500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter

2011-05-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever? Andy Warhol

2011-02-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

One Perfect Rose A single flow'r he sent me, since we met. All tenderly his messenger he chose; Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet— One perfect rose. I knew the language of the floweret; “My fragile leaves,” it said, “his heart enclose.” Love long has taken for his amulet One perfect rose. Why is it no one ever sent me yet One perfect limousine, do you suppose? Ah no, it’s always

#277 Visit Washington, D.C.

2011-01-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

Your father and I will take you there after you learn to read and write. It's important that you know our capital and feel the energy of your government at work.

2011-01-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Rocks Upon the Beach Sand Upon the Rocks. 1988. Lawrence Weiner

#276 Chin out and down.

2011-01-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is the trick to avoiding a double chin in photographs. You want to stretch your neck up and out to a slightly unnatural degree (you'll feel like a giraffe), then tilt your chin downward.

#275 Get the assistant on your team.

2011-01-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

In business it always helps to befriend the executive assistant; he or she holds a lot of sway behind the scenes. Make sure the assistant who orders lunch for your conference gets a plate of food, include him or her in as many business decisions as reasonably possible, and remember his or her birthday. These are kind gestures with obvious benefits: If the assistant likes you, chances are, the

Most Popular Advice of 2010

2010-12-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

#212 Remember that most fairytales were written by men.Some of the greatest writers of children’s fables were male: The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, even Walt Disney. You are not a t... #4 When given the opportunity, wear a costume. #254 Imagine your father seeing that picture of you.Pictures are easily transmitted and recorded for posterity. The consequences of allowing yourself to

2010-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Meadowland. 1985. Gerhard Richter

2010-12-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Choices I go to the mountain side of the house to cut saplings, and clear a view to snow on the mountain. But when I look up, saw in hand, I see a nest clutched in the uppermost branches. I don’t cut that one. I don’t cut the others either. Suddenly, in every tree, an unseen nest where a mountain would be. Tess Gallagher

#274 Know your local government.

2010-12-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Know the names of the people who represent you in government, as well as their positions on pertinent issues. Write to them. If you are lucky enough to be represented by a congressperson you respect and admire, donate money to his or her campaign.

{a little diversion}

2010-12-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Prudent Advice was featured in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, in an article titled Books for The Pickiest Personalities in Your Life. I'm so honored that this book we created together was included. Just a week until Christmas and you're plumb out of gift ideas for some of the tough customers in your life? Consider something deeply retro: a book... The Young Mother Prudent Advice: Lessons

2010-12-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Those Winter Sundays Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he’d call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, Speaking

#273 Your rights are both sacred and fragile.

2010-12-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

Know that some of those responsible for protecting your rights are doing just that, but some are angling to undo them. Be aware of this when voting for politicians and interacting with the police. You counterbalance this kind of power by knowing your rights.

#272 Visit Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium.

2010-12-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

They won't be around much longer; there's nothing like a day at a legendary ballpark.

2010-11-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

Pink Snow. 1991. Peter Doig

#271 Think about the time zone before you dial.

2010-11-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how many innocent British husbands I've awakened at ungodly hours to answer my calls from the United States. Their wives remind me, so I remind you, to check the time before calling overseas.

2010-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Love Like Salt It lies in our hands in crystals too intricate to decipher It goes into the skillet without being given a second thought It spills on the floor so fine we step all over it We carry a pinch behind each eyeball It breaks out on our foreheads We store it inside our bodies in secret wineskins At supper, we pass it around the table talking of holidays and the sea. Lisel Mueller

#270 Support local charities.

2010-11-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Give some of your money and some of your time to nonprofit groups. I recommend choosing a local organization like a shelter or museum so you can see the direct benefit of your participation, rather than a celebrity-supported cause - they already get plenty of attention.

#269 Always treat a gun like it's loaded.

2010-11-15T10:05:00.001-08:00

It's the cardinal rule of gun handling: Never point a gun, loaded or not, at anyone.

San Diego Book Party!

2010-11-10T15:42:00.001-08:00

Where: Babies by the Sea, 2007 San Elijo Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-sea, @ Birmingham Ave. (760-230-4272). When: Saturday, November 13th, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Hosted by: Babies by the Sea

Mama Said There'll Be Days Like This...

2010-11-09T08:34:00.001-08:00

#268 You will want some things that you will not get.

2010-11-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

You don't get everything you want in life. That's all there is to say about that.

2010-11-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

About My Mother I could never say anything about my mother: how she repeated, you'll regret it someday, when I'm not around anymore, and how I didn't believe in either "I'm not" or "anymore," how I liked to watch as she read bestsellers, always turning to the last chapter first, how in the kitchen, convinced it's not her proper place, she made Sunday coffee, or, even worse, filet of cod,

#267 Mother's Day is more than a "Hallmark holiday."

2010-11-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

You won't really appreciate this until you become a mother yourself.

2010-11-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Prudent Advice Book Party in Dallas this Friday. Please join us for champagne, cupcakes, gift bags, raffle prizes, and book signing! Where: Little Bean Shop, 5308 Junius St., b/t N. Henderson Ave. & N. Augusta St. (214-370-9111). When: Friday, November 5th, 6-8 p.m. Hosted by: Little Bean Shop | Dallas Child Magazine | Small Magazine | Kartell | Bows & Arrows | Tart Bakery