Ho, Ho, No!

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher ‘Tis the season already – and it’s only mid-November.  Everywhere I look the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing – and has been since early October.  Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?  You know the day we eat way too much and watch the big parade where...

Fridge Faux Paus

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher I have a long-standing hate relationship with household appliances.  Now I know you think I’ve made a mistake and left out a word, meaning a love/hate relationship.  But I assure you, there is no love in my relationship with appliances. Mr. Kaminski is in the loop...

The Art of Aging

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher I kicked off my 59th year with words.  I know, shocking.  But the origin of the words is what is perhaps the most bizarre. At the stroke of midnight on the big day, I found myself both reading and digesting an incredible book – one that I had never read before. ...

Broke or Woke?

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Over the course of the weekend, I broke something else.  Apparently, I’m a pro at breaking things.  At least that’s what Mr. Kaminski says. Drawer pulls are a constant.  I’m always pulling those things off.  “I’m strong,” is my response to Mr. Kaminski’s...

Time Out

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Exactly when did getting a “time out” become a bad thing?  Sure, I remember putting my babies in “time out.”  They hated it.  Having to sit in a corner for a few minutes with nothing – no toys, no tv, no tablet – nada.  They thought it was the worst thing...

Sipping and Strolling – or Stumbling Through Spain

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher After spending a mere eight days in Portugal and Spain with Lisa Ann and compadres in tow, the term “sip and stroll” has an entirely new meaning for me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but apparently, we embarked on a journey to not only do it all, but to drink our...

Packing Prowess

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Now, I am all up for a good trip – a grand adventure, if you will.  But there’s one thing that I dread more than drinking cheap wine, which I absolutely loathe.  And that thing is the “packing” of it all. I’m not a great “packer.”  I don’t like to...

The Time Turmoil

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Time is a slippery slope, and most times I feel like I’m navigating the treacherous terrain of time in 6” stilettos with both hands full on the edge of a cliff. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when time became so fleeting, but as I look at my calendar today, I...

Alias Assumptions

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher A few months ago, Mr. Kaminski, Kolton and I were eating dinner.  You know we weren’t dining at Casa Kaminski as that would require me to actually cook a meal.  We were at one of our favorite restaurants when a waiter walked by and exclaimed, “Tom!”  He commenced...

Babysitting Blues

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher After spending a mere half a day helping babysit a precious ten-month-old baby girl, I have a clear and comprehensive understanding of why God made it so that at a certain age, women can no longer reproduce.  Energy, porch sitters, it’s all about energy. I’m not sure...

School Daze

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Back to school has had an entirely new meaning in the Kaminski household for the past few years.  With our babies grown and flown – and even finished with college – this time of year is just not how it used to be.  It’s changed – and not for the better. Back to...

Taking You to School: Fort Bend Food Insecurity

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher I am culinarily challenged.  That’s the reality of the situation, and I have no desire whatsoever to overcome my limitations in the kitchen.  Cooking doesn’t interest me.  In fact, I find it mind-numbingly boring.  And the clean-up from the chaos is just...

Common Courtesy

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher I fully recognize that I am not the brightest bulb on the shelf, but I’ve got say, when it comes to common courtesy, I am completely perplexed. Case and point:  When did it become acceptable to thank someone, and their response be, “No problem.”  What?  I said,...

The Doorbell Dilemma

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Sometimes in my infinite wisdom I make choices that absolutely backfire on me.  Case and point:  the doorbell dilemma – a situation that literally occurred on my porch. You see, we do not have a doorbell installed at our front door.  Now I didn’t think too much...

The “S” Word

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher Every once in a while, I am brutally reminded that I was raised as an only child.  It often rears its ugly head when a certain word comes up.  This word is much like a foreign language to me, although when I had two children, I was forced to become familiar with it. In...