With research increasingly showing that drinking alcohol is detrimental to teenagers' (and certainly younger kids') still-developing brains, you may want to think twice about letting your kid sip during the holidays if your usual policy is no drinking.

Okay, first let me say that I have never said this to my children. Second, I absolutely do not hate reading. I love it. Settling in with a book or magazine at the end of the day is one of my favorite things, and I cherish lazy Sundays with the newspaper spread out before me.

So yes, reading is great, for pleasure and for information. Being a writer, I think that reading as much as I can across content areas makes me do my job better. Okay, so what’s my point?

I woke up this morning exhausted. Triggered. And I could feel my negative thoughts lining up like little toy soldiers ready to go to battle.

Are your hanging onto your “fat clothes?”

Knitters, Runners, Writers and Local Business People are already great fans of the wonderful Daybreak Coffee House in Glastonbury, Connecticut.  For the 2013-2014 school-year Linda Kenneman and her brother Carmello also adopted Readers as their most enthusiastic fans by hosting a year-long book club.  At the first ever meeting, Linda hosted a packed house, yet the delicious coffee, tea and desserts were plentiful all night.  Linda and local author and Public Relations Expert, Wendy Paine Miller suggested that we break into groups of five or six.

“As I was saying before I was interrupted…” — Jack Paar, 1960

Well, that took longer than expected.  I was all set to get back to blogging about my personal health (weight loss) adventures, when first our annual vacation hit in June.

That was fine, I could handle it. In fact, I maintained despite the changes in routine through July. The kids were in a variety of camps this summer, which played havoc with our daily routines. But still, all was well. I was still working from home on Fridays and hitting the gym; I was eating right; I was paying attention.

For most parents, back to school time comes with a bit of anxiety. All of the typical questions arise… Will my child have a teacher who is a good fit? Will he have friends in his class? Will he make new friends? But for me, this is the time of year when I start to think about what a potentially dangerous place school can be for my son. My son, Evan, suffers from life-threatening food allergies. And one accidental nibble of a peanut can send us rushing to the hospital.

Mom confession: My kids didn’t eat carrot sticks for the first six or so years of their lives. I vividly recall when my first daughter was in preschool, I would notice all the kids who were happily crunching away on their fresh veggies when it was all I could do to get mine to eat a peanut butter sandwich. And that’s if I was lucky. It’s not that I didn’t pack them healthy snacks and foods, they were just never interested in them. They wouldn’t even touch apples - apples, of all things! “Too crunchy”, Kylie would say.

The relaxed pace of summer is, essentially, behind us. Fall is nearly here. Hard to believe, but true. It's time to refocus on "work" - whatever your age and stage in life.

Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, the start of a new school year signified opportunity, a fresh start, and a chance to do things differently.