Advice Worth Every Penny

           Our daughter, Nicole, just got her Master’s degree in Clinical Therapy. This is perfect for her, as she is a terrific listener and very insightful.

          Even as a young child, she would try to analyze me. I’d be telling her something and she would lead me along and say, “Because…?” She was always an old soul, more the grownup. Meanwhile, I was the little kid at heart, drawing faces on my fingers and then putting on a puppet show.

          I’m sure her clients are thrilled with her techniques and advice. But I cannot imagine listening to troubled people all day, without interrupting and telling them how to solve it.

          If someone comes to me with a problem, I jump in and say, “Grab a pen. Here are 10 things to try.” Why wallow, right? I’m told this is a male characteristic, to want to solve a problem without first venting about it. But I like creative ideas, so I’m already bubbling over with them. And I also like saving time.

          I can actually picture myself opening a booth like Lucy did, in the Peanuts comic strip.  Except mine would say, “Five minutes max” on the sign.

          If someone brings me a concern and I give them advice, I expect them to at least try what I’ve suggested. If they return a couple of weeks later and they still want to whine, I mean, share their troubles, I’ve learned what attorneys say, “Asked and answered.”

         And, of course, I think I have brilliant solutions. The problem is that people like me, with grown kids, want to jump in and give advice. BUT… word on the street is that you should wait for these kids to ask before you tell them how to live.  And… as many a parent has discovered, they don’t ask for your opinion anymore.

          So here I sit, overflowing with fabulous advice, able to share it in the blink of an eye, but everyone seems to be rolling along independently. Maybe I should charge by the hour.

Wonderful, FREE advice and life skills are available to one and all, however. Just visit my Youtube Mom channel.

This Year's Best Christmas Decorating Idea

          Tons of ideas pop into my head (we can argue about whether that’s because it’s so roomy in there), and I love to pass them along to you. I share my original recipes, I give away ideas for inventions, stories, jobs, whatever I think could help someone.  When I was in a TV green room and met the mom of a guy playing in the Superbowl, I told her the cameras would zoom in on her at some point, in the stands, and she should be wearing her son’s photo on a button pin.  Her eyes lit up.  “Thank you-- I’ll do that!” 

          Last month I gave you my turkey cornucopia idea, on Father’s Day I gave you a clever “man cake of tools” to make for Dad, and my YouTube Mom videos are loaded with stuff I’ve made up, that can simplify your life.  My original tortilla roll-up won a cooking contest almost 20 years ago, and started the whole “wrap” trend.

          So here’s my latest idea—a clever way to decorate your front door:

          Obviously you need a red door.  But paint is cheap—you could even paint it red just for December.  I used black vinyl for the belt, and painted a picture frame gold for the buckle.  A small dowel is wedged into it for the "leather" to go over.  Then a yard of fake white fur is staple-gunned to the sides of the door, with a few paint-safe picture-hanging stickers helping out.  And, if you can’t do a front door this way, you could do an interior door just as easily.  Total cost: About five dollars.   

          Another idea is to wrap your door like a giant present—but that’s not unique and THIS one is a Joni Hilton original!  Feel free to share it with your friends, and on Pinterest.  Merry Christmas to all!

How about a totally free Christmas gift?  Tell your friends to subscribe to this blog and you will give them a year’s supply of entertainment.  It’s better than Cookie-of-the-Month!