Living Better Out Loud ~ A Blog

It’s hard to believe that a little more than two years ago, I had never been on a train in the United States. Now we have more than 15,000 miles under our belts and we are planning our fourth trip. It will be our first winter trip and as always I would love to hear […]

Planning Train Trip #4 and Reminiscing About What Can Go Wrong!

youth_sports_love_of_the_game_best_of_youth_sports — Dear Coach, Here is my child, a player for your team. This is difficult for me because I am entrusting you with a child I love more than life itself. It seems silly that a volunteer with 8 games and 6 practices can shape my child’s life, but it’s true. So coach, there are a […]

Dear Coach, …Sincerely, Every Parent

summer_bucket_list_2017 — Summer Bucket List 2017~It’s hard to believe that I have been making Summer Bucket Lists for more than a decade now. A simple exercise for children and adults, I have to say I treasure the old lists as much as I do our old family photos. Each list is a funny, sentimental, diary-like glimpse […]

Summer Bucket List 2017 Printable

collect_memories_not_things — **** Train Travel Talk is rescheduled for April 11, 2016! **** Who knew that the first day of Spring would bring a snow storm to Cape Cod?? I am thankful that the Sandwich Women’s Club wanted to reschedule this Train Travel Book Talk as soon as possible! Hope you can make it! Ideas for travel […]

Train Travel Talk ~ April 11, 2016

March 21st is the Inaugural book talk for my new, yet to be published book, Beyond the Rails~ USA Cross Country Train Travel. Free and open to the public, please join us at the beautiful Daniel Webster Inn for fun and conversation. Leave inspired to plan a trip of a lifetime! Bring your questions!

March 21st Inaugural Book Talk in Sandwich!

“You do you, Mom.” I’ve grown to love this snarky little comment my teenager drops every time I’m doing, saying or being something that is either inherently embarrassing, ridiculous or just a giant waste of time in my child’s mind. She says it with a smirk that suggests she knows me well enough to know that […]

“You do you, Mom”

cuppa_tea — Having a “cuppa” is an Irish expression I learned to love during an extended stay a few years ago. The question, “Will you have a cuppa?”, whether it was asked by the waitress in the pub or the next door neighbor carried with it a non-negotiable response. In other words, if you are invited for […]

An Irish “Cuppa” Tea… Just Try and Say No

google_timer_productivity — You can do anything for 24 minutes. You can even write and publish a blog post (we shall see). Why 24 minutes you might ask, well I don’t have a good reason for choosing this number, it just seemed a reasonable amount of time that I could work productively before needing a break. And the […]

24 Minutes on the Google Timer

grinch_quote_christmas — Yes, there is a sequel a more important, funny, Christmas spirited sequel to the Buying the Grinch a Muffin story. If you haven’t read part one than stop reading this, it won’t make any sense, in fact, if you are not a believer it may not make any sense at all. Read the original post here: The […]

Buying the Grinch a Muffin Part II the Sequel

“Where was the last place you had it?” says every Mom every time their panicked child can’t find something. The last place I had my wallet was at Stop and Shop and the last thing I did was buy the Grinch some muffins. Unfortunately that was 24 hours ago and it was definitely the last place […]

The last thing I did was buy the Grinch some muffins…

toys_r_us — I miss Toys R Us, I really do. Aisle after aisle of options, catalogs full of exciting ideas, new wish lists generated daily for Santa to consider. Gone are the good old days when price, technology and brand were not even considered. I miss the days when the best gift could be found for less […]

I Miss Toys R Us

sticker_shock_prices_money — The college search I am enduring with my eldest child has followed nearly the same trajectory of information and emotions as buying a car. To quote my father, buying a car is a “necessary evil” and in many ways buying a college education these days feels exactly the same. My breakthrough in this analogy comes […]

Sticker Price – College Searches and Car Dealerships

Second semester, it is time to face facts – the back to school honeymoon is OVER! Don’t kid yourself or worse blame yourself that your goals for the school year are dwindling before your eyes. You are not alone, I repeat, we are all rowing in this sinking boat. So, for goodness sake, let’s stop […]

The Back To School Honeymoon is OVER!

backpack_school — You would think with 15 “first day of schools” under my belt (41 if you multiply that by the number/ages of the kids I have) that I would have this down. Well, you would be wrong, and I proved it in spectacular fashion this morning. All good first day of schools start the night before […]

First Day of School Fail, Saved by Text Message!

May_2015 — Every Day In May – How to Play! Everyone Wins – Really! The rules are simple. Choose something that you can do Every Day in May that will have you living better. You can do something new, you can stop doing something old, you can move, eat, read, even think about something Every Day in […]

Every Day In May 2015 Starts in Two Days!

no_messages_inbox — One hour on a Sunday afternoon and I am now Inbox message free! I know, it’s not brain surgery but let me give you some hints that make it go faster and easier! In full disclosure, I would not have taken on this task except for the storage warnings my webserver was sending me on […]

Spring Clean Your InBox the Easy Way!

I love the unexpected. I especially love when life gives you a moment in time that is so truly ordinary and void of expectation and suddenly (or even slowly) it turns into a pivotal moment. An aha moment if you will, a moment of clarity and understanding. Now, I never could have anticipated being thankful […]

“No Space Between Us” from the movie Spanglish

Everything in your house tells your story. Your house is your home when you fill it with the things you love, the things that make you smile and the things that tell your story. Let go of everything else and invite people to your home. One of my favorite quotes from Barbies in the […]

When you invite people to your home…