Hitting singles

Singles and home runs both get us around the bases

Years ago someone asked the conductor of the San Francisco Symphony how many hours the orchestra had to rehearse for a performance. We all waited for his concise answer, anticipating a specific number. “Well, there’s the short answer and the long answer,” he said. “Together, we rehearse about 10 hours, but these musicians have been practicing for years and years, developing their talents.” In other words, they had to hit lots of “singles” before being part of any “home-run" performance.

Just 3 ways to beat the laundry blues

Laundry, a universal task, doesn't have to be drudgery

Just like the poor, laundry will always be with us. To avoid getting overwhelmed by this seemingly endless task, here are just three ideas:

Introducing . . . the interrobang

We could still use the punch and nuance of the interrobang

I love words, I love punctuation, and I love writing. Putting the right words with the right punctuation to send just the right message in just the right way feels like getting a hole-in-one, a bullseye, or a slam-dunk. (OK, I admit I'm too short to have ever made a slam dunk, but I bet it feels great.)

Anyway, I recently learned about a sweet little punctuation mark that has somehow eluded me all these many years. Introducing my new friend, the interrobang! (Go ahead. Say it aloud. You know you want to. Saying it is almost as fun as using it.) You may think this strange-looking animal is new; however, truth be told, it’s been around since I was born in 1962.  Developed by Martin Speckter, the interrobang was created to help add clout to advertising text. But, for some reason, it never quite caught on.

Just 3 tips for mealtime madness

Life can be messy; so can mealtime

Studies have long touted the benefits of families eating together, especially the undeniable superior academic performance of children who eat at least four meals a week with their parents. I wonder, though, if all the glowing statistics still bear out if mealtime is chaotic and—dare I admit?—contentious. In a house with lots of boys, we often resort to showing off muscles or quoting lines from favorite movies during meals. At other times, Scout humor and similar inane banter are enough entertainment around our table. Still, it’s good to have a few strategies to improve that daily family time. Here are just three:

We are all "Gideons"

This plaque reminds me of God's gifts

Sitting in our garden window is a plaque from my sister that says, “Faith is not just hoping miracles will happen but recognizing when they do.” Many times God gives us too much to handle alone. This, however, is by design—divine design—to allow for miracles and to keep us from becoming prideful. 

I think of Gideon whose army was reduced from 32,000 to a mere 300 men. God deliberately set Gideon against great odds so he would acknowledge that the miraculous victory came by God’s hand and not by his own. 

Just 3 tips for getting kids to help

Kids can learn to enjoy helping

OK, I admit it. Lately, I’ve let my mothering skills get a little rusty. Not surprisingly, my once-clever job charts no longer fly with my three teenage boys. But even though they’re almost grown, there's still work to do, and I’ve somehow forgotten strategies for getting them to help. Here are just three that I now remember being effective with kids of almost all ages:

1. Work alongside them. Offering to help turns you into a partner rather than a pesty parent. It also allows you to teach as you go and can provide that hard-to-find time with children.
2. Crank up the tunes. Good music has a way of driving away the dread and drudgery of w-o-r-k. Around here, we’ve even dubbed our upbeat songs “workin’ music.” 
3. “Finish with a swim.” This was my dad’s philosophy. After all, who doesn’t like to be rewarded after doing some honest-to-goodness labor? At the end of the day, we all need something to look forward to.

If I combine all three, we may just get some work done. What are your best tactics?

Packin' a stink

Optimism seems to be the twin sister of gratitude

I go to the gym most days and see people stretching and exercising just about every muscle, but the one muscle I don’t ever see exercised is the tongue. Of course, how would I know? But this I do know: whether it’s complaining or criticizing, arguing or gossiping, far too often people allow themselves to “go packin’ a stink,” as my daughter likes to say.

Just 3 tricks to help boys love reading

Given choices, boys can learn to love reading

And now for something practical. I recently spoke to a group of women about children’s books and reading. With four boys, I’ve had to learn a few tricks to help them learn to love reading. Here are just three:

Something to cheer about

The Apollo 13 Crew returned worn but victorious

“We missed the moon,” said Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell when he realized a mechanical breakdown necessitated a change in flight plans. 

I recently re-watched the Hollywood version of this real-life drama and was, once again, amazed by the incredible obstacles the crew had to overcome just to return to Earth, having circled but never having stepped on the moon. Even though they did, indeed, have to abort their mission to the moon, the astronauts still captured all of America’s attention and imagination. Gripped by hope and fear, people watched and waited and wondered. Then, after many nail-biting close calls, the men miraculously came back alive and well, and the country let out a collective sigh of relief. People cheered. People cried. People hugged. Then they cheered some more.

Counting on change

The view of Fremont's hills from my kitchen window

Some things you can just count on: October 31 will always be Halloween; December 25 will always mean it's Christmas day; and January 1 will forever be the start of a new year. And May 17 in Fremont, California, always marks the end of green hills.


No matter how lush they are throughout the spring, our signature green hills always turn utterly, completely, and unmistakably wheat-brown by May 17—up until this year, anyway. It’s such a random date that I never would have remembered except that it was the birthday of our long-ago friend and realtor Sterling Nicolaysen.