The day after Christmas my vacuum cleaner broke. Not good considering that I was in the midst of a cleaning frenzy, trying to get all of our Christmas decorations down and packed away before we left town. My back-up vacuum--a small only used for surface cleaning--worked fine in a pinch, but I needed my heavy duty picker-upper fixed...the sooner the better.

The Golfer hopped on the phone with the store where we purchased the vacuum three years ago. Fortunately for us,… Read More

We just flew in from Oklahoma and boy are my arms tired! (Sorry...I couldn't resist.) Actually, my entire body is tired. We woke up at 4:45 this morning to make a 7:30 flight home to California. When I asked the Golfer why he had chosen such an early flight he replied, "You said you wanted to get home early."

Guess his definition of early and my definition of early are two totally different things.

But it has worked out fine. I've had… Read More

I was two weeks late arriving. Every night my father would tell my mother, “Have it tonight.” Before they knew it, New Year’s Eve had arrived and I still hadn’t.

My parents decided to go to my aunt and uncle’s house for to watch football bowl games and celebrate the New Year. After two chili dogs with onions, my mother was tired and ready to take my inebriated father home before midnight.

“Don’t have it tonight.” (Slurring.) “I'm too tired. Just… Read More

Santa arrived safe and sound last night. It was questionable up until bedtime, but my kids managed to pull it off for yet another year.

The Cheese woke us up at 6:42 this morning by informing us, "Santa left a wrapping paper trail down the stairs!" It seems that Santa had spent extra time last night making a trail of Christmas wrapping paper that would lead our children down to their presents this morning. (Santa read about the idea in one of… Read More

The Cheese had a simple question a few weeks ago.

"Mama? How will Santa get into our house if we don't have a chimney?"

Good question. Our townhouse that we currently call home doesn't have a fireplace. No fireplace, no chimney. I didn't answer my son right away, but instead told him that I wasn't sure and that I would find out for him. I thought about telling him that Santa no longer needs a chimney, that he uses his magic to… Read More

I've never really believed in making New Year's resolutions. Even when I've made resolutions in secret, they were often forgotten about within a few weeks after the new year (hence the reason that I've never believed in them.) But I think that setting a goal is different than making a resolution. Goals are achievable. Best of all, goals are something that we should set for ourselves throughout the year--changing and adapting them as they are achieved--instead of resolutions that we only set once a year… Read More