Clover Lane

Friday Q & A

2012-01-27T00:05:00.004-05:00

I was wondering what website or company you use to book your seaside, FL vacation. We are planning a vacation for this summer and I think I have fallen in love with Seaside.
We mainly use VRBO now. You just want to make sure that the listings will say IN Seaside proper. I think VRBO has been a little watered down with commercial companies listing their properties also-I know there are many listings from Seaside Rental Agency on VRBO. They rent most of the houses but are a bit more expensive. (But you get a really cute beach bag, excellent service, and awesome smelling soap if you went through them, so maybe it's worth it? :) Here's the thing about Seaside- you almost can't go wrong. I did make one mistake 2 years ago and booked a super modern place (only a few of those in Seaside) with open scary as heck staircases and we ended up moving to another cottage because I couldn't relax with Patrick. Most every place is cuter than the next. If you ever have questions about a certain cottage, email me and I can tell you where it is, because I have memorized them all my name and color. (Not quite, but I'm pretty good at it.)

I am writing to ask what your opinion is re: amounts of clothing. Do you have a roughly set amount of shirts, bottoms, etc. that you allow for each child?
Everyone must be cleaning out and organizing because I have had this question a couple times this month. First I want to say that my children are in DIRE need of closet clean-outs, so while I am writing what I believe to be what works best for us IDEALLY, not what is the actual case right now. I am chomping at the bit to get to that, but holding off till Ash Wednesday for my 40 Day/40 Bag clean out. My kids seem to wear the same things over and over again-the boys for sure. They have their favorite t-shirts and favorite sweatpants and favorite jeans and favorite shorts and if I buy something and it doesn't feel right it just will never get worn. I try to keep things as simple, and closets as practically empty as possible-I live by the less is more philosophy -less hassle, less laundry, less folding, less putting away.

They have school uniforms, and church pants, (khakis), 1 or 2 church shirts-we call these collared shirts-either polos or button downs-as long as it has a collar it is acceptable, a belt, dress shoes, and then maybe one or two pairs of sweatpants, jeans, and probably the same five t-shirts they wear over and over again. I will go through their closets with the older kids (including Abbey-she will want me to help her and loves doing a closet clean out) and ask them, "Do you like this? Will you ever wear this?" And they will say no-too big, too itchy, uncomfortable, hate that it says "insert store name" in big letters across the front, or yes, that's my favorite t-shirt ever and I wear it 3 times a week.

Just curious on your thoughts on having a maid? I have never had one although my husband got me a one time cleaning service for our anniversary (most unromantic....but BEST gift ever!). I see absolutely nothing wrong with having one but for some reason I really prefer cleaning my own things and making sure it's done properly. Just would love to know your thoughts!!
I experimented with having cleaners come in here or there a few times. Here's what I haven't liked about it:

-I felt like I have to leave my house while the maid(s) were there or be trapped in one room with the kids while they work the rest of the house. It was like I was being kicked out of my own house-and I know it was for a good purpose but I just hated that part of it.

-The cleaning people I have had experience with (remember-not much experience there) have always seemed to start really strong and then get much less diligent to the point where I thought, "Why am I paying for this again?" I am NOT good at the "management" part of it all-having to say, "This is not good enough, do it again."-I could never do that. It makes me super uncomfortable and I just want to be nice.

-I am terrible (terrible!) at delegation. I am a big do-it-yourselfer and have major guilt complexes about paying someone for something I can do-whether it's dig a ditch, spread the mulch, clean a house. I hardly ever ever ask for help from anyone ever. To the point of pure stubborn stupidity.

Here's what I like about it-(besides the very obvious-having a clean house!)
-I felt much more relaxed about the state of my house because I didn't feel like once I got behind I could never catch up. I lost that whole "I better do it now" feeling and could spend more time enjoying the good things.

I too feel there is nothing wrong with asking for or hiring someone to help you if that's the way you wish to spend your money. I know that in the summer months with all the kids home all day if I hired someone to do a deep clean twice a month, I would be more relaxed, and much less snappy. I have a few friends who have someone do this and really I don't think "those lazy good for nothings"-I think "how smart are they".

Old Ladies In Grocery Stores

2012-01-26T00:38:00.000-05:00

I read this post by a close friend the other day, and I love it. Not just because she linked to my crazy sheet set breakdown post, but because I read the first viral article (this one) a week ago and it didn't sit right with me. But of course it didn't. Those old ladies in super markets make my day. They are little gifts from the universe to me just when I need them the most. Vera says it better than I ever could.

Teenagers and Facebook

2012-01-25T00:00:00.018-05:00

I used to have a Facebook account, but I hardly ever used it, and felt a need to simplify, so I deactivated. I would have deleted it but I don't feel like researching how to do that. The reason I signed up in the first place is because my two older kids have accounts and I want to be aware of what they and their "friends" are posting. (I put friends in quotation marks because you know that friends on Facebook doesn't necessarily mean friends in real life, right?) But now I just use Abbey's sign in information, and snoop around. She doesn't mind (or does she? I don't struggle much over that one) because I've made it perfectly clear that it's definitely going to happen, although if she is in the room and I just can't help myself with starting in on a lecture about how PLEASE don't ever say/wear/pose the way this girl is she'll say, "Mom, seriously, I know." So I try to snoop when she's not around so I can say all those things to myself.

I've been asked about Facebook before-my rules, when I let my children get accounts, etc. I will tell you what I think about it the whole thing and then you can take it or leave it.

Where teenagers are concerned Facebook can be a cesspool of innocent and not-so-innocent teenage mistakes displayed for all to see. I think if these kids look back on much of what they ever posted as teens, including those queer little teenage-angst excerpts of love songs, they will cringe and run to us one day as adults and say, "Why didn't you stop me?" I say-"Oh, please, stop them!" They will be mad at you-oh, I know that for sure-but do them a favor and save them from themselves. Think of YOU having to access to Facebook as a teenager. I can't even imagine the stupid things I would have posted. The things I would have written, the pictures that could have been and would have been posted, the immature and irresponsible thoughts in my head being typed out on a screen for all my "friends" to read. And then seeing "friends" at parties, or movies or dates you weren't invited to. Geez, put a knife in that insecure, sensitive teenagers heart and twist it a few times. What fun! I feel that ulcer I was working on in high school coming back.

I hear so much about the dangers of Facebook for teens-giving strangers access to information, befriending some weird man that could be a stalker and then (and yes, I know this has happened a few times) meeting him at the local 7-11. But to me, all this hoopla about the "dangers" of Facebook is the usual knee-jerk reaction to some highly unlikely and rare but dramatic occurrence that gets all of us parents concentrating and worrying about the WRONG thing. Sure it's important to know why you shouldn't meet strange men you befriended on Facebook at the local 7-11, but take a walk on your teen's Facebook account, and let me tell you-the real danger isn't what you think it is. It's the risk of viewing and displaying for all to see, images, words, conversations that these teenagers can never take back.

I let both Abbey and Isaac their 8th grade year have a Facebook account. I'll never let my younger kids start that early again-mostly because I believe more than ever that it's such a terrible waste of time, but also because it was way too much work for me to monitor. I think there is pressure and hurt feelings (expecially among the younger junior high group) and things I really don't think they are ready to read and see. I have regretted my decision and have revoked the privilege at times, but mainly I have talked their ears off about how I feel about it, and I know this has made them step back majorly from Facebook use and see the crazy in it.

But here's the most important thing: If your child will or does have a Facebook account, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get on it and read it all. Violating privacy? Oh, that's not even an argument with me. There is NO privacy on Facebook. It is unfortunately, NOT a locked diary. I can and do make assumptions about what mothers don't go on Facebook. Scantily dressed photos of their daughters are posted in their daughter's profiles-butt and chest sticking out, lips pouting sexily. (I can't even begin to tell you at the shock I've caused my poor old eyeballs when looking at these young teenage girls' photos. Holy moley.) Pictures of teenagers drinking or obviously either drunk or partying hard. Posts about drug use. Posts with terrible language. Posts that are derogatory in terms of the opposite sex. Posts linking to inappropriate or just crude videos. Posts about piercings. (Look at us, we got our belly buttons pierced together! Here's a sexy photo of our bellies with our pants pulled down to right above our crotches!) I wonder-are they that confident that their parents will never see that photo? (I don't want to even think of the alternative-that they are that confident that if their parents do see that photo, they'll have no repercussions anyways!)

These kids-they are KIDS! They aren't adults-although they should be learning to make good decisions, to think about others, to AND THIS IS IMPORTANT-realize that things they say and do-the way they present themselves- are NOT easily forgotten, and have consequences-some of which last a lifetime. Guess who is supposed to teach them those things? It's not a new concept but you'd think lately that it is-THEIR PARENTS. US! So if we turn our heads, stick them in the sand, use that old "privacy" argument", are afraid of not being on their good side, want to be the cool mom, it's quite obvious to me that the learning curve will be long and hard. And downright embarrassing in today's world. And sometimes even worse.

I think (I hope!) Facebook has seen its heyday. Jeff has a theory-a trickle-down effect of trends-starts with the cool college kids, high school kids latch on because they can't wait to be like the cool college kids, then junior high kids are next, and then-horror of horrors-cool PARENTS (ha!) start using/buying/wearing that trend and it all comes to a screeching halt because nothing is more dorky than seeing your parents using/buying/wearing the same thing YOU are. Isn't that hilarious? I think it's right. Honestly, I am thinking Facebook will be dorky by the time my younger kids would be old enough to use it. Will there be something in its place? Maybe, but lets just hope its replaced with common sense. Meanwhile, I say hold off until you think your children are mature enough to handle it, and then add 5 years, (or say no altogether!) and if you decide to not heed my advice (like I didn't), then take an hour every now and then and snoop to your hearts content. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know-but everything you should.

Here's an excellent (extremely well written) blog post from a teenager's point of view---how Facebook made her feel and why she quit cold turkey. I love love love it. (And truthfully, I think we can all relate to this no matter what age!)

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza

2012-01-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

When Jeff was in college one of the first meals he ever made on his own was the Chef Boyardee pizza kit. And yes, I made fun of him like crazy for it. He has perfected his fancy bachelor meal over the years, and although we don't use many canned/boxed foods around here, this is the one exception. Rarely am I gone during dinner, but if I am, I usually buy the box (well, now two boxes) and let him walk down memory lane. And yes I still make fun of him for his love of Chef Boyardee pizza. But not too much-after all, a break in the kitchen, is a break in the kitchen and I'll take what I can get for sure.

When I made my own little family cookbook last year and had to come up with a few more recipes for my family favorites collection, I experimented with all kinds of homemade pizza dough. I love a thin, crackery crust (I actually love ALL kinds of pizza crust, who am I kidding) and I found it in the following recipe. Jeff begged me to buy Chef Boyardee pizza sauce instead of my usual all natural organic variety. I used mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and it was a hit-I always add some fresh tomatoes to a small corner just for me. It's my "no Chef Boyardee pizza kit but really want Jeff to cook dinner" fall back recipe.

The crust is easy to whip up in minutes, and the kids can help through all the steps-although Jeff has very precise (super annoying) methods of mixing the dough, spreading the sauce, sprinkling the cheese and gets quite bossy about it. I should say-if the kids can stand to be next to bossy pizza cook, they will help. If not, they wait to hear, "Dinner is ready!"

This recipe makes two large pizzas (I use big cookie sheets) and that is usually enough-if I make a salad and some bread. If not, I would double it. Someone usually sneaks on some pepperoni, but I love to sneak on tomatoes, a sprinkle of feta if I have it, and some fresh basil chopped.

Thin Crust Pizza with Chef Boyardee Sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 can Chef Boyardee pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

toppings if desired

Dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water, let rest for 8 minutes-it will foam up a little.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

Pour yeast mixture over the flour mixture and mix well until it forms a ball.
Pour one capful of oil over dough, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Divide into 2 portions.
(We use 2 9x12" cookie sheets for this recipe.)

Place dough on a lightly buttered pizza pan and stretch to edges.

Be patient...this is a thin crust, so you have to press little by little to stretch it. I use my fingertips and work the dough slowly till it covers the pan.

Top with Chef Boyardee sauce, and then Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 500 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

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If you'd like to come up with your own family friendly recipe using a Chef Boyardee product, you can enter it in Chef Boyardee’s Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest from December 29, 2011 through March 11, 2012 for your chance to win free groceries for a year as well as one of ten $500 weekly cash prizes. Then visit Chef Boyardee’s Facebook page from March 26, 2012 through April 8, 2012 to vote for your favorite recipes from the “Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest.” Each day, one voter will be selected to win a $100 cash prize.
Be sure to visit the Chef Boyardee Roundup page on BlogHer.com to check out other bloggers’ recipes!

Encouragement For The Week

2012-01-23T00:19:00.001-05:00

When we focus on what is good and beautiful in someone, whether or not we think that they "deserve" it, the good and the beautiful are strengthened merely by the light of our attention.

When we choose to see and appreciate what is good and beautiful in our children, the goodness can't help but grow, and their beauty blossoms forth.

Katrina Kenison, The Gift of an Ordinary Day

Friday Q & A

2012-01-20T00:43:00.020-05:00

*I am super behind in answering my emails so if you have sent me one lately bear with me as I attempt to catch up over the next couple months.

I was wondering if you would do a post on your recent search for colleges....and maybe the ones you liked?
All of the colleges we looked at were in-state, and since I try to keep where I live private, I don't want to name names. :) But I will tell you, I LOVED the smaller, or medium sized (2-4,000 students) private colleges-out of the three I was most impressed with, two of them happened to be Catholic universities. I know that there is a right fit for every student, but from the moment we walked on campus there was just a feel in the air that was different. Of course, they were all major $, compared to the larger public universities. We visited two of those and I was really disappointed-one of those was the college I attended. I think maybe it just had to do with the experiences we had that day also-at one, our tour guide was terrible. We were trying to find a way to escape the entire time. The whole thing was just so unprofessional and unimpressive from start to finish. The other one, the dorms seemed dirty and icky, (I know-a total mom's perspective!), and when we went to check in they had no record of our reservation for the tour and presentation, even though I had the information right in my purse. One of those bureaucratic mistakes-something I remember being so frustrated by when I attended college. These smaller universities seemed to really care about the individual students, the classrooms were small-even at the freshman level, and the counselor's seemed to know and care about getting the students into the right learning/career path for 4 year graduation. But like I said, I am sure some students thrive on large campus's-I just wasn't impressed with what I saw there.

I have black leather furniture which is so durable with six ... Almost seven, but darkens my home more than I'd like. I want to trade out for lighter colored fabric furniture. Do you have to fight to keep yours clean?
No, not at all! Actually we had a dark sectional in our basement and I felt like that showed more than the light slipcovered furniture in my den and living room. BUT maybe that's the key? It's all slipcovered, and I can wash everything. Honestly, I have only had to wash them maybe once or twice a year. I am generally strict about kids not eating anywhere but the kitchen. Dirty feet in the summer can be an issue with the little kids-I remember at our old house I had all white slipcovered furniture, and I had to wash them every month in the summer. I am pining after a little living room face lift, but I always hesitate to go with upholstered pieces because the LAST thing I want to get all stressed about is the furniture.

Do you know the brand/color of the paint in your dining room? I'm compiling a list of possible colors to paint and I like this color.
I love my dining room paint color. It is the perfect bluish/greenish/grayish and just light and pretty. It's a Valspar color and it's called Shallow Tide. By the way, there is a blog I love called Favorite Paint Colors-it has REAL LIFE rooms,(not all designered out, impractical and unattainable), sorted by room type, and hue-it's a great source if you are looking to paint.

I have a question about discontentment with kids....mostly older kids. What do you do after Christmas when your kids come home from the neighbors or school and say so and so got an ipad or iphone, or this or that? My kids aren't all bent out of shape about not getting these things, but they do mention them and it makes me wonder what is going on in their head. We had a nice Christmas, but every gift we gave was under $50. What are your thoughts?
I love this question, because I remember having a Christmas as a teen where I had to deal with feelings of envy and jealousy. A close friend who had just one sibling got just about everything I had ever wanted for Christmas one year. My parents were putting five kids through private school on one salary and certainly weren't going to give us everything we ever wanted anyways. My friend called me on Christmas Day and asked the inevitable, "What did you get?" And I had about ten things to rattle off-maybe a new outfit, a book, a few new school supplies, a purse. Awkward pause. "What did you get?", I asked. And she just kept going and going and going while all my good Christmas feelings just kept fading and fading and fading. It is funny now that I think about it. I sorted through all those feelings in my head myself and that was a hard growing up year.

I think so much of how we deal with this depends on our individual children-their temperments and sensitivity level. I think the biggest mistake is to react defensively (I've learned my lesson on that one) or with a "I feel so sorry for you" attitude. When you do either of those, I think you give permission to your kids to feel like they've been terribly wronged. Now, I have dealt with it all different ways. I have found by being completely neutral, sort of "blowing it off" - "Wow, really?" sort of thing, change of subject, the whole thing usually blows over in minutes. That new awesome thing is usually old and forgotten about by all soon after Christmas anyways. With my older kids I've been known to say, "Well maybe you should call so-and-so's parents and ask if they'd adopt you into their family, that way you maybe could get a brand new TV and XBox next Christmas for your room too." No, really, I do. They roll their eyes and laugh or say, "Well maybe I will, ha ha" and the conversation is over. They know what my rules are, they know they aren't going to get a "poor me" party, they know they are lucky ducks because I tell them and show them in many ways all year. X-Box or not, (you'll rot your brain out!), they have a warm home, a bed, and food on the table-more than many kids in this world have.

In the end, I think every child who didn't get what they want, who was made to wait for things, who grew up aware that their parents made conscious, mature decisions about how, when and where to spend their money, comes back to appreciate the fact they weren't given everything they wanted and weren't caught up in the cycle of keeping up the Joneses. I know I am.

Downton Abbey

2012-01-18T00:49:00.000-05:00

"Can you imagine anything worse than losing one's maid?"

I am so hooked on this show. I ordered Season Oneand watched it greedily as fast as I could-just in time for Season Two to start (here on PBS Sunday nights).

I am terrible at explaining shows but it follows story lines from two groups living at Downton Abbey. That of the maids, butlers, footmen of this huge estate:

And those rich family members that they serve:

And it all takes place here in this little cottage:

It's a perfect little hour long escape after a long cold boring winter weekend.

Anyone else hooked?

Brothers

2012-01-17T00:04:00.003-05:00

Andrew set up a school for Patrick and it was so cute it hurt my heart-complete with gym class (run around the house 3 times then do stretches) and reading time, and coloring lessons.

I just love when my kids get along. I have to remember these moments because sometimes it seems they can't be in the same room together without some sort of argument breaking out. These two can be great friends but Patrick can be quite demanding when it comes to playing things HIS way. Youngest child syndrome? Maybe. They are more adaptable in many ways, but in other ways I think they make up for that in exerting their "right" to do things their way when they can. We are working on that one.

If there is one thing I've learned in 18 years of parenting is that sibling "getting along" times come and go. I remember when Isaac, Abbey and Matthew used to play sweetly with their little stuffed animals forever with nary an argument. I love those memories. Now, you never know from day to day (or really-from minute to minute!) what will set them apart or bring them together. So many emotions, stages, hormones, stresses at school-sometimes just plain old hunger or a bad day can cause a snappy sibling, hurt feelings, or honestly, (please don't cringe mothers of young ones), it can get a little physical. Usually when boys are having fun wrestling around here, I say to myself, "How long will it take before I hear loud words exchanged back and forth, tears, anger?" You know-the old, "It's all fun and games till someone cries. Who's it going to be this time?"

I think that's just life in a big family. Maybe I'm kidding myself but I don't think I am. I grew up with 4 siblings, and so did Jeff-I have more cousins than I can count, most from families of four or more, and we laugh hilariously at the stories of sibling escapades-fighting, revenge, camaraderie, just plain old trouble. Oh, what we all (especially those boys!) put those poor mothers through! I know now why, when we asked my mom what she would want for Mother's Day or her birthday or Christmas, she would more often than not say, "I just want you all to get along." Now I know just how she feels. A day of peace, a little reminder of that cute stuffed animal pretend time from long ago-is just the best gift ever.

Encouragement For The Week

2012-01-16T00:37:00.001-05:00

A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life,

for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.

Bertrand Russell

Friday Q & A

2012-01-13T00:02:00.024-05:00

We moved last year from a tiny to a much larger house and are used to not having a ton of stuff...but I am by nature a saver. I have been getting rid of stuff left and right and you know what? It hasn't made a bit of difference!!!!! Why do I always have clutter? Why are toys taking over my home? I put away and pick up all day long and still, there is constant clutter. You have 4 boys. Did your boys attack/destroy/dismantle things? It seems that my boys don't "play" with toys as much as they break them apart/dump them out and then move on. How do I teach them NOT to do this....or is it just the boy-type way and I am doomed to endure it? When your kids were little (preschool/toddler age) what was always out for them vs. what did you keep put away? I struggle with how much do I leave out for them. Whatever is left out just gets dumped. Grrrr. There's a picture you have of your living room with toys all over the place. My house looks like that all the time. Help :((

First, I have to say, the weeks after Christmas I totally feel like this too. TOO much stuff. In fact, I have already put away some things ('hid' them if you will) to get out much later.

I just read an excellent book called Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids. It is written by Kim John Payne, a family therapist, who does ONE thing first when he is helping a child. He goes into the home, into their rooms, or play spaces, and with the parents, does a complete overhaul-getting rid of most of the clutter and stuff. They pack up some things for the attic, get rid of broken and what he calls "fixed toys" - toys that can only be played with as they are-no imagination needed, usually molded plastic that is easily broken-complete with batteries and lights most likely. The serenity that follows when kids feel more in order outside-which of course becomes inside-is the starting point.

Here's my thoughts:
The less stuff the easier to organize, the easier for the child to clean up him/her self, the MORE play that goes on, the less destruction. I have found this to be 100% true. In fact, after Christmas, when my living room was a jumble of toys and mess, I could see Patrick's behavior eroding and I knew what it was. TOO many choices, no organization-he would flit from one thing to another, never putting things away, dumping things, and just seem agitated. And hey-I felt the same way! I have also found that the way WE treat the space-respectful and worth of neatness and organization-will be the example the kids need in how THEY treat the space-and their toys.

I have a funny childhood memory about that. We had a huge sledding hill at the top of our driveway. It kept us busy all winter long and usually Santa would bring one of us a new sled every year. On the top of our street we had a "bad boy" who would sometimes come sledding with friends-other "bad boys" of course. They would never wear hats and gloves or coats-something that horrify us-and get this-are you ready??? They would KICK their sleds up the hill instead of pulling them up or carrying them up. That, in our eyes, made them even worse than just "bad boys". I think one of us might have copied that behavior once, because I remember getting a very strong message from either my mom or dad that this was NOT acceptable-that we would not ever be allowed to treat our play things-something that was payed for with hard earned cash or given as a gift-with disrespect and irreverence. It was never acceptable in our house to not take care of our things.

SO-I send my children the same strong message. Of course my kids have not been perfect, but when I see something being thrown or played with for the sole purpose of destruction or just dumped for the sake of dumping, I am absolutely all over that behavior and I don't hesitate to send them on one big guilt trip for it (which is usually effective), or to take things away if needed. I don't think destroying or ruining or breaking toys is a "boy thing" and I would not tolerate it. (This is different from just the way boys play with super heroes in heated battles, or build towers of blocks to knock over.) It might take awhile to get the message but once you send it loud and clear, I bet that behavior will improve.

But more than anything-I think the simpler things are kept, the less toys (choices!) they have, the more organized those things are, most of that behavior will naturally eliminate itself. Be ruthless. I think you will find that if you take out 80% of the stuff (not when they are around!) to hide away or throw away or give away, and keep the "good stuff" you (and they!) will find what you are looking for. When I did this at Christmas, honestly, I saw the sense of relief in Patrick's little face and a calmness in his whole being. And when I have done this with my older kids-helped them with their rooms or closets, they LOVE it. Truly, kids have an inner need for peace and calm and simplicity.

What to keep?
Less is more. Just keep repeating that to yourself. Start with a few toys, honestly, and then add things here and there till you feel it is has the max in terms of manageability for you and your children, clean up wise.

Right now in my family room, I have 2 baskets of Duplos, 1 basket of blocks, our Fisher Price vintage stuff, a few balls, maybe 3 games (for Patrick's age-the older kids games are kept up in a cabinet or in drawers in the dining room), 2 or 3 puzzles, Magna Blocks, big zoo animals, a few "hero" guys, a wooden train set and some metal cars/tractor. In our TV cabinet I have a marble set, and a plastic train set, and a car track. He also has a Buzz toy and rocket ship (definitely those "fixed" toys) that he got for Christmas that he is actively playing with right now. The rest of his stuff his up under his bed in a roll away container or in the toy cabinet which is upstairs. Sometimes we will take things out of there, but usually-out of site, out of mind. Now when the days get long, I will switch things around and pull some things out of the toy cabinet-BUT put some things back in also. Sometimes I think little ones need to be "shown" some new ideas to get started-building the zoo animals cages with the Magna Blocks, building tunnels for the trains with the Duplos-that sort of thing. That usually starts them off with some ideas and they take it from there.

We (sometimes just ME-I'll be honest) try to pick up at the end of the day, or maybe I'll do a quick straighten in the morning. But there are some days for sure (you have seen photos!) that I don't get to this, and my living room begins to look messy with toys not put away.

Tiny Steps

2012-01-11T00:47:00.004-05:00

I have made it through a couple of rooms in my after Christmas cleaning frenzy.

It feels good. I have yet to tackle the kitchen or the bedrooms but they are next on my list and heck, I have all winter long right? (Look at that crooked curtain rod! Patrick is always playing with those...eeek.)

Spring Fever

2012-01-10T00:30:00.005-05:00

I am in trouble this year.
It's only January.
Only the second week in January.
It hasn't even snowed more than a dusting here.
We haven't had the boots out. The snow pants. The hats and gloves haven't been laying wet all over my kitchen floor.
No sledding or ice skating or shoveling.
Not even Valentine's Day has come and gone!

And I'm already:
1. Hunting down tulips.
2. Getting cabin fever really bad. That means I start looking for things to change around my house and dreaming of pushing walls out. I really need to open windows, and let the outside in (preferably warm spring air!), and not feel so contained and enclosed.
3. Almost every day I look at pictures of Seaside, FL anticipating our spring vacation. It's a long long ways off. But maybe if I gaze lovingly at the beach, and dream of sand and sun, it will come faster.

Encouragement For The Week

2012-01-09T00:33:00.002-05:00

No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?

Elbert Hubbard

My Favorite Book of 2011

2012-01-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

I will come up with a top ten list soon, but this one is #1 for sure. There were quite a few readers that mentioned in comments over the last year that I would like this book and I am sorry to say that I took my time checking it out of the library.

I adored every bit of it. I read it twice IN A ROW. Bess Streeter Aldrich's writing reminds me a little of Lucy Maud Montgomery's. I love historical fiction, I love the story of hardship, real poverty (oh how quickly we forget!) and survival, I love that dear Abby-girl was such an incredible mother and wife and knew where the good stuff was at.

I bought a copy for myself-I do that with my favorites-I only want my bookshelves filled with my favorite books. The copied I borrowed from the library was heavenly-the pages were buttery worn and soft and smelled like that old lovely library smell. I want this copy really really bad, but alas, I have a new little paperback. I will search high and low for a hardback on Ebay.

Here are a few excerpts from the book I just adored. Sorry to bore you. I can't help myself.

"Historians say, "The winter of 'seventy-four to 'seventy-five was a time of deep depression." But historians do not take little children into consideration. Deep depression? To three children on the prairie it was a time of glamour. There was not much to eat in the cupboard. There was little or not money in the father's flat old pocketbook. The presents were pitifully homely and meager. And all in a tiny house,-a mere shell of a house, on a new raw acreage of the wild bleak prairie. How could a little rude cabin hold so much white magic? How could a little sod house know such enchantment? And how could a little hut like that eventually give to the midwest so many influential men and women? How, indeed? Unless,...unless the star really did stop over the house?"

....

"Afterwards they went out on the porch and Abbie held the little girl on her lap. She cuddled her up and put her wrinkled cheek against the child's firm one. Oh, why didn't mothers do it more when they had the chance? What were clubs and social affairs and freedom by comparison? And what was freedom?"

....

"You know Grace, it's queer but I don't feel narrow. I feel broad. How can I explain it to you so you can understand? I've seen everything....and I've hardly been away from this yard. I've seen cathedrals in the snow on the Lombard poplars. I've seen the sun set behind the Alps over there when the clouds have been piled up on the edge of the prairie. I've seen the ocean billows in the rise and the fall of the paririe grass. I've seen history in the making....three ugly wars flare up and die down. I've sent a lover and two brothers to one, a son and a son-in-law to another, and two grandsons to another. I've seen the feeble beginnings of a raw state and the civilization that developed there, and I've been part of the beginning and part of the growth. I've married...and borne children and looked into the face of death. Is childbirth narrow, Grace? Or marriage? Or death? When you've experieced all those things, Grace, the spirit has traveled although the body has been confined. I think travel is a rare privilege and I'm glad you can have it. But not every one who stays at home is narrow and not every one who travels is broad. I think if you can understand humanity...can sympathize with every creature...can put yourself into the personality of every one...you're not narrow...you're broad."

January Hibernation

2012-01-03T00:31:00.001-05:00

I made it to 12/27 this year with the tree-and then it had to go out.

The older kids went back to school today, and the younger ones will tomorrow.

And I am cleaning and organizing and straightening and recovering my head and my house.

It is going to take me all week.

I love the quiet days of January.

Encouragement For The Week

2012-01-02T00:29:00.002-05:00

“Listen to the quietest whispers of your mind.

They are telling you the choices that will help you the most.”

Unknown

New Years Resolutions

2011-12-30T00:32:00.001-05:00

I have never been a fan of the traditional, champagne, party, stay up late, watch the ball drop while people scream in the background kind of New Year's Eve. I am in bed by 9, maybe 10. Totally boring and lame, I admit (and so does my family :). I do LOVE a new year. I love new beginnings, I love setting resolutions, I love my shiny new blank calendar I get every year. I love sitting quietly and thinking of ways to improve myself-my habits, my thoughts, my health, my mothering, my marriage, my attitude, my money, my home, my life. I like looking backward, but I love looking forward with excitement and anticipation and goals even more.

In 2011 I was the most successful ever at my New Year's Resolutions. I think it's because I didn't share them with anyone-a jinx if you do? Who knows. I wrote them down and kept them in my binder, and I would look at them occasionally. Now I wasn't successful at ALL of them...I had four written down. I did fabulous with two, and not too good, or just mediocre, with the other two. So those are back on my list, and I have a plan to work hard on them, along with a couple of other things.

Two years ago I chose to do the "one word" thing for my New Year's Resolution and that word I chose was discipline. I realized that picking the one word thing was way too vague and forgetful to me, but something must have sunk in because this last year, I felt like it all clicked for me.

I feel, more than ever, that discipline is the secret to happiness. Whether it's about what you put into your mouth, what comes out of your mouth in the form of words, how much time you waste or spend on certain things, how you spend your money, if and when you do things that are hard to do, if and when you reach your goals---it's all about making choices-many times NOT the ones we would like to make, but the ones where we have to grit our teeth, go against our habits and our desires and our wants and have some major self control. It's not easy. It's not supposed to be.

Last year, our church gave out a book after Christmas Mass called Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly. I read it in a day-I wouldn't have if it didn't make sense to me, or if it had been filled with what I call "religious gobbley-gook". This was a real, well written book that made so much sense to me. One of my favorite quotes from the book goes like this:

Discipline is the faithful friend who will introduce you to your true self. Discipline is the worthy protector who will defend you from your lesser self. And discipline is the extraordinary mentor who will challenge you to become the best version of yourself and all God created you to be.

Often, in the past, I found that I chose frivolous goals for self improvement but after I read this book, I realized that I was taking the easy way out. I wanted to do what was hard, and what would reap the greatest rewards. I wanted to really think about how I lived my life, what was important to me, what my weaknesses and strengths were. I know some people think New Year's Resolutions are dumb, and self-improvement is some sort of silly psychological stuff, but I feel it's my duty to God-to this gift of life I have been given-to work hard on shedding the weakness of our humanness and strive to become the person He intended me to be every day. And the awesome twist in achieving strides toward being the best person-a virtuous person-is that the rewards are all mine. He takes none for His self-this is not me sacrificing and working FOR someone else-I am the one that reaps the direct benefit every single day. What would be stopping me? Weakness. Laziness. It was a challenge to myself. I don't want to be either of those-weak or lazy-when it comes to any part of my life. And I know have the God-given strength to be neither.

The glory of God is the perfection of the creature. The human person is perfected through the disciplined attainment of virture assisted by the grace of God. The latter is never lacking; the former is the secret to a richer and more abundant future for humanity. The disciplined striving for virtue is the authentic life. (Matthew Kelly)

Patrick's Birthday

2011-12-27T06:42:00.029-05:00

This has been a confusing year for Patrick. He doesn't "get" the whole Christmas thing yet-between the presents for birthday/Santa bringing them on Christmas Eve and then Jesus's birthday celebration and HIS birthday celebration-we had some frustrating 'trying to explain' moments and I just decided to give up on all the confusion and let him think what he wants and next year he'll understand more. He spent a few frustrating moments in tears trying to convince me that Santa was coming the night of his birthday. It was all too much for him, and I totally get that, because frankly, it was all too much for ME too!

Here's his Santa classroom visit...on Patrick's birthday. He asked for a pair of shorts (basketball shorts is what he means) and a helmet.

On his actual (quiet) birthday:

Jeff and I decided to have a Christmas/birthday family party for him the night before Christmas Eve. Jeff invited his friend who has a gift for games-he has a whole birthday trivia repertoire where all the guests try to guess Patrick's answers. Like "What is Patrick's favorite food?" And let me tell you-only a few answers I knew, because you can just never really guess what Patrick is thinking in that little head of his. He loved being the center of attention.

Abbey was HUGE help to me that day, decorating and preparing.

The only thing was-I was plumb worn out by Christmas. I think we have to space it all better next year. Christmas birthdays are hard aren't they? I used to get annoyed when people told me that-I was due on Christmas Eve with Patrick (he came the 20th), but now I am realizing the truth in that statement. It's hard to give each its due and still have energy left to enjoy it all. But I wouldn't trade him for the world of course, and I remember the year he was born-in the quiet hospital and then a great excuse to be at home on Christmas Day. It was calm and peaceful and I had a new little baby and what more could I want?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T00:45:00.005-05:00

Let us learn from Jesus in the manger,
to hold the things of the world in such esteem as they deserve.
St. Francis de Sales

Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful Christmas with your family!

50 Years

2011-12-22T00:48:00.002-05:00

We recently celebrated Jeff's parent's 50th Anniversary this last weekend.

The party was held at my niece's gorgeous home. And I mean gorgeous. It is one of those rambling old mansions that you could get lost in-I have no idea how many bedrooms and bathrooms, and closets, but three floors are filled with beautiful, cozy rooms, incredible woodwork, shiny hard wood floors, stunning light fixtures-all true to the era of the house. She and her husband opened it up for this party, putting hours and days and weeks into planning and decorating. My biggest regret is that I didn't take more photos, but I wanted to enjoy every minute of it, and sometimes taking photos seems like work. So I will tell a story with the few I took. (I really regret not taking more-I didn't even get a family picture of us!)

(I love this beautiful sitting room-look at that chandelier!)

This shadowbox came with the house-all the keys-my nephew said there are even more than this-every door it seems has an old-fashioned lock.

On to the important stuff. (But I could talk about the house forever?)

Jeff found a student (16 years old!) to play the harp that evening. The kids sat on the steps and watched and listened. After listening to that gorgeous music all night, I told Jeff the one thing I regret with the older kids is not "making" them love and practice and play an instrument. He reminded me I had two little ones who we could start early enough-I am bound and determined to have them play something, anything, well. She was such an accomplished, mature, beautiful musician, this young high school girl.

Patrick holding court. I had to walk over and see exactly what was going on. He can tell tall tales that one. I think he might have told them that earlier that day he had been recruited to play college ball on full scholarship, and was off the next morning to meet up with his new coach and teammates.

The youngest of 21 grandchildren, cuddly, sweet as pie Amelia.

One of the gifts given was a giant scrapbook. Each of us wrote a letter expressing our thoughts and feelings towards Jeff's wonderful parents. Each of the grandchildren did also. It is so beautiful. That night the grandchildren read their letter out loud. They all did such a wonderful job. My children (except for Patrick) all wrote their letter completely on their own-I honestly didn't even proofread before I handed them in to be assembled earlier that month and I panicked inside for a moment. When they read them out loud, I was so proud of them. They did a beautiful job of writing out their feelings. All the grandchildren did. Pass the tissues!

Isaac's-his was short and to the point, and I loved it.

Abbey had to paraphrase hers since it was as long as as novel. (Hmmm...I wonder who she takes after?) I think here she was telling the story of how once Grandma and Grandpa took some of the girls shopping for Christmas, and during one of their long jaunts into Hollister, they finally came out to find Grandpa sleeping in one of the decorative chairs at the entrance of the store.

Matthew's was perfect and talked of the fun times out at Grandpa and Grandma's house where they have everything a boy can want-and memories that will last a lifetime of going out to their house and playing with cousins all day long.

Andrew read his with perfect second grade inflection. He minds his exclamation points, that child. He is a darn good writer for an 8 year old also. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and said with Andrew charm.

Patrick whispered "Happy Anniversary" into the microphone and all his older cousins were so proud of him.

Reminiscing later that evening.

That's little Amelia with her beautiful older sister Chloe. Both ready for bed and waiting for the car to warm up.

More talk and dear nephew Jimmy (that is one nice good looking boy there) zonked.

I asked my brother-in-law Tom if I could borrow his speech that night, because not only did it tell a little history of his parent's dedication and service to their family, but also summed up perfectly why their was so much love and honor in the room that evening.

Gratitude To Mom And Dad

Over the past few days I have had time to reflect about my parents-what worked so well in their life, and how they got to this point.

From the outside, some may glance and think their journey was just a walk in the park...blind luck. This is life, so it is never that easy. As most do know, Mom and Dad had 5 kids in 6 years. This all happened before Dad even knew what he wanted to do in life. He hadn't even started law school. He worked full time while attending law school at night-and that was an easy job! My mom had the hard work-the real dance-of scraping by at home all day with five wild kids. She had to manage the household in a day to day to war zone-navigating stitches, broken bones, broken hearts, broken Christmas trees-as well as school lunches, breakfast and dinner, homework, horseplay, and sports schedules, housework, laundry etc.

She did this day in and day out. She managed all this without the guidance of Oprah and Dr. Phil. She didn't have the luxury of Prozac washed down by a glass of wine, or a mandatory girls night out. She dug in-dug into life, dug into her kids, gave us all of her attention, love and support. Meanwhile Dad finished law school in 1974. I was almost 5, Tony was 6, Jeff was 8, Jim was 10 and Tracy 11. All that before he even graduated! It is hard to imagine the amount of hard work and perseverance just to get to that point.

After graduation, he did not choose a high profile law firm, instead he found a 9 to 5 that enabled him to be a part of his kid's lives. Those early decisions, under those circumstances, give one clear picture of what was important to them as a couple. In retrospect, it gave their children a subconscious awareness that our parents loved us more than themselves. It did not stop there. I cannot think of one event, not even Jeff and Tony's makeshift rock music videos, that my parents did not attend. They never missed a thing-and you could always look up into the crowd and see their unwavering support no matter what the event.

If I tried to analyze what kept them going-like I said before-it wasn't an easy life. We had our fair share of arguments, normal family drama, illness, money shortages, crazy schedules. But it did not matter how big or small the stumble. They had a balanced attack. This wasn't calculated or something they measured. They never stopped respecting one another and never lost sight of what was important to them. Whether they knew it or not, they had great balance. They balanced work, love, laughter and family. Every person tried to balance these in life but it takes a lot of work. Some people are career oriented, while others are concerned with recognition and the society page. But not my parents-they had a great balance. If they were ever lopsided, or heavily weighted, was the way of family. They always stayed grounded and did what they did best-loved their family. As one on the receiving end of all that love and support it was remarkable.

Thank you again Mom and Dad for all the love and sacrifices you both continue to make. We truly appreciate them.

Ordinary Days

2011-12-21T00:18:00.033-05:00

Bored in the car line before school-Patrick finds my little camera hidden in my purse.

When Dad gets home from work:

Creating an assembly line for Christmas card completion makes it all go faster:

School production:

Abbey is going to a Christmas party where 10 of her school friends are getting together. They all decided to exchange presents which poses a problem-that can add up fast, especially when you have a mom that won't hand over 100 buckaroos to go out and buy something for everyone. So we brainstormed and Abbey came up with this cute idea-she made these herself from start to finish. Each cookie looks like each girl-complete with plaid uniform skirt- and has her initial on the front. She is going to put these in cellophane bags, tied with a cute ribbon and a pair of colorful stretchy $1 gloves. Andrew is helping her check off the girls to make sure she got everyone.

Can you believe how fast the month of December went? I still can't believe it!

Today is the first day of Christmas break and I am so excited and ready for it!

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2011-12-20T02:42:00.035-05:00

How can he be four already?

He is breaking my heart.

I started blogging about 3 months after he was born when he looked like this:

3 months old

1 year

2 years

3 years

And now four-opening his presents early this morning. He gets to celebrate his birthday at pre-school this afternoon, and Santa is coming too. Tonight we will have pizza and DQ icecream cake. Andrew had me go to the store last night after dinner to get "his best friend" a special gift he had in mind. They were both so excited about it. (It was the Toy Story 2 DVD.)

Happy Birthday Patrick!

We love you!

Encouragement For The Week

2011-12-19T00:19:00.004-05:00

The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.
Richard Moss

Questions and Answers: On Staying Positive

2011-12-15T00:22:00.146-05:00

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

Unknown

I had this question from a reader a couple weeks ago:

Your posts are so positive. Do you ever get down? Are there

things that drive you crazy and eat away at your attitude? How do you turn

it around? I certainly have days like this and do my best to overcome, but

I'm always curious about other moms and I'm always open for new ideas to

push through the hard stuff!

Heck yes I get down. I call these "ruts" when it seems like there is no reason for being down at all. I wrote a post a year or two ago on some of my tips I've acquired for pulling myself out of these over the years. (The cleaning/purging one works best for me, by the way!)

And yes, there are things that drive me crazy and eat away at my attitude for sure! Just last month I decided I needed to totally scrap my habit of reading the newspaper in the morning and its the best decision I ever made. I found that daily little walk through the garbage that is published today (about 1% of it actually newsworthy) made me more than just bugged- bitter and angry and despairing of all humanity.

I feel strongly, more than ever, in mood-protection as a mother. Since we set the tone of our homes, we have a responsibility to know ourselves well-to know if we need to avoid a particular negative person or situation when we feel more vulnerable, and to know what makes us feel content and happy.

An important disclosure-When I am not at my best, I don't let my crabby, negative self on my blog. I try to be as real as possible on my blog and I hope I don't miserably fail but I owe it to myself, my husband and my children-we are not perfect people-we all have weaknesses, to always maintain and respect my family's privacy when it comes to "letting it all hang out". That is why it's important to remember that blogging sometimes portrays everyone's life as perfect (or me as always positive?), when no one's really is. I do want my blog to be positive and encouraging, but I do agree that sometimes my blog and blogs like mine make every family seem like they sing, dance and skip through every day with hugs and kisses and storybooks. An alternative to positive, encouraging blogging seems to be these snarky (sarcastic, mean, negative, ugly) mom blogs that embrace complaining quite well, and frankly, I hate those type of blogs. More than anything, it makes me desperately sorry for the children. Who wants a mom that complains about how much it stinks to be your mother, or puts all your mistakes and issues (no matter what age!) out there for everyone to read? It is so tasteless to me. (See, I definitely have things that bug me!!!) I lose my patience, my kids argue, my husband loses his temper, Sammy the dog rolls in the muddy poop and reeks to high heaven and I call him the d--- dog under my breath, -we are a family of seven, with lots of different ages, and stages and thank heavens I know this is all normal or I'd be running for my life. My blog is just a glimpse of every day, and I tend to want to remember the good that happened than the dirty poop dog.

So how do I turn a negative attitude into a positive one?

I'll tell you a life changing moment for me-something that started a new way of thinking in my brain that really does not allow any wallowing. About 10 years ago, I experienced 2 miscarriages right in a row. I was shocked and devastated. One of the ways I pulled myself out of that depression was researching everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy loss. I checked out a book from the library and began reading. What I read in that book cemented in my mind forever that I always need to know that someone out there always has it much worse than I do. That may sound crazy-yes, I had a right to be sad, but when I read about women who experienced 12 miscarriages to finally make it to 38 weeks and lose a baby, or when I read about those who tried and tried and lost and lost again and again, only to have to give up because uncurable health reasons, I had this ah-ha moment. Whatever I am walking through, someone else out there is walking a much harder path-maybe with no support, help or love, all of which is accessible to me. It made my troubles-no matter what they are at that moment, my worries, my sadness, seem small, almost insulting, in comparison.

And I guess I use that "logic" with everything. Maybe I have a sick child, and everything is breaking in the house, my car won't start, etc. It seems like my mind always turns into 'but what if"---I know that somewhere there is a mother in a third world country who would do ANYTHING to trade my little problems out for hers. Maybe she has a sick child with no chance of medical care at all, and here I'm complaining about loading up the kids to go to the pediatricians. She has no broken dishwasher of course-she sends her little children to walk a mile to get clean water and wonders if they'll be safe on the way. I could go on and on of course in all sorts of circumstances, large or small, and it always seems to serve as a little kick in the bee-hind for me. I am luckier than heck, and I have no right to complain. I have an awesome life, truly.

Sometimes I get in a rut where I keep repeating or dealing with the same problem that provides an open door for a bad mood again and again for days or weeks (or heck, months!). It's like beating my head against a brick wall...until one day I have this moment where I realize how EASY the solution is, and how crazy I was for not taking the initiative to change what needed to be changed. I just needed to solve the problem, ask for help, get some advice (and actually TAKE it). It might be as stupidly easy as pitching the new toaster that I just bought, that chronically burns everything and starts the day out with frustration, or it might be changing my habits (the newspaper) or really putting my foot down on behavior and taking action (like the sniping the older kids can do at eachother) that can turn my mood upside down quickly. I try to pay attention to what creates peace and ease for myself and my family, and what creates chaos and stress-and then make changes if possible. Sometimes when I feel everything weighing heavily on me, just writing down what is bothering me helps me tremendously. The solutions seem to pop off the paper, and my mind just seems clearer.

I feel strongly that being nice and happy is a decision we can make. It's a choice we all make every minute. Sometimes its hard as heck to lean towards positiveness and I squeak by or downright fail, and sometimes it seems its easy as pie and rainbows and daisies. Sometimes all I need is a good night's sleep or a fresh air walk, or a big old fruit salad (with strawberries) and a good book (which is why I love historical fiction that reminds me of how easy we have it today!) to change my mood around. And those hard days I always try to remember something each of our mothers probably told us-tomorrow is a fresh start.

Ordinary Days

2011-12-14T00:37:00.013-05:00

Abbey is knee deep in exam studying and was so overwhelmed the other night. I showed her what I used to do and made her a really cute and colorful exam schedule. Unfortunately, when I was her age, I thought that was ALL you had to do. Fortunately, she realizes the part that comes after that cute exam schedule is a little more important: the actual studying part. Stickers and markers just make it all look pretty, but they don't magically transfer all the information into your brain. Darn! I learned that the hard way.

Basketball season has begun. Jeff is coaching Isaac and Matt. (Isaac is behind Jeff in this picture.) I love basketball season. I never want to miss a game. It's so exciting.

One boring afternoon, when a little bit of the crabbies were setting in, I thought a pool bath (that is what I call it to make it sound fun) would be the perfect diversion.

Do you have Elf on the Shelf at your house? He has been really busy this year and sort of forgetful. I think he has a lot on his mind. But one day he surprised us all.

No joke, I go through about 3 boxes of these a week. I call them my cold/flu insurance plan.

I can't get in the Christmas spirit without snow. Where I grew up we had tons of it every year...I only remember one year without much. I have to resign myself to the fact that here we usually don't have white Christmas's (and complaining about that fact doesn't help-trust me, I've tried!). This picture was taken at 8 a.m. one morning before school. The boys were so excited.

Don't forget to enter the HP giveaway by Friday!