My recent winter days have been filled with wonderful child-centered activities. We were blessed by a special energetic guest who stayed with our family for four weeks in late December and early January. She was full of life, light and joy everywhere she bounced, and now that she has been…

I love the silence of a heavy snowfall. It is always surprising that so much stuff can be falling from the sky and not make any sound. I love fresh snow! Once it starts to snow, it can just keep snowing and snowing every few days and I am a…

Waiting for siblings to show up for the annual “stand in front of the door on Christmas Eve” picture. Side note: It was 45 degrees on Christmas Eve! This was the warmest ever annual stand-in-front-of-the-door picture. People were barely even shivering.

Better to post late rather than never! Thanksgiving was a multiple day frenzy of family.

The first weekend in December we packed up and drove to the other edge of the state to see YaYa’s college Christmas concert. I had been looking forward to it for months, because I have gone to this special concert numerous times in the past, and it never fails to…

I’m ferociously behind in all things! First I was getting ready for Thanksgiving. Then it was Thanksgiving. Then I was getting ready to travel to see YaYa’s Christmas concert. Then we traveled and arrived safely back home in nasty weather. This week is a frenzy of concerts! Concerts for everyone!…

One of my kidlets off at college (OK, so I only have one kidlet off to college) has been writing hilarious ice cream reviews on a secret Instagram account, and the writing has totally been cracking me up. I splurged on a weighted blanket that is covered with lovely milky…

The leaf piles are still going strong around here. In addition to raking leaves into piles, Mr. TOF has also been raking leaves into lines to make the perimeter of his own “sports stadium” in the front yard. We are trying to squeeze out all the appreciation we can for…

The Banana will swim in her first varsity sectional meet next Thursday, and needs to wear a tech suit. She tried borrowing one from a friend, but it wasn’t small enough, so we ended up ordering a smaller size. When it came, it looked like her six year old cousin…

These days it’s late-night-homwork-central every night. Between studying for tests, completing math assignments and writing English essays, the middles burn the midnight oil. Most of the time I try to stay up to be helpful if necessary (I make a good essay editor, but I’m useless in the math department),…