The Christmas ornaments are packed. The menorahs have been scrubbed clean of their candle wax. All that remains of holiday fun are the bills to pay and the excess weight we need to lose. Of course, there are all those pesky resolutions we need to start fulfilling! What are your resolutions? Exercise more? Eat better? The post ‘Tis the Season to Make Resolutions appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

How does the old saying go? The best-laid plans of mice, men and hostesses often go awry. My husband and I were scheduled to host eight Algerian exchange visitors for a Thanksgiving meal last month. The group would be in town for a few days as part of a U.S. State Department tourism education program.  The post FIRST PERSON | Reality gobbled up our plan to host Algerian tourists for a holiday appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

I pride myself on being a tidy (enough) housekeeper. Yet recently I read an article that glaringly demonstrated the long, trash-laden road I must travel to achieve the glorified ranks of a certified super-duper DG — Domestic Goddess. The article, “30 Habits of People with Really Clean Houses,“ began with “simple” tasks like keeping surfaces The post Domestic Goddess or Dust Bunny Collector? appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

Here in the United States, politics continue to fray the bonds between families and friends. How then can strangers of profoundly different backgrounds stand a chance of getting along? This wasn’t an abstract question for me. It was a concrete concern as I readied our house to host a college exchange student from Jordan. From The post What I Learned Hosting a Jordanian Exchange Student appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

In an act of selfless devotion to family and friends, I’ve just completed my 2024 “Don’t Want Holiday Gift” list. I know. I know. I’m thoughtful that way, doing all I can to ease the burden of shopping for my loved ones. What can I say? I am just “that” kind of person! So, here The post 2024 Don’t Want Holiday Gift List appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

We all know the expression “Pride goes before the fall.” Well, in my case, I took “the fall” big time this Fall season It began last January when I set a loosey-goosey goal of reading “a lot” of books in 2024. It started when I saw an article about Super Readers, which sounded super impressive. The post Super Readers appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

Pity poor me! I suffer from a multitude of name woes. From a last name that’s unpronounceable to a first name that is widely mocked, I suffer from the slings and arrows of moniker misfortune! The only name I ever felt sorrier for was Chuck at the height of the 1964 hit song, “The Name The post Name Woes appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

How about a little trash talk of the non-political kind? I am a half-glass kind of optimist. However, I am decidedly not a half-trash-can kind of housekeeper. In fact, I am barely a one-piece-of-trash-in-a-trash-can kind of housekeeper! You may say it’s a curse or a compulsion. I say it’s a credo — a badge of The post Trash Talk appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

“Faces and Places.” The title comes from a gentle, sentimental Tom Paxton song written decades ago. Yet, it now comes to mind in a completely different context. First, if you’re not familiar with the song, here’s a bit of the lyrics: “Faces and places, They all left indelible traces On my soul– Wherever it’s going. The post Faces and Places appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more

Most girls go gah-gah when their guy whispers “I love you.” While those words are sweet, I, a die-hard New York shopaholic, prefer a man who murmurs a decidedly different set of magic words: “I can get it for you wholesale.” Better still, if he — tall, dark, and a retailer, proclaims he can provide The post Today’s Magic Words? Two-Day Free Delivery appeared first on Muddling through Middle Age ..read more