One of my fondest memories from my youth were of riding the bus with my Grandma Bruce to Erie (grandma's didn't drive in the old days, you know) where we'd shop at the Boston Store and other downtown retailers (the mall was brand-new and quite small back then).

Sometimes she'd treat me to a Disney movie. I'm not sure why "The Jungle Book" would've been playing at a theater when I was a kid in the late 70s since it came out in 1967, but I remember her taking me to see it. And, I loved, loved, loved it. Still do.

I cannot get enough of the music and of spunky Mowgli and grumpy Bagherra and fun-loving Baloo and wild King Louie and the lisping snake and that doe-eyed pretty village girl that Mowgli falls in love with at the end (sigh).

Today, Disney is releasing a 40th anniversary 2-disc DVD of "The Jungle Book" and I cannot wait to experience it again. You can read more about the DVD here.

P.S. If you buy your DVD at Target today, you'll get a $5 gift card. Several other retailers are dangling carrots for those who buy today, too.

I recently asked a respected newsroom colleague to mentor me. He graciously agreed and gave me a homework assignment right off the bat -- read "Now, Discover Your Strengths" and take the online test to discover what my natural God-given strengths are.

I picked up the book and was intrigued by the concept -- it was a positive approach to making the most of your talents and strengths (a welcome reprieve from discovering, dissecting and "fixing" our weaknesses that all the other books drone on about).

As the authors write:
"Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths. Instead, guided by our parents, our teachers, our managers and psychology's fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected."

The way to get ahead in life (and probably the secret to a happy life) is to focus on your strengths. What are the things that come naturally to you? What do you do better than anyone else you know? Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

(From the online synopsis) "At the heart of Now, Discover Your Strengths, is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder® Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant "themes" with thousands of possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success."

Basically, you read the book, take the online test (you have to buy the book to get a "code" to take the test) and they will give you your top 5 strengths based on your answers to the 1/2 hour test.

My top 5 were no surprise to me as they are the things I know most about myself:

1. Empathy. I am (sometimes annoyingly) tuned into other people's emotions. I can sense what people are feeling whether I know them well or not. It was eye-opening for me to realize that not everyone has this ability and explains why sometimes I am flabbergasted at the poor choices other people make in hiring, choosing a partner, etc. I can tell when someone walks in the door whether they are the right person (for a job, for a partner, for a friend, etc.). I've known forever that I was good at "reading" people, I just never labeled it a strength.

I was relieved to read the authors stress that empathy is not to be confused with sympathy."You do not necessarily agree with each person's perspective. You do not necessarily feel pity for them -- that would be sympathy, not empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand."

2. Harmony. I've long thought my peacemaker tendencies came from being a middle child. When it comes to arguing, fighting and debating -- well, I'd just rather not. You'll never find me stirring the pot. About Harmony, the book says: "In your view there is little to be gained from conflict and friction, so you seek to hold them to a minimum.You can't quite believe how much time is wasted by people trying to impose their views on others."

Right on. Shut up and get to work, already.

3. Communication. Frankly, I'd have been mortified if this wasn't in my top 5. Without a doubt, this is what I know I was born to do. Fortunately, I found a way to get paid to do it.

4. Achiever. This is so me that it made me laugh out loud. "Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by 'every day' you mean every single day -- workdays, weekends, vacations. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, achieve more."

Bullseye again -- just ask my poor husband who wants nothing more than to rest and relax on the weekend when I want nothing more than for him to help me check chore after chore off my never-ending household "to do" list.

5. Discipline.The book says, "You instinctively impose structure on your world. You set up routines.You focus on timelines and deadlines.Faced with the inherent messiness of life, you want to feel in control. The routines, the timelines, the structure all help create this feeling of control."

Funny, I always considered my disciplined nature an annoying personality trait -- I frequently refer to myself as "anal" about things (like getting up every day to run at 5 a.m. no matter what the weather). Who knew it was a strength? Well... probably my bosses who enjoy the fact that I never miss a deadline (and are hell-bent on making sure my writers don't either).

Not only do I impose order and structure on myself, but I try to impose it on everyone else on a weekly basis in my "Get it Together" organization column in Saturday's House to Home... which I just realized takes advantage of at least three -- if not all -- of my strengths.

Hmmm ... what else could I be doing that taps into my strengths?

Guess I better finish the book first.

Unsure where you're going...what you should be doing...do you hate your job? I'd highly recommend checking out this book.

This morning, an estimated 200 gathered at Perry Square in downtown Erie for a 10 a.m. ceremony to "turn the fountain pink" in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can read the whole story here.

It was a sea of pink -- men and women -- except for this hapless blogger in lavender and black who never thought to wear pink (color me clueless).

The ceremony itself was a who's who in Erie with everyone who's anyone coming out to support this worthy cause (or at least anyone who's anyone who could get out of the office!).

The program began with an introduction by Linda Stevenson, senior vice president at National City Bank and a long-time advocate for local women and women in business.

Stevenson addresses the audience.

The Mayor said a few words and then turned the microphone over to breast cancer survivor, Patty Stempka, a car salesperson at Ferraro Ford in North East and a 1 year+ cancer survivor. As Patty spoke, her family in the audience held up a homemade "We Love You Aunt Patty!" banner to show their support. Patty said that 1 in 7 women in Pennsylvania will be diagnosed with breast cancer, but it is no longer the death sentence it once was.

Breast cancer survivor Patty Stempka who has been cancer free for over a year.

After Patty, Tonya Carpenter -- a 39-year-old, 5-year breast cancer survivor spoke about her experience having been diagnosed at 34. She encouraged women under 40 who do not typically get breast-exams -- to be vigilant about self-exams and to fight for a mammogram if they feel something is wrong. "There are no do-overs. It's your life. Fight for it."

Breast cancer survivor Tonya Carpenter who has been cancer free for 5 years.

The crowd then gathered around the fountain as the Mayor and members of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women squirted dye into the waters surrounding the fountain.

Mayor Joe Sinnott and members of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women squirt dye into the fountain.

The fountain -- not quite pink, yet...but getting there.

Stevenson didn't stop at Perry Square. She persuaded several local businesses, including the Times Publishing Company and Stairways Behavioral Health, to dye their fountains pink as well.

Here's the Erie Times-News' fountain.

Another -- even pinker -- view of the Erie Times-News' fountain.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Saturday is the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk at the Cruise Boat Terminal on Erie's bayfront. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

If I were a salesperson, my family would starve to death. I don't like asking people for anything, especially money. It makes me uncomfortable, and I just refuse to do it.

For example, at the recent CROP walk, I signed up to walk on my church's team. On the day of the event, they asked if I brought my pledges. "Uh, no, but I brought my checkbook -- how's $50?"

Monica Lewis (who also writes for Her Times magazine) had a humorous column about fundraising in the newspaper yesterday.

As the mother of a Kindergartner who just came home with her first candle order form and sales sheet, I could relate to Monica's disdain for school fundraisers. I groaned when I saw that fundraising form in my 6-year-old's backpack. I knew I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it.

God knows my friends, family and co-workers owe me. I've bought more than my share of overpriced stuff from all the kids in the neighborhood and all my nieces and nephews and the kids of friends at work because, well, because I feel like I have to and/or should. If I had all the money I've spent on overpriced, stale chocolate-covered pretzels, chinzy giftwrap and plastic knick-knacks, I could take the whole Erie School District to Splash Lagoon.

So, now it's my turn to do the selling, and I just don't have it in me. Much as I hate to take money out of the weekly family budget, I hate asking people for money more. I'll happily buy generic crackers and sacrifice a dinner out if it means I don't have to strong-arm people into buying something they really don't want.

If, when my kids get older, they want to peddle their own merchandise and handle the money -- fine -- but for now, I'll just write the PTO a check and buy my way out of begging.

My 6-year-old woke up Sunday morning and said "I have an idea" and scampered off to the spare bedroom where we keep all the arts and crafts supplies.

She came back with a tub full of crayons and a fistful of paper and said, "I'm going to make a book. Daddy, can you help me say (spell) "I love you kangaroo."

The book, no doubt inspired by the kangaroo costume we'd bought for her on Saturday night, was all her own idea, her own words and her illustrations. We helped her with spelling and book binding, er, stapling ... other than that, she did it all herself.

It goes something like,
"When you swing with me,
I love you kangaroo.

When you swim with me,
I love you kangaroo.

When you brush my teeth,
I love you kangaroo."

Only...in Kelly's version it's more like,
"whenyouwsimwi
thmeiloveyoukang
aroo"
because Kindergarteners just don't grasp spacing yet.

But, her story illustrates that she does have a grasp of the cadence of a children's books (she should, we've been reading her stories every night since she was born) and the imagination and internal drive to write her own.

Sure, sure, I know I shouldn't clear a spot on the mantle for her Pulitzer yet and that every mother thinks their kid is a gifted (fill in the blank -- scholar, pianist, gymnast, etc.), but a small part (OK, a big part) of me hopes she's inherited my love of words, books and writing.

What about your kids? Did they display their talents early? Have they found a way to use them in their grown-up lives? What about you?

I truly think the key to happiness in life is A.) helping others and B.) doing what you know you were born to do - whether that's teaching, gardening or writing computer code.

To do anything other than what you know you are driven to do is to deny your true self and waste your natural-born talent. And, life is just too short for that.

So, yes, I'm on the lookout for my daughter's natural talents because I'm going to encourage them in any way I can.

With my little author, I think a few blank notebooks and a new box of crayons or colored pencils are in order.

A few excerpts:

I'd love to read more local blogs, but I can't find many worth my time. Erie-based blogs are rife with anonymous bloggers and anonymous comments -- which, of course, allows people to behave very badly behind their cloak of invisibility, saying things they could/would never say if everyone knew their "true identity." At the risk of sounding like a new-age, tree-hugging hippie, I don't need the negativity in my life. And, frankly, I'd rather spend my free time reading something that educates me, enlightens me or makes me a better person.

Enter Rachel Kaufman's blog "A Like Affair With Words."

Rachel was in intern in the Features dept. at the Erie Times-News this summer and she wrote a few stories for Her Times while she was here, including one on dreaming in our August 12 issue. She has two articles in our next issue of Her Times -- publishes this Sunday -- about the PA Women's Conference and about Naked Lady Parties.

It's obvious that Rachel is putting as much time and thought into her blog as she does her writing. If you, too, have a love, er, like affair with words -- check it out. You'll find it much more informative and positive that the usual stuff in Erie.

And, no, she's not in Erie anymore, but..for all we know, she has more ties to Erie than the dozens of anonymous bloggers and commentors who claim to live among us.

I've been neglecting this blog this week, I know.

I'm racing around getting ready for tomorrow's Her Times women's 5K run/walk at Presque Isle State Park.

There's still time for you to join us, ladies. You can register day-of-race at the Rotary pavilion beginning at 7 a.m. We start the walk/run at 9 a.m. It's just $15 to participate, but be aware you will likely have to wait for me to re-order shirts to get yours -- we ordered extra shirts, but they're going fast.

Guys -- we can use all the cheerleaders we can get. C'mon down. Bring the kids, too. Let them see the women doing something healthy and empowering for themselves.

I'll have lots of witty and/or insightful things to say next week, I'm sure. Now...I need to go load 420 bottles of water into a truck. :-)

Three cool web-related things I've learned recently (the first two in a meeting an hour ago):

1. You no longer have to register to view content at www.GoErie.com. So, you can now send anything you want to to anyone you want to and you (and the person you send the article too) will no longer be subjected to an inquisition and forced to enter the city you were born in. Hallelluia!

2. You can now comment on any story in the Erie Times-News at www.goerie.com. Yup, that's right, you can add your 2 cents. This is your chance to have your say -- and everyone else can read what you think, too. To comment on a story, simply click on the story (as if you wanted to read it) and click on "Post a comment" at the top of the story. Voila...your voice will be heard.

3. If you missed your favorite NBC TV show -- or, say, fell asleep -- you can watch the entire episode (sans the 15 minutes of commercials) online at www.nbc.com! Wait..don't get too excited...there is a "commercial" every few minutes, but it's short and there's just one. But, still....if, like me, you live in the stone ages and do not have DVR (let alone cable) and cannot figure out how to work your VCR (seriously, the thing hates me and my TV), this is only way to see an episode you missed unless you want to wait a year for the series on DVD. The best part -- most shows are posted at 5 a.m. on the day after they air. So...if you fall asleep before you see the end of the Office, you can watch it when you get to the office in the morning.

Use this information wisely (i.e. don't blame me if you get fired for watching TV all day). I don't know if other stations offer the same ability to watch shows, but I'd assume that if one is doing it, the other big two -- ABC and CBS -- are as well.

'tis the season for fall parties and the "bring-a-dish" dilemma. Do I buy or bake?

This time of year, it's a no-brainer for me, I whip out this super-easy recipe that always pleases the crowd.

PUMPKIN DIP

Ingredients:
* 2 cups pumpkin
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp. cloves*
* 1/2 tsp. ginger
* 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
* 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (I use fat-free & it tastes fine)

Serve with: ginger snaps or graham crackers (cinnamon or regular) or toasted, quartered (unbuttered) bagels.

* I don't usually add these because I don't have them...well, I have them, but they are whole and I tried to crush them up once, but...well, that didn't work so well and left hunks of cloves in the dip which was...uh...gross. My motto -- when it comes to missing or unfamiliar ingredients -- is "when in doubt, leave it out" (which explains why I'm a really lousy cook).

I had a hard time getting the girls up and out of the house for Sunday school last week. My husband was at hunting camp, so it was up to me to get both girls bathed, fed, dressed and to Sunday school by 9 a.m.

As usually happens in high-pressure, gotta-go, situations with the girls in the early morning, there were a few meltdowns, lots of whining and a couple of sister fights. All this was topped off with my yelling, "C'MON, I've had ENOUGH. Brush your teeth (put on your shoes, get in the car, etc. etc. etc.)."

Whenever I get mad at the girls and raise my voice or talk through clenched teeth, they try to make me feel bad by saying things like, "You hate me." I always respond, "Nope, I love YOU, I hate the way you're acting right now" (or something similar).

So, lo and behold, the children's sermon last Sunday is about how God loves his children even when they do bad things or are ungrateful (based on Luke 17:11-17).

Pastor starts out by saying to the kids, "Does your mom or dad ever get mad at you?"

If I could've crawled under the pew right then and there, I would have. I sat there...holding my breath thinking...oh, God, no...

But, to my utter surprise my normally talkative daughters didn't pipe up and tell the entire congregation about their mean, mean mommy who had yelled at them just that morning. One of the older kids nodded and that was good enough for pastor to continue with his sermon (pheww...dodged that bullet).

Pastor went on explaining to the kids how God's love is like our parent's love...that even though you might do something bad or act in a way that makes our parents mad, they will always, always love us.

He said "So, even though your mom or dad get mad at you, they still love you, right?"

That's when my girls piped up. Both of them nodded enthusiastically and shouted out "YES!" (So, apparently my message IS getting through to them.)

It's funny... now that my kids are at the tell-all stage, I find I do the most praying in church during the children's sermon when they have a captivate audience and center stage.

Just when I thought there were no local blogs worth reading, I stumble upon a couple of hilarious entries at Doing Time in Erie, Pa.

I don't know who this woman is, but...I like her.

I love this post because this is exactly what I want to say to these people.

... and this post about one seriously spoiled bride who needs to be slapped silly.

I'm not even a dog lover, but I stuck with this whole post because she did it so well. She almost makes me want a 125-lbs of slobbering dog.

So paradise is not what it's cracked up to be down south, eh?

Hot is it?

Dry is it?

National emergency?

As my high school graphics teacher, Mr. Woodle, was fond of saying, "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

Nope, sorry sunshine lovers, I do not feel sorry for you.

Move where the water is.

Water makes up, what...90 percent of our body. Newsflash (since the perpetual sunshine seems to have baked your brains): You need water to live.

Quit building your million-dollar mansions in places that HAVE NO WATER.

It's not rocket science, folks.

I was at a friend's house on Sunday afternoon when another mom stopped to drop off my friend's son who had been playing with her son that morning. I knew the drop-off mom, but pretended I didn't. I went to high school with her. Back then, she was younger than me. And, prettier than me. And, blonder than me. And, skinnier than me. And, came from a more well-off family than me. And, she was a cheerleader who dated a football player.

If you're counting, that's 7 strikes and in my high school, you didn't really need more than one strike for me and my bad-ass friends to hate you. I wasn't a bully, but I hung out with them and so I guess I was a bully by proxy.

I realize now, 15+ years later, that it was just jealousy and pathetic insecurity on the part of my wannabe-bad-ass friends. And, my own pathetic insecurity that made me stay "friends" with them even though I hated them and I hated the way they made other kids feel.

This is for all the moms out there.

Get your headphones out & enjoy this one.

... you'll love this blog from the St. Petersburg Times blog roll at www.tampabay.com.

I didn't particularly love the '80s (it was filled with teen angst and drama...just read my entry from a few days ago) and I have no wish to relive them, but it's fun to revel in the good parts of the '80s -- like John Cusack -- the only man for whom I would immediately pack my bags, quit my job and abandon my husband. Hell, who am I kidding? I wouldn't even stop to pack my bags. We could live on love. (sigh).

Well, my little jaunt down memory lane continues this week with a trip to Skate Way roller skating rink (forever in my heart known as the Skate Lodge) tonight. I'll be taking the girls to attend Kelly's very first school skating party -- the first of many, I'm sure.

As a pre-teen, I spent more than a few evenings rolling around that rink on my white skates with the sparkly blue wheels. As I teenager, I spent more than a few nights with my skates tied together and slung over my shoulder as I roamed the streets with my friends or snuck off with a boyfriend while my mom thought I was skating. It was the perfect cover -- parents would drop you off, you'd go in the crowded lobby...wait for the parents to leave and voila -- you had three or four hours to yourself and $5 in skating money. That money usually went up in smoke, literally, as I'd use it to buy a couple of packs of Newports (yes, you could get a couple of packs, a few even, with $5 back then).

There was an interesting article in the October issue of Working Mother magazine about the work-ethic clashes that can occur when women from distinctly different generations work together.

Here, in a nutshell, are the generations (excerpted from the article):

The oldest workers, typically called Traditionalists or Veterans (ages 62 to 77), expected to work in the same company for their entire career and leave with a gold watch and a pension, says Stephanie Marston, a family therapist and workplace consultant.

Baby Boomers (ages 43 to 61), the largest generation, are the group that forced the workplace to include more women and multicultural employees. The vast size of this generation, with its willingness to rebel against societal norms, gave it unprecedented power and influence. Boomers are workaholics who "live to work" and believe that you earn your stripes by putting in face time.

In contrast, Gen Xers (ages 31 to 42), the smallest generation, place less value on hierarchy and loyalty to a specific organization. They "work to live" and believe that work, although fulfilling, should not define one's life.

Then there's Gen Y, also called Millennials (ages 13 to 30), the techno-literate children of the Boomers. After watching their workaholic parents get downsized from high-powered jobs, they're more devoted to their own careers than to any one company.

Says Marston: "The four generations all have different work ethics and value systems. That doesn't mean the younger generations don't work hard. They just work in different ways."

These dissimilar approaches to work can cause confusion—even resentment—among women of the four generations.

We came home from work on Friday evening to find our family guinea pig, Oreo, dead. We just got her last fall and she was just 10 weeks old then. Guinea pigs typically have a lifespan of more than a few years -- some as many as 5 to 7 years -- so we were quite shocked. She had not been acting sick and was, in fact, eating normally that morning -- Kelly & I had even given her a couple of carrots before we left for school/work.

Luckily, the girls were upstairs when Dan noticed she was laying funny in the cage. We were able to get her in a box and have a few minutes to think of what to say to the girls before we called them downstairs. Kelly cried and cried...insisted on picking her up and hugging her and petting her. (Yes, a serious heartbreaking moment).

The little one? Well...four-year-olds are a little less emotional and a little more excitable. She quickly put on her rain boots and volunteered to help bury Oreo out back by Cassie . Considering I've got two geriatric cats, we may have to apply for a permit for the growing pet cemetery in our backyard.

So, it was a strange turn of events that Friday also happened to be the day Dan's brother's daughter's guinea pig had babies.

Target has the cutest calendars in the One-Spot. I picked up a couple of cute ones for my desk -- one is a smaller-size blotter (about 8-by-10-inches) that will fit perfectly in the space between my keyboard drawer and monitor.

The other calendar is a smaller version of a regular calendar with space at the top to attach a 4-by-6 photo for each month. It's fairly flimsy paper, but it serves it's purpose.

They also have daily pocket-size planners, monthly planners and regular calendars. They're a little thinner and flimsier than regular calendars, but considering the office supply stores charge ten times the price of the $1 one-spot items -- they're worth it.

Both girls have their Halloween parades/parties at their respective schools, so I took the day off to attend all the festivities.

When all the parents whipped out their video recorders at my younger daughter's preschool parade, I realized that I had forgotten mine. Never even thought about charging it up. That's how it is for the 2nd kid, I guess.

With my first daughter, I got there early, wormed my way up front, recorded every moment so my husband could see it. Now, I don't even remember to bring the video camera.

I will say, however, that I enjoyed listening to them sing more when I didn't have to watch it through a camera lense while balancing on one knee on concrete.