Actual Unretouched Photo

Seven-year old Grace and I were returning from the grocery store.

“Hey!  My shirt says ‘live in peace.’”  She paused.  “Like that will happen.”

“Why?  Don’t you think it’s possible to live in peace, Grace?”  I was shocked by her cynicism.

“No.”

“Why not?”  I was suddenly consumed by dismay.  My child was born after 9/11–our country’s been at war her entire life.  Many of her friends have military parents.  Has my child become disillusioned by life at the tender age of seven?  Does she really believe that peace is impossible, that we are doomed to a world full of endless war?  “Why can’t you live in peace, Grace?”

She sighed, one of those “my-mom-is-so-dense” sighs, then spit out one word:  “ZACH!”

I burst into laughter.  She cannot live in peace because she and her 11-year old brother, Zach, are locked in constant battle.  I couldn’t stop laughing which made her giggle which made me laugh until I had to wipe my eyes.

As if a girl could live in peace when she has a brother to torment her.  Duh.

My husband and I were half-watching football tonight.  Then the gray-bearded face of Bret Favre appeared on the screen and I said, “Look at that gray in his beard!”

And my husband shrugged and said, “He’s old.  He’s your age.”

Well.

Okay then.

(Forty-four, almost forty-five and I promise you I do not look a day over sixty-two.)

Merry Christmas!  I started writing a post earlier and abandoned it completely to finish making Christmas dinner.  I didn’t remember that I’d even started it until I was sitting in the movie theater, waiting for my movie to begin.  (I saw “Up in the Air.”  I liked it.)

Tomorrow, I’m heading to Seattle with my daughter for our annual Christmas outing to see a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet.  I’m looking forward to it.

I’ll tell you all about it later!

My kids are giddy with excitement. How will they ever wait until Christmas Day?  Oh, the anticipation!

I’m less giddy.  In fact, I’d have to say I’m mostly weary.  I don’t feel any Christmas magic, no holiday glow.  That’s how it is when you’re the mom, the Man Behind the Curtain who makes all the magic happen.

Plus, my house is an absolute wreck because all the kids have been home wreaking havoc while I’m sitting at my desk working.  (But I have two whole days off, following by the weekend, so I must admit to feeling giddy about that).  Tomorrow, everyone will be helping clean up.  Merry Christmas Eve, kids!

Last year at this time snow covered everything and we were essentially housebound.  This year we’re going to the Christmas Eve service at Mars Hill where Grace will be performing Christmas carols with a children’s choir.  I am looking forward to that.  She can’t wait to wear her beautiful dress and her shiny black shoes with heels.  To finally have a child who loves shoes is a delight.

I have managed to get all the gifts wrapped and the stocking stuffers organized.  I baked a batch of cookies but took them all to a Christmas party, so I might bake tomorrow.  I’m not sure.  I don’t want to be totally stressed out in the kitchen all day.  I think tidying up is more important.

But not as important as sleeping in.  After so many years of being woken early by children I have fully embraced the luxury of sleeping in again.  Also?  I’m reading Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle and all I really want to do is finish reading it.  It would probably be irresponsible of me to sleep in and then read instead of springing out of bed like an industrious homemaker and baking a few batches of cookies.  I’ll let you know who wins:  The Industrious Homemaker or the Slothful Sleepy Reader.

Last night I wrote my Christmas letter.  I finished it at almost 3 a.m., but it needs revision and sprucing up.  It’ll be sent out by Valentine’s Day at the very latest.  Well, perhaps St. Patrick’s Day.  Let’s not rush into these things.  If you send your letter out really late, you discover who is only sending you a card because you sent one first.  So there’s that.

I’ve been writing annual Christmas letters since 1991–I have a file of them (I’m missing one year, the year Grace was born).  I read through them all last night (seeking inspiration).  It’s such an odd thing to read a year-by-year summary of life, all the way from being a childless couple to being the parents of four kids, including two that are almost 17.  It’s almost as strange as reading Christmas letters from friends who include photographs of their children GETTING MARRIED, especially when you knew the friends before they even gave birth to those particular kids.

It’s all proof of one thing.  We are getting old.  As if the mirror hadn’t mentioned that fact to me already.

Merry Christmas Eve!  May you experience Christmas peace and perhaps the joy of doing what you want at some point over the next four days.  Even the Man Behind the Curtain deserves a break from time to time.

If you have a preschooler or a younger elementary-school child, this product may interest you.

Munchkin Math is a series of DVDs created by a mom of three boys to help kids learn math.  The three titles are “Counting Money!”, “Telling Time!” and “Shapes!“.   The DVDs are a fun, easy and interactive way to learn, review and remember these concepts.

I watched the “Counting Money!” DVD with my 7-year old.  She told me she wasn’t going to do the motions, but she did them anyway.  I guess they are catchy!  The little chants are replaying in my head as I type this.  The DVD reminded me of Barney a little bit, minus the purple dinosaur and the music.  The DVDs feature some cute kids and a really smiley woman (Wendy, the creator of Munchkin Math) who introduces the concepts and games.

My daughter said she’d watch it again and that she liked it, but she said she already knew all the math.  It’s probably true.  She’s always been very interested in counting money!

The Munchkin Math website includes information about classes and activities.

It’s too late for Christmas, but if you have a child who is beginning to learn these concepts or who might need a little extra help at home, these would be a great idea.  (Only 22 minutes long, too, so it’s not a huge time investment.)

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And now, the legal stuff:  “I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Munchkin Math and received a sample DVD to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

I have yet to write my much-acclaimed Christmas letter.  (Do not snicker.  It is much-acclaimed and causes me a mild panic every year when I contemplate writing another one.)

I haven’t baked a single Christmas cookie, nor wrapped a gift.

I can’t even remember where I put the kids’ Christmas lists.

Bah-humbug.

Send eggnog.  Wait.  Send a million dollars and a maid.  And a therapist.

Thank you and good-night.

Eleven-year old Zach has been doing a snow ritual to summon snow.  I don’t know exactly what this ritual involves–other than an ice cube–but apparently it worked for this afternoon, while driving home from church, I spotted the first tiny snowflakes whizzing across the freeway.  Soon the children noticed, too.

When we pulled into the driveway, the snowflakes had grown bigger.  They stuck to our clothes.  Showing admirable restraint, they stayed indoors for awhile to give the snow time to “pile up.”  When a half inch had fallen, they donned snowsuits, boots, mittens and frolicked in the back yard.

Awhile later, Zach went to the neighbor’s house to “sled” down the slope in their back yard.  (The back yard is smallish, just like ours.  They must have very slippery grass.)

But now, the snow has stopped.  The deck is covered by a white blanket, but such a pitiful and thin white blanket.

I don’t have the heart to tell Zach that his snow ritual isn’t working because of me.  After all, I’m the one who finally purchased snow shovels after living here for eleven years.

And two full-sized snow shovels squash even the most fervent child’s snow ritual.

Promise you won’t mention this to him.

A few weeks ago, I received a bottle of Green Works laundry detergent and Green Works stain remover to try.  I’ve been washing my laundry with them and each time, I admire the pretty green color of the detergent.

But aesthetics aside, here are more reasons to love this detergent and stain remover:

1)  The full line of plant and mineral based products are at least 95% natural.

2)  The laundry gets clean!

3)  The laundry smells fantastic.

Here is a true story.  Just this afternoon, I was switching a load of washed clothes from the washer to the dryer.  My son had washed the load, so I sniffed it to make sure he used detergent.  (Don’t ask.  I’ve also been known to sniff kids’ heads to see if they’ve used shampoo.)

It did not pass the sniff test.  I said, “Hey, did you use detergent?”   He said he did.  “What did you use?”

He pointed to another bottle . . . the (dare I say it?) Arm and Hammer detergent.

Well, that explained it.  I bought the Arm and Hammer because it was on sale . . . and I do a ton of laundry.  I need a lot of detergent.  However, considering the results I got with the Green Works detergent, I just might have to make a point of buying it.  (There is a coupon for the Green Works detergent here, and in addition, you can take a survey and be entered to win a new washer and dryer.  It’s worth the click, I think.)

Sure, I got the detergent free.  But I really did like it.  You might, too (especially with the coupon!).

And now for the disclaimer:

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Clorox Green Works and received a bottle of Green Works Natural Detergent and Stain Remover to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate.”

I remember going into Hickory Farms stores when I was a girl.  I loved the samples and looking at variety of products they sold.  Yum, summer sausage . . .

Do they still even have stores?  Who cares, really, because now you can easily order Hickory Farms products online!

I received a box of goodies to sample.  My 11-year old devoured one of the summer sausages by himself over the course of a few days.  My husband pulled stuff out of the box and sampled the rest of the stuff . . . helped, of course, by the kids.  We are all big fans of Hickory Farms.

Here is something you might not know.  You can order Hickory Farms products to send to APO/FPO addresses to military personnel and the shipping is free!

Another cool thing is that for every Party Planner purchased through December 13th, $5 will be donated to Share Our Strength, a non-profit group that is working to end childhood hunger. The Party Planner is the box I received to sample and it was a delight!  Who wouldn’t want to receive it as a gift?  (Perfect for out-of-town relatives, if you ask me.)

So, there you go.  Hickory Farms = Yummy.

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You ought to know that:  “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review.”

I feel like I ought to be doing more.  I have this idea that I should never lounge around, doing nothing, especially when there are things that need to be done.  How can I rest when my kitchen floor is filthy and the dishes aren’t washed?  Not that I don’t rest.  I do.  I just feel horrible guilt for doing nothing when I could be doing something.

I want to accomplish more but the days get away from me like an inflated balloon released before it’s tied.  I bet you were picturing a balloon gently floating into the sunlit sky, but no.  It seems that’s how a day ought to disappear, a gentle lift toward the horizon, but my days careen in a crazy orbit leaving a mess behind.

Is it just me?  Why can’t I seem to keep up?   At time like these, I tell myself that the Key to Success is decluttering.  If only I threw away all the old magazines I will never read, my life would sit quietly and stop barking at me.

A girl can dream–but only if she sleeps.  Good-night.