I spent my whole life as a blond until I got pregnant with my son five years ago. Suddenly, my roots changed overnight! The darker shade didn't go away after he was born, and it got annoying trying to cover it up with highlights. So, when he was about a year old, I shocked my family by coming home from the hairdresser with dark brunette hair. That is, right after I went to the MAC counter at Marshall Field's (R.I.P.) because suddenly I realized my makeup was all wrong with the new hair.

It was a bigger change than I expected. I know it sounds crazy, but I truly felt like people treated me differently as a brunette. I felt like I commanded more respect in meetings. People thought I was older, which wasn't necessarily bad in the professional world. I noticed a difference when I made presentations; it actually seemed like the men in the room were paying more attention to what I said than before. And, naturally, people stopped sending me dumb blond joke emails. Quite honestly, people seemed to take me more seriously which, in turn, made me feel the need to act more serious. Maybe that's the root of the old adage "blondes have more fun." It was, quite literally, a head trip and a bit of an identity crisis for me.

I lasted over three years as a brunette. Longer than I originally expected. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but in the end, it just didn't feel like me. I still didn't even recognize myself in pictures. So, this past spring I started gradually lightening my hair. I'm officially back to being a blond (click here for proof). It feels good. It feels like me. My 83-year-old grandma, who is still a platinum blond and always will be, is over the moon about my conversion back to the light side!

If you've never made a drastic change to your hair (cutting it short, getting extensions, trying a new color, etc), I highly recommend it. It's just hair - it grows back and the color can always be changed. It's amazing what you learn about yourself - and others - during a physical transformation like this. It's your head - have fun with it!

My husband used to ask me about the shelf life of the cards I gave him. He was never sure when it was acceptable for him to throw away a birthday card or note from me without hurting my feelings! That's because I love to hang on to cards - I even have some saved from back when I was a kid! There are some from relatives and friends who are no longer with us and it makes me feel good to see their handwriting and read their kind words.

I now have a card basket in our living room. I used to just pull it out during the holidays and keep Christmas cards in it. But then I decided to keep it out all year-round and add any cards to it my family receives during the year...my husband's birthday cards, homemade cards from my son, thank you notes from friends, baby announcements, you name it. At the end of the year, it's fun to go through all the cards and remember special times over the past 12 months. Then I choose a few that were particularly special and I hang on to them...forever! Just an idea I thought I'd pass along...

The Get Real Girls had lunch yesterday to discuss, among other things, our upcoming show on work/life balance. We started talking about what it feels like when you're craving something in your life but it already seems like your plate is too full to add anything more. This got us thinking about buffets. Could the way you fill your plate at an all-you-can-eat buffet be a metaphor for how you balance your life?

Alexis, our producer extraordinaire, said she always takes a little bit of everything because she doesn't want to miss anything. But then she walks out feeling stuffed. Colleen said she's known to butt in line to get to what she really wants (nice manners, missy!). Naturally, Joan redecorates the entire restaurant before even grabbing a plate! And I am pretty picky, only putting on my plate the things I know I'll like and am familiar with - and then I go back for more of the same.

It was an a-ha moment for all of us to consider whether the way we fill our plates at a buffet is similar to how we choose to fill our plates in life. And to consider whether we actually feel satisfied after the meal...or at the end of the day. Am I missing out on some much-needed spice in my life? Does Joan need to help herself before she helps others? Does Alexis need to start prioritizing? Does Colleen need to go to etiquette class?

How about you? How do you buffet and how do you balance? Do you see a connection?

I adore Christmas. But enough is enough. I went to Macy's this week, to the Marketplace section, and I was stunned to see it decked out with decorated Christmas trees and ornament displays. And I was even more perplexed by the fact people were BUYING them!

Isn't a holiday special because it's a rare occurence - coming just once a year? Thinking about it four months in advance makes it feel not-so-special anymore. Years ago, stores waited until Thanksgiving to deck the halls. Then, they eventually started putting up holiday displays right after Halloween. But early September?? At this rate, why don't we just leave the holiday decor up all year round?

I really feel like the holidays are sacred. They bring family and friends together, they force us time-starved Americans to take a breather, and they often inspire us to act out of generosity and kindness. So, the marketing of the holidays - earlier and earlier every year - really rubs me the wrong way.  It makes the holidays more about materialism (does your tree really need to be trendy??) than magic and memories.

I'd love to think that retailers will someday back off and celebrate the holidays ONLY during the holidays. But, as long as people are willing to buy ornaments, stockings and decor so far in advance, the Christmas displays will only get earlier and earlier. Christmas in July may become an actuality. I would write more, but I have to go order my family's Christmas cards!

We thought our kid's swimming lessons had gone down the drain. During the last set of lessons, our four year old son became more and more scared of the water instead of more and more confident. He had started the sessions with a good teacher who left abruptly after a couple of lessons. She was replaced by a teenage guy who clearly didn't know how to engage preschoolers and was way over his head. By the last lesson, our son sobbed and refused to even go in the water without my husband (who, bless his heart, went in with his clothes on!).

Nevertheless, our son somehow graduated to the next level and he was scheduled to start the new season of swimming lessons today. We thought for a minute about quitting, but I really wanted him to give it another try and see if a different teacher could make all the difference. The answer is a resounding YES!

This morning, we both took him back to the pool. He was not a happy camper. But as soon as we walked in, his new teacher Joe yelled out to him by name and squirted him with water. He was super funny - with the perfect sense of humor for a four year old - and made swimming COOL. We were absolutely amazed at the immediate transformation in our kid. He was jumping in, going under water and giggling throughout his lesson. When it was over, he asked if he could do another lesson TODAY. What a turnaround!

It just goes to show what a GREAT teacher can do. This guy was confident, had confidence in the kids, taught with a sense of humor and had his audience of four year olds in the palm of his hand. We told him what an amazing job he'd done in just the first session today. So often, teachers - from the swimming pool to the classroom - only hear negative feedback vs. what they're doing right. So, just a friendly reminder: if there are teachers who make your kid light up, who inspire your kid to excel, let them know it. Thank goodness for great teachers!