I was looking through my book, The Sweet Life, the other day. This is not something I do on a regular basis. I don’t sit around the double-wide thinking, Wow! I got a few minutes to spare. I think I’ll check out some of the brilliant things I said in my book. No siree, Bob. I’m writing a new show that’s based on the book (it’ll debut in September) and so part of the job is going through the book and deciding what stories would be fun to share on stage, up close and personal. Can’t wait!  Anyhoo, with all that’s going on in the country, on TV, heck our town meeting right here in …

Recipes for Romance Each chapter of my new book, The Sweet Life, features a little section I call “Recipes for Romance, which is exactly what it says. It could be a real recipe or a recipe for a date. Here’s the first one featured in the book. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!      No matter who does most of the cooking––you, him or your personal chef, Mr. Ronald McDonald–it’s important to learn how to make a couple of things your husband’s mother used to make for him (providing he liked her cooking). In the newlywed days, your cooking may be an adjustment for him. If he starts getting that deer in the …

The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage is officially out into the world. We had a wicked fun book launch and tomorrow I’ll be at the Patten Free Library in Bath doing my first reading. Next week, I’ll be in Hallowell at the Hubbard Free Library. Let the fun begin! The Sweet Life covers all the basics in a relationship including losing your mate, grieving, and in time, maybe starting to date again. Here’s a little something from Chapter 11.      You lost your spouse. You’re still grieving, but some time has passed, and you’re feeling the need for a little companionship. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a good …

My new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage, comes out this this week! I’m wicked excited about it, and am looking forward to the party. I thought I’d pique your interest by sharing an excerpt from Chapter Four which is about…..you guessed it.      Sex? I’m in favor of it.      A while back, me and the girls went to give blood. We try to do this every now and then because it’s a good thing to do. Plus, they give you snacks after, so it’s a win/win. They also ask you a ton of personal questions, which can take a little getting used to.      So …

In the next few blogs, I’ll be featuring excerpts from my new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage which comes out May 19th. Here’s a little something from the third chapter called, “There is no ‘I’ in Team, but Maybe There Should Be.”      Good friendships are an important part of my personal happiness. Yes, Charlie and me are best friends, but I have other best friends, too. I just think it’s unfair to you and your mate to expect them to be your everything. That’s a lot of pressure. Besides, sometimes you just need to talk about your mate with someone to, you know, blow off some steam. …

My new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage, comes out in two and a half weeks, and I’m wicked excited about it! To celebrate, my next few blogs are going to feature excerpts from the book. Here’s a bit from Chapter 2, “Getting Back to Basics.” Relationships are not rocket science, though sometimes it feels like sending a rocket into space would be easier. People have been coupling up since the dawn of time. That’s before cell phones and computer dating, before couples counseling and prenuptial agreements, before manscaping and the Brazilian (which I learned about recently and, let me tell you, I’m still in shock).     As with anything else …

Ida explores if golfing vacations are good for couples and finds some surprising results.

There’s a couple here in Mahoosuc Mills who are so cheap, they squeak when they walk. They have everything budgeted right down to the penny. And, get this, they have to account to each other for every, single cent they spend. I’m mean, they buy a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, they get a receipt and fess up. I witnessed this very thing at Cumbies over the weekend. This guy asked for a receipt for his pack of gum! I’m all for havin’ a budget, but you know what? I’m too old for extreme anything. Even with the tightest of budgets, I believe you each need a little fun money to spend anyway you want …

You know how we tend to confide in our hairdresser or bartender? As a cashier down to the A&P, folks tend to confide in me, too, even if they don’t always know they’re doin’ it. ‘Cause checkin’ out a person’s groceries is more intimate than you image. You know who’s drinkin’ a little too much, who has a Doritos habit and who’s addicted to the National Inquirer. You see the same folks once a week, minimum, and you can kind of sense whether they’re feelin’ their oats or not. So I’m workin’ register 3 per usual, cashin’ out Roberta “Bobbie” Robbins, makin’ conversation, like you do. “How’s that cute little dog of yours? Blah, blah. …

Up ‘til the economy tanked, “staycation” wasn’t even a word. There’s a reason for that. See how only half the word resembles “vacation”? That’s a hint as to the outcome of most staycations. At best, they’re kind of like a vacation. At worse, they’re more like a week spent in the Gulag. Charlie and me learned this the hard way a few years back. We’d never taken a staycation, so we thought we’d give it a try. We even made a plan, well kind of. We’d scrape and repaint the deck the first weekend, ‘cause it needed it wicked bad. Then we’d spend the rest of the week doin’ little day trips, you know, makin’ …