It just isn’t the same but I guess it is all we have at this time.
I have attended thousands of games during my newspaper career.
You get used to many things when traveling to different schools, gyms, and communities.
You get used to things at your own school.
The first thing is knowing where to park so you are as close to the front door as possible.
When you get inside, what is the first thing you notice? Of course it is the smell of either popcorn or pizza.
Jordan High School has carmel corn so that is a much different smell, but oh so good.

All it took was a mouth full of expired, curdled milk.
And, my darling daughter, Ellen, learned another valuable life lesson!
Always check the expiration date.
My little redhead was simultaneously horrified by the sour, chunky experience and astonished to learn that those little, hard-to-read black letters and numbers on food containers actually mean something.
I’m astonished it has taken this long. She is going to be...
To read more on this story, pick up the February 11, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Doesn’t it seem like 2020 just flew by?
With many months of business shut downs, students in school and not in school, and masks being mandated it seemed like this year would never end.
I can’t believe most of us made it through.
Many of us have suffered through COVID-19 one way...
To read more on this story, pick up the January 14, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Does your family set a goal each year?
In 2021, my family will be focusing on basic life skills.
Throughout the past year, we, like many families, have hunkered down and spent more time at home together. And, over the course of this pandemic, my husband and I have come to realize how few basic skills our kids--ages 8 and 11--possess.
I’m not talking academics.
I’m talking the basics: changing a lightbulb, emptying a full vacuum cleaner, lighting a match, sewing on a button, and changing batteries.

"Mom, I really like our Christmas tree. It's not like other people's trees... Ours doesn't match." ~ Ellen, age 8
 
Oh, the joys of Christmas!
My little redhead is correct. Our tree does not "match."
It will never be featured in a magazine. It's not much to look at, until you look closely.
Every ornament is different, the star is made of cardboard and aluminum foil, and we still wrap our tree in multi-color lights (it's not a "fancy" pre-lit one).

There are definitely struggles for everyone when it comes to dealing with COVID-19.
With all-school Distance Learning just starting at WEM, there are concerns from parents, students, and staff at how things will
work.
I know that the administration and staff have put in many, many hours trying to put together a learning model which will not only coincide with state guidelines, but also will be the best for students.
WEM high school student Grace Peach created and distributed a google form to all high school students and staff regarding their

I write to you from quarantine.
My 8-year-old redhead and her classmates were sent home from school last week because her teacher tested positive for COVID.
Thankfully, her teacher is doing well, and Ellen (and I) tested negative.
Of course, like so many families, my husband and I are struggling to juggle her distance learning, our older daughter’s in-school learning, and our own work schedules. It’s not fun, but we’re managing (so far).

A few weeks ago, my sixth grader, Anna, had to report to her class on a current event. She needs to report on one local, one state, one national, and one world headline throughout the school year.
The students present their findings on a rotating basis, so the classroom gets a few “top news stories” each week. After the presentations, students can ask the presenter a few questions and discuss the topic.
It’s a pretty cool project.

Life lessons are playing out in front of our eyes. Are we paying attention?
The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, has sparked outrage, protests, riots, violence, looting, and arson in Minneapolis and across the United States.

Times are crazy now. The economy is scary. People are protesting over businesses staying closed.
Masks are the recommended new facial accessory.
We aren’t supposed to hug when we see people anymore.
Six feet - that’s as close as we can get when talking to someone.
Kids are frustrated they’re not “in” school, playing sports with their friends.

So much has changed in the world in the last few weeks.
We’re entering unchartered territory in this fight against COVID-19.
Everyone at Suel Printing Company's newspapers (Montgomery Messenger, The New Prague Times, Waterville Lake Region Life and Elysian Enterprise) remains dedicated to providing you with a high-quality newspaper with consistent news coverage and delivery.
That said, we’re doing what we can with the resources we have to keep ourselves, our families, and our sources healthy.

Sometimes, you just need to laugh. 
I've been a mom for almost a decade now and have seen my kids do things I never knew were possible... like getting mastitis as a newborn, getting stuck in a chair, requiring "super" (fake) teeth because their baby teeth failed to grow in, having the backs of earrings grow INSIDE their earlobes... It's a never-ending list. 
I didn't know how little I knew until I became a mom.
And, honestly, after a rough day or two, I start to question myself.

As a child, Thanksgiving was magical. 
We’d wake to the aroma of turkey roasting and a sparkling house smelling of Pine-Sol. 
Little crystal dishes could be found throughout the house filled with nuts and those melt-in-your-mouth pastel mints, just in case someone couldn’t wait for the big feast. 
The football game was on and pages of Black-Friday deals were passed. 
Relatives’ shoes piled high near the door and big talk and laughter filled the house. 
Folding tables and folding chairs crowded the fun, but everyone had a spot when the turkey was done. 

The following seven days will be some of the busiest and most rewarding in the newspaper business.
I love this time of year because of playoff sports, but there is an extra event which we will cover this time...the general election.
I am one of those who loves to stay up late, or early, watching the results come in little by little, until winners are announced.
Of course one of the biggest issues on the ballot this year for WEM School District residents is the $19.3 million building bond vote.

As my friend Tim Kinniry said a couple of weeks ago when I interviewed him for a story, "Cancer, I hate that word!" I can acknowledge his hatred for the disease which can ruin the lives of anyone.
Fortunately, I have now lived through two bouts of this disease, the most recent was over the course of this summer. 
I was pretty hesitant as to whether or not I would write  about my latest bout with cancer, but I want people to know this can be beat.
In September of 2015 I had a chunk of melanoma cut out of my 
inner thigh.

My crew of four headed north to a family cabin over the weekend.
Fun, right? Spending time with family at a beautiful lake in the summertime is always good. I enjoy being there, but getting there is a different issue.
First, comes the packing.
I hate packing. Hate. It.
My stomach lurches and my blood pressure rises just thinking about it.
I haven’t always been this way. I lived out of a backpack for six months while I lived abroad during college and never even paused to consider the time and effort packing requires.