Our Top 10 Stories from 2016: The Drama Year

Christmas is over, and boy, was it a good one. In the photo above, all 4 boys were watching the clock intently. Christmas truly is magical for children. I’m so thankful for a Christmas when my kids were healthy, we didn’t have to fly, there were no funerals to attend, and all went smoothly. Now on to the new year! 2016 was all about drama. Yep. Drama. I’m hoping 2017 will be more about persistence and less about big things […]

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2016 Christmas Gift Guide for Tween Boys, Ages 8-12

Top Pre-Teen Boy Picks: Ages ~8-12 #1. Popular Video Games this Christmas: Our sons don’t have any of these yet, and all three are on my oldest’s list. His nonna has already claimed the basketball one, and I took care of the Skylanders, thanks to this incredible deal that Amazon is running right now on it. (That’s a link that’ll take you to it. So yes, this whole page is chock full of affiliate links.)             […]

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Do your kids love writing thank you notes???…..So here’s a solution.

Our family has never been known for our stellar thank-you note etiquette. Instead, thank you notes typically make my boys want to actually return their presents. “Skylanders, YES!!!!!” “THANK YOU NOTES??? Oh, um, oh, uh. Moaaaannnnnn….Groannnnn….” Look, it’s not that they are ungrateful. They SAID thank-you 100 times, jumped up and down, and gave the giver a hug. We are thankful, okay. But sitting down in an actual chair and WRITING out thank you notes??? Apparently some people don’t love […]

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The Weight of the Choices that We Make

Wow! What an election year, eh? Alan got to be in Washington, D.C. for election night, but it was not just me and the boys here. Nana came over too! We had an “election party”, which is basically where we feed the boys Oreos and let them fill out the electoral map with red and blue markers as the results come in. Of course, most of it had to wait until the morning. I always stay up as late as […]

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Fun Way to Teach the True Meaning of Christmas, with Giveaway!

John David is 3 years old, but he already knows that Christmas equals presents. He is also fully in love with Santa Clause, aka the King of Christmas. And in all fairness, who wouldn’t love a man who shows up once a year just to give you all the things you wanted???? Sign me up for that! So you might be wondering why I’m talking about Christmas in October, but the thing is that if you are planning a children’s […]

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Caleb, Aiden, and the Wolf: Creative Tales From California

Today I want to talk about creativity. When I was a child, it was greatly celebrated, but I was never so sure that I actually possessed any of this creativity stuff. There were only two subjects I disliked in school: P.E. (We’ve talked about this) and Art. Yep. I never liked Art. I love to admire other people’s artwork. I would just rather not make any myself. Sure, I write all the time. Non-fiction. All of my work is simply […]

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How to Make Fire with a Magnifying Glass

Last weekend we were enjoying a leisurely weekend of letting the kids play in the backyard while we visited with family. Caleb, who loves all things science-related, asked Alan if he could show him how to use the sun’s light and a magnifying glass to make fire. Deep down, I guess we are all like cave-men because every one of us was full of joy to watch this happen. I had never actually seen this done before. The sun was […]

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Why You NEED MOPS/Mom’s Next

You may be thinking, “Yes! MOPS! I love MOPS!!” Or you may be thinking, “What the heck is MOPS?” Well, either way, come check out my article today at Monterey Premier’s Engaging WorkLife, and find out why moms need MOPS/ Mom’s Next. Just click here or on the photo above.

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What do I wear to the wedding?

I have a wedding to go to tomorrow. Oh, and Alan won’t be here to help me get the boys ready. He had a prior commitment, so I gotta figure out what we  are all going to wear by tomorrow. Plus, I’m paying for THREE private school tuitions, so do not even say the words “shop” to me. There will be no shopping. Here are my options. The wedding is outdoors. I am told the groomsmen will not be wearing […]

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“Are you so happy, Mom?”

John David asks me one question every single day. “Mom, are you so happy? I just want you be happy, Mom.” If I cry, he can’t take it. “No, Mom! I just want you be happy!” If I get stressed and start rushing around, “Mom, I just want you be happy!” If he’s in trouble for something, well, if John David gets in trouble for something he does that thing that little kids do that will melt your heart. He […]

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