Find the best authors at THE MIAMI BOOK FAIR

Crowds.  Noise.  Everything that many book lovers usually run from will be swirling around and crackling through the air at the Miami Book Fair in the coming weeks.  The first time I took my kids there, I was slapped with screeching children, tents with more screeching children, loud music, and sometimes happy, mostly angry parents.ContinueContinue reading “Find the best authors at THE MIAMI BOOK FAIR”

Halloween Horror shatters school stress.

We sat outside, surrounding our fire pit, and roasting marshmallows on sticks. Each of us listening to the next scary story as if a monster might jump right out of the storyteller’s mouth. It was as simple as that. We forgot the horror of  early morning carpools and catching colds as well as the burdenContinueContinue reading “Halloween Horror shatters school stress.”

Friday the 13th Good Luck Laughter

  There’s something about the number 13 that frightens people. When we lived in a high-rise in Miami Beach, it was on the 14th floor, except for one problem. There was no 13th floor. The elevator jumped from 12 to 14. I thought it was so strange that buildings everywhere excommunicated the number 13. Ironically,ContinueContinue reading “Friday the 13th Good Luck Laughter”

5 Best Ways to Help Teens Survive School Anxiety

Between getting up before the sun even rises and just thinking about homework, all teenagers feel at least a tinge of anxiety when the school year begins. Overachievers might find themselves biting their cuticles. Underachievers might dread the teachers who will ridicule them for not trying. Social butterflies might obsess over a pimple, their hair,ContinueContinue reading “5 Best Ways to Help Teens Survive School Anxiety”

Stimulating the Summer Brain: For parents who are watching their children drool over their devices.

Heavy into summer, kids do not want to hear the word “school” let alone the word “read” and do NOT utter the name we do not speak of “HOMEWORK.” So if you’re a parent like me and you’ve begun noticing that there’s no intellectual stimulation other than YouTube and gaming with an occasional excursion toContinueContinue reading “Stimulating the Summer Brain: For parents who are watching their children drool over their devices.”

Threading Happiness

A businessman who bought up a town near Chicago, Illinois, Robert Stanford built a fortune for himself and some would say it all started with a small bakery. But, if you knew him, you also knew that it really started with his mind; the way he looked at life. The Harvard Business Review recently publishedContinueContinue reading “Threading Happiness”

Gloves on or off? We fight.

As the start of the New Year lingers, I’m rethinking my approach here at BraveSmartBold as well as my approach to a lot of other things, including my conversations with my children. In the process of sifting through my relationships with my family, I’m taking a look at BraveSmartBold, thinking, I want to highlight someContinueContinue reading “Gloves on or off? We fight.”

Happy Days Live On

“I’ll make ya laugh.” Some may say that I’m morbid, even disrespectful. I say, it’s a matter of perspective, and love, a lot of love.  Today, my love died. Today, her eyes washed to oceans of blue and glimmers of white. Today, she surrounded me. Today, she showed me life floats on. And, today, IContinueContinue reading “Happy Days Live On”

LA Femme International Film Festival

LA Femme International Film Festival showcases films by women producers, writers, and directors. This year my sister Jill Michele will be hosting the ceremonies. The only depressing part about it is that I won’t see her do what she does best:  Rally the crowd around a topic with the humor and grace of a writer,ContinueContinue reading “LA Femme International Film Festival”