Having two girls in the house, fashion seems to be a way of life. We range from wanting to wear the most pouffy and frilliest of dresses to pairing the most unlikely of pieces. It is always a gamble when I ask the girls to go to their room and get dressed by themselves. Sometimes they can be very creative with their ensembles!

And shopping for these girls is so unbelievably easy! Have you ever tried shopping for kids? It is amazing the expansive selection you can find for a little or baby girl. So much more than the boys’ section! I never really thought about this until having a little boy myself and trying to find clothes for him!

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Yesterday I wrote about decorating our tree and I mentioned how the girls love adding their ornaments each year. That is another one of our Christmas Traditions — Selecting an Ornament!

This isn’t something we did as kids. I remember my “baby’s first Christmas” ornament {a goldish plated metal ornament of a little baby with some sort of leaves or wreath around her face} and some random ornaments I made in preschool or early elementary. Sadly, none of those ornaments are around today.  Read the rest of this entry…

I love Christmas trees! They are what seems to kick-off the Christmas season for me. I have a strict rule, though, that we do not put our tree up until after Thanksgiving. Because, once it is up, we’re focusing on all things Christmas!

Our tree went up that first weekend of December and the girls were so excited! Sadly, we’ve forgone the tradition of trucking out to a tree farm and cutting down our own tree. We did that the first few years of our marriage and even when Abbi was just a baby. But, some time in there, for some reason or other, we decided to ditch the real tree and opt for a pre-lit artificial. Read the rest of this entry…

I’m sure you’ve all probably heard the news by now about Michelle Duggar. If you haven’t, Michelle, the mom on the TLC show “19 Kids and Counting”, recently suffered a miscarriage.

Now, when the Duggars announced that they were pregnant with their 20th child, I expected the mixed response. I knew there would be people who were genuinely happy for them, people who could care less, and people who were appalled at the idea.  Honestly, I guess I didn’t understand how people could have such negative feelings toward the family and the fact that they were having another baby.  Read the rest of this entry…

When I got my first iPhone a few years ago, my oldest daughter was merely a toddler. And I remember sitting in the waiting room at some appointment and letting her play a game on my iPhone. The old lady next to me nosily chimed in, “That’s quite an expensive toy for a kid.” While wanting to tell her to mind her own business, I smiled and jokingly said it was worth every penny at times like these.

My iPhone has been my saving grace in so many circumstances with my kids. From waiting forever in the doctor’s waiting room to sitting through sister’s gymnastics class to standing in the grocery check-out line when they only have 2 lanes open, I have often handed over that expensive toy in an effort to keep kids entertained and quiet! Read the rest of this entry…

I find it strangely comical that I’m writing about ‘finding balance’ as I sit at a table that is so freaking wobbly that it’s driving me crazy!

So, balance. Is this even possible during the Holidays? Or do we just buckle to the idea that the holidays are a crazy busy time with running from store to party to tree decorating to present hiding to present wrapping to oh crap! someone please feed the dog who hasn’t been fed all day!?  Read the rest of this entry…

Twenty-four hours ago she wasn’t so sure about turning six. Neither was I.

But tonight, she convinced me that six is ok. Read the rest of this entry…

Tonight, as we were putting the girls to bed, I cradled Abbi onto my lap and told her that tonight was her last night  as a five year old. That tomorrow she would wake up and be six. She instantly got a pouty look on her face and started holding back her tears.

She told me she did want to not be five any more. She liked being five. She did not want to be six.

I gave her another kiss on her forehead, squeezed her a little tighter and told her it was ok. She could be five.

Truth be told, I wanted to cry, too. Read the rest of this entry…

Yes, I’m still on the WishBook kick. And what would a WishBook be without SmartPhones…

If you think shopping for a computer is tough, try shopping for a cell phone these days! We’ve come a long way from that old ‘bag’ phone my mom used to have that we COULD NEVER USE because, OMG, do you even know how much it cost to use that thing each minute??? And then there were those ultra cool brick cell phones that Zack Morris and the gang from 90210 used. Seriously! How did they even consider those things *mobile*? Read the rest of this entry…

Forgive and forget.

To err is human; to forgive, divine. – Alexander Pope

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. – William Blake

There are a lot of wise words said about forgiveness. Some funny ones, too.  But what does it really look like to forgive someone? Is it a universal thing? Or can forgiveness in my life look differently than forgiveness in yours? Read the rest of this entry…