Gilmore Girls reinforced my mothering.

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(our fancy ONLY for use while G.G. viewing cups.) Once upon a time, 15 years ago (!), a little show named Gilmore Girls was launched. I was a happy newlywed living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and cared NOT AT ALL about the WB channel or its offerings. Flash forward fourteen long years and I'd changed. Gone were the dreadlocks and thoughts only of myself & growing my training ... Continue Reading

2015’s word is silence.

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Last year was all about the truth. talking sharing nudging others to talk stopping the Fakebooking sharing our hards. I talked and talked and talked. *We* split wide open. *We* were candid about our struggles & the unspoken truths of our lives. We rallied to support each other rather than tear each other down (except for a few of us and those few cracked ... Continue Reading

The world is full of nice people.

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post-race celebrating with Oakland friends. It's the first day of a new school. Again. Third elementary school by third grade for those of you playing along at home. And the thing is, while it entirely feels like kinder all over again to me, so far the Tornado seems fine. She's more excited than nervous. She still views the world as just filled with friends she's not yet met. She's ... Continue Reading

Before you go out on New Years Eve…

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I'm wearing my PARTY SHOES! Stop and consider, again, how you will introduce your friends to each other. Before I go out this New Years Eve I'm pausing and considering precisely how *I* want to be introduced. In the most wonderful of ways, the words we choose to define others impact the way they view themselves.  It doesn't interest me what you do for a living... ... Continue Reading

What are we giving ourselves this year?

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  Ahhhh. If you live in the USA you may still be feeling the, uh, repercussions of the Great Thanksgiving Stress-Out. Family, travel,  food, schedules thrown off, routine replaced by mayhem. No matter where you reside or what you celebrate we're all thisclose to being knee-deep in holiday frenzy. I've shared my grown-up tips for Fighting Holiday Frazzle. I've revealed I'm ... Continue Reading

Are you improving on the silence?

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It will come as no surprise to anyone I do not rock the silence. I can (my masters degree in counseling taught me the skill of "sitting with the silence"). I try (I vow 1829 times a day to just *listen* when it comes to having difficult conversations). Silence is not my natural state. I self-identify as an introvert (for sure, for sure) yet when faced with anything (joy! dilemma! sadness!) ... Continue Reading

Venus and I are decluttering.

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Click the OWL! Click the OWL! People, the time has come. I vacate this domicile in a grand total of TWENTY MORE DAYS (!). It was lovely to ponder JOY and finite space---but it's time to get down & dirty. It's time for hardcore, no nonsense de-cluttering. Ive dragged Venus in. Come join us.     Eleven by Venus is, indeed, a client.  The fact I've let our ... Continue Reading

Im weary of the have a healthy holiday! stuffs.

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We may fill our FANCY cups with ice water...or GINGER ALE! Ahhh People. I know it's that time of year. I know it's important to lead by example and share our best tips & tricks for navigating the holiday temptations, avoiding the pit falls and saying NO! The thing is? Quite frankly? In the vein of what would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? I'm so over ... Continue Reading

Does this go in my container?

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ATX to OAK and BACK AGAIN? Two years ago I ransacked our house and decluttered. Top to bottom. Broken Barbies were smuggled out in the dark of night (hell hath no fury like a seven year old whose fractured toys are tossed away). Kitchen gadgets Id "hoped" to learn to use, but which were still encased in boxes were re-homed. Clothing Id held onto since the *last* time it was in style ... Continue Reading

Shedding good habits.

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This originally started as a blog post all about the health benefits of raking leaves. When the idea came to me I grew overly filled with zeal as, back in the ATX, I had no such leaf raking opportunities. It had been 20+ years  since I'd last scraped up the fall stuffs (LONG before I carved my healthy path) and it kinda rocked! I raked. I blogged in my head. It would have been an ... Continue Reading

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