Archive for the ‘Notes from Danielle’ Category

		A Note from Danielle for September ’12 Dear Friends, September is one of my favorite months, and always a busy one for me. When I had nine kids at home, getting everyone organized to go back to school was a MAJOR event, with shopping for new shoes, uniforms, and school supplies; medical check-ups; first days of school and adjusting to new teachers […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for August ’12 Dear Friends, Everything in life passes by too quickly, and summer does that too. In July, we feel like the summer days will last forever. In August, mid-summer, we already know it will draw to a close. By the end of the month, the air gets just a nip cooler in some places, sometimes the […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for July ’12 Dear Friends, I always love the summer months, for a number of reasons. I take a break from writing (or try to), my kids are home—although briefly now—and we take a vacation together every year. Everything is shorter now. When they were at home and still in school, we had three lazy months to spend […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for June ’12 Dear Friends, By now, summer is almost officially here. Many of us are making plans for the summer, kids are getting out of school, and we have to figure out how to keep them busy. Father’s Day is an important event, whether you are one or have one. Although most fathers seem to expect less […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for May ’12 Dear friends, This is another month that starts off with a bang. In France, where I spend a lot of time, May 1st, May Day, is Labor Day, and the tradition is for people to give each other sprigs of lily of the valley for the holiday. In Paris, there are street vendors everywhere selling […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for April ’12 Dear friends, Oh dear. April always begins with a challenge for me—April Fool’s Day. I have a flock of children who love torturing me on April Fool’s Day. And what’s worse, I always believe them—I never realize what day it is until I hear the third horrifying story about who’s in jail, who’s pregnant (and […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for March ’12 Dear friends, St. Patrick’s Day is always a special day in March, although I have no Irish ancestry at all. But it’s a holiday everyone seems to enjoy. This month the seasons begin to change, and spring is on the horizon. It officially begins on March 21st, even if the weather isn’t too spring-like yet […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for February ’12 Dear friends, I have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day, and always have. Some years it’s fabulous, some years not so great. Like all holidays that have a lot of expectations attached to them, it can really be a let-down, but sometimes when you least expect it, something great can happen. My children’s father, and […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for January ’12 Dear friends, Every year, I tell you that I never make New Year’s resolutions, and it’s true. I HATE making promises I can’t or don’t keep, and the very notion of New Year’s “resolutions” suggests something hard to do. So I make no promises, and just hope for the best (exercise programs, diets, giving up […] Read more
		A Note from Danielle for December ’11 Dear friends, Wow! December! Christmas! Holidays! I love it. It is such a ‘loaded’ month, in so many ways. Loaded with plans and parties for most, family events, and also loaded with expectations. For many of us, it all begins in childhood, with Santa Claus, who is going to bring us everything we want . […] Read more