• Jim Has Mad Skillz

    Keepers

    This past weekend I spent a few hours filing approximately 1300 emails that were just sitting in my inbox, driving me insane. A cluttered inbox equals a cluttered mind, and I’ve been all cluttery since about April. Many of the 1300 emails were LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER-related, of course, in ALL! THE! CATEGORIES! My extensive collection of not-really-used-since-April email file folders includes a LTYM folder as well as sub-folders for the Chicago show, the national team, and all twelve of the new cities I’m working with this season. And that’s just LTYM; don’t get me started on all of the other folders. It’s quite a system. When I use it,…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Confessions,  Jim Has Mad Skillz

    Stepping Out.

    I am all about stepping out of my comfort zone these days. I haven’t always been that way and it’s still not always easy but I firmly believe that many of the things I have and things I am able to do have resulted from my “getting uncomfortable” at times, and setting things in motion somehow, by either taking action or just putting the ask out there. I just realized that this week marks the thirtieth anniversary of the day I put the wheels in motion for the thing that has affected just about every element of my life ever since: my marriage. Thirty years ago this week I ended…

  • Blessings,  Jim Has Mad Skillz

    Those Shoes.

    I smile a lot. I know, it can be sickening to the people of the world who aren’t so happy-go-lucky. Sorry/not sorry. I just try to spend lots of time appreciating the little things as much as the big things. Here’s one little thing that always always always makes me smile, no matter how many times I’ve seen it–and I’ve seen it hundreds of times: Those are Jim’s shoes (Keen sandals) on the garage floor right behind his car. He wears those shoes from the house out to the garage, where he pulls his bike off of the ceiling hooks and leans it up against the brick wall outside. Then…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Family Fun,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Kids Have Mad Skillz

    The Very Best Sundays.

    Sometimes the very best Sundays involve skipping your workout, jumping in the car with your husband, driving ninety minutes to pick up your older son, continuing to drive for another forty-five minutes to pick up your younger son, making your way over to a pizza place that your younger son recommends but finding it closed for lunch and instead eating at a place called People’s Park which isn’t a park at all but serves really yummy burgers on brioche buns, and while you eat you’re all ribbing each other but in the most laughter-filled, fun way, and then after you eat you go check out some vinyl at the record…

  • Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Jim Has Mad Skillz

    Movie Popcorn. We Have a Love/Hate Relationship.

    Ah, movie popcorn. It’s one of my very favorite things to eat in the entire world. And yes, I know it’s horrible for me, especially with extra butter. Let’s just get that out of the way. It’s HORRIBLE for me. Horrible. But I love it so. I happen to think that the theaters who have the little “add-your-own-butter” stations did that just for me. I get a little carried away. In fact, I expect my local theater to take away those stations someday, and it’ll be because of me. Last summer, I cut way, way back on the movie popcorn and then I gradually started eating it again. But ONLY…