I wish I were only referring to a game of Clue. In reality, it was Lexi in a UPS store with pink cardstock paper As a mother, I always knew this day would come, but I didn’t know when, where and what item would entice Lexi enough to commit grand larceny.

The Elf on the Shelf has been part of our family holiday tradition since my oldest was in first grade.  His teacher used it in the classroom and Max marveled at the things the Elf could do. He talked about it every day.  I can still remember the look on his face when the Elf appeared in our Christmas tree at home.

It is at this time of year, that we take time as a culture to give thanks. We have the opportunity for Thanks Giving. But in order to accomplish this, we may need to slow down.

WHAT??! ‘Tis the season of speeding up in order to “get it all done,” isn’t it?

What a conundrum. Maybe we could just wait until January to slow down and for now, we could stick to our habitual list of gratitude; our habitude?

My inner monsters are those characteristics about myself that I don't like very much. These are traits that I've worked hard at over the years to minimize; but occasionally one will rear its ugly head.

As a mom I find that I am often providing services for which I have no training at all.   For example; I have no business helping anyone with 9th grade math.  In fact, I am finding that I am only slightly qualified to help with 4th grade math.

And yet, on a regular basis, I hold my child’s hand and wade into the deep end of factors and algebraic expressions, as if I have a clue.

This idea of giving experiences rather than things is evergreen, and especially relevant this time of year when so many of us honor the spirit of gift giving.

I'm a game changer. Not in the cliche way that the phrase "game changer" is used in the office, but in the literal sense. By and large, I’m a rule follower. I view the speed limit as a limit so I am more than comfortable driving 60 in a 65. If my office hours are 8-5, I hyperventilate if I’m not in by 7:55. And when it comes to games, I’m a stickler for the rules. Rules in a game set the boundaries and ensure fairness among the players so I like to make sure the rules are established before anyone starts the game.

My daughter recently performed in the opening act of Disney's Lighting of Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago.  The parade is held on a Saturday with the rehearsal for the opening number held Friday evening at 5:30 at a downtown school location.  When I found out that we needed to drive the 35 miles to downtown on a Friday evening; my eyes rolled back in my head … TRAFFIC was all I could think of. 

Earlier this week I asked my readers how they earned their first dollar. The response was overwhelming...everyone wanted to share.

Some of us babysat, mowed lawns, or worked in a family business at a young age. Some of us had the entrepreneurial spirit and were selling everything from seeds to greeting cards.