I have a book on my desk called 300 Writing Prompts. Whenever I have writer’s block (or just not a lot of time to blog on a Sunday night), this is my go-to book to get in the right frame of mind. Sometimes, I’ll open it to any page with the intention of committing to the first topic I see. Tonight, I opened the book to three different places and nothing inspired me to write anything at length. So I decided to post some short answers to my favorite prompts. Here we go:

• What is my favorite way to spend a lazy day? – Reading a book or reading through a ton of magazines while sitting on the couch in my pajamas all day drinking coffee and listening to music.
• Write about something that is presently in my life that is “worth it” – This one is easy. Spending time with my kids as much as they will let me because soon enough they will go off to college and parenthood as I know it to be will be over.
• When was the last time I got lost? – The first day I drove my brand new car to work through the narrow streets of Manayunk. It was January. There was fresh snow on the ground and cars parked along both sides of the streets. The road on my normal commute was closed and I was cursing the fact that I had to take a new and unfamiliar route and didn’t spend the extra money on a GPS.
• Three realistic goals I would like to achieve in my lifetime – Write a book, tour Italy and see my grandchildren grow up.
• What do I need right now? – Dinner already made for tomorrow night, a solid idea for the book I want to write, and money for my new kitchen.
• What do you think is the most important question in life? – Will this make me happy?
• What takes too long? – Laundry
• Which household chores do I hate doing and what do you like? – I like de-cluttering and reorganizing different areas in the house. I hate cleaning the bathrooms.
• What am I happy to finally check off my to-do list? – Today’s blog post. 🙂

• Comments Off on Questions and Answers

Today, I was going through some old papers and came across my to-do list from January 29, 2016. Normally, I would throw this away with the rest of the outdated paperwork, but I was curious to see if almost 2 years later, there was anything still left to be done. Item #1 – Fix or replace the dryer. Our dryer was giving me problems for a long time. It would work for a while and then go on strike at a moment’s notice–usually, when there was a load of wet clothes ready to throw in. The repairman-who we were on a first name basis with–was always able to save it until the next time. This went on for quite some time and I admit that the dryer became a rare point of contention in an otherwise very happy marriage. I gave up on bringing it up and decided to wait out the dryer until it blew out its last breath of hot air. That day came last weekend. Finally! It was kaput. And our brand new, beautiful and working dryer was delivered this past Thursday. Almost two years later, I’m happy to report that I can cross this off the list. Item #2 – Buy new pictures for the hall bathroom. – Our hall bathroom has been designated for our kids since they were born. It also serves as our guest bathroom when the downstairs powder room is occupied. In that bathroom, we have two incredibly young prints suited for babies and toddlers – one of a rubber ducky and one of a baby in a diaper about to get into a bubble bath. Did I mention, my kids are now 16 and almost 14 and have moved on? But apparently my bathroom decor hasn’t grown up with them. The rubber ducky has got to go – but alas it is still there–for now. Item #3 – Make a dermatologist appointment. – I went to a dermatologist in my mid-30s on a regular basis when I was suffering from a bad case of adult acne. Although she was efficient and all traces of my acne are long gone, I found her bedside manner to be cold and distant. I felt like I was patient number 58 out of 1,000 instead of someone she could spend a little time with and address my concerns. I haven’t been back to her in years. But, as I get older I know should really get a skin exam and I will – just as soon as I find a new dermatologist. Item #4 – Develop a presence on LinkedIn – Ah, this one I know I have done, but I can’t officially check it off the list because it is always a work in progress. I am proud of my All-Star LinkedIn rating. I frequently write posts and read and share articles about email marketing and non profit communications. I constantly connect with new people and seek out ways in which I can lend them some professional advice. Through this social media platform, I am presenting myself in the most professional and authentic manner possible so that people will seek out my expertise and new opportunities will come my way. Item #5 – Create a book club calendar – I launched a book club many years ago with ladies in my neighborhood. We are still going strong in the way that we meet on a fairly regular basis – but I would say it is about 25% talking about the book and 75% socializing. I just wish we were a bit more organized. In a perfect world, I would ask everyone to suggest the books we are going to read and put it on a schedule months ahead of time. Some book clubs have theme nights based on the culture or topic of the book. That would be so fun! There are so many great ways for our book club to be even better, but everyone is busy and I totally get that. For now, it is a great little getaway once a month supported by my husband who nods his head in a dubious way when I tell him I’m “going to book club.” So, I’m 2 for 5 in crossing things off my 2016 to-do list. Not bad, but not great. At least I have a head start on my list for 2018.

• Comments Off on Crossing Things Off My 2016 To-Do List