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October seems to sneak up on me every year, which is odd since it's one of my favorite months. The air turns crisp, leaves start to turn, the nights are cooler for sleeping...and then there's Halloween, which is the best kids' holiday for adults.
But the real reason I love October? It's National Pizza Month and National Popcorn Popping Month. Don't believe me? Check it out. As if Halloween doesn't give you enough reason to go off your diet!
If the kids had their way, we'd have pizza and popcorn for dinner every night next month. That's a bit too much for a nutrition-conscious mom, but I am willing to meet them a little less than halfway - by having pizza and popcorn night once a week.
Being a mom, I have my own motives for making pizza and popcorn nights for the kids: pretty soon we'll all be too busy to get everyone together - even once a week - for a family dinner. The kids will be studying for exams and writing papers. Their Dear Parents will be busier and busier planning for the upcoming holidays. Between early November and Christmas break, there are precious few moments when the entire family will be able to sit down and share a meal.
That's good enough reason to celebrate junk food nights for any mom!
Your "Hooray for Pizza & Popcorn!" Gift Guru,
Linda
I've loved bake sales for as long as I can remember. Whether they're part of a garage sale, a country fair, or stand alone, bakes sales bring friends and neighbors together to sample lots of homemade goodies while supporting the community.
When the school year heats up, so does bake sale season. Parents and kids pitch in with teachers and coaches to raise money for extracurricular activities. It's a long-standing tradition I hope never goes out of style because there's more to the humble bake sale than meets the eye.
Along with teaching kids the true value of a dollar (like how long it really takes to earn one) bake sales show them real life business skills. Our kids negotiate with their supplier (me) and chief baker (also me) to make sure they'll have inventory. Then they must negotiate with their distributor (my dear husband) who will transport both them and their goods safely to market. Then they put in a long day's work at the sale. Finally, the kids get together to see how much they've raised toward their goal.
It's good for them, but I'll let you in on a little secret: it's awesome for me. I love baking at this time of year. Teaching the kids something along the way...well, that's just a little bonus!
As many of you know, Hurricane Irma hit Florida twice a few days ago. I'm not one bit ashamed to admit that I was pretty scared at times. After all, Irma was a Monster Storm that impacted the entire state. We were spared the worst of the damage in this area, but some of our neighbors weren't as fortunate.
Here at The Lighter Side, we want to send a thank-you to all the First Responders, many of whom are still working hard to set things upright in places like Miami, Orlando, and the Florida Keys. We literally couldn't make it without you.
I also want to share a sweet story about one First Responder who went above and beyond the call of duty to help an old woman in distress. While floodwaters raged outside, Deputy Froelich was stationed at a shelter where he watched over dozens of frightened people, one of whom was an elderly lady who sat by herself in a corner.
She looked terrified.
The Deputy approached her and asked if there was anything he could do to help.
"Dance?" the woman said.
So Deputy Froelich took the woman's hand and started singing "Beyond the Sea". And they danced...
This Florida Deputy proved that it doesn't always take a grand gesture to be a hero. Sometimes it just takes a little song and dance.
Goodbye England's rose May you ever grow in our hearts You were the grace that placed itself Where lives were torn apart You called out to our country And you whispered to those in pain Now you belong to heaven And the stars spell out your name...
20 years ago, Elton John performed "Candle in the Wind" - the song he wrote for Marilyn Monroe - at Princess Diana's funeral. His long time musical partner Bernie Taupin rewrote the lyrics to suit the most famous princess of our time. It was a stunning and heartbreaking tribute to Diana Princess of Wales.
My daughter and I watched Elton John's performance live back then. We watched it again on the 20th anniversary of Diana's funeral. (If you have box of tissues and five minutes to spare, you can watch it here.) Taupin's lyrics described the princess perfectly - a giving spirit who never let titles or station come between her and the people who needed her. She gave solace to the sick, food to the hungry, and showed compassion to everyone she met.
Princess Diana inspired a generation of young girls, including my daughter. As we watched the video together, she said, "I don't think I'd want to be a real princess." Not knowing what to say to that, I kept quiet. After the video was over, my beautiful young daughter asked, "But I could be like Princess Diana, couldn't I?"
Sometimes she makes me so proud I could just burst.
Of course she can be like Diana. You don't have to be Royal to be empathetic and kind, compassionate and caring. My daughter is all of those things and more. I'd like to take all the credit, but I know better. At least part of the credit goes to Diana, who showed a generation of young girls what it means to be a princess - in your heart.
Every year on the Sunday after Labor Day, we celebrate National Grandparents Day. Marian McQuade, mother of 15, grandmother of 40 (!) and great-grandmother to eight, dreamed up the holiday herself. But not so she and her husband Joe could collect 48 cards and gifts - she started the campaign to ease the loneliness of elderly people who are confined to nursing homes. She also thought it was important to expose children to the "wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide."
Grandparent's Day is a bona-fide holiday at our house. Not only do the kids get to spend the entire day with their "Nanas" and "Papas", but we usually have a big party. We send the kids and our parents off to do something for the day and then we put up some decorations, wrap up a few gifts, and cook a big a family meal. Then we hide until they get back so we can jump out and yell, "Surprise!"
No one is really surprised but it's still fun.
Mrs. McQuade achieved at least one of her goals: the kids listen to their grandparents talk about the days before the technological wonders they take for granted became a routine part of modern life. They ask questions like, "What did play with before video games?" "What's a telephone book?" And finally, the one they ask every year, "How did you live without the Internet!?"
With three generations of our family seated at the table, I admit I get a little misty sometimes. Though we've never met, I'll always be grateful to Mrs. McQuade. If not for her, all of us might have missed out on one of our favorite family holidays.
Your "Celebrate the Grandparents" Gift Guru,
Linda
"The Greatest Picture in the History of Entertainment!"
That was the tagline when The Wizard of Oz was released on this day in 1939. It's hard to argue that it wasn't true. Even today it remains one of the best loved American movies of all time.
Rightly so, in my humble opinion.
The special effects were breathtaking for their day. Where else could you see a whole house lifted into a massive tornado? A talking scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion who was afraid of his own tail? Where else would you find a horse of a different color? Or flying monkeys? Or a warty wicked witch and a wizard with his own special effects?
Toto was my favorite character, of course. Because...well...Toto was a dog. And like a lot of dogs his size: Toto was not scared of anyone or anything. Even if they were a lot bigger and definitely a lot badder than him.
Like a lot of kids, I lacked Toto's fearlessness. So, like a lot of kids, the film scared me half to death the first time I saw it. And the second. And probably the third, too. I never told my parents how scary it was because I wanted to see it again and again. I knew if they knew, they wouldn't let me go. Like most parents, they wouldn't have understood. Even when we were petrified to pieces, we loved The Wizard of Oz.
I still do. Every time I see it. And even when it still scares me a little.
Your "Off to See the Wizard Again" Gift Guru,
Linda
Every year here at the Lighter Side, we celebrate National Dog Day on August 26th. Last year I showed you lots of ways to honor man's (and woman's) best friend on their special day. This year I was planning to come up with some new ways to celebrate our canine companions, but then I saw this video and went 'barking mad' with laughter. (I'm not kidding - my boss actually came into my office and asked if I was okay!)
Watch and you'll see why:
Curiosity is just one of the characteristics we love about our dogs. But who knew a river otter could be just as curious as a canine?
My dogs have played with lots of unlikely friends - a turtle, a rabbit, and even a mouse (ew!) - but never a river otter. The narrator says, "I've never seen nothing in my life like that!"
Me either.
But thanks to their quick work with the the video camera we all get to see it - just in time for National Dog Day!
Your "Cracking Up for Canine Cuteness" Gift Guru,
Linda
The special effects were breathtaking for their day. Where else could you see a whole house lifted into a massive tornado? A talking scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion who was afraid of his own tail? Where else would you find a horse of a different color? Or flying monkeys? Or a warty wicked witch and a wizard with his own special effects? 
Toto was my favorite character, of course. Because...well...Toto was a dog. And like a lot of dogs his size: Toto was not scared of anyone or anything. Even if they were a lot bigger and definitely a lot badder than him.
