We were planning to take a road trip out to California to visit my family for Christmas. But between snowstorms in the mountains, sick relatives in CA, and our own exhaustion at year’s end, we decided we would be better off taking the opportunity to rest and spend time together here at home.
While we enjoy these big road trips (see HERE), we always come home exhausted; and often my boys have picked up a cold or other minor sickness while we’re on the road. … Continue reading
This is the time of year when many people host an array of holiday gatherings for family, friends, and colleagues. It can be a lot of fun, but it can also result in a lot of waste.
Not only is there paper waste from gift wrapping that gets immediately discarded (you can find more sustainable package decorating suggestions HERE), but people frequently use disposable goods in order to lessen the work involved with hosting a party. … Continue reading
Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I thought you might find a reminder about this post from over the summer helpful. In it, my friend Lainie discusses how she uses a Sticky Note Wall to help involve her kids in preparing for a big gathering or celebration.
You can find the post HERE.
This is a great suggestion for families, especially once your kids can read.… Continue reading
May health and happiness be with you during the Year of the Monkey.
Xin Nian Kuai Le!… Continue reading
About two weeks ago my 6-year-old asked if we could bring in our holiday lights from the garage and hang them up around the house.
I responded, “Sweetie, Christmas isn’t for a long time yet. Why don’t we wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put them up. Let’s enjoy one holiday at a time.”
He quickly turned to me with astonishment flashing in his eyes and answered, “Mama, I don’t want to put lights up for Christmas right now.… Continue reading
This may not be our first snowfall of the season (our first snow was only a dusting; see HERE), but today we woke up to our first snowfall with more than a symbolic significance.
This morning when we looked out the windows, we saw several inches of snow. It blanketed the trees, covered the deck, and was plenty to spend multiple sessions playing in throughout the day.… Continue reading
We’ve known that the first snowfall of the season could hit at any time for a while now. We’ve had it snow as early as September here at our Rocky Mountain home, so making it until early November without snow actually feels a bit luxurious.
Last month my 6-year-old excitedly asked if we could celebrate the first snowfall with sledding and making maple candy (recipe HERE).… Continue reading
While discussing the significance of the 4th of July in American history, my 6-year-old had the idea of making an edible flag entirely out of fruit to eat during our celebration. He loves fruit, so he was excited to be in charge of preparing a big tray of “yummy treats.”
His preparations for this undertaking gave us the opportunity to talk a bit about the American flag, what it looks like now, and how it has changed over the course of our country’s 239 year history.… Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago, my 6-year old announced that he wanted to do something special to celebrate spring’s arrival. Spring arrived on a warm, clear, sunny day. Here’s how we welcomed the change of seasons:
We forced tulip bulbs. It’ll be a while before outdoor tulips will bloom in our mountain yard. But we bought a bunch of tulip bulbs, placed them in a large glass vase with a small amount of water, and watched them sprout and grow.… Continue reading