Two nights ago, while I was measuring and mixing punch ingredients for a baby shower, I started thinking about due dates. I’ll admit I got a little carried away because, before I knew it, I was categorizing due dates. How strange is that? Anyway, here’s what I came up with. See what you think! Joyful due dates, like a baby’s due date, are the best! (That’s where I started.)

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Recently I took my golden retriever, Max, to a new kennel while I was out of town. It advertised all the luxuries of home—soft bedding, TVs tuned to animal shows, playtime, and special treats for snacktime. Although it cost more than I wanted to spend, I decided Max deserved a little extra TLC since I was going to be enjoying a vacation. When I picked him up, the kennel staff presented me with a report card for Max.

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Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be a teacher. I think I decided for sure when I was in the second grade. I was in awe of my teacher, Ms. Miller. I thought she was the smartest, prettiest lady in the world (except for my mother, of course). Because of teachers like Ms. Miller, I met beloved book characters. I learned how to work with numbers and learned all about the earth and its creatures. Teachers were role models for me, in life as well as academics.

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Don’t you love it when kids add humor to a day? Last night was one of those times for me. I was watching my daughter, Grace, play with her toy kitchen. She sported glittery silver dress-up shoes; purple polka-dotted sunglasses; and a long, shiny beaded necklace. She “cooked” some tea, handed me a plastic teacup, and then gravely warned me to be careful because the tea was hot.

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I’m not a big football fan, but I do enjoy watching games when I have a connection to the team playing. For example, my husband and I have season tickets to the games at his alma mater. It’s really exciting to sit in the stands on a cool autumn day and cheer for his team, especially if it wins!

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And happy new year! I can’t believe it is actually 2010. Like many of you, yesterday was my first day back to work after a short vacation. For me, it was a conflicting day. While I was eager to get back to work, getting out of bed was very hard to do. Even my dog---my trusty backup alarm---was perfectly content to keep snoozing.

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It’s time. Let’s take the bull by the horns and talk about New Year’s resolutions. Do you have one? Do you plan to keep it? To me, making a resolution always sounds like a good idea, but I hate to break promises—especially ones I make to myself!

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Does this happen to you too? A few Saturdays ago, after running errands for several hours, I decided to pick up dinner on my way home. I’m sure I was looking fairly tousled. I don’t remember exactly what I was wearing, however my usual Saturday attire this time of year is tennis shoes, an oversize sweater, and some comfy pants. Oh, and on weekends I usually keep my contacts in their case and sport my spectacles. Anyway, I was paying for my takeout and making idle conversation with the cashier—a pleasant twenty-something male with a big grin and a few piercings—when he asked, “Are you a teacher?”

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I was recently looking through a box of items from my childhood. There were lots of cool things that took me down memory lane: a hat my grandmother knit for me, my kindergarten diploma, and even my first spelling test. (I’m not quite sure why my mother saved the test!) But the item I was most excited to find was my favorite childhood book, The Sweet Smell of Christmas.

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I sing a lot—not because I have a great voice (I don’t) but because my three-year-old daughter learns so much through songs. Grace and I sing about nearly everything (and I mean everything) from routine tasks like brushing our teeth to skill-based topics such as letters and numbers. I’m amazed at how quickly she catches on to new vocabulary and concepts through songs.

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