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Frogs Don’t Always Make Good Babysitters
We struck out. No babysitter to be found anywhere. So, we headed to the lake with the boys. Maybe the frogs would provide a decent alternative? We hesitated going when we learned that temperatures would soar to the 50s, the snow would melt, and wouldn’t the ice on the lake be gone? What would the boys possibly do with themselves up there at the lake? Surprisingly, the lake was still frozen solid, from last week’s bitter chill. But now it was warm, and this air rouses the animals out of their winter hibernation. It didn’t take long before the boys soon had frogs in their hands. On the frozen lake….…
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Santa Should Just Know
Christmas morning started at 2 a.m. Technically, I guess, it started at midnight, when we pulled the presents out of their hiding spots and transferred them to the tree. But, I’m not counting that. Two in the morning was when my little elf awoke, and started camping out in the living room for his “wait.” We told him not before 7. I didn’t hear the TV blaring until 4 a.m. I struggled downstairs to see him sitting on the sofa, just watching and waiting. Contently. “Please go back to bed right now, and get some sleep. It is the middle of the night.” Reluctantly he said OK… and, I learned…
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Starts With An X
At 7 a.m., I heard our littlest boy yell out the words, “We got an XBOX guys, wake up!” at the top of his lungs. The words bellowed out as if he was releasing months, days, and agonizing seconds holding those words inside. Now, he was finally able to release them. “Shhhhhh…. don’t tell,” the other brothers echoed through the house. “Did you open the presents already?” “No, mom, he’s just ‘guessing’…” “Tell me, how did you know what you were getting for Christmas this year?” “Well, our little brother saw the XBox in the trunk of the car – he saw it through the Target bag, and he told…
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Another Christmas Eve
The floors are shinny and wet, smelling faintly of vinegar for the fourth time in 3 days. Another group of guests has just been sent off their way, and the boys are finally tumbling off to bed. The presents, the ones from Santa, although no one really believes in Santa here anymore (but one no really wants to admit it that readily), are still in their hiding spot. (This year, miraculously, my closet was the holdout, and no one was the wiser.) The older boys stay up as late as we do, so it makes it kind of challenging to pull out presents with them awake, so I’m awkwardly trying…
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All I Want For Christmas
is an E-bay gift card. Unfortunately, that still won’t cover the expenses… I wonder what “PS” was going to be? Check out how the electric company is making it easier for you to save money, here.
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Cell Phone Talk Answers
This is sponsored content from BlogHer and LG Text Ed Here are the answers to the cell phone questions — if you haven’t done this little exercise with your kids, I highly recommend doing dthis. I was lucky to have all three age groups covered in my house. I was surprised at their answers… and I learned something from this exercise. Actually asking them the questions, was much more educational. I noticed that if they didn’t know the answer, and realized I wasn’t going to provide it, they were more likely to hear what I had to say. This is a great way to not only get a dialogue going…
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Listen for the Gentle Whisper
The little boys, I’ve noticed, are asking fewer questions about how Santa operates. Yesterday, they wanted to know how Santa “gets up?” (I didn’t know what they meant either.) That’s been the only question about the jolly man in red. They’re probably afraid to dig to deep — afraid they’ll find that magic really isn’t there if they look too close. They’ve been busy answering bigger questions. “What is God like?” “Where is he?” “Why can’t we see him or hear him?” I’m at a loss as to what to say. The only thing I can do is point them to Elijah. People — an entire army, in fact, was …
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My Little E-Bay Shopper
Yes, I know the picture is blurry… but I had to snap it fast, before he saw me. Notice his pile of piggy bank money … And what is he searching for? Another one of those outrageous “no-longer available” Lego toys — just like his older brother last year. This year it’s a Lego Batman Set. The actual Bat Cave would be such a delicious find. But to find one that is at least under $50? Impossible again. Please list your meal-saving strategies for picky eaters and enter enter in a a BlogHer giveaway for a $200 Visa gift card, here.
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Imitating Susie Kate
Years ago, my husband and I found this quaint diner in San Francisco on a Sunday morning. We popped in for breakfast before our flight left that day, and started off with Mint Juleps, with real mint leaves, and ended with the most delicious grits I’ve ever eaten. (Do you think it was the Mint Julep-effect?) The name on the door said, “Susie Kate’s.” I can’t make grits at home taste as good as Susie’s, no matter how much butter I add. My husband tells me that he learned on his last visit that Susie Kate’s is no more — so no more awesome grits. But, I ran across this…
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