I CHEATED. Bertolli offered me the opportunity to try a new soup with my family and I cheated. For starters, when I discovered that the soup was intended as the main dish for a family meal, I became interested. Cooking dinner each night is a joy, but sometimes our schedule gets a bit manic. It’s nice to have an emergency option in the freezer to help me avoid the fast food temptation. And then I saw the list of flavors:

• Chicken Minestrone

• Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta

• Tuscan-Style Beef & Vegetable

• Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken

I found the soups in my freezer section at Kroger. I knew my family would eat all of the chicken flavors. I had intended to purchase the Rosted Chicken and Rotini Pasta flavor. Turns out that everyone got there before me and there was only one bag available. So, I simply picked up the last bag and added the Chicken Minestrone flavor with the intention of serving these to my family as a taste test one night. (The soups are meant to serve 2-3 easily.)

The next day I was finishing an article and those soups just called my name from the freezer. It was a hard choice, but I decided to cook a bag and use it for two lunches. When you work at home things like this make you very happy. It’s the little things, right? I added the frozen ingredients to one cup water and went to check emails. Within a few minutes a soup full of vegetables and meat appeared. I had anticipated the veggies to be mussy and tasteless, but instead the zucchini was still al dente’, the greens added a great deal of flavor, and the tomatoes were full of texture and flavor. Extremely fresh tasting.

My lunch was divine. The next day as well. I ended up using the Roasted Chicken and Rotini Pasta flavor to feed my teenager one cold night after a drama practice and never told the family about the lunch cheat. They’ll be getting their own share  of this soup soon anyway. Such a nice alternative to pizza and other quick items. Healthier, too.

Find and follow Bertolli for information on their Meal Soups, Ideas, and Discounts.

Facebook: facebook.com/Bertolli
Twitter: twitter.com/Bertolli
Website: villabertolli.com 

I was compensated byBertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge, but as always I give my own opinion on products and reviews.

MY LATEST ARTICLE ON THE SAVVY SOURCE WAS PUBLISHED TODAY.  I’ve been waiting anxiously for this publishing date because I had some fun exploring the High and the possibilities for fun within it’s white walls. So often museums are considered a boring option for family fun…at least that’s how the first impression occurs. Don’t believe me? Try saying the words “amusement park”, “movies”, and “museum” and see your kid’s reactions. I think we sell art museums—especially ones with ideas for families to experience their art—short.

It’s no secret that my family has found fun at the High Museum. Last Spring we included it as part of our city adventure day by using MARTA to navigate us to the various stops. You can follow the details of our adventure in the first and second posts where we then discovered an exhibition being set up…and an artist/scientist who was willing to share his excitement with our children. It was completely unplanned and incredibly memorable. So much so that they begged to go see the opening lecture and revisit the artist a week later. Truth be told, my kids had done their research on voxels after the encounter and understood what Joris Laarman was referencing more than the adults in the audience. To me, that is real learning!

Come visit my new article and perhaps try the High Museum of Art on your next downtown adventure:

IN THE SUMMER OF 2010 WE TOOK A FAMILY TRIP TO CHICAGO FOR A FAMILY REUNION. We made a point of going through Springfield, Illinois on our way to the Windy City and it was a day enjoyed by everyone in our family. In honor of President’s Day I wanted to reshare our fun from that trip. I always love traveling with my kids. Oddly enough, they seem to exhibit perfect behavior while traveling — perhaps because they are learning something new?

 I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when they realized that you could rub Abe Lincoln’s nose!

BEING A PARENT IS HARD. BEING A PARENT OF A TODDLER IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT PREPARES YOU FOR THE COMPLICATION OF TEENS. Any parents of teenagers agreeing with me at this moment? I’m not trying to scare anyone. Just tell the truth.

Amazingly, this post is not a rant about my teenager. The situation that caused this post — totally about what teen parents will face with this new generation. I want to say at the beginning that I am proud of my husband. He may well have had the patient parenting moment of the century. Let me explain.

Earlier this week my husband gets a FaceBook notification concerning a photo comment. The comment is quoted in his notification and it makes my dear husband fall off of his seat…figuratively speaking. The word and acronyms used are rude, vulgar, and are written under a family photo taken in November. Right there, under all the kind friend comments sits a real stinker of teenage stupidity from a young man who attends high school with our daughter.

My husband took a screen shot to preserve the moment of evidence.

Dave then begins to look for contact information associated with the comment. That’s when I get the phone call and we take a look in the school directory. It doesn’t take us long to have parent names and phone numbers. Thank you PTA. Dave calls late that afternoon hoping to catch someone at home. First time a voice answers and then quickly hangs up. The second time there is simply a pickup/hangup end to the call. Hmmm, I wonder who is answering…any bets on whether Mr. Facebook is receiving calls?

The next day Dave drops by the house after taking Will to baseball practice. The father comes to the door. Dave calmly says that apparently there has been an inappropriate FaceBook message. He goes on to say that although we pay attention to our daughter, we really don’t know everything she broadcasts to the world as a teenager. (And that’s just the honest reality of this digital age.) And then he ends by saying that he would appreciate someone notifying him if this issue ever came up in our household.

Truth be told, I had assumed there would be some defensiveness from the offender’s parents. Instead the calm, father-to-father understanding was met with appreciation. The father promised to get to the bottom of the situation.

About an hour later we were finishing dinner. The home phone rang and the name which flashed on the caller id matched the one seen earlier on FaceBook. I sushed everyone and then heard the tidbits of a very humble and polite young man. He explained that while at a party (and bored) he had logged into facebook on a friend’s computer, but never logged out. He apologized for the whole incident.

Whatever the cause of the remark, this lesson has taught us all new lessons. Parenting lessons, gentleman lessons for the offender, and a few examples of how we are paying attention to even the stray comment which affects our family name.  The comment could have been simply deleted, but that wouldn’t have made the impression on everyone involved. The older my children become, the more complicated the situations.

I want to express my thanks to both my husband and the father of the offender. Those are the examples of behavior which will last beyond the temporary FaceBook post and affect the hearts of their children. 

Grace as a ten pound newborn in the NICU.

I AM NOT SO WORDLESS TODAY…BUT QUIET WITH THOUGHTS. I’m having deep thoughts today. We had a new baby niece come into our lives this week. She’s the first grandchild for my husband’s sister. All in all, a very happy situation. But they had an emergency delivery which was very scary. I’m getting ready to go visit them this morning and spend some time remembering my own delivery of Grace. Let’s be honest, I think about it all the time. It affects a great deal of my life and I am also reminded daily what a blessing this hard headed and sparkly child is…and how close we both came to the edge of life. When I tell my nephew and his wife that I understand what they are going through it will be sincere in every way. Not many people go through something so scary. I feel like God has prepared me for this very visit. I was able to pray a most specific prayer last night.

And this morning I am remembering milestones I blogged in the past like these:

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

Four Years Old

Six Years Old

Seven Years Old

 Something difficult in my life does have meaning. Something simple to say and challenging to live. That’s where I am in my mind today.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Whether you share with others or not, Valentine’s Day is often a nice day to enjoy a sweet treat for yourself. I had a delightful time compiling the list of sweets in Atlanta. I simply could not believe the number of unique delicacies in Atlanta. My first thought was, “How many cupcake shops can there be?” and by the end I was amazed by the shops offering special pies, handmade chocolate bars with exotic flavors, and unexpected combinations in Atlanta. Some traditional and some more innovative. Some of my favorites didn’t even make the list…I have enough notes to write the second part of the article one day.

The first link is to the Atlanta Sweets article I wrote:

Sweets for Your Sweet

And the second link is to the overall group of articles it fits within.

Sweets for My Sweet: Celebrating Our Love Affair with Sugar

Check out your nearest city and see if you agree with the author. Better yet, tuck this article away in your suitcase for your next business trip. You’ll be the one ‘in the know’ for the must taste treats.

Enjoy the little moments today and the people in your life!

IT’S COOKIE TIME IN THE WORLD OF GIRL SCOUTS. My friend George loves being a Dad. He’s a single father who is blessed with two lovely girls. So much so that he volunteered to be the Cookie Dad for his daughter’s troop. Today he went for the official pick-up of cookies the troop had sold. After returning this was his facebook status:

Dear Lord. Thank you for your lesson today while picking up the Daisy troop’s Girl Scout cookies. Thank you for making me a Cookie Dad, and not a Cookie Mom. Lord please show teach these Cookie Moms forgiveness towards amateurs like me — who like Mr. Mom are always “doing it wrong”.

Please teach them tolerance for us dads who (although we have no female organs) value and respect the advancement and self reliant teachings for our daughters. In my case this happens to be two little girls.

Most of all, thank you for showing me how scary hardcore cookie moms can be. Please shelter me from their wrath, their eye rolls, and their snide comments as this was indeed my first rodeo. Lastly…thank you for the gift of laughter you pierce me with, that allows me to laugh at them instead of taking it seriously.

—The New Cookie Dad…George

I feel like I should have protected him somehow!

LAST SATURDAY WE ENJOYED THE LAUGHING PIZZA RED CARPET CONCERT MOVIE EVENT AT THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM. It was an awesome event for families. We all walked the red carpet entry, but Grace was the most excited to get her picture made by the papparazi. As you can see, she was very – very – excited. Jumping for joy in fact. Jordan and I just stepped away and let her do her thing. I didn’t have enough coffee in me to jump like that.

And we were surrounded by these beautiful creatures in the Oceans Ballroom of the Aquarium. What an amazing glimpse from the other side of the huge tanks inside the public areas of the Georgia Aquarium. On one side there were the whale sharks and all of the other creatures from the Ocean Voyager tank. The baluga whales were in another window. Simply magical.

After the circus performance and the movie premiere there was a short concert with all the Laughing Pizza classics in celebration of the DVD movie release. If you have little kids you may have seen this family band on PBS Kids in between the educational programming. It’s so refreshing to have good music and wholesome lyrics…and still be entertained. I don’t know about you, but it makes me happy to see the chance for kids to explore more than just the Barney Song <no offense, Barney, but your song is annoying when sung a million times by a kidlet> or London Bridge. Kids are able to digest more than we give them credit for intellectually. Laughing Pizza sings about families, but doesn’t hold back on the rock and rhythm.

At one point during the concert, Lisa asked for answers to several questions…then she used those answers to fill in the blanks for a mad lib type song. It was an enjoyable moment. After the concert, Grace ran behind the stage to wait for the band to exit.

I was able to catch this quick photo with Emily after they hugged. (Grace has a butterfly painted on her face.)

Fast Forward to last night. I emptied Grace’s backpack and found this school library book:

So if you see a jumping butterfly on YouTube, please let me know!

AH, THE CIRCUS…IT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey has just released a new show theme called “Fully Charged” to begin touring and Atlanta is the next city to experience the electrifying energy and beautifully kept animals. I can’t wait to take my crew to enjoy the newly redesigned show and take advantage of the preshow activities. I am also excited to announce that  I have 4 ticket vouchers to give away which will cover the complete ticket price for four people. This is a quick giveaway since a winner will be drawn on Thursday, February 9th at 12:01 am.

The winner will be able to exchange the winning vouchers for the seat dates of his choice from either Phillips Arena in Atlanta or Gwinnett Center. The date options are:
Wed. Feb. 15 at Philips Arena 7:30 show

Thursday, Feb. 16 at Philips Arena 7:30 show

Friday, Feb. 17 at Philips arena 10:30 show (there is no pre-show for this performance)

Thurs. Feb. 23 at Gwinnett Arena 7:30 show

Friday, Feb. 24 at Gwinnett Arena 10:30 show (there is no pre-show for this performance)

Ticket vouchers must be redeemed by the recipient at the box office for hard tickets. They can be redeemed upon receipt, they do not need to wait until the day of the show.

 Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this article to enter. The more items you complete, the more chances you have to win.

Ready to enjoy the circus with your family? Here we go!

Disclaimer: Feld Entertainment provided my family with tickets to attend the circus and also 4 tickets to give away to my readers. As always, I present you with the facts and my own opinion in any situation on the Mundane Magic blog. 

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HAVE YOU SEEN “MEMPHIS” YET? Tuesday night my husband and I shaw the Broadway hit, Memphis, at the Fox Theatre. The singing was incredible – big full voices who captured your ear from the very moment they began singing. Somehow the play takes a difficult subject and manages to show a slice of segregated reality in the fifties.

It was a fantastic date night to celebrate my birthday! Sushi plus a Broadway hit equals a superb night out.

YOU CAN FIND ME AT THE SAVVY SOURCE WEBSITE TODAY. I have a new article which suggests some fun things to do in Atlanta with your family. It was a lot of fun to research this one. I’ve done many of the things on the list, but I think I may try to take my own advice about the ones I have missed. I have really enjoyed being the Atlanta City Editor for this parenting website. It has given me the chance to see how unique this Southeastern destination has grown through the years. I feel fortunate to be making family memories here now.

I’m wondering what are some of the “don’t miss” activities in your town or city? I love having the recommendation of a friend when I am traveling.

FOR ME, FAMILY PHOTOS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AMONG MY MOST TREASURED MEMORIES. I THINK THEY ARE FOR MOST OF US. I am blessed to have been surrounded by family and friends who are excellent photographers. Though some are amateur like me, others are professionals. I am often amazed by their creative eye and ideas.

Recently my friend Erin offered a session idea for families in November. It was literally at 15 minute session and because of her unique ideas and perspective we got some of the best kid shots in a while. Who thinks put a bed in the middle of the woods? Who knows just the quilt that will pop in photos and seem timeless? Who strings a web of stars and the moon to give an enchanted feel? Erin’s Attic Photography does!

I’m in love with all the shots, but these three really make me smile. There won’t be too many years left for 3 kiddos in pajamas. I should mention that matching pajamas would have been great, but my older kids are now sure to express their opinion on these matters. I decided that it was better for them to feel better in their own skin and show their personalities.

What are family photos like for you? I’ve had a variety of good and bad experiences, you too?

HIT FAMILY BAND, LAUGHING PIZZA, AND GEORGIA AQUARIUM HOST VIP SCREENING OF THEIR NEW CONCERT MOVIE

Red carpet event followed by live performance by Laughing Pizza to be held in the Aquarium’s Oceans Ballroom

ATLANTA (January 18, 2012)— Georgia Aquarium and family-favorite musical group, Atlanta’s own Laughing Pizza, invite families to the grand Oceans Ballroom for a one-time, VIP family film premiere Saturday, Feb. 4 at 11:00 a.m. The award-winning band and world’s largest aquarium are teaming up for the world premiere of “Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie” as well as a live performance by Laughing Pizza after the screening.

Beginning at 11:00 a.m., guests will get the “red carpet treatment” with photographs, a VIP screening of Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie, spectacular views into the world’s largest aquatic habitat, Ocean Voyager, as well as views into the charismatic beluga whale habitat from within the grand Oceans Ballroom. After the VIP screening, Laughing Pizza will perform a few of their hits and give guests the opportunity to meet Billy, Lisa and Emily, up close and in person!
Laughing Pizza is a real family band that writes and performs all original pop-music for families. Their music videos can be seen every day in more than 18 million homes on PBS stations and TV On-Demand channels around the country. This mom, dad and daughter trio travel across the nation performing at theatres, museums, music  festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues – including the White House (with Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers).

Lisa and Billy are both classically trained musicians and former music teachers with a history of success in the grown-up music business – including a #1 Billboard Dance Hit and a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell. Emily, their 15-year-old daughter, plays multiple instruments including flute, drums, guitar, piano, and bass – and co-writes all of the Laughing Pizza songs with her parents. Together they create fun, inspiring (and educational) music for the whole family! Their live performances are energetic, interactive, dance-filled shows that get kids and parents up and moving, and they have a loyal following all across the country.

There are two ticket options for families to purchase. VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets include admission to the film, live performance by Laughing Pizza, meet and greet with the band, and red carpet festivities. VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets are $15 (Children under 1 years old are free). For an even more spectacular experience, guests can upgrade their tickets to the VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus ticket, which includes admission to the premiere and its events, as well as admission to the Aquarium and the 3:30 p.m. showing of AT&T Dolphin Tales. VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus tickets are $34.95 for adults and $28.95 for children. Children under 3 years old only need a film pass, as they are admitted to the Aquarium for free.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.laughingpizza.com. For more information on Georgia Aquarium’s conservation efforts, visit www.georgiaaquarium.org or call 404-581-4000. 

- OR -

Enter to win a GIVEAWAY for 4 tickets through Mundane Magic: 

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THIS YEAR I HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT TO DO MORE OF THE “GOOD IDEAS” IN MY LIFE. THOSE IDEAS WHICH REMAIN SUSPENDED FOREVER IN MY MIND, BUT NEVER USED.  Pinterest is a perfect example of that. I love the browsing of cool crafts, neat outfits, and beautiful rooms, but how many of those ideas am I going to put into practice? My friend Meghan began a group of Pinterest lovers who are putting their pinboards to work. Last week was the first “linky” link up at her JaMonkey site. Interesting to see how ideas are put into action from this sharing.

So for the second week of this group challenge I decided to find the organization idea using a parts bin from Harbor Freight mentioned by kinseywilson.com on her Jiminy Pinterest profile. She obviously does scrapbooking and has her rotating bins perfectly organized, but it looks great!

This is the article on her blog. 

So we went off to Harbor Freight to buy the 12″ Revolving Four Tray Bin. Actually, we called ahead with the information from their website and found out that this little parts bin was out of stock in many places. I blame Pinterest. I wonder how many saw this and plunked down the twenty dollars to organize their projects and supplies? This would be great with jewelry beads and materials, stamps, makeup or kid art supplies.

We bought the last two parts bins in the store. Once my husband unboxed them and laid out all the parts he had over 75 screws and matching washers to piece this item together. To say it was tedious was an understatement. It does seem sturdy though! We were missing parts from both boxes so my husband simply made one complete one until we could put the other one together for our teenager.

I am completely thrilled with the result though. I placed it in my art area. About a year ago I began to assemble some of my supplies together in the unfinished part of our basement − in a lockable situation away from kid sleepovers and other parenting hazards. It’s nothing fancy and it has no natural light…BUT the mere fact that I can leave a project in progress is worth e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! I do art with the kids also (of course) but this is where I keep my good Prismacolor Pencils, my nice watercolor paper, and my empty canvases.

My husband made that beautiful dresser from scratch about four years ago. At one point it was supposed to be in my closet and it is a beautiful 5 drawer cabinetry piece he has mounted on the studs at my request. I have a desk to the left of it which is actually a 1930s Hollywood Blonde Wood table. I bought it at an estate sale in my hometown for 40 dollars before going off to college. 27 years later and it still serves me well. One day I’ll have the whole set up ready for a photograph and show you my little nook away from the computers and technology. For now this Project Pinterest idea will have to suffice.

Are you on Pinterest yet? If you want an invite please leave me a comment and I will send you an invitation so we can share ideas. Make sure you visit this week’s Project Pinterest page on JaMonkey’s blog for more project fun. I love seeing what everyone is trying.

I AM AT IT AGAIN…FOLLOWING THROUGH ON AN IDEA FROM PINTEREST! We spent the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend sorting through lots of memories and junk in our basement. We’ve moved l-o-t-s in our marriage and though we sorted and threw away before moving, it never seems enough. I blame part of that on the fact that the last two moves were made with active toddlers. Jordan was only 20 months old when we moved from Hawaii to Maryland. A few years later, William was 21 months when we moved to Georgia. I have some scary memories of how harried our lives were then. William was a speed machine and could keep anyone exhausted with his toddler antics. Did I mention that about six months after moving here I became pregnant with Grace?

Grace is now 7 so I really have no excuse. My dear husband helped me do a bunch of ‘honey-do’ items this weekend. When I said I wanted to visit Harbor Freight he was perplexed. I followed that statement by saying that I got the idea for an organization project off of Pinterest. His reply?

“I’ll never turn down going to a hardware store with you, but what is Pinterest and why do you use it?”

And that is where I’ll leave you hanging…you are going to like my new storage idea for crafts. Come back tonight and I’ll show you.

WE LIVE IN THE SOUTH.  Water is always nearby and boating is a favorite sport. The Atlanta Boat Show has been operating for 50 years and draws crowds downtown to drool over the latest craft regardless of the economy. I suppose the dream is always alive, isn’t it?

This year the feature event at the show was the world’s largest wakeboard tank. Over 400,000 gallons of water were pumped into the indoor facility to create the water feature. The plan was to have professional wakeboarders perform stunts and feats for the crowds in a large manmade lake.

So, this morning all the reporters were there to cover the preview of the excitement planned for this weekend indoors of the World Congress Center. This is the first report by Will Frampton of CBS Atlanta’s morning show.

Atlanta Boat Show 2012 – Wakeboard tank collapse

Sometimes you just have to appreciate the beauty of live television and the way things happen. Amazingly they almost have all the boats that floated back into place and the show opened only 4 hours late.

Gotta love the live shot! I call the engineer a genius who designed drains in the exhibit floor. At least someone was thinking!

I REVEALED MY LOVE OF THE VISUAL BOOKMARKING SITE CALLED PINTEREST RECENTLY. Initially I was drawn to the graphic feel of the site. You can browse images for hours looking at all kinds of crafting ideas, home design and organization, gorgeous outfits and even shoes. It’s a type of shopping…only no buying. (My husband should appreciate that fact, right?)

The real strength of Pinterest is it’s ability to organize ideas and line up projects for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas. Pinboards filled with ideas for a kitchen makeover or laundry room reorganization are easily kept together for you as you pin them. I used this board:

to keep ideas for Grace’s 7th birthday together.

And I keep all the craft ideas I want to try on one board:

When the holidays came around I began to put some of those idea finds to work. I needed teacher and hostess gifts and I didn’t want to buy the usual items. I remembered a project for tile drink coasters which was posted on my friend Ashley’s awesome blog, The Handmade Home. I’ve been following Ashley’s art and design work for years – not to mention laughing along with her growing family’s antics. Not too long ago she was on the Nate Berkus Show and rocked that fame big time. She’s an Auburn girl like me, so you know we have the best in design training. {War Eagle to all the Auburn design geeks out there!) Anyway, I used my handy dandy Pinterest link to find the tutorial.

So I set about to buy all the items necessary:

• Mod Podge
• Cotton Fabric
• Ceramic Tiles
• Felt “feet”
• Brushes
• Scissors

As usual, I started the project after kid bedtime. It didn’t take me long to get in the crafting zone. So relaxing and satisfying. The step-by-step directions worked perfectly and I can honestly say that the options are endless with this idea. You can take it and put your own spin on it. I used cotton quilting fabric because it was the right weight and price, but you may want to use a favorite shirt or a pretty napkin you find. That’s the beauty of Mod Podge and the technique combined with your ideas. Here are three of the sets I created:

and they’ve gotten good reviews thus far from the teachers and friends I’ve gifted. In fact, I plan on having some of these on hand regularly as hostess gifts.

Head on over to my friend Meghan’s blog, JaMonkey, and look at the other Project Pinterest ideas shared there. Add yours to the linky or use her Project Pinterest Facebook page to share. Time to put those Pinterest ideas to work!

LET’S JUST CALL THIS THURSDAY TECH FROM NOW ON… We were waiting for a table at Steak ‘n’ Shake after the Christmas holiday. Our family was out to take advantage of the sales and use the gift cards we had received from Grandparents. My husband had his iPad under his arm. Suddenly the elderly woman in front of him struck up a conversation explaining that she had just received an Amazon Fire, but was ready to return it out of frustration. “Did you hear about the software upgrade which was announced a day ago? That may solve some of your problems.” said my husband.

“No, I had no idea? Should I just send the whole thing back and try to reorder it after they get all this mess situated?”

Not sure how this conversation went from an introductory comment to advice request in just a few minutes, my husband began showing her his iPad and how he uses it. About ten minutes later he came to the table. Sometimes getting the latest and greatest doesn’t always mean a happy user. Technology is a blessing and a curse…especially to some generations.

Did your family receive a new gadget, technology tool, or complicated toy for the holidays? I’m interested in knowing:

• If you LOVE or HATE your new device?
• Does anything ANNOY you about using of setting it up?
• Did you have to consult a child as a TECH EXPERT?
• Do you have BUYER’s REMORSE and wish you’d never bought it?
• Does anything CONCERN you — security? parental controls? why you need it?

I’m here for you…need to vent about the new devices which invaded your house during Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa?

CHRISTMAS IS COMING DOWN AT OUR HOUSE. WE ARE SAYING GOODBYE TO THE SEASON AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR. Before it was dismantled completely, I took a few pictures of the obvious signs of Seasonal Overload. Hope you enjoy my {not so} Wordless Wednesday:

1. Potholders have replaced stockings on the fireplace:

2. The reindeer have begun to protest about being left in the snow…uh, I mean dust storm.

They mentioned a dust blizzard and that’s when the protests really got ugly:

4. It takes a village to care for the special babe in the manger. (Possible colic?)

5. The Sugar Plum Fairy has reported a party gone awry in her jurisdiction.

But seriously, I hope you enjoyed your down time and are ready to tackle 2012 with me. Happy New Year, my dear readers!