http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/ Confessions, revelations and pleasures of an over-committed life. en-US Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:07:00 -0500 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification typepad/ytEjhttp://feedburner.google.com http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/brown-eyes.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/brown-eyes.html What are your weekend plans? Me? I plan to be making out with my dog all weekend long. Who could resist that face, those eyes! Have a good one! the good life Laurie Mattaliano Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:07:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/kids-birthday-party-favors.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/kids-birthday-party-favors.html Can we talk about party favors real quick? I make cookies for just about every party I host. It's standard issue. I wish everyone would, just do something homemade that is. Standard kid party favors really annoy me on so many levels. I wish I could start a trend..... I could pitch it in the following ways: Green: No manufacturing and shipping of plastic crap. Inexpensive: Making anything saves so much time and money. Kids Activity: Get the kids involved, make them work for thier party. Fun: Darn it, I like making stuff. I have done some crazy time-consuming party... Food and Drink kids Laurie Mattaliano Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:20:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/9-year-old-boy-birthday-bash.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/9-year-old-boy-birthday-bash.html "Keep it simple, stupid": my mantra for yesterday's birthday party. Lord knows I am highly capable of over doing the kids birthday party thing, this time, I just wasn't in the mood. My older son has a pretty unfortunate birth date: December 30th. Clearly not such a great time for hosting kids b-day parties, the list of hurdles is long. For nine years we have struggled to come up with a plan and date that works. He doesn't care if the party is actually on or near his birthday for that matter, he just wants the darn party. This year's... Games It's Local kids Laurie Mattaliano Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:41:32 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/favorite-rocks.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/favorite-rocks.html I deal with a lot of rocks in my line of work: The mothering of boys. No doubt my favorite kind of rock of all time is the heart shaped variety. My husband has a keen knack for finding heart shaped rocks and we have built a nice collection. In celebration of today, thought I would share a lovely photo of a heart-shaped rock! Happy Valentine's Day! photo credit: the majik of magenta the good life Laurie Mattaliano Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:17:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/sleeping-arrangements.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/sleeping-arrangements.html Our boys share a room. It's the standard Beaver Cleaver twin bed set up. I often wonder why we bother hogging space with the two beds. More often than not the boys are found like this: They sleep in a full tangle, a brotherly loving embrace. It melts my heart. Just as I was beginning to wonder if I should consider tossing out the extra bed to reclaim some much needed square footage, our four-legged friend, ever the opportuntist, has noticed the boys sleeping patterns as well. I believe his claim has been staked. There is room for everyone it... kids Laurie Mattaliano Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:03:34 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/group-giving.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/group-giving.html I am a member of a group and each year at Christmas I want to give each member a gift, but darn it Christmas always gets in the way. The last couple of years I resigned to giving Valentine's gifts. In retro-spec I shouldn't look at it as resignation, maybe another act of accidental genius. Don't we get enough for Christmas anyway? Gift giving to a group can be tricky. Same goes for party-favors, wedding favors etc. How do you give to many people and have it be worthy and appreciated? I think presentation makes a huge difference, lucky me,... Design Etsy Laurie Mattaliano Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:23:40 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/hello-vanity.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/02/hello-vanity.html illustration by: yokofurusho.com Oh the lessons of an ordinary day. Without warning I got a view of myself, or a view of something deep in myself that I didn't know was there. At least I didn't know the breadth. I think it's safe to call it vanity. Drat. I thought myself beyond such girlish ailments. My facebook friends, at least those blessed with certain timing, know that I was the recipient of a dreadful haircut last week. The attention this received was funny, light and hopefully entertaining to all involved. I am a big fan of self-deprecation and can hopefully... the good life Laurie Mattaliano Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:33 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/media-explosion.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/media-explosion.html Today has been a day full of media for our humble little family. 3 out 5 of us have can be found in a media hit today. We are all basking in our short lived glory... My 9 year old's hockey team was recognized for a tournament win in our local paper. Yes the team looks like a large black blob, but we know the truth and are oh so proud. Pup dog won almost top billing on Desire to Inspire today (Monday's Pets on Furniture Feature). No credit to his own of course, other than looking cutie, I took... Barefoot Books Weblogs Laurie Mattaliano Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:03:02 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/inside-frozen-fenway.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/inside-frozen-fenway.html My 7 year old has friends in high places. Lucky for me, I got to be his chaperon. His hockey coach just so happens to be a senior executive for the Boston Red Sox by day. When Fenway Park was frozen this year, guess who's team was invited to play...lucky little nuggets. Yes, I thought it so cool that my son got the rare opportunity to play and take part of this unique event, but I found myself a bit consumed by my own incredible opportunity to be in a nearly empty Fenway Park. When does that happen? Mildly speaking,... It's Local kids Sports the good life Laurie Mattaliano Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:06:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/look-before-you-leap-on-the-lion.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/look-before-you-leap-on-the-lion.html Are you a Mac or a PC? If you are a Mac I have a public service announcement to make. Beware of Lion. - female lion tamer image source This is not a tech blog and the person who writes this blog is dangerous at best with the little amount of tech savvy possessed. I had a big idea that backfired in ways I can not begin to comprehend. As a new years "let's get off to a fresh start" resoltuion I set off upgrading all of my apple equipment to the newest operating system, Lion. This year I was... Web/Tech Laurie Mattaliano Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:35:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/make-the-best-valentines-ever.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/make-the-best-valentines-ever.html I can't believe we actually did it! This might just be my most favorite project to date. What was more was was that my children actually participated and were moderately engaged (using the term 3-D was very helpful). We had a snowy weekend and I thought the white back-drop would add a nice touch. Taking the photos was easier than anticipated and was complete using fewer clicks of the shutter than ever imagined. I cropped them a bit, changed to black and white (easier for us than dealing with a themed wardrobe), added a little text and sent them off... kids Weblogs Laurie Mattaliano Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:18:20 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/oy-the-valentines.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/oy-the-valentines.html "Parent the children you have", is that how it goes? Long ago, I let go of the fantasies of doing crafts with my kids. My kids are not interested. Go figure they got me for a mom. Each year, each holiday, each normal person's time of fabulous craftiness, I have a reality to deal with and a decision to make. I get so excited about making valentines with my kids, and then my actual kids show up. It turns into a punishable offense when they will not engage in their seasonal crafting requirement. Even though I've learned to dumb "boy"... kids Laurie Mattaliano Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:15:21 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/the-jell-o-fish.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2012/01/the-jell-o-fish.html I had a Christmas party, but how could you know that. I haven't attended to this blog since November. Life has been going on and I have been developing lots of new and exciting entertainment.... Back to the party. I had a Christmas party, yes I did. I didn't take many photos and for that I am regretful. The mid-century menu was divine and matching decor, in my opinion, beat the band. I did, however, take a photo of the fish. - hipstimatic dated it, however so appropriately '81. It's 2011 all the way Last year I threw a mid-century... Food and Drink the good life Laurie Mattaliano Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:21:47 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2011/11/my-entry.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2011/11/my-entry.html Ok, fine, last post about my four-legged friend. He got a new bed and it rocks and we love it and it's so sassy! From Bowwow Beds on Etsy. Check it out! Just the cover, stuff with bed pillows - simply divine. Nite-nite pup dog. Etsy Laurie Mattaliano Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:18:00 -0500 http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2011/11/guiding-eyes-campus-tour-emotional-verison.html http://rocksinthedryer.typepad.com/rocks-in-the-dryer/2011/11/guiding-eyes-campus-tour-emotional-verison.html I introduced you to our new dog Vince, but waited to tell you the rest of the story. Vince was bred as and trained to be a seeing eye dog by Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I've plowed through their website over the years and thought I was well prepared for the day I would visit the campus and meet our new dog. I had known this day was coming for many years, I assure you, prepared I was not. "Through These Eyes, We Can See" I am the first to admit I can be emotional. I am an excellent... Laurie Mattaliano Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:32:00 -0500