Grandchildren

Earlier this year, my 7-year-old granddaughter (B) talked with my wife about wanting “Popeye” – that is, myself – to build her a doll house. After a brief discussion, I thought I could do it but would not be able to start until September, when I was to retire. Read More

When I was a little girl, I loved reading books. I remember sitting under a tree for hours, letting the images from my favorite stories fill my mind. At the time, I didn’t see reading as being serious business. Like most children, I saw books as a welcome escape from my schoolwork or household chores. Little did I know that the books that I was reading would influence my life for decades to come. It is not an exaggeration to say that many of the books that I read changed my life. Read More

Several months ago, my adult daughter Marissa, newly separated from her husband and still reeling from that blow, received a terrible diagnosis for her 3-year-old daughter, Mena. Read More

My adult children communicate by using text messages through their smart phones. I’ll receive a typical text: “Hi Mom. Can you watch the kids this afternoon?” Read More

This is the story of a 74-year-old grandmother. Of course, this is my story, a story about how I joyfully help my family when they need me in summer, fall, winter or spring. Read More

My family hasn’t done a terribly good job at generating cross-generational wealth. There was a time when I thought that my husband and I would be the ones to break our family into the world of the 1%. Then, a series of events, missteps and outright mistakes brought our financial dreams crashing down to Earth. Read More

Mother’s Day is with us again very soon. How did that happen? Didn’t we just do Mother’s Day? Or was it Christmas or her birthday? Read More

For better or for worse, I started telling my grandkids about my life before they could talk – or even understand what I was saying! I can’t help it! I’m just a talker. I always have been and I always will be. Read More

Why on earth would you want to start a business with your 10-year-old grandchild? Isn’t it better just to “let kids be kids” and leave the serious stuff to your grandchild’s parents? Not necessarily! Read More

Halloween is relatively new to the UK – well, as a holiday type celebration it is!

We’ve had All Hallow’s Eve as an ongoing ‘thing’ for hundreds of years, but it’s only caught on in a big way in the last couple of years. Read More