My husband had a very traditional family, and if not for his parents, I don't think he or his sister would talk. They shared vacations and holidays, but unless they are reminiscing on a family event of the past, there are very few conversations that involve all of the family members.

I was reading this, and feeling something similar.. except my parents didn't divorce until I was about 25, and my siblings were also older. We had this wonderful traditional household centered around my parents and grand parents, and now my grandparents are dead and my parents are divorced. Holidays, family dinners,…

There is nothing like someone who boldly looks an obstacle in the face, and then proposes first option for overcoming it. If you've worked with people like this or been in a situation where no one has stepped forward, you understand how important this is. If no one else is going to step up, it may as well be you.

Or.. just buy some containers. We bought square "sandwich" containers years ago.. probably spent $10 for 12 of them, and have used the crap out of them. Because we use them for cool foods only, they have held up fantastically.

You have to tailor your tastes, and that can help get you right back on the right path after a splurge meal. I found an awesome turkey burger recipe that included just enough bacon to add savoriness but not tons of fat. Suddenly a turkey burger didn't make me just think of how great beef tastes and how bleh turkey…

I had an argument with my mom over the weekend about this. I'm about to run a half marathon, and while at her home in another city, I got my final training run in. When I got back, she insisted that she take a picture of me, and while I resisted and felt disgusting, I allowed her to do so. About 8 hours later, she…

We often ask our neighbors for a lift, but on a recent trip, we sprung for a taxi (neighbors aren't usually up at 5am!), and it was about $30. Totally worth it.

It sounds like your father has the "thrill of the deal" syndrome. I love to find a great deal, but restraint is just as important.

I've lived along the Mississippi my whole life, and have been in a bi-state area. Iowa and Missouri have much less expensive gas than Illinois, due to taxes, but I always was astonished by people who would go to the other state, just to buy gas. Sometimes the savings can be significant - up to 30 cents per gallon -…

What I find is that coupons often make a name-brand item very close in price to a generic. I buy generic/store branded items all of the time, so coupons that are clipped with the intent to be used, often just get tossed when I see how other similar products are priced.

If you can tear your lettuce instead of cutting it, it will not turn brown on the edges. Also, only wash what you are planning to eat. The excess moisture is a good way to make it go bad. Additionally, if you store it in a bag, leave it slightly open. We sometimes use a ziplock, but leave a couple inches unsealed.…

I have done this since I started driving. The other nice thing about it is, you can often tell if there is something wrong with your car, just by watching the mileage. Of course, we just switched to the "winter blend" for gas, but sometimes dips can signal that your tires need some air, or that some other regular…

Was this meant to be directed toward work-only, or people who share life outside work in the office? I didn't really find this article prescriptive or overly helpful. Maybe I'm already in the sweet spot and feel that this is mostly common sense...

I got this strong image of Tyrion Lannister when you described how stoics recommend handling insults.

This article is more about how to prevent passing out, and how to recognize when you should stop exercising. With this title, I thought it would be more focused on the symptoms and signs of chronic fatigue, muscle strains, stress fractures, and and/or joint problems - common injuries to people who exercise regularly.

On #7, literary references may play a part, but reading hugely expands your vocabulary. Typically, we adapt to our social environment and pick up the language of those we spend time with, and it is the same for books.

This happens with my husband. I just want to vent about something stupid and frustrating at work, and he comes up with a list of solutions that are helpful, but not really what I was looking for.

I read/heard somewhere that you have to set your own goals or you'll be working toward someone else's. Having that mindset has completely changed things for me. I've started perceiving people with their agendas, and I work to see how people can help advance my own agenda as well. Then, together we can work on…

I started asking for what I wanted. It's hard to say that people are denying you of something you want if you've asked them, but often times we expect to get things without being explicit. Tell your spouse how you want to be loved, ask for a chance to do certain tasks at work, tell that friend that you need some…

From many of the arguments, it seems that most would argue that the school should throw their dress code away or they should have air conditioning. So if the school did have air conditioning, would that make mid-drifts and tiny shorts suddenly inappropriate attire? But having mid-drifts and tiny shorts when it is…