Welcome to my holiday giving guide. I won't be linking up to my favorite retailers and must-have's. You'll have to do your own shopping. But I have prepared some gift giving insights. As for the Top Gun poster, I'll get to that later. Hold on tight. This is a long one. It's List Week. The week after Thanksgiving when everyone starts to get a little anxious about Christmas being merely weeks away. And they start asking for your lists. I did this to my own children on Monday. Make your … [Read more...] about holiday giving guide
family life
but everyone is doing it
I hate bandwagons. But I'm jumping on to talk about being thankful. This all started because of a second grade homework assignment. Well not, all started, I'm sure you know that it all started with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. But anyway, there's this homework assignment about being thankful, and my son writes - I am thankful for my life. And of course I'm beaming. Just over the moon, because he gets it. He gets what it is really all about. This big, beautiful life that is our … [Read more...] about but everyone is doing it
three things at the center of our holiday
Last week I wrote about how during the holidays I walk the line between wanting to do and buy everything and taking on way too much and feeling overwhelmed. Plus I'm feeling this pressure, admittedly totally self-created and self-imposed that since we are in a new city and in a new home, the holidays need to be more magical then ever. This is so ridiculous on so many levels, but it's there sitting in my head taunting me. If anything, I should get a complete free pass for Christmas considering … [Read more...] about three things at the center of our holiday
three things i don’t want to explain to my kids
We like our sports around here. And our kids are at the age where we can hang out on a Sunday afternoon with a game on (yesterday it was Eagles vs. Redskins) and have some snacks and Rainbow Loom the afternoon away. It's not a bad set up. Especially when mom and dad have been out the night before and need a little, ahem, recovery time. And yesterday was one of those days. But as I tried to browse the December InStyle with one eye on the game and one eye on any impending Rainbow Loom … [Read more...] about three things i don’t want to explain to my kids
advice for new parents
My oldest child turned eight today. I've been a mom for eight years, the longest I've held down any job. I have a few friends starting their families soon and many of my friends started a little later than us and are still dealing with diapers and lack of sleep and willful toddlers. So this post is for you. This is what I know. My performance review would definitely have some developmental opportunities. I burst into uncontrollable giggling when my son asked where babies came from. There have … [Read more...] about advice for new parents
three things that raise my blood pressure
I'm a pretty laid back person. Let me start again. I work really hard at being a laid back person. I'm not much of a worrier. I don't sweat the small stuff. I have some tried and true coping skills for the big stuff. There really isn't much on a daily basis that gets to me except for these three things that never fail to raise my blood pressure. 1) 3:55 - 4:15, Monday through Friday. The twenty minutes after we walk in the door after school is definitely the most overwhelming part of my day. … [Read more...] about three things that raise my blood pressure
three things about renting
When you go from being a homeowner for nine years to being a tenant in a rental, some interesting stuff starts to bubble up. Here are three things we're discovering about renting: 1) You adopt the N.O.P. (Not Our Problem) mentality. Don't get me wrong - we're good tenants. But big things like the aging roof or the drafty windows, just aren't in our realm of responsibility. We redid just about everything in our last house. We're used to getting stuff done. There's a beautiful, but dying, tree … [Read more...] about three things about renting
three things for fall
My favorite season is fall. I refuse to call it autumn. That’s just over the top and pretentious. I love everything about fall – the warm in the sun, cool in the shade, the breaking out of sweaters and jeans and scarves and soup recipes, and I can even humor the trend of creating everything with a pumpkin flavor. Because it’s fall. And everything is crisp. The air. The light. The apples. The leaves. The hurry up and harvest before winter sets in. Nature’s preparation for going internal. The … [Read more...] about three things for fall