Adventures in Weather: The Blizzard of 2006

When I helped organize an Internet marketing event in San Antonio in mid-December (the very well received Elite Retreat) I had no idea what an adventure it'd become...

While we were sitting in a cozy room sharing our inside marketing secrets with attendees, a big storm was wreaking havoc on the Pacific Northwest and barreling down on Colorado. By the time I was ready to leave San Antonio I knew we'd be flying into some hairy weather as the storm arrived, but certainly didn't expect that the Denver airport would be closed down just a few hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. Closed down for three days.

But I didn't want to just sit in San Antonio as it slowly moved closer and closer to Christmas, so I rented a car and started driving...

Why I don't like gift cards as presents

I'm sitting watching TV mid-December and it's staggering that of five advertisements I just saw, three of them were for gift cards, for Home Depot, Lowes and McDonalds. The more I think about gift cards, though, the more I really don't like them and continue to hope that I won't receive any this year for the holidays.

The problem is that it's really reducing the thought of gifting down to its crass commercial component, with nothing else. There are perhaps some gift cards that aren't quite so bad, like a Peet's card that's the equivalent of buying someone a dozen cups of coffee, but those are few and far between.

The worst, though, are...

Nursing, Breast pumps, and travel plans

This is a reader contributed article.

Lately I’ve been hearing plenty advice for breastfeeding (or pumping) while flying, but for me and many other moms car travel is a far more frequent occurrence.

When traveling with baby in the car, I’ve heard many people say that you can lean over the baby and nurse him or her while in their car seat. However, this can be virtually impossible for a smaller busted mom to do while wearing a seatbelt so I always allow extra travel time for stops. Bringing a sling along also makes it easier (i.e. more comfortable for me) to feed my daughter in unfamiliar public places like restaurants or shops in different towns along the way.

Keep in mind that although you may have taken this trip many times before it will be a very different experience with your breastfeeding baby in tow. Be prepared for a longer trip that will be more tiring. If your little one sleeps well in a moving car, try to time your departure after a feeding or at a usual naptime to help cut down the number of stops you’ll have to take during the trip.

Do you ever lie to your kids?

It's coming up to Christmas / Hannukah and as a two-religion family, we celebrate both holidays, with different grandparents. We figure why not celebrate holidays as often as possible?

Anyway, holidays with presents mean that presents for our children start to show up on our doorstep weeks beforehand, sometimes in bright logo boxes, other times in dull brown cardboard, but huge.

Last night...