When I was young, my parents always managed to make ends meet, even though my mother was a stay-at-home mom (she had a less-than-ten hours a week part time job when I was in school, but nothing else) and my father worked in a factory.

“It is difficult to bring people to goodness with lessons, but it is easy to do so by example.” --Seneca *

Among other things, I’m a ghostwriter. Not the sexy kind that sits down with Sarah Palin or Oprah or that guy who killed his wife and married his daughter (I’m sure there is one!) and writes their story, getting an “as told to” or even “with” credit on the front cover. No, I write articles that appear in publications large and small under someone else’s name.

Urdvha Wha? Urdvha = upward Mukha = Face Svana = Dog Asana = posture, seat, connection to the earth Benefits 1. Opens and stretches your chest and shoulders. 2. Strengthens your arms and wrists 3. Stimulates your abdominal organs What to Watch Out For

Every month, my wife and I track how much time and money we spend growing food. This is the report for January 2009. (Here are the results for 2008.)

We all hope the economy’s going to bulk up soon, but for now, my personal budget would look a whole lot better if my meals du jour were ramen and plain white bread. There’s only one thing missing from those foods, though–nutrients.

A few nights ago, my wife had to work late, so I was charged with an evening at home alone with my three year old and one year old.

Someone leaves an umbrella perched at a restaurant table and walks away, or drops an envelope out of a briefcase or bag. Do you run after them, shouting “sir” or “ma’am” like the lead in a well-scripted play? Do you assume that someone else must have already noticed? Or do you leave it alone, figuring that the god of all things lost has a grander plan for that umbrella or envelope?

Domino magazine’s February 2009 issue has a fun article with tips from interior designer Ryan Korban on cheating with your clutter control, aptly named “A cheater’s guide to a tidy home.” In the article, he provides six tips for tidying up in a hurry. Two of my favorite are the following: make stacks purposeful

Wow. Am I glad that month is over. January started off with a bang and flew along full-tilt until the fifteenth. In the two weeks since my friend Sparky died, my life has been a confused mess. I delegated to guest authors while I dealt with my personal life; fortunately, they provided some great articles. Now, however, I’m looking forward to finding some semblance of normalcy again.

I know what we've all been told - If you want to get rich, you’ve got to work hard!But don’t you know people who’ve worked hard all their lives and are still really poor? I’m sure we all know a lot of people like this – maybe you’re one of them. We can call them the hard working poor.Does that mean that getting rich doesn’t depend on how hard you work?

There are times when creating a logo can seem overwhelming. But in an industry where efficiency is key, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me to create logos that are effective, meet my clients’ objectives, and are portfolio pieces that I feel proud of.

We learned a lot of healthy lessons this week, including that our bathroom scale is not always accurate. Good thing we now know how to combat our often weight-induced stress with eating healthy; be it the vegan lifestyle, or sipping on a raw smoothie.

I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday’s post will help you think about your own happiness project.