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I guess Eliot and Kristen are going to be the Bill and Monica of our parenting generation. 

I actually laughed out loud when "FirstBorn" casually asked this of me while I was brushing my teeth the other day.  That darn Matt Lauer! 

I guess I knew it was coming, the day before the question was "Is prostitution when you protest the constitution?" to which I answered "Well, not actually...(think, think, think) it's when men give money to a woman so they can have sex without having a relationship."  She said "I wondered...I mean, they kept referring to the Governor, but then showing a woman in a bikini, I figured it must be something to do with sex!"  Um, yes, that would be correct.  Something to do with that.

I love being a parent who prides herself on answering my children's questions honestly and thoughtfully.  I know that I asked many embarrassing questions of my own parents, who did their best to answer them.  But sadly I ended up learning more from my friends than I did from them.

When I banned People and Us magazines from our home a couple years ago, it really came from the realization that I was way too interested and involved in the marriage (and divorce) of Brad and Jennifer.  But has resulted in keeping a lot of the trashier "news" away from the curious eyes of FirstBorn.

Part of me thinks I should turn off the Today show and the nightly news for fear of what they will see and hear.  But if I do that, I need to hide the newspaper too.  With the media being such a big influence on our kids and their ability to google any question that seems too embarrassing to ask - we need to be vigilant about being open, honest, and proactive about talking to them about their world. 

I can't hide the reality of life from my kids...Home Daddy and I just need to keep the conversation flowing while we teach and model our own values and morals. 

Where did the time go?  It's so cliche' but OMG my first born has BREASTS!!!!  And pubic hair, and she smells and she's saying things like "Mom, maybe that's how it was when you were little, but it's a new generation" !!??!!!

Everyday I get emails in code, I have to look up this new language on Google just to figure out what she's trying to tell me.  How did we get here so fast??

So now what?  I know it's just the beginning of her transformation, one she's thrilled about, one Home Daddy and I are terrified of.  My new mantra is "you will be an adult for the rest of your life...really enjoy being a kid for now." is working on her for the most part.  She is really into ballet, American Girl Dolls, reading great books, watching old movies, writing and being a kid...but the intensity of everything around her is creeping in to her psyche and telling her to GROW UP NOW!!

AAGH!  Get thee to a nunnery!"

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I had to laugh, mostly so I wouldn't cry.  But I ended up doing that too...

Last week, my fifith grade daughter wrote a play for her class to perform at their "Watershed Fair" for the school.  

As I walked in, saw the principal and a couple of parents and joined them to chat.  We were talking about the displays and the kids when more parents started arriving, and one of the parents said "Oh, here come the moms in suits - all the other moms were here on the first day."  WAIT - did she really just say that to the principal in front of me?  And what EXACTLY in the *$#@ did she mean?

Ok, It was a 2-day fair, and true to form I didn't make it there until the second day - along with the mostly working parents.  But really, to imply that this group of parents is somehow not up to par?  In reality this group of parents probably worked a lot harder to get there at 9am on a Thursday morning than this woman did.

It's interesting...I was watching a stupid tv show the other night, Lipstick Jungle (I love Brooke Shields, hate that she can't get herself into a good show or movie) and was thinking that it was so outdated pitting the working and non-working mommys against each other.   I'd never experienced anything like that in my social circle - it all seems so silly - or at least it did until Thursday.

I am very lucky to have some amazing friends, most of them are at home full time and none of them have ever judged me or my family for our choices, just as I wouldn't dream of judging them for theirs.  We love each other for our values as parents, our dedication to our families, our commitment to our marriages and our mutual interest in wine and food! 

I'm not mad at that other parent, I'm glad she made me remember how grateful I am for my friends, the ones who make me feel good, strong and happy.  I feel sad for her that she can't see past my suit  to discover the mommy inside it loves her 5th grader too - just as much, just as deep.

Oh, the tears I shed?  The same ones that pour out anytime, any of my children do anything that makes me proud!  Where's the tissue???? 

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Part of the New Years Day ritual is taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations.  Since we put everything up the Saturday after Thanksgiving it's been a long holiday season and I'm ready to see it go back into storage!

Of course once everything is down it's time to CLEAN!  The bright sunshine really exposed all the cleaning that has been neglected since Thanksgiving.  I don't clean during the holidays - with all the candles it can hide a lot.  So, that's what we all did yesterday, dust, sweep, vacuum, laundry, wiping down everthing (gotta love the Magic Eraser) and organized drawers, cupboards, etc. 

And now...everything is sparkling - even the moldy shower - and organized for 2008.  It's a good start to what promises to be a fabulous year.  But my clean house exposes all the stuff I still need to do.  So I've made a little list of 5 things I will try to conquer in the coming months - I figure if I write it down I HAVE to do it!

1 - Update the photo frames in the house

2 - File the Pile (financial, school, misc)

3 - Clean the garden for Spring planting

4 - Paint our Bedroom

5 - Go thru girls clothes and toys they've outgrown

Here's to a great 2008!

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One of my favorite after Christmas activities is breaking open the new calendar planner and filling in all the stuff for the next year.  It's been a crazy couple of months for our family schedule and Home Daddy and I are looking forward to a little down time this winter. 

Planning is my favorite thing.  I'm a list girl and if you come to my house you'll find them everywhere including the ones my daughters have made - I know, I know it drives Home Daddy nuts!  We are definitely a family that thrives on structure and planning...but we love to dream and imagine so we have outlets for that too!

Tonight, instead of resolutions, we'll make our dream collages like we have done for the past few years.  We grab old magazines and printed images from the internet and we cut, paste and dream of all the things we want to do, be or accomplish this year.  The kids do a great job with photos of favorite vacations they want to take again, places they want to see, pictures of food they want to cook, etc.  

This year I want to make a family one too - for our collective goals, dreams and wishes.  The main things we've been discussing lately are the environment, respecting each other and standing up for what you believe.  I've already collected a couple things for this collage and hope the girls can add to it.

I'm looking forward to 2008 - I know it will be a great year!  For our family, hopefully it will be one of less consumerism, more fun and more joy.

Happy New Year!

True to form, as soon as I left work on Friday afternoon for a much needed long weekend, I got a terrible cold!  Between coughing, sneezing and achy muscles, I'm trying to get everything prepared for our perfect family Christmas.

You'd think I'd give myself a break with all that has been going on the last few month, but no, I just can't break the ritual of Christmas preparation.  That's how I found myself running around yesterday morning buying gifts and gathering the last minute things for our relaxing long weekend.  I mean, you can't relax without all the proper food, drinks, etc, right?

I love, love, love Christmas and even though I'm sick, I can't wait for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  This appears to be the final year of magic for all three girls...my ten year old is holding on tight to Santa and she's also getting what will probably be her last little girl present, an American Girl Doll.  So, I will power through, endure my cold and do everything I can to make it perfect for them.   Because that's what mommys do...and it is worth every minute!

Merry Christmas!

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In the midst of all the craziness of the month I'm doing my best to get out our Christmas Cards.  I am usually on top of these things, getting them out in the first week of December.  But this year took a toll on me and I was at Borders at 8pm last night finding the "right" cards for the photo I chose. 

I don't do it to show off the kids - they are cute though! But to give a once a year shout-out to friends and family far and wide and hoping they will do the same.  Some of the ones on my list are college and high school friends and our only communication is this annual card ritual. I love watching their kids grow every year - learning about their lives and making a connection that makes me feel a part a friendship that is long past. 

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I made friends with a woman I was serving on a board with who'd just had her first daughter.  We lost touch soon after we both changed jobs, but the holiday card was the constant - I looked forward to seeing her family in their finest each year and sharing my growing family with her, even though we hadn't talked in years.  Last year, when our cards crossed paths, our daughters recognized each other from the Nutcracker, and I was able to reconnect with my friend backstage!  We've now been going to lunch and comparing "raising 3 girls" notes and I am excited to be in touch again!

I'm glad we didn't drop each other from the list, I sure would be missing out today!

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As we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with our extended family and friends, one of my 6-year old twinnies announced she had something to say.  As she slowly stood and began to recite one of my favorite Robert Frost poems, I sat stunned, amazed and a little bewildered.

"Whose woods these are I think I know..." How did I, her own mother, not know that she had not only heard this poem, but had memorized it?  I looked at Home Daddy - he was as shocked as I was.  What else was lurking in her brain that we didn't know about? 

"He gives his harness bells a shake, to ask if there is some mistake..."
Of course she couldn't understand the significance of Robert Frost in my young adult life or the current significance of the last lines of this poem to my current one.  But I knew as I watched my child do something extraordinary that this was just the beginning. 

"And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."  I also knew that sometimes the expectations I have for my child because of her special needs don't always allow me to see everything.  I vowed that night to try harder everyday to see the perfect child she is and be more patient for the challenging child that is etched in my brain from experiences.  She deserves that from me - just as I demand that from everyone else in her life.  

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About 15 years ago, someone gave me a Feng Shui book.  I was intrigued and even plotted out our homes energy flow, the position of the furniture in the critical areas and even painted the front door red.  But it isn't something I've thought much about in the recent years as it was all I could do most days to carve a path through the baby stuff, toys, clothes, etc.

Today, I am a firm believer in the power of my home's energy.  How else can I explain the coincidence of lost items returning to us since we rearranged the living room furniture a couple of weeks ago?  I haven't even looked at what area of the Feng Shui diagram that part of our house is in, nor do I think the living room layout is better than before.  What I do know is that "things" we thought were long gone are coming back to us in surprising ways and we can see the television better!

The first was the diamond earring I'd given up for over a year ago, my husband found it in the pocket of a tote bag he pulled out of the closet, one I actually use quite often.  Then it was the new school shoe that one of the twinnies lost before it had ever been worn.  We turned the house upside down for 3 days looking for the shoe...it was in a toy storage bin in the garage.  A much-used cookbook I'd been searching for and was about  to repurchase was returned by a friend who'd forgotten she had it.  In fact lots of little things were popping up all over, recipes I'd been searching for magically appeared in drawers, a gift card I'd misplaced was found sitting in a very visible spot on my desk, that book of stamps I was certain I'd purchased but could never find.  I was starting to sense a pattern, but because these were sort of insignificant things in our lives, I didn't give it too much thought.

Then last Wednesday, we got a call that the favorite sweatshirt  my 10-year old lost at summer camp had been found and was waiting for us to pick it up - 4 months later!  That's just strange - I mean, the camp is run by a school district - don't school districts donate that stuff?  Who knew they'd seek out the owner 4 months later??!!??

It's actually been fun, and we are joking about what we might find each day.  In the meantime, I realized we have to move the furniture back for the Christmas Tree...I think we'll have to find a new spot for the Christmas Tree this year. 

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I fed my children Chocolate Chip Cookies for Dinner.  It was a rare mealtime where they asked for seconds and finished their milk.

It's been a long week and Home Daddy was having a night out.  But no excuses here, I am proud to say that it brought back to my mind one of the most important rules of motherhood...it really IS the littlest surprises that make the biggest impact. 

I came home crabby, I got crabbier as I searched the kitchen for some alternative to the more complicated meal I'd planned for them.  As I opened the fridge for the 7th time, I realized I needed COOKIES!  Not just any cookies, but the chewy, gooey, lightly crunchy on the outside, warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies.

So while the girls were occupied with homework, I whipped up a batch.  As I set down a plate of cookies in front of each girl along with a big glass of milk, they were silent.  My oldest (the worrier of the bunch) asked quite matter of fact if I'd had a bad day and followed the question with disbelief that I'd intended to serve cookies.  The twinnies dug right in without any thought to whether their mother had actually "lost her cookies."  But watching the joy and wonder they showed for actually being fed a whole plate of cookies for dinner absolved any of my worries about nutrition.

As we ate, chatted and enjoyed the sugar rush, the stress melted away and I quickly went from biz-woman to love-mama.  They will never remember the meals I've slaved over, but they are still talking about the Chocolate Chip Dinner.  And I'll try to remember that it's the surprises that can make life more fun. 

In order to share the love...below is my "altered" Toll House recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies Enjoy!

 "It's Just Toll House" Recipe

Mix in a bowl: 2 cups flour; 1 package instant vanilla pudding; 1 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. backing soda - set aside

In another bowl: Beat together 3/4 cup sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1 stick butter; 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco until smooth.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 eggs.  Beat until smooth.  Slowly add in the flour mixture while beating the dough.  When it is well mixed, add bag of chocolate chips and stir. Put teaspoon size blobs on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes (you'll need to test with your oven) But...they should be very lightly golden on the top - not brown.  Take them out and leave them to COOL ON THE COOKIE SHEET - they won't looked fully cooked, they will finish cooking on the sheet and will turn out crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.  I time it this way...when the next batch comes out of the oven, I remove the first batch from the cookie sheet.

 Serve when cooled with a big glass of milk.