Go as a family to local high school musical productions.


7-18



Camp Arena Stage


8



Adopting a “do it right now” mentality has done wonders for my organization


10, 12, 16



Plan a neighborhood "Winter Olympics" for snow days. Create indoor and outdoor events.


8



“It’s not as important how a message is received compared to how it is sent.” Sometimes you have to have uncomfortable conversations but the can always be kind and loving. Sometimes your message won’t land well, but if you expressed yourself truthfully and kindly, that’s not your burden to bear.


16



Try silence. Just sit with it (problem/feeling/etc.) invite the problem to sit next to you and just be quiet. Five minutes every day for a week or two. Your solution will appear. Stop running and just sit with it.


16



Getting dumped from a bad relationship or fired from a job that’s killing you is kind of like pooping your pants: Horrifying...but also a little bit of relief. Keep your perspective and you’ll be fine. xoxo.


20



Default to "nice guy." Meaning it should require something significant for you NOT to be nice. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Cut them (and yourself) some slack. Life is hard. We're all in this together.


12



Buy life insurance when you're young.


21



Pick a project on Instructables.com and work on it together this winter.


7



Try not to say insulting or hurtful things, but NEVER write them. (Texts, notes, emails, etc.)


11



Help him write a letter to someone in power if he has a question or concern about something he sees going on in the world.


7-11



I hope you become more of yourself with every passing year. I love you so.


21



You are a miracle. Take good care of yourself: Mind, body and soul.


21



Curiosity is life-giving while judgement is soul-sucking. Get curious about yourself and others. Wonder why, try to understand without judging.


12, 16, 20



Read Moth by Amber McBride. Young adult fiction in verse about grief. Twists and turns.


15



Once a relationship goes from loving someone as they are to trying to change them into something you want them to be, it’s doomed. We can challenge, inspire and educate those we love, but in the end we have to accept them as they are and embrace them warts and all. (They’re doing the same for us.)


18



Philippians 4: 11-13


12



You don’t have to lower your standards, just lower your walls.


12, 15, 21



On September 11th I was at work in Fairfax VA. News reports were saying a plane was headed to the Capitol, that the Whitehouse had been hit. In the immediate aftermath of a big event, news reports will be unreliable. Wait until the facts are in. Several of the nurses had husbands who worked at the Pentagon. One of the doctors was married to a U.S. Senator in her office on the Hill. It was surreal, but no one panicked. I remember we all burst into tears when my friend’s husband called saying he was safe. So relieved.


15, 17



Emphasize "First things first." Distraction is always a challenge. Redirect focus to first things first.


5



You gotta play with them. Down on the floor, at the park, in the water, in the snow. Connect through play, it will be the foundation of your relationship.


1-4



Walk up the Washington monument. No elevator!


11



Shelter, water, Fire, food. (Outdoor survival priorities.)


12, 17



The universe is cheering for you!


14, 16, 18, 20



“God is gentle and loving. He desires you to have a deep sense of safety in His love.” - paraphrasing Henri Nouwen


16



Reinforce this at every opportunity: “You matter.” Kids respond to this message deeply, whether it comes from a positive source (parents/teacher/coach) or people who are only trying to exploit them.


2-18



Don’t worry if they’re not listening to what you say...They watch what you do. They study it.


13



Your great-great grandmother was a seamstress at Marshall Fields. Her husband was a firefighter in Chicago. The immigrated from County Wexford in Ireland.


10



When something is upsetting you...Name it...Take a deep breath...Imagine holding it gently in your hands. (This is a reminder to use this visualization myself and to teach it to you. I want to give you as many tools as I can to help you learn to cope with negative emotions in a healthy way.)


9-11