Apparently, I am a nag and my sixteen year old son has coined names for the different levels of nagging I am guilty of. Here goes:

1. The Pre-Nag – A pre-nag is a nag that comes before my son is actually guilty of doing anything wrong. A pre-nag anticipates that he is about to do something slob related. For example: He’ll walk into the dining room after basketball practice and before he drops his gym bag, I’ll say “don’t drop your gym bag and sneakers on the floor. Take them to your room.” That my friends, is a classic Pre-Nag!

Daniel Silva, through his descriptive narrative, allows the reader to form a picture surrounding the plot, characters, and settings of his new novel, The English Girl.  It blends these together with historical content and the result is a very suspenseful and intriguing thriller. Also included in every Silva book is the restoration of an art portrait that is somehow related to the plot.

The people who are the most in tune with today’s technology are young people.  My daughter, nephew and their friends can do way more with my iPhone and iPad than I can even imagine. Frankly, they can do more than I’d ever want to do, but that’s not really my point.

Looking for a physical and mental challenge to sum up your July? How about a mid-summer 5K run? If you happen to be in the central Connecticut area for the last Saturday of this month, please visit this website to learn more about the Scottish Rite Freemasons 5K Run to Benefit Children with Dyslexia: http://www.plattsys.com/waspeview.asp?eventid=1042. As a CT Certified Reading Consultant, this race holds special meaning for me both personally and professionally.

Last week I dropped off my 14 year old daughter at overnight camp.  That means three weeks without hearing the thump-thump-thump of her sleepy footsteps coming downstairs in the morning, and without a bathroom counter strewn with hair products, left open, empty, or both.  It means fewer dishes in the sink, less food in the fridge, more quiet around the house.

It’s summer time and the students are starting their internships! Congratulations if your son or daughter landed a position for the summer. This is a fantastic way to learn new things, meet new people and develop professionally with real work experience.  You can help them and make sure they get off to a great start with these 7 tips:

In a few weeks, my oldest child will leave for college.  I remember the tears I shed as he boarded the school bus for kindergarten!

Kimberly McCreight’s debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia, is a very powerful book that is a must read.  The story explores many of today’s difficult societal issues:  the complicated world of parenting, working mothers, how children are bullied and the effects on their emotional stability, the

Are you more tenured with many more years of experience than the person to whom you report? Is your manager the same age or younger than your children? These days, it’s not all that unusual for older people to report to those who are much younger.

Remarkable experiences are said to be uncommon and extraordinary. And after spending so much time planning a family vacation -- not to mention a good chunk of cash to pull it off -- we all want our vacations to be just that.

But think back on your family vacations. Alas, young and old alike will forget many of them as the years pass by. All those trips to the beach begin to merge together. So do the grueling hours spent in line at theme parks.