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How to Run an Estate Sale in 3 Hours

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My sister and I left Chicago decades ago to start our own families in less crowded metropolitan spots, Minneapolis and Milwaukee, leaving behind our widowed mother. She lived alone, in a home where the porch and her bedroom could accommodate her wheel-chair bound lifestyle, until it became unsafe for her. She suffered from alcohol-related dementia (ARD), and was increasingly allowed to mix pain pills with alcohol by a selfish caregiver who was quickly fired. Mom agreed she didn’t feel safe at home. When she turned 71, she agreed to move into a local nursing home, and sell the house.

We had been traveling to Chicago monthly for the previous 90 days, alternating weeks so mom had a visitor as she made the adjustment to nursing home life.

The house went up for sale.  It had sold in three days after the listing. My sister persuaded our mom to lower the price to seal the deal on the very first offer. She also had mom agree to pay the buyer’s closing costs, a deal they couldn’t resist. She then handed authority over to me at the point of contract negotiations over inspection issues. The house was built in 1952, never once remodeled and had no handyman on site since 1994 when our Dad died. I had a lot on my list. This particular weekend we were both in town on a mission: clean out mom’s house in preparation for the closing. We had to get the job done in one day, and do it in 3 hours in order to get back to caring for our own children in neighboring states. [Read more…] about How to Run an Estate Sale in 3 Hours

Teaching Your Teen to Drive: Baby Steps in the Fast Lane

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Teaching teen driving is more nerve wracking than breastfeeding. For breastfeeding, there was a back up plan: store-bought formula. For driving, the experience I have earned (sometimes the hard way) can’t be transferred in a bottle. When she was knee high, I aimed her body toward open spaces. I padded sharp corners, removed glass vases, covered electrical outlets and locked cabinets. She crawled and explored her motor skills safely. Now, her motor skills again are directed to open spaces, knowing the car bumper, a seat belt, and air bag are all we have for protection. I can’t remove the fire hydrants or electrical poles or lock the steering wheel away from sharp corners with hidden objects.Baby steps. Yes, that’s the ticket!

Lesson 1: Pre-permit, she started the car for me all winter so I enjoyed entering a heated vehicle. I also had her look up from the cell phone while I drove to schools, stores or music lessons. I figured she had to learn the city and whether we were heading north or south, east or west, and had her suggest which direction I should go if I wanted to go home. By early spring, I had her back the car out of garage so she knew how to shift gears. [Read more…] about Teaching Your Teen to Drive: Baby Steps in the Fast Lane

Teens and Sleep Deprivation

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By Jessica Brenner

Imagine a classroom full of students, physically there, but mentally and emotionally they are in their beds, sleeping. This is what it’s like to be in an early morning class in the 21st century. These sleep deprived teens are not only like this in school, but also in sports, extracurricular activities and more. As a teen, I definitely know the repeated feeling of stress and fatigue. I’ve heard endless complaints from peers around me about being exhausted, and it obviously takes away from learning and our social lives. School, extracurricular activities, stress, technology and sleep patterns are causing extreme sleep deprivation and health issues in 21st century teens. Later school start times, along with awareness of sleep deprivation in teens among parents, teachers, coaches and teens themselves would help resolve this problem.   Like this topic?Follow it on Twitter @ehsteensleep

How do Teens’ Sleep Patterns Affect their Sleep Quality?

Teens’ everyday lives, including their sleep patterns affect how much sleep teens get each night. [Read more…] about Teens and Sleep Deprivation

Youth Sports: Bouncing Back from the Tryout Blues

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This essay appears in Minnesota Parent Feb. 2020 magazine.

Teen tryouts are more stressful than watching any youth tournament. At a recent tryout event for a J.O. volleyball club, I saw elated faces and relief hugs between teens and parents. This was after the first of four teams of girls were dismissed from the courts. I also saw the anguish of parents still waiting. Some appeared so stressed they held their heads, wringing their hands, and said they could not handle another minute of waiting. I wasn’t worried. “Whatever happens, happens. We can deal with it,” I told a friend, thinking out of 4 levels, my kid would make one of them and even if it was the bottom rung, we were still in for a season of sports. [Read more…] about Youth Sports: Bouncing Back from the Tryout Blues

Associations: How Much Should You Give Away to Non-Members?

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In organizing a trade show and hosting competing organizations to take part in the free marketplace supply fair I have created, I have discovered the fragile balance of inclusive and exclusive opportunity.  I remain impartial to several related industry organizations that vie for members. A growing group can choose to open or close doors. I do this as well. For example, I only offer a price report to fans who paid for a newsletter subscription; yet I offer free information to the entire industry that is nearly as beneficial, with tid bits I hope they’ll crave more of and subscribe. There must be some balance, and a fair option to gain entry into the community.

As my supporters become agitators, I must consider: Did I give them a reason to try my product or service?  Are they giving our newsletter readers a reason to try their products? Are they even in the game? Or too insecure to play? Some prefer to position their organization as elite, for members only and put forth a great barrier to entry. Others charge a fair price, commensurate with what a successful business is willing to pay. It all comes down to membership with benefits. Your organization’s growth equals its perceived value. [Read more…] about Associations: How Much Should You Give Away to Non-Members?

The Shiny New Object is You!

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Are you one of those who suffer from the shiny new object syndrome? Do we hope the new, latest and greatest phone app or DIY jig will solve our problems?
Are we seeking to deliver value to people, or are we just feeding a machine? It’s unproductive to use new tools that don’t fit your business model. Invest in the ones that do, but stay knowledgeable about HOW and WHY they do.

When machines break or you have no cell phone signal, it’s those moments when the customer relationship depends on you. Relationships build the foundation with customers and vendors. Not Social Media. Not machine automation. Humanity becomes the killer app. We can press buttons and get through a day without thinking. (Google maps for me! I do look for the sun but on cloudy days, I’m lost.) Technology offers accuracy and consistency. Still, the human touch, even with our quirky variations, offers another layer of quality control if we inspect each job, do each task, with care.

There is no app for a firm hand shake, a personal thank you or the sound of a friendly voice. Emails can be impersonal. Texts misunderstood. Go ahead. Make eye contact. Pick up the phone and deliver service with your friendly voice. The “personal touch” in relationships doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. The shiny new object this month just might be you!