Do you twitter? Blog? Are you friends on Facebook and LinkenIn? In this challenging economy keeping your office skills up-to-date just might help you keep your job.
A few friends recently have lost their jobs and over breakfast a topic came up about new skills and the need to adapt and change as we age. One of the crowd was a mom re-entering the workforce to help her kids with college expenses. She was worried that skills used 10 years ago would be out-of-date in today’s world. (more…)
December 8, 2008
Yesterday I dipped a toe into the holiday shopping frenzy with a one-hour dash through Kenwood Towne Centre to begin my shopping. After all, it was early Sunday afternoon, the Bengals were on TV, and the weather was so-so, so I figured half the world wouldn’t be at the mall. WRONG! But you know what I noticed? For shoppers, cash is back in vogue. (more…)
December 6, 2008
What a bonus day….I’m off work at both of my jobs, it’s lightly snowing, and we’re heading to Lebanon, Ohio for their annual horse-drawn carriage parade tonite. I love this event, a tradition we started attending when my three children (22, 19, 14) were young. It’s one of those free, magical events that the Greater Cincinnati offers all the time that you can do to create memories for your family. Minus the one daughter still out of town at college, the whole gang will be there. Our Calendar of Events is chock full of these kinds of events; Melissa and I keep it stocked just for you to check out all the great things Cincinnati has to offer. (more…)
Yet another friend has lost her job in this challenging economy. I spent the other night helping her rework her resume to bring it up to date, ready to hit the job hunt long road. Our family has had those same challenges this year as well with generally strong industries slowing and layoffs lumed. I bet most of you know someone close to you who has also lost a job, through no fault of their own, and who feels sad at this generally happy time of the year. (more…)
November 19,2008
Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? I need to run to the grocery this morning before work to get some things for dinner for the next few nights and I realized I need to pin down just how many folks are coming for Thanksgiving dinner so I can buy enough turkey. I heard an interesting statistic about how much turkey is eaten every year at this time….are you ready? 675 million turkeys will be on tables this year, just in (more…)
November 15, 2008
Did you know today was America Recycles Day? It’s a national attempt to keep recycling on the forefront of our minds, so we stop needlessly throwing things away that could be recycled. And tomorrow at the Cincinnati Bengals game, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful has a recycling event going on.
If your house is like mine, the family means to recyle, but sometimes routine or habit gets in the way. I have a friend who moved her recyle bin into the house from the garage and keeps it right next to her kitchen (more…)
November 11, 2008
We need a new couch, so I’ve been doing some preliminary furniture shopping to see what are the latest trends in design and style, and to see how what’s in the stores matches what’s already in my home. And, although this couch will be for our more formal living room, I currently have a 14-year-old son and his 14-year-old large friends who love nothing more than to drape themselves over any and all couches while (more…)
November 6,2008
What’s for dinner? That’s the question hundreds of Cincinnati families are asking tonite and every night as strained finances cause many families to tighten their budgets in every way they possibly can, even cutting back on food. With the shaky economy and many Cincinnatians losing their jobs, a lot of dinner tables are looking mighty lean right now.
My son’s school has just begun a food drive for the holiday season. This is an activity I wholeheartedly support. Over the years all three of my children and I have helped out at a neighborhood food bank, shelving (more…)
November 3, 2008
Don’t you just want to reach out and grab hold of this day and bring it back out sometime in the middle of a grey February week? This week bids to be one of the most glorious in Cincinnati this entire year- 70s until Friday! I’ll be chained to the computer for a couple of hours for a big writing project, but I intend to grab at least 20 minutes for a quick walk through a nearby park.
While we were in the fabulous Chicago visiting my daughter this weekend, the weather there was also very (more…)
October 31, 2008
We’re heading to Chicago, my kind of town, for the weekend to see middle daughter in school there. A semester away seems too long for this mom missing her daughters. What will I do when she studies in Rome next year? Hmmm, maybe a really long road trip myself to visit her will be in the plans.
I love short weekend getaway trips; I get so energized by them. They just seem to pop up out of nowhere, (more…)
October 30,2008
Who doesn’t love Halloween? Even though my children at 22,20 and 14 are well past the cute costume stage, I still love the excitement of the day. I’m not into the adults dressing up in costumes things at work, nor even really all that into Halloween Parties because I think the day is for children and their dreams.
All of my children got the chance to be whatever they wanted for Halloween; I willingly agreed to make, construct or design any costume, any character they wanted to be. It was probably the only time all year that I got out my mom’s ancient Singer sewing machine ( from circa 1960), threaded the bobbins and got to work. Well it was nice to know my one high school class in Home Economics (thanks McAuley High!) was being put to use. And over the years there were quite a few great costumes,even if I do say so myself. My all time list of the kids favorite costumes: (more…)
October 21, 2008
As we go to print with each issue, our art direct Jeff Marsh and I always say each issue is ‘the best issue ever’ and we truly believe each one is our best issue. But I think we outdid ourselves with this issue- there isn’t a story in there that I wouldn’t want to know more about. Anyone interested in the world of food has to find some story that speaks to you, whether the profiles of our three chefs, to healthy school lunches for our kids or to healthy breakfasts on the run. And I’m always on the run, aren’t you? But I was inspired by the story about Brown County and autumn leaves to slow down and enjoy a ride in the country- it’s so the perfect time for such an escape before the winter grey days close in again. (more…)
September 30, 2008
Yesterday, nearly two weeks after Hurrican Ike blew through Cincinnati,all the debris that we had cleaned up from the downed tree limbs and piled up by the curb was picked up by the hardworking crews in my hometown. With neighbors on both sides of our home losing big trees, the debris pile was considerable. Now I finally can see grass, although it’s brown grass, again.
I’ve promised myself that I wouldn’t be caught without some emergency essentials the next time a big surprise from Mother Nature affects us. Although I always keep flashlights, emergency blankets, food and water in the car and home, I wasn’t quite as prepared for a long term event as I had thought. So I researched a couple of disaster prepardness websites, including the American Red Cross, ( www.redcross.org ) to learn just what to keep on hand. (more…)
September 16, 2008
Hello friends,
What a wild and crazy couple of days, wasn’t it? When the remnants of Hurrican Ike blew through here Sunday afternoon, I was tucked up by a window enjoying an hour or two of indulgent reading and watching the wildness outside. While the storm did quite a bit of damage throughout the city and lives were lost, you just have to step back and respect Mother Nature a bit more when she tells you, once again, just who’s in charge of things.
Most of the city still is without power, although here at the magazine things are fine. How did you spend the hours without power? (more…)
September 12, 2008
Hi Friends,
Between listening to the rain on the roof here at work and sneaking peaks at the updates on Hurrican Ike on www.cnn.com I’m having a hard time focusing on writing that one last story for our fall issue. Writing is just such a fickle skill; one time the words flow out in a rapid stream, the next time it’s edit city. Today they are apparently stuck in my brain somewhere. A nap usually helps solve that problem; but the magazine doesn’t have a budget yet for a couch in my office.
But with Hurrican Ike heading for Texas,meterologists are predicting that here in Cincinnati we’ll feel the fallout as well with a weekend of rainy days. I’m okay with that. I like a rainy day at home. A day on the couch watching movies or reading a great mystery or biography is okay with me. I’ll get domestic, bake something, and perhaps work on that long-planned project to organize the bookcase of movies and dvds. Or maybe I won’t. See sunny days just make you feel like you have to be doing something, preferably outside. Rainy days? Not so much; it’s okay to be lazy and not accomplish anything. (more…)
September 4, 2008
Hi Friends,
Well it’s started; as I write this there are 61 days to the US Presidential election on November 4, 2008 and as the Republican National Convention wraps up the media feeding frenzy begins in earnest. I’m already burned out watching all the television ads, and listening to the talk radio pundants. And the rumour mill is going strong; it seems like every day you get a new email with “facts” about one candidate or another. That’s why I bookmarked www.snopes.com to find out whether the purported facts are true or false. And it may just be my preference , but I’d like to not know so much about all the candidates children. They did not choose to be in the spotlight, but there they are. I’d like to let them be kids. Growing up as residents of the White House. Can you imagine that as a 10 -year-old? (more…)
August 20, 2008
Hi Friends,
The moving out chaos at our house is just about over. My two oldest are out the door and off to grad school and second year of college. They are settled in and busy getting their school year underway.Now its time to clean their rooms and find the floor underneath the discards of items they didn’t take with them…I know I don’t have to do this, but seeing that clean room everytime I go past their open doors just makes me feel better. And maybe, they’ll find time to pop in for a few days or over a weekend to see their mom!
My son too went back to school already; he started high school and has decided he might as well stay since he’s made a few friends. Does the school year always start this early in August? (more…)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hi Friends,
After a short vacation it’s time to get back to work, and with three students at my house, getting back to school as well. I like that about this time of the year don’t you? Change is all around us. I’m still enjoying summer and all it has to offer, (especially enjoying the back yard porch after dinner) and yet, it’s time to make a change and plunge into new and exciting projects.
Over the weekend we spent time getting ready for our college sophomore and grad student to move to new apartments later this week. Both girls are ready to re-enter their worlds after a summer at home recharging and renewing. While I’m a bit melancholy about their leaving, I know we’ve done our job raising them to be strong women leading independent lives. After all, isn’t that our jobs as mothers? (more…)
July 24, 2008
Hello friends!
The In Touch staff is back at work getting our fall issue underway and we need your help. I have some stories in the works and need some input- send us your comments and suggestions ASAP!
Looking for Cincinnati Coupon Queens! I’m putting together a story about using coupons to cut grocery budgets in these challenging economic times. Do you know someone who’s saving big $$ and willing to talk about it? Have them email me!
In Around Town we’re looking at local Bed and Breakfasts. Have you stayed in a great one? Tell me why, and how was the food? (more…)
