Blog
“It is not about the fork, it is about learning how to be you in any situation.“
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Conversation Etiquette: “Thank you” & “You are welcome”
Thank you. As a parent, I cannot tell you how many times I have “reminded” my people to say, “Thank you”. Since they could speak it has been a mantra in my parenting. “Did you say Thank you?”, is often the first thing I will say when they return to my care after being at a friend’s house. Lately…
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Top Three Table Manners Questions
Hello, Hopeful Readers! There are three general areas of questions I receive about Etiquette and Communication: Questions from readers and clients are some of my favorite things!! I thought it would be fun to take one week a month and look at each topic. Let’s start with table manners: The way we learn how to…
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The Gift Recap
Links to gifts I gave this holiday that my family has actually used.
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Define Leadership
One of the first questions I like to ask the teens I work with is, “What does it mean when someone says be a leader?” Silence is what tends to follow. Then I will ask, “Has anyone ever told you to be a leader? What do you think they meant?” Now I might get a few answers like, “Do…
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2024, #1
The end of 2023 was a lot of “things” for me. I was able to celebrate my birthday with a room full of people I laugh with, debate with, dance with, cry with and generally consider my Framily (friend family). My home welcomed my Family to gather and eat a LOT of food, a few times. There were…
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Thanksgiving, here we go!
Welcome to the week before Thanksgiving. It is officially the start of the month of family gatherings and friendly get togethers. There are many places to look for “Favorite Things” or “Gift Guides” or even “Holiday Dos and Don’ts”. I wondered what I have to contribute to the conversation. In the end I thought I would share a few…
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On the topic of friends…
This past month has taught me a lot about friendship. As some of you know, my son broke his tibia and fibula while playing in his high school football game.
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The Lady and her Gloves, and other musings of attire.
I can share that the symbol of a young lady wearing white gloves often brings forth strong feelings and interesting questions… My advice is to purchase a full-length mirror… Instead of allowing the interaction to be a power struggle, consider listening and looking at what they are trying to communicate with you as a whole picture….
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Time
The writer discusses time management, comparing it to budgeting, and emphasizes assessing the return on investment of our time. Suggesting the use of both digital and paper calendars, she recommends declaring personal time in the work calendar. The writer stresses the need for goal alignment, frequent reflection, and effective boundary management. Finally, she shares her…
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The Etiquette of Paying the Bill
I have looked back in reference books and cannot find a notation that stated that one should not ask to see a statement before paying a bill. Upon asking my friends, it was shared with me that they were taught, “…if you have to ask how much a thing is, then you cannot afford it..”. But is…
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My daughter bought a goat this weekend.
Yes, you read that correctly. My 17-year-old Piccolina is now the proud owner of a goat. Allow me to explain. As some of you can imagine, yes, she is doing this for a high school FFA project. She has wanted to raise an animal for a few years, but we had always encouraged her to wait. Apparently, this was the…
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Is it Fall? Does that mean no more white clothes? What is the Etiquette of Labor Day weekend?
…there are those who have grown up with the belief that Labor Day symbolizes the start of fall. From that day forward to Memorial Day, one puts away their white-clothing, all linen dresses, tops, etc. including white shoes. Greater fashion minds than I have written
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The Etiquette of Losing your Job
I am part of a group of people that know the gut feeling when you are called into a meeting unexpectedly. The phrase, “We are going to talk in my office”, then seeing the human resources representative walk in, you know there is something coming. To be fair, I have also been the person on the other…
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Introductions and Updates
Teaching, public speaking, raising awareness, making another person’s life better, this is why I am in the world. A moment when I can make eye contact, and listen to what another person has to say, and hear the intention, not just the words, that is my passion. What I do is to work with people so they…
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