The Persistence of Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is very persistent. It will stick to the roof of your mouth for a long, long time.
When it comes to success, persistence is a secret weapon. Especially these days.
In this era of microwaves and text messages and 24-hour news stations, we expect immediate results. We worship the idea of overnight success and lament when it doesn’t come our way, overlooking the reality that the overnight successes we are trying to emulate are ten years (or more!) in the making.
When you begin any project, whether it is becoming a parent, writing a book, losing weight, training for a marathon, cleaning your garage, or starting a business, you have the advantage of enthusiasm on your side. You are excited to begin and the image of success is crystal clear. But when doing anything worthwhile, you will eventually encounter roadblocks. They will deflate you, discourage you, and disenfranchise you. You will doubt your original vision, your sanity, and whether you really even wanted it in the first place. These are facts.
When it gets hard is when most people give up.
If you want to be an overnight success, you’ve got to be persistent.
You’ve got to be like peanut butter.
[ The Persistence of Peanut Butter. Acrylic on newspaper. 8 x 10 inches. ]
We in Madison have had a mild winter with roughly half the snow that dumped on us last year. But even though my back appreciates the limited amount of shoveling it had to endure, and even though the sub-zero days were few and far between, I still can’t wait for winter to be OVER. 
I’ve never appreciated Dr. Seuss more than since having kids. He made books as enjoyable for adults as they are for children. Hands down, I rather read ANY Dr. Suess book over the Disney Princess Golden Books that have been the focus of Lucy’s recent attention. The former is fun to read, the latter comes off like a lifeless book report of an otherwise entertaining movie. (Just the facts, ma’am.) After reading Cinderella for the seven hundredth time, there are only two possible forms of relief: either a cannonball to the face or a reading of Hop on Pop. 
Sometimes I miss the days when the most advanced technological gadget I owned was an Etch-a-sketch. 
Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. Well, at least according to Hallmark. The stores are saturated in pink and red, the calendar has that pesky little fine print next to the fourteenth day of February, and the pressure is huge to commemorate the big day with your sweetheart. That often means roses, chocolate, a dinner out…zzzzzz…oh, sorry, I drifted off there for a second. Valentine’s Day may be one of those obligatory holidays, but it’s never a bad thing to show someone how much you care, and it needn’t be boring. Your honey deserves more than ho-hum! And the fun ideas that follow won’t break the bank, either. 
“I enjoy sleep like a good steak.”
I met Kevin and his family when I was in college. They were very involved in the church I attended. Such cool people; kind, warm and welcoming. The parents modeled a marriage worth emulating. Kevin reminded me of me when I was his age: brown curly hair, smart and thoughtful, a little bit shy.
Over my holiday break / paternity leave / month of sleeplessness, I watched 
Does having more kids increase your chances of 
