Dec
24
Over the summer, my mom picked up a brand new 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle for 75 cents at a garage sale and tucked it away. She’s a “think ahead” kind of person and told me it’d be fun to get out during the winter when it’s cold and we’re all cooped up, which is exactly what we did when I was a kid because that’s exactly what she did when she was a kid. Well, it’s winter and it’s cold and we’re all cooped up and Julia’s on break, so we pulled that puzzle out and set it up on the dining room table.
Julia dove right in despite the “ages 12 and up” suggestion while I explained the best puzzle strategy: 1) Flip all the pieces over, 2) Find all the edge pieces, 3) Start with the corners and build the frame, then 4) Fill in the rest. She didn’t listen, but assembled the entire bottom right-hand corner in the time it took me to sort my pile of pieces into “edges” and “middles.” I told her she was pretty good at this puzzle business. She agreed. And the fact that she’s only half the minimum age requirement listed on the box wasn’t lost on her, either. She discussed this at length, going on and on about how it must mean she’s twice as smart as the average six year old. Until I asked her how to spell “humility.” Yeah, look that one up, kiddo.
Over the next few days, we all gathered around the table at different times and in various combinations to work at the puzzle. Dave and I at 3 p.m., playing footsie under the table. Lucy in grandma’s lap and Phoebe in mine at 5:45 p.m. with Julia playing Christmas carols on the piano. My mom and me at 1 a.m., remembering my grandpa. With our minds focused on the task at hand, our hearts were left open to give and receive. We talked and laughed and sang as we connected the pieces. And our family. I can’t think of a better Christmas gift than that.
Dec
22
Recycled Gift Wrap Wreath
by Leslie
The holiday season is filled with loads of parties and gift exchanges that generate enough gift wrap debris that, if you laid it out, could reach the North Pole. I’m making that up, of course. I’ve done no research to support that assertion. I have no idea how far that even is. But you get what I’m saying. We use a whole lot of gift wrap. And even the most enthusiastic present-opener can’t destroy it completely. So, don’t throw those gift wrap scraps away just yet. Gather them up and breathe a little Christmas spirit into their shredded remains with this recycled gift wrap wreath!
Here’s what you’ll need.
Supplies:
- A paper plate
- Scissors
- Glue
- Gift wrap scraps
- Hole punch (optional)
Directions:
- Cut the center out of a paper plate. (We traced around a round object to make a neat circle.)
- Cover the plate with glue.
- Stick on your gift wrap scraps.
- To hang the wreath, you can attach a loop of ribbon. We used the hole punch to make a hole and looped a piece of string from a gift bag handle.
- Deck your halls!
Originally written for and posted on the now-defunct My OH! Momma website.
Dec
21
Our friend Will and his family gave the girls Zhu Zhu Pets for Christmas. They’ve been playing with them non-stop since they opened them. But this morning, the playing stopped.
Julia: “Lucy, where’s my Zhu Zhu Pet?”
Lucy: “It say goodnight!”
Julia: “Did you kill it?!?!”
Lucy: *maniacal laughter*
Julia searched for about fifteen minutes to no avail, so I finally intervened.
Me: “Lucy, where’s Julia’s Zhu Zhu pet? We need to find it, honey.”
Lucy: “He sleeping here…” She pulled the Zhu Zhu pet out from the cabinet under the fish tank. “…with the fishies!”
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I double dog dare ya to check out Julia’s latest Pop-Tarts video and my recipe. BlogHer just may give you $100 for it.
Dec
20
This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.
The Limited Edition Gingerbread flavor Pop-Tarts have a special feature: Printed gingerbread images on every toaster pastry. And, well, we just couldn’t help but play with our food.
What do you want for Christmas? Tell me in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a $100 Visa giftcard from BlogHer!
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Dec
19
Before each of my children were born, I had nightmares about forgetting them. I forgot I was pregnant and got drunk. I forgot I put the baby in her car seat on top of the car and took off. I left the baby in her crib all day because I simply forgot I had a new baby. But when the babies came, I didn’t forget them at all – not even once. How could you forget something that looks this adorable?
I had such a hard time imagining how I’d handle a new child each time one was on the way. I couldn’t envision how I’d manage it and all I could see was my life as it was. But sometime after each new baby came, there was a shift and suddenly, I couldn’t remember how it felt to be without that child. I couldn’t think of anything outside the context of my children, even the past.
That shift has happened with Phoebe, which is wonderful and sad at the same time, because the “newness” is over. And if that feeling wasn’t enough, she made it real by rolling over for the first time yesterday. At 12 weeks and 1 day old.
That’s actually the third time she rolled over yesterday, so I can’t even call it a fluke. She can officially roll over from her belly to her back and I’m pretty sure she can go from her back to her belly. My dad said something about seeing her do it in her bassinet, but I don’t know, I was busy singing “LA LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” with my fingers in my ears. She’s been trying to do it on the changing table, but I have to stop her, you know, for her safety. I’m not trying to slow her down or anything. Although she really needs to slow down, don’t you think? It’s all going just a little too fast.
Stuff I Do
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Stuff You Should Do
You know, Stuff.
