11-26 Ten tips from last week

1. Although Thanksgiving isn't the same without the kids, you can still enjoy the holiday with a group of great friends.

2. It feels pretty good to have all of the Christmas shopping done and presents wrapped while it is still November.

3. However, the chances that I'm going to buy something else between now and Christmas is pretty high - I've already thought of something I need to get. By the time Christmas eventually arrives I'll probably have bought too much.

4. Always call your mother on her birthday - even if you already sent flowers and a card.

5. And when someone else says he doesn't want to make a big deal about his birthday, then proceeds to tell the world on the internet when his birthday is, he deserves all of the good-natured ribbing he gets!

6. Children don't always understand the difference between live TV and a movie on DVD (which you can start and stop whenever you want). Maybe I need TIVO!

7. When your child outgrows a favorite pair of shoes, it is best not to have them around in eyesight after you buy the new ones.

8. While on the subject of clothes, I'm finding it hard to just let them pick out whatever it is they want to wear each day. So I'm picking my battles and only insisting on something more reasonable when needed - like when the thermometer outside says its 36 degrees and your child has put on a pair of shorts.

9. You can get a lot of mileage out of Halloween candy if you ration it out a little at a time.

10. After the long Thanksgiving weekend, when people at work ask you how your holiday was with your family (not knowing that you weren't with your family), its OK to just tell them it was fine.