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Just in Time for Christmas
This morning I woke and made the kids a stinky, hot breakfast. The sink is still full of dirty dishes. The counters are covered in clutter, the floor littered with toys, books and blankies, and our beds are unmade. And I don’t care. Can you guess why? If you’ve been following along, you’ll recognize this as…
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Christmas Traditions – Keepsake Ornaments
What is it about a good tradition, anyway? The ceremony of it all, the nostalgia? Whatever it is, I’m sure enjoying sharing some of my family’s favorite Christmastime traditions with y’all… from gingerbread houses to pajamas, there are endless ways to make the season bright. Here’s another: I mentioned it briefly in another post, but I’ve probably…
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Christmas Traditions – Jammies
Thanks to my stepmother, our family has been doing Christmas Jammies since before it was cool. Beginning in the 1980’s, my sister and I would open a single, pre-selected wrapped gift from under the tree, just before bedtime each Christmas Eve. Wouldn’t you know, it was always new jammies? Perhaps telling of my notorious gullibility, each year I was genuinely surprised. My sister has continued the tradition with her…
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Life Lately
Forgive the barrage of snapshots, but we’ve got grandparents with real photographic needs to appease. And since I still have yet to complete our 9 1/2 year old’s baby book, this blog is, by default, our virtual time capsule/family album. You’re welcome kids! Got the fixin’s all ready for the kiddos to host their seventh annual gingerbread house decorating party…
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Christmas Traditions – Gingerbread Houses
Christmastime makes me especially nostalgic… This weekend our girls- and Little Man- will host their 7th annual Gingerbread House decorating party. It’s such a fun Christmas tradition. Husband and I pre-assemble the graham-cracker abodes, so there’s less engineering and more decorating munching for the kidlets in attendance. I always think they resemble tiny little communist villages, with their stark uniformity,…
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Carpe-ing the Diem
I recently happened upon a group of guys encircling a gaggle of girls– all clearly college kids. The menfolk were attempting to persuade the reluctant gals to join them on an impromptu sledding adventure in the fresh powdery snow. I couldn’t help but be disappointed to hear the girls launch a myriad of excuses, declining…
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Christmastime is Here
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… the halls are as decked as they’re going to get. We went sparse on the Christmas decor this year, what with our house on the market and all. Having already packed up knick-knacks in an effort to make the house appear a spacious, blank canvas for prospective buyers, it…
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How to Get Your House Realtor Ready in 20 Minutes Flat
I’ve shared my favorite tips and strategies for Staging a House to Sell here before, but what’s an exhausted mom to do when she’s rocking a thrown-out back, an especially messy house, and a Realtor calls first thing in the morning because she’s “in the area and wants to show your house right now”? #1)…
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Muppet Parenting
Remember the classic 1980’s film The Dark Crystal, of Jim Henson fame? Sure, it was cinematic good fun, but who could forget the scarring scenes where innocent critters had their life-essence forcibly sucked from them? Husband and I were commiserating recently, after an exceptionally wearing day at work/home-school, preceded by a trying night of regular sleep interruptions from our precious…
