Seal Of Approval

Good Housekeeping. I only get this magazine because I bought 10 items that qualified me for a free subscription at the Krogers last fall- and who doesn't love magazines in the mail?? It always seemed a little "old" for me, like I was too young to be reading it- although Lord knows my Seventeen days are far behind me.

But can I tell you- that magazine reads my mind. I start reading it, flipping through it, and without fail- there will be something on every page that pertains to my life- Or someone close to me, so that I am able to share what I just read in there.

I was talking to Fan Target the other night, discussing things our men do that make us a little nutty. WHAM! I am reminded of this great relationships article that was in there about how to break the little petty fight cycle that couples can get stuck in. We laughed and laughed about those stupid little fights (Why won't he hang the toilet paper properly??), and then discussed the merit of this man's article-vowing to seek clarity in our relationships...
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/marriage-sex/how-to-stop-arguing

Speaking of Target and her man- look how cute they are!And theeeeeeeeen, one of my sweet friends texts me this morning in tears, trying to decide whether or not she can risk quitting her job that is making her insane to pursue another path. WHAM! I'm sitting this afternoon, flipping through the latest issue and find a article titled, and I'm not kidding you: "Is It Time To Switch Careers?"

And theeeeeeeeen, Jas and I have been discussing some of the struggles we are having with O lately and how hard it is to stick with the rules and outlines we have for raising her, and I find an article called. "Mom, I Hate You!" basically stating that if your child says this to you, you are on the right parenting track. Love it! Listen to these wise words:

"It can be a challenge, day to day, to make and enforce unpopular decisions. But you have to think long-term. Parenting isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. Some days are fun and games; others are discipline and chores. Respect has to the constant."

Amen.

And theeeeeeeeen, I accidently washed a tube of Chapstick with a load of laundry the other day. I found those little grease-y marks on everything. Um, guess what Heloise teaches this month?? How to remove houseplant stains from on top of a dresser, how to clean dusty nooks, how to de-gunk your cookies sheets, and Yup! you guessed it: how to remove lip balm stains!!!! At this point, I am hearing the Twilight Zones "doo-do-doo-do" song in my head.

This has happened to me every month since I started getting the magazine! Does this mean that I am old? That I am at a place in my life where I do need Good Housekeeping over InStyle?? Are my planets in alignment?? Either way, it has made me start reading it cover to cover to make sure I don't miss anything! If I find anything worth passing on, I'll be sure to let you know! (wink)