Every year I write my children a letter in honor of their birthday. This letter is in honor of Grace's 6th birthday. Dear Grace, This past year was a big one for you. You experienced a lot of new challenges and it was stretching for both of us. First there was preschool. You adapted to going to morning preschool two days a week very well. Your cousin, who was also in your class, became your best friend. You delighted in following the rules, and you learned how to actually do this crazy thing called school. But then we got the letter from the school that your teacher would be gone for the last three months of the year. Grace, I … [Read more...]

Last week I was sitting with my toes in the sand and a book on my lap. It was one of the most glorious vacations of my life. Nate and I rented a beach house along with 3 other couples and we all left our children behind. It was glorious. I repeat: it was glorious. Nate and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little harmless fun with some vacation pranks. All it took was a little planning and $5. It was totally worth it. 4 Fun Vacation Pranks 1. Nutella on the Toilet Seat - This vacation prank was 100% Nate. He told me weeks before we left for the beach that he needed to pack Nutella. Multiple times a day he smeared a little … [Read more...]

Every year I write a letter to my children in honor of their birthday. This is Noah's birthday letter. (This post contains affiliate links.) Happy 3rd Birthday, dear Noah! You were in full blown toddler mode this past year. It has been a delight to watch all the ways you have grown. Highlights from this past year: Throughout this past year you have called me Mama, Mommy, and Mom. You are certainly too little to be calling me Mom, but you hear your sister say it all the time so I can't blame you. ;) There are a couple of things you have stopped doing over this past year. First of all, you've slowed down on your thumb sucking. You … [Read more...]

This post was originally published on Oct. 27, 2010. Just a wild guess, but I doubt this phone call was recorded for quality assurance. RING-RING I answer the phone, "Hello." A woman answers me and explains that she is doing a fire safety survey.  "This is not a sales call." Ok.  Whatever. "Do you have a fire alarm or smoke detector in your home?" "Yes" "Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home?" "No"  Hmm...  Maybe we should buy one of those! "Do you own your home?" "Yes" "In case of an emergency, which of the following is the biggest concern for you: fire in the home, break-in, medical emergency, all … [Read more...]