Letter from the Editor - Summer 2017

Hello Cafe Readers,

Hope this issue finds you well... It has been a hot and wet summer here so far in Pittsburgh, but hey, I am not complaining - I will take the hot and rain over cold and snow any day!

First and foremost, I would like to thank Rachael Bindas, who not only scored an interview with author T. Gephart, but also helped me out with this issue, doing various tasks.  I am hoping I can convince her to help for the Fall issue as well...

We have a pretty jammed packed issue, as mentioned above we have an interview with T. Gephart, and also BLaCK CaT MOan - who opened for the legendary Buddy Guy, along with a painting from Mary Dunn, along with other fantastic pieces.

As always, I cannot make this happen without you - please send submissions to holidaycafe.nicole@gmail.com

Enjoy the warm weather and see you in the fall!

T Gephart Interview - Summer 2017

T Gephart is an internationally and USA Today best-selling author from Melbourne, Australia. Gephart is the author of the Lexi, Black Addiction, Power Station, and #1 Series, as well as several standalones. Her latest novel, Train Wreck, will be released on July 10th. You can find her on Facebook at T Gephart, or at www.tgephart.com

1. How did you begin writing?

I started writing on a dare. I have always been a storyteller, my travels in life have meant that I had a lot of interesting experiences to share and I have enjoyed sharing them with my friends. I loved how entertained they were by my antics, and it made me happy, but as far as formal writing went, I didn’t see myself as a writer. Then on a dare, I wrote a book for my friends as a Christmas present. It was filled with some of my craziness (stories that had actually happened) and fiction—this was my chance to embellish and colour it how I wanted—but I never intended or expected it to be published for general consumption. We were supposed to read it, laugh about it, and then move on with our lives. After reading my first “book” they begged me for a second part and pushed me to self publish it. I wasn’t interested and was resistant for a while but finally I put it out there more so they would stop badgering me. Again, I assumed it would be thrown out into the world and we’d all go back to our lives like nothing happened. Ironically, it seemed fate had other plans and my first book, “A Twist of Fate,” got noticed with readers devouring it. I assumed it was a fluke so when I pushed publish on my second book I didn’t expect much, but again I was wrong. It seemed that readers enjoyed my voice and my craziness so I decided I would continue until I didn’t enjoy it anymore or they stopped reading. I’ve just finished writing my 16th book so I guess neither of us are done just yet ;-)

2. Many of your books take place outside of Australia, in the U.S. How do you make sure to capture the atmospheres of the American cities accurately, while still living in Australia?

My first series, “The Lexi Series,” starts in Melbourne and then moves to New York and there’s a novella, “Lexi,” set in Rome. Other than that, all of my books are set in the USA. I have been travelling to the US since 1994. I was an 18 year old—gasp, I’m really that old—and decided I wanted to go to LA by myself and see the world. Of course, it wasn’t as awesome as I thought it was going to be (Pre-internet meant I didn’t know I’d booked a hotel in a not so nice part of town) but it whetted my appetite for travel and I came back a few—a LOT— more times. New York was and still is one of my favorite cities which is why most of my books are set there. I won’t write about a place I’ve never been, and I am lucky enough to have lived in the US and have a lot of friends and family still there. It means I have a good grasp of not only the geography but of the vernacular as well. I also make sure not to assume; if I don’t know something I make sure I ask a local, Google can’t give you the personal touch.


3. In your website biography, you seem to pride yourself on living an ‘eclectic’ and ‘unconventional’ life. What is the craziest story from your personal experiences that you’re willing to share with fans?

I’d like to plead the fifth LOL. I have so many crazy, crazy stories, some of which I’m not sure whether or not the statue of limitations have passed. Trying to think of one that would be suitable for print. Ummmmmm. Okay, this one I think is safe considering I’m no longer in the country. And it’s not too crazy per se but still a lot of fun. When I was in Ireland last year I infiltrated the set of Vikings (History channel series) I walked around the sets and snooped around like a complete stalker. I have photos of myself sitting in Lagertha’s chair and walking around Ragnar’s house and the Viking village. I was on set for about an hour and a half before the crew realized I wasn’t an “extra” LOL. I wasn’t arrested but politely asked to leave. I will say that my mouth and my Aussie accent have gotten me out of a lot of trouble. ;-)

4. Your protagonists seem to be strong, empowered, self-made women that are deeply in tune with their femininity and sexuality. How do you think your protagonists affect the existing literary landscape?

I write characters I want to read. It’s that simple and I think there are a lot of readers who also want to read strong woman. That doesn’t mean they can’t have some softness and vulnerability to them. I want the light and the shade to all my characters and we—women—are so critical of ourselves and each other I hope that my characters force readers to examine how we see each other. I don’t think my writing is ground breaking, and there are many, many authors with strong and compelling women in their pages so I’m not arrogant to think that my books and/or characters are altering the landscape. I feel like more a ripple, which is hopefully part of a bigger wave, and together we are creating strong women in fiction reflective of the strong women in our reality.

5. What advice do you have for writers looking to self-publish, rather than sign with publishing houses?

Publishing houses publish what they believe is marketable, not necessarily what is “good”. They are accountable to their bottom line and taking risks isn’t always part of that equation which means they have to pass over things that are brilliant but might not have wide appeal. Self-publishing gives you more freedom and greater control and when done correctly, can give you a HUGE sense of accomplishment and financial reward. When I became a USA Today bestseller, it was my name listed as the publisher and that felt pretty amazing. I am a CEO of my own corporation, and I make the decisions of when, where, or how I write. But that doesn’t mean I get to put out a half rate product or that I don’t have the pressure of a deadline. I think there are people who believe that self-publishing is inferior but this is not always true. I employ and contract designers so that my covers are professional, editors so my work is polished, promotional and marketing people, as well as others. It’s a costly exercise to get a book to market and those want to do it shouldn’t be tempted to cut corners. Respect your readers, don’t think they won’t notice or deserve less than your best. But if you do it right, then there is no greater reward than sitting back and knowing you got there under your own steam. The BIG FIVE publishing houses are no longer the gatekeepers, which means it’s an exciting time to publish. Make a decision that is right for you, and don’t let ego be a deciding factor. It’s nice to see a book on a shelf but it’s even nicer to have written a book you believe in and can stand behind.

6. Where do you see yourself and your writing in the future?

I constantly joke I’m one book away from busking under a bridge somewhere. LOL The industry, like all areas of entertainment, is fickle. What was “hot” and “in demand” can change so quickly so I don’t write to trend. I write how I always have written—what I want to read and hope others do too. I can’t stress it enough, ego has no place here. I know that I will be writing for the rest of my life. I’m a storyteller, I always have been, but whether my stories are commercially available will remain the decision of my readers. Publishing is expensive and when it no longer becomes viable, then I will do something else and my “books” will once again be gifts for my friends. Hopefully I have a long career ahead of me; in literary terms I am a baby, but if it all goes away tomorrow I have had one hell of a ride and regret nothing. Plus, it made a great story ;-)

7. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

The best advice I have to give for ANYTHING (not just writing) is to it do it with 100% commitment. I have a sign that sits in my office that reads “I was warned not to bite off more than I could chew, but I’d rather choke on greatness than nibble at mediocrity.”  There is absolutely no shame in failure, to have tried something and epically crashed and burned. It makes you a better person, and it sure as hell made me a better writer. So don’t fear failure; instead welcome the lessons it’s going to teach you. And when you do finally succeed— and you will—it will all be worth it.

Rachael Bindas is a freelance writer and editor from Pittsburgh, PA. She focuses mainly on fiction, but still harbors a deep love for poetry. Her work has been featured in Moledro Magazine, Aeons, The Curious Element Magazine, and The Holiday Cafe.

Bokeh Unicorn - Summer 2017

Mary has been painting since the age of 12.  Throughout her life, she dabbled in oils, and now, since she has retired, Mary has been at it full time.  Her mediums have expanded to include acrylic and pastels.  Three years ago, Mary became a certified Alexander wet-on-wet* instructor.

Additionally, over the last few years, Mary has been exhibiting all over the Pittsburgh area.
For eight years, she has been teaching acrylic painting at Pat Catan’s, as well as various companies that offer painting parties, and through her own DaVine Creations-paint parties in the home.  Her recent endeavor is teaching at Paint Parties and More located in White Oak, PA.

Mary has more exciting news in the paint arena as she began free painting lessons on her YouTube channel.  The painting above is an example of one of her finished paintings that she instructs via her YouTube.  She does this as a step-by-step process using acrylic paint.  It’s fun and simple, and most people can accomplish the painting as she provides outlines that help the viewer draw the actual subject.  All materials used are listed for the viewer’s convenience.

If you would like to learn to paint, check out her channel.  All one has to do is subscribe and enjoy the journey.

To see how to paint the above  Unicorn go to this link.

* Wet on Wet is a technique of applying many layers of oil paint but not waiting until the previous layer is dry.

Outer Banks Soul - Summer 2017

With Memorial Day weekend behind us, summer is said to be in full swing. It’s that time of year when most people will take a vacation to some place new and exciting, or return to a favorite location close to their hearts.  I fall into the latter category, and while my vacation won’t happen until right after Labor Day, I’m already impatient with anticipation about our trip to my favorite place in the world, the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Many Pittsburghers are frequent visitors to the affectionately nicknamed “ribbon of sand” that juts precariously out into the Atlantic Ocean, and my (and my family’s) history with the place started a long time ago. My grandparents began visiting the spot for themselves in the seventies, and I grew up listening to my mom and her siblings tell stories about camping on the beach countless times throughout my childhood. I even remember, at about age six, having a tiny pink t-shirt that read “Nags Head, NC.”  “What’s Nags Head?” I remember asking my mom, puzzled over the odd sounding first word and its partner. “A town near the beach,” she replied.

I’d have to wait until the summer I was eleven before experiencing this “Nags Head” myself, and although that first trip was more than twenty years ago, it was the start of my love for a place whose charm, history, and undeniable sense of peace has settled into my heart and soul.

Any article or vacation website can tell you about the unspoiled beaches, the original oceanfront cottages from the early 1900’s, or the family-owned restaurants dotting the coast on this 130-mile stretch of barrier island. But over my ten visits to this beautiful spot, I’ve learned to appreciate more of the little things that would stir any traveler’s soul.

For me it started by learning how to swim in the tumultuous ocean – jumping over waves, letting them roll over or under you, and how to recover when one knocked you out flat. I learned to deal with the burn and tang of salt in my eyes and nose, and the scrape of the sand against sunburned skin. I spent countless nights being rocked to sleep in a beach house on stilts that swayed in the coastal winds, and although I was entranced by their beauty and elusive nature, to admire the wild horses of Corolla from a distance.

The horses, which are descendants of wild Colonial Mustangs, are just one piece of history Outer Banks offers.  That history, like the ocean, is also something that took time for me to learn to understand and respect. As a preteen, and even a teenager, I was always slightly bored by the Wright Brothers Museum and the ubiquitous posters depicted the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” But as I grew older, I found myself drawn to the varied past of the place and really started paying attention and seeking out information. I could spend hours writing or talking about the historical significance of the towns, but for now it will suffice to say that considering its relatively small size and secluded location, history is as varied here as it is in almost any town in the US.

The Wright Brothers Memorial commemorates the first successful, sustained flight in the sandy dunes of Kill Devil Hills, and although it was significantly larger decades ago, Jockey’s Ridge National Park is still home to the largest sand dunes on the East coast. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was one of the last recipients of Titanic’s distress call in 1912. That same lighthouse was actually moved inch by inch in 1999 to save it from beach erosion. And Virginia Dare, who the “beach road” is named after, was the first American-born child in the English Colonies of the New World.
While absorbing all of this history, I also found an explanation about my Nags Head t-shirt from so long ago. In the sixteen and seventeen hundreds, ships were lured close to shore on dark nights by lanterns hung from a horse’s–or—nag’s—head head and walked along the dunes, causing the ships to wreck in the shallow shoals. Pirates were responsible for many of these wrecks, and their ships, which were stocked with barrels of rum, went down in the churning sea. The rum they carried was said to be strong enough to “kill the devil,” and certain contraband, so when those barrels washed ashore, they were buried in the dunes of the beach. Hence the name “Kill Devil Hills.” Today, more than 1,000 shipwrecks have been documented off the coast, and many of them can still be seen from a plane, or even poking up from the sea floor during low tide. One of those shipwrecks even belonged to the infamous Blackbeard, whose last battle took place off the coast of Ocracoke in 1718.

It took two decades and ten or so visits to the Outer Banks for me to discover all of this, and so much more. And while this history and entertainment is certainly part of the reason I fell in love with the place, I also now believe I was on these beaches during significant times in my life. The first few visits found me struggling with adolescence and self-esteem, then growing to a confident and fearless teenager. When I was eighteen, the trip to the beach served as a sort of balm for the recent death of my grandfather, one half of the team who had discovered this family vacation spot so long ago. And when I brought my boyfriend –now husband—to the Outer Banks in 2009, I was excited to share it with him, but nervous that he would think it boring after his repeated cruises to the Caribbean. I was over the moon when he smiled at me over the table at Awful Arthur’s, declaring that he had just eaten the best tuna in his life, and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him as we watched the sunset from Jockey’s Ridge and he lamented with me on our last night at the Atlantic Street Inn.
I always tell people that I cry when I arrive in the Outer Banks, and I cry when I leave. But in between those tears, I spend time shopping unique boutiques, soaking up the sun on the weathered deck of a beach house, and breathing in the salt air that seems to put a spell of tranquility on anyone within its reach. One day, I hope to call this place my home.

Stacy is a 2003 graduate of West Mifflin Area High School and has completed two courses with The Institute of Children’s Literature. She writes novels for teenagers and adults, both of which can be found on Amazon. Stacy lives in Munhall with her husband and fur kid, and besides writing, enjoys reading, Penguins hockey, and traveling.

The Imagination Project - Summer 2017

Take a second. Remember when you were a kid, and everything in the world seemed so…possible? Imagination is the essence of childhood, allowing kids to grow, think, and explore their environments. Now imagine, that environment is a doctor’s office, a medical daycare, a hospital unit…

Pediatric patients deserve all of the happiness and lightheartedness of an imaginative childhood, and it is our mission to make that possible.

This year, the University of Pittsburgh welcomed a new, magical organization to campus: The Imagination Project (TIP). This student-run operation aims to brighten the lives of pediatric patients and special needs children in the community. TIP volunteers bring famous children’s characters to life, as they visit with medically fragile children, who need a little extra light, laughter, and wonder in their lives.

TIP’s members aim to make fun, meaningful experiences for the children and their families. The organization’s volunteers undergo Character Conditioning—extensive training and research where they learn to become their assigned character. It is very important that our actors are always prepared to give an authentic performance. The visits range from individual bedside appearances to attendance at large group events: tea parties, sing-alongs, story time circles, dance parties, anything that we can do to bring a child’s favorite character to life.

The best part about the mission is that is allows college-age students to give back to their community in a fun and loving experience. They get to witness the impact they are making, rebounded in the excitement of a child's reaction. It is truly making magic.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" ~ Walt Disney

BLaCK CaT MOAN - Interview - Summer 2017

1. Can you tell our readers a little about your band, BLaCK CaT MOAN?

BLaCK  CaT MOAN  is an Americana/Blues Roots Band that coined the phrase, "New Vintage Blues." With St. George Byich on guitar and resonator and TK Mundok on vocals and harmonica,
they bring to life a music that harkens back to early folk field recordings and the Delta.
BLaCK CaT MOAN have been playing Folk, Jazz & Blues Festivals since 2013. In 2014 they opened for American Blues/ Soul singer, Billy Price, and in the summer of 2015 they went into the studio to record their album, “the SAINT, the MUNK & the MOAN," which has received internet radio play as far as Croatia.

BCM took home 2nd place in the Western Pennsylvania Blues Challenge in early 2016 and in August won 1st place in the First Annual Northern West Virginia Blues Challenge, and performed in the 2017 International Blues Challenge, held in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
With inspiration from Robert Johnson, Mississippi, John Hurt, and the recordings from Chess Records, BLaCK CaT MOAN does not mimic other musicians of that era, but rather brings a new vibe to a classic art form. While drawing inspiration from Robert Johnson, Mississippi, John Hurt, and the recordings from Chess Records, BLaCK CaT MOAN brings an entirely new vibe to a classic art form.

2. Recently, BLaCK CaT MOAN opened for the legendary Buddy Guy. How did you get to be the opening act?

What a great story. We did a fundraiser at MOONDOGS in Blawnox back in January to promote our trip to Memphis. We had a beautiful Burlesque Troupe work with us that evening as our opening act and I think we made a great impression. We were set to play at MOONDOGS the weekend before Buddy Guy  with the Burlesque Troupe again, so George and I got together for a rehearsal. Mike Elko, the concert promoter for The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, called MOONDOGS looking for a two piece opening act for Mr. Guy. Ron Esser said he knew just the band and rang me up right then. That was about twelve days before the gig.

3. What did you take away from that performance? 

What I personally took away from our performance with Buddy Guy was that, a room, is a room, is a room, no matter the size or who happens to be filling it at that time. The true stage is inside you, and your true audience is inside you. If I can keep it as simple as that, the house and the audience will always be happy with the experience.

4. There are stereotypes with artists which include lack of income. I know you have been in the art scene for a while. I feel you are talented and respected in both the music and art industry. What advice would you give to break that stereotype? Also, for artists that are just hitting dead ends or hitting points of frustration, what advice would you give to them? 

I do think it's funny that the stereotype still exists and that your family will associate you with a starving artist if you tell them you want to paint or make music. The irony is that the majority of magazines show people in the entertainment world but they are not associated with being an artist - they're a celebrity. Being an artist doesn't mean being on the cover of a magazine, being both regarded for your work and destroyed for your life choices.

There's a perception that it must be all or nothing.
Thankfully , we now how have so many online platforms to exhibit work and promote ourselves;, being an artist can be a more mainstream idea. My advice is simple:, keep being yourself, keep doing your art as honestly as you can, as long as you can, and someone will catch on.

5. What do you want to do next? Who do you want to play with or open for in the future? 

I always want to keep surprising myself. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone forces you try a new approach, so, I plan on exploring.
At this point, the way I currently am expressing myself, with BLaCK CaT MOAN anyway, it would make the most sense to open for or play with Jack White. I have a huge respect for him as an Artist. It will make for a good show, and a Great Collaboration.

You can find BLaCK CaAT MOAN on Facebook, or you can listen to and download the album, "the SAINT, the MUNK & the MOAN" at blackcatmoan.org
  T.K. MUNDOK's artwork can be found on Instagram.

Frustrations - Summer 2017

I have motivation
I have inspiration
I put music first
Not my ego
Some people may have forgotten
Tacky and over the top
That's not quality

Blast me on Facebook
That's cowardly
Grow a pair and say it to my face
Today's society not sure I am into it

Listening to quality music
The quality that does not have reverb or backing tracks

What happened to class and quality?
I don't do watered down material
Ya know, some say it will do

I have faith in some
That some is hanging on by a string
You don't care?
Maybe you should

Swindling can be dwindling
Push forward! I am moving forward!
You can't force things to happen
Are people really this ignorant?

I have motivation
I have inspiration
Get a clue
Yeah, I'm talking to you



Natalie is the author of The Many Colors of Natalie, a book of poetry.  She holds an associates degree in Specialized Technology Le Cornon Bleu Pastry Arts and in her spare time is an artist and percussionist.

In with the OLD and Out with the NEW - Summer 2017

I am rather envious of the music selection that my grandparents and parents had the opportunity to grow up with. The soundtracks to their lives were filled with emotion and real instruments ranging from string to horn sections. The vocals were raw and real, with no interference of backing tracks or lip-syncing. The musicians may have had egos back then, but they could back those egos up with talent. Concerts mattered more back then, and records were affordable. The music was timeless.

I really don’t understand music today. Is this really the best the music industry can produce? If one were to say “yes,” then that’s rather pathetic and embarrassing. I grew up on the explosion of boy bands and electronic-tinged music. Back then I was all about it. Now that I am older I was hoping that the music industry would grow and change with me. The music today is watered down and emotionless; the songs are usually about love or ballin’! To be brutally honest, when driving I’d rather sit in my car in silence than listen to what is playing on the radio.

Well-known musicians in today’s generation, are you only in this industry for the money and the fame? If you say “yes,” then it shows. If you were in this industry for the music, then the music wouldn’t sound so limp, and I probably wouldn’t feel so robbed.

I will never understand the purpose of pop country. I feel bad for those who think pop country is actually country music. I have to sit and wonder what the early country icons who paved the way would say about today’s sound.

Some say it’s not the artist in control of their music; it’s the suits at the record labels with the control. If that’s the case, maybe the artists should grow a pair and stand up for good quality music. The industry is hanging on by a thread. What do you have to lose?


To the suits at the record labels:

Can you do me a favor? Next time you sign an artist, can you make sure they are authentic and have actual talent? Maybe the artist can have more qualities than just being marketable. At this point it shows that you are not in this industry for the music; you are in it for the money. Also, there are other ways to sell music other than sex. Let the artist’s talent speak for itself.

I have been observing local musicians to compare the old and newer musicians. I find that older musicians are more loyal to quality music. They educate themselves, and they still practice, practice, practice. The older musicians can careless about smoke and mirrors and are more down to earth.

Some of these newer musicians I have seen just generate mediocre music in hopes of catching their big break. I hope that’s going well for them because there music shows that they are trying to prove to people that they are a so-called ‘somebody’ rather than caring about the music. Also, the newer musicians like to play this name dropping game of ‘Oh, I worked with this person, and this person.’ ‘Oh yeah, well I worked with so and so.’ I am not sure why name dropping matters. Is it because the newer musicians lack confidence? Or is it because once again they are trying to prove they are a ‘somebody’? I love when I hear newer musicians come to a gig and they openly admit to their band members that they did not practice what they were supposed to, as if not practicing is something to be proud of and is acceptable. The egos of some of the newer musicians are ridiculous because they act like the world owes them something. What exactly does the world owe you? You can barely keep your band together or you completely destroyed your band because you did not want to listen to others who had more experience in the industry.
My all-time favorite is cover bands who get overly drunk and botch songs on stage. Give yourself a pat on the back because you are really doing justice for the music industry!


With time I hope we can see a stronger music scene. Musicians should care about the quality of music, having a strong set list prepared, a song selection that fits the vocalist, and pay attention to the crowd and not what’s on the television. Music should have raw emotion and multiple instruments, and I hope to see local venues and guests show stronger support to local musicians.

I do want to acknowledge musicians young or old who work hard and do everything they can to make the music industry a better place. I thank you.


Natalie is the author of The Many Colors of Natalie, a book of poetry.  She holds an associates degree in Specialized Technology Le Cornon Bleu Pastry Arts and in her spare time is an artist and percussionist.

There’s Something Wrong with the World Today - Summer 2017

I have been struggling with some things for a while now, trying to comprehend where we are going as a whole, and how no one seems to want to do their jobs – always passing the figurative buck.  I am tired of self-centered, selfish, enabled people.  There I said it: I work, and I work hard – I don’t half-ass it and I don’t put my work onto other people.  I don’t inconvenience others by putting more on them. If I don’t know something, I ask questions to make things run smoother.

I don’t like getting taken advantage of, and mostly that is how I feel at the end of the day. People in today’s society are giving me a distaste for humankind.  For instance, how is it okay for a group of high school students to cut in front of you and your children while you are trying to get into the amusement park, when you and your children actually got to the park in a timely fashion to situate yourself in line and wait for the gates to open? Are we not teaching our children proper etiquette and manners?  That you cannot just take something from others, that we need to show respect and be courteous?  That’s what is lacking here, RESPECT. No one shows it, no one uses it.

Then you have the fast-food workers demanding higher minimum wages – but they take their good time getting you your order, and half the time the order isn’t correct – and just so we are clear, it’s not their fault that the order is wrong, it is yours.  If you try to argue the point, they just roll their eyes at you and huff and puff. Well dearies, I can roll my eyes too – I am not paying for you to text or talk about your sex lives, or to hear you chatter about meaningless high school drama, I am paying for my meal to be hot and accurate.  The time my mom and I went into a store and the woman ringing us up was much more concerned about telling her co-worker about her sex life than helping us paying customers, I called her supervisor, and refused to go back there.

You want a raise, earn it – don’t think you are just entitled to it.  The entitlement is my biggest problem.  No one is entitled to anything, you need to work for it.  No one wants to work. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see people starving because they are making below poverty line wages; my problem is people who don’t want to work, and expect a fat paycheck.

There is the argument that people need to feed their families, that they need the $15/hour to survive.  This is a no win situation.  I think this country of ours needs more job training for people – that they can get entry level jobs doing office work or maintenance (to name a few), and the ability to move up in a company.  The problem with fast food people making this kind of money, they are going to have to raise prices of food to ridiculous amounts and people will stop going when it is no long economical to stop and buy their family a ‘quick’ meal.

Same with retail outlets, why do you think there are more self-checkouts, less baggers at the stores, higher prices and less staff to help you out? It’s because the outlets need to pay the hourly wages.  I don’t think people should have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet – there should be jobs out there that pay decent salaries and if there aren’t, then I think the wrong people are padding their pockets… meaning, profit is high and there is probably a host of higher ups that have padded pockets while the underlings are busting their rears and getting paid nothing.

That generally goes for when I am in a store, too; nothing frustrates me more than when I am at a check-out and the employee is engaged in a conversation with someone else. You find it rude when I am on my cellphone – well, how do you think it looks to the customer to see you chatting with someone else? I worked in various customer service positions when I was younger, and when there were people in my check-out line, I focused on them—not my other co-workers, not my phone, not anything else.  Show me the same courtesy by being pleasant, putting your phone down, and not talking about other people in the store.  I swear this is why more people shop online now-a-days, they don’t want to put up with this aggravating behavior. I am not saying everyone in retail is awful, as I have a lot of friends that are in retail – and they work hard – but there are certainly those few that seem to ruin it for everyone.

Recently I hired a performance artist to come to my house and entertain my sons and their cousins while I was setting up food for a party we were hosting.  Now first of all, I don’t think he performed his full 45 minutes that he was supposed to, but at this point, that is neither here nor there.  The fact that he sat in his car while still in my driveway and badmouthed me on his Facebook account doesn’t sit well.  Paraphrasing here, he said that ¾ of the guests got up to leave the performance to go eat and whatnot.  That is not the point; the point is that it was a show for the children – who were watching and entertained. And I paid you, so I don’t care if the room were empty – you put on the best damn show you can and don’t think you are owed anything beyond a paycheck simply because my husband’s elderly aunt was in the kitchen eating. Also, the snarky comments, such as ‘those people in the kitchen are missing a great show’ or ‘you are really missing something great out here’, during the performance were uncalled for. I will gladly re-hire someone if they earn it, but telling my son that he should ask for another performance for his birthday does not win points with me.  Sure he could have been joking about it, but the tone in his voice just screamed snarky to me.  Also, what if I didn’t have the funds to pay for another performance – but you just told my child that he should get one… Parents, you know what I am talking about here… there will be an endless amount of whining, pleading, etc.

The thing is, I am not going to put up with the poor behavior of our society. Restaurants are slowly getting pinged off my list one by one as well, because they can’t get orders right or just generally give off that ‘I don’t give two shits’ attitude; well, I guess I don’t either, because I won’t go back.
I guess I struggle with this because people actually cared about doing their jobs when I was growing up.  They paid attention to details and engaged the customers in conversations that were proper and polite.  I miss that.  We need to straighten up, we need to work, and we need to stop putting off our work on others.  You have a specific list of duties you do during your shift or work day, don’t pass the buck to the person that comes in after you… do what you need to do and do it to the best of your ability.  Don’t leave your work for someone else to do because you don’t want to. We need to take responsibility for our actions, get our heads out of our rear-ends, and quit doing our jobs half-assed.  It’s not fair to the ones that actually put forth the effort to pick up the constant slack of those not doing their share.

Nicole Leckenby is co-founder of The Holiday Cafe. She runs after two energetic little boys at home. She wrote her first book, My Crazy Life in 2008 .

Musings for Moms - Fidget Spinners - Summer 2017

  How many of you out there have kids that have a collection of Fidget Spinners?

This craze entered our house in spring and it hasn't died down yet.  For those of you who don't know what a Fidget Spinner is... they are small hand-held devices that use ball-bearings to rotate between ones fingers.  The toy will then spin around on ones finger, while the user tries to switch fingers, tosses it, etc.

The toys were originally developed and marketed towards those with anxiety, autism and ADHD.  While it is a beneficial sensory toy for those with autism, they have become a distraction in many classrooms.  It also has been proven to help kids with ADHD to focus.

My oldest son, who is almost eight, has been watching YouTube videos on how to construct his own fidget spinner.  He told me one evening, that he wants to order the items needed, and then go to the garage to build it, because that's where people build things, in the garage.

While we have yet to build one, the boys have spun their spinners all around the house, both inside and out.

The main things to know - when purchasing your child a spinner...

• They do contain small pieces - and could be a choking hazard.
• Purchase from a reputable retailer (so you know the product has been tested, etc.)
• If the spinner lights up - make sure the battery compartment won't just open up (again choking hazard).
• Follow age restrictions on the packaging.
• Check the spinners occasionally for broken/missing pieces. 

With that all said and done, play it smart with your spinners and go out and have some fun.