Twirls 'n Curls

S ome Christmas down the road, my towering pine  Will have matching ornaments, all in a line,  And red ribbons cascading down tinsel of gold; But that's some Christmas down the road. O n that same Christmas, my Nativity Scene won't come from Fisher Price,  And no one will ask, "How long till Christmas?" more than once or twice. No fingerprints in my fresh-baked fudge, no meltdowns from sugar overload - But that's for some Christmas down the road. T hat festive season yet to come will hold no reindeer ears  Blocking my view of the Christmas parade, no childish games that end in tears. No holiday parties with tokens or tickets, and no cheap "treasures" bestowed... But that will be Christmas down the road. T his year, I'm holding on to the mistletoe kisses,  My handmade crafts and those batter-smeared faces. I'll take smudges, bad jokes, and a mismatched tree If it means having Christmas again with ...

A coworker was having a rough week awhile back, so I told him that I'd been praying for him. His response struck me - he simply said, "Keep doing that. I live an incredibly blessed life... the correct prayer is for me to recognize it far more than I do." For some reason I was thinking about that conversation tonight after I sleepily went through the motions of making lunches, putting the kids to bed (and back to bed again..and again), and picking up the house. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the keychains we'd picked up for the girls on our recent trip to California. They reminded me of how much fun we had, how many friends we saw, what great memories we made...   That's when it struck me, I am so blessed! The signs are everywhere, I just need to wake up and see them . So, being the literalist I am, rather than going to bed early as planned, I grabbed my phone and began snapping pictures around the house of more things that remind me of how amaz...

Hi! You haven't heard as much from us lately with new schedules and activities and jobs to adjust to, trying to get back into the swing of things though. I thought I'd start with some highlight activities for our family the past few months, what we've been up to since our transition to AZ. Activities : It's been great having more family time since we moved, especially on the weekends. We go hiking at least monthly, which is totally fun and addicting. I never get tired of the desert mountain view! The girls do great too, and we usually try to drag at least one or two people with us, so that's an added perk. Hannah loves collecting rocks on our hikes! New rule: she carries them down herself :) Phoenix Skyline We also have fun doing "city" things we haven't ever really lived near before, like having a zillion movie theaters and restaurants to choose from, and more stores than I could visit in a year (although I'm trying!) Our lo...

Dear Nattie, As my youngest, my heart is torn watching you grow up. I love it - and I hate it. I love that you're getting more independent and doing more of those things "the big girls do," And I hate that this means you don't need me as much as you used to.   I love that you're old enough to have your own style - But I hate that it often conflicts with mine (and that of mainstream society!) "Mo-om, I'm ready for school!" So after much thought, I've decided: if you will agree to stay little, just for an extra decade or two - here are some of the perks I can promise you: You will be able to eat all the chocolate you want and never gain weight (trust me, this is a big one!!) You'll never get too big to sleep with your candy cane Christmas blanket, which you've slept with every night since you stole it from Linsey's room as a baby. (she didn't mind!) Additionally, I promise t...

As you may know, I've recently transitioned from works-from-home(schooling) mom to full-time working mom who put all 3 of her kids in school for the first time within 2 weeks of each other. (I don't recommend that, by the way, it was mildly traumatic!) While I am pleased with how this transition has played out, and my husband seems happy with it as well, Linsey, who is 8 going on 35, is not as impressed with my office job. We were watching a reality TV show recently about people who worked in a cupcake bakery that were making a 1,000-cupcake replica of a Mardi Gras mask, when she quipped, "Wow, Mom, aren't you glad you don't have to do that kind of hard stuff at your work? All you have to do is type." And I immediately thought, Yeah, tell that to my boss! Although my becoming an executive assistant has yet to impress her, there are a few perks at our office that she admits are "pretty cool:" A popcorn machine that puts microwave popcorn to ...