many occasions. For a parent with a child away at college other kids on the threshold of independence the series finale of "The Middle" struck a chord.  My heart broke along with the characters as the family realized things were changing for good.  (Note: I specifically used the word "good."  Change can be difficult, but it is not necessarily bad.) Here's my situation: My daughter attends a large university in the South.  She is interning at a Southern company and will likely settle down 500+ miles from home when she graduates college.  My son will be a senior in high school next year.  He will likely attend community college and live at home f...

"Forest bathing." It's a real thing, folks. In Japan it's referred to as "shinrin-yoku." It's not exercising, hiking, or really doing anything.  It's just being there amongst the trees. According to scientists (yes, they've studied this subject), it reduces stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. If you do an online search or simply look at a Community Ed course catalog, you will find classes, books, articles, etc. on forest bathing.  Seems that going to the woods to relax is suddenly hip and trendy. When I was growing up we had a "woods" in our backyard.  I grew up in a first ring suburb of a large city (Edina, for those familiar with Minneapolis), so it wasn't a vast wilderness.  It was probably about a 1/2 acre.  Still it was enough.  It's where we made forts, picked bouquets, played hide and seek, and even charged the younger kids in neighborhood a nickel to walk though it (my tribe was ruthless...entrepreneurial, but ru...

For most, Memorial Day marks that beginning of summer.  The school year is coming to an end; the temperature outside is finally warm; and t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops are out of storage!  Many folks celebrate the long holiday weekend by taking a trip to the lake, attending a picnic, or taking advantage of "the lowest prices of the year" during a Memorial Day Sale. But, Memorial Day is a lot more than a day off from work.  Originally called "Decoration Day" it is a day of remembrance for those who died in service of the United States of America.  It began after the Civil War as a day to remember both the Union and Confederate soldiers killed in the conflict.  According to www.USMemorialDay.org: "It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the gra...

The Royal Wedding is coming!  The. Royal. Wedding. Is. Coming!  I'm a little embarrassed to admit how excited I am about seeing Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle.  I'm a sucker for all the pomp and circumstance.  Plus, there is the Princess Diana factor (I watched her wedding and her funeral).  Fingers crossed that Fergie's daughters will once again don outrageous hats and that little Princess Charlotte will wave at the crowd.  Ahhh, Royals.... In addition to all the gazillion other perks of being a member of the Royal family, when you get married the Queen gives you an estate.  Of course, Harry and Meghan already have Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London.  Not bad, heh? But folks, here's some  shocking  news: The majority of newlyweds are not gifted massive country estates when they get married.  What?  They have to pay for it themselves?  Yes, they do.  No worries, you can, too! Step...

I'll be the first to admit that I watch a little too much HGTV:  Beachfront Bargain Hunt (my favorite...girls gotta dream), House Hunters (duh), Property Brothers (met them...very handsome and very, very tall), and of course, Fixer Upper (so stinkin' cute).  Then, there's Love It or List It (don't confuse this with Love It or List It, Too...not the same) with Hilary Farr and David Visentin.  LIOLI (hmmm....not sure I like this acronym) has been on the air for nearly 10 years, and I think I've watched almost every episode. Here's the premise: A couple is considering staying in their current home or moving. One person really wants to move; the other really wants to stay put and remodel.  Nothing ever goes exactly as planned because, well, that's life.  And, although I watch the show often, I'm often surprised at the decision made by the family. When it's a sellers market, the question, "Are you gonna love it or are you gonna list it?" bec...

According to my college-aged daughter, springtime means #DARTYSZN (for those of you without texting teens, this translates to "daytime party season.") While an adult daytime party might be  a little  different from a college darty, one big element remains the same: It takes place when it's light and guests leave before it gets dark. One of my favorite daytime parties to host at my house is a Kentucky Derby party.  My husband and I have been hosting one for more than 10 years!  It usually kicks off our spring social calendar.  While we go all out with big hats, Southern food, and mint juleps, you can have a pretty amazing shindig with just a few key steps: 1.  Date and Time.   The Kentucky Derby is always the first Saturday in May.  The race is always at around 6:45 pm (eastern time).  Plan your party to start and hour or so before the race and end shortly after, say 5:30 - 8:00 pm (2.5 hours...not bad!) 2.  Food.   Unfortunate...

I am a seasoned pro when it comes to moving a family.  I've done it 7 times...to 7 states!  I've learned how to say goodbye to old friends, plug-in to a new community, and maintain a network of friends from coast-to-coast.  I'm known among my friends as "the moving expert." Perhaps I am?  In any case, whenever someone is planning to move, they come to me with questions.  Here's what I've learned: 1.   When should we tell the kids ?  I've moved my 3 kids in grades preschool, pre-K, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 11th, and college.  To be frank, change is tough no matter the age.  So, we tell the kids our plans as soon as an employment contract/transfer papers are signed.  This gives them the chance to come to terms with the coming change.  Are there tears?  Yes.  Is it totally awesome to tell your kids that they have to leave their friends and their home? No, but it's even more difficult being separated as a family (with Dad wo...