Showing posts with label How Do You.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label How Do You.... Show all posts
The Mighty Walnut
A few weeks ago my sweet friends husband came home to us sitting on the couch pondering what to do with a gift of delicious walnuts. He chimed in:
 "Walnuts? 
Here, let me have one".
 And he proceeded to snag one of the walnuts and use it to rub the wood chips and discolorations on their coffee table.  Puzzled we just sat and watched. 
In a minute he stood back and beamed, the spots were almost gone!
 Amazing!
 So I came home and tried it with what I had on hand,
 a pecan. 
And it also worked. This is one of the moments where the solution is so frighteningly logical, yet not instantly assumed. Of course it works because it is just like the oil you would purchase in the store. But you might be like me and not think to use what you have on hand, so I thought I would pass his wisdom along. Here is some photo "evidence" from our coffee table.

Before (closeup of problem spot, but it was this bad all over):

After:


PS the photos don't do it justice! 

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Santa, A Hot Topic


"So how did the boys visit to the jolly old fat man go this afternoon?"
 I laughed out loud when I received my mom's text. For yes, we did take our boys to see the merriest of men during this holiday season, we took them to see

Santa.

Being faith believers this decision is ensconced in the realm of controversy normally dominated by
breast feeding,
co-sleeping,
 sleep training,
etc...
 So how did we arrive at this decision you might ask? Compromise.

Abbey was raised never believing in Santa. No, her parents aren't mean and awful, and she isn't scarred for life. Her parents were just of the strict conservative nature and held a much more straight-forward approach with their children. So there was never a tooth fairy, or an Easter bunny and yes, she was home-schooled, in case you wondering. So there wasn't a fear of her ruining the magic for anyone else. Kevin on the other hand was heart-broken when he realized that not only was Santa not real but

"What about the Easter Bunny? And the TOOTH FAIRY?
What about the tooth fairy?!?!"

as his tears fell and he entered the world of unbelief in all things magical. You can imagine then how our conversations went when we first found out we were pregnant and realized this was a bridge we now needed to cross. Well three years later and after many conversations and contemplations, we have arrived at a solution and here is how it goes:

We will honor the

 Legend of St. Nicholas,
the man, and his legacy of generosity.

Their stockings will come from St. Nick, but nothing else. Gifts will come from the giver and that will be that. There won't be any temptation to escape a tough parenting scenario during the craziness of the season by saying that

 "Santa is watching..."

The gifts they receive will be from a place of generosity and not a reward for being good or in light of their poor behavior. As such they can still see the heart of Christ who loves us so that He gave us  the best gift of all even when we struggle to
"be good".
 The story of the Nativity will be front and center during this season, but beautiful poems like "The Night Before Christmas" won't be forgotten or forbidden. With a focus on St. Nicholas' generosity and an encouragement to remember that giving during this season is so important our hope is that our boys will be inspired to emulate that heart.

In general we hope to just not make a mountain out of a mole hill and to use the tools surrounding this season to point back to the meaning of Christmas. While we know this will not be a popular decision it is our compromise and I might add that we are rather pleased with our solution.*grin*

  So yes, our boys sat on the

peppermint scented knee

 of a man so magical you waited to see if he would touch the side of his nose and nod. And in awe Baby Love asked about him. With a warm heart we told the tale of a man whose generous heart left a legacy that continues today. And when we returned home he sat down with his nativity set and began once again ordering the shepherds into position and showing me the gifts the magi brought, in their generosity, to Christ.
His little heart full.

Please share with us how you approach the Santa issue, we would love to hear!
 And as always, this is just our perspective, what worked for us. We truly love hearing what other people do to solve these types of difficult dilemmas.

*Right after finishing this piece a man I greatly respect blogged about the same topic you can read it here.
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Now and Later Cookies
Cookie exchanges are good in theory but rarely successful in execution. Think about it, you come home with plates of cookies that need to be delivered ASAP or you put them in the freezer until the time comes to thaw and serve.

The first is hard for us, seeing how delivery of anything is made difficult because of the process of just getting to the car. Being that we live in the heart of the city we usually end up parking at least a block away, if we are lucky. And we live on a hill. So getting out to the car, with a stroller loaded to the gills with "necessary" items (yes I am working on this...) and then adding plates of cookies....Not. Going. To. Happen. 

The second option is again difficult because, well, here is my freezer. 
Yikes, I know. But it is small"ish" and I am currently cooking three separate menus (long story), most from scratch. All of which require having a lot of ingredients on hand. Again, great in theory, poor in execution options.

So what is a girl in the city, with two kiddos, and an active entertaining schedule to do? Well, I will share with you something that I thought everyone did and only recently discovered is more of a
secret.
I make cookie dough, then shape it into a roll and freeze the roll. A tip here is to make the log as long and tall as an ice cube tray, then it will fit in any freezer. When the time comes to bake the cookies I let the roll sit out for 10 maybe 15 minutes, slice the desired amount and cook like normal. As my friend would say
"Easy Peasy".

So in honor of my little secret I threw a "Now and Later" Cookie exchange to kick off the holidays. Everyone was asked to bring a few of their cookies already baked, and the rest already frozen in rolls. I served some savory delights, wine and cider to round out our tasting experience.
 To label the rolls I printed off a blank template for labeling canned goods, printed them onto mailing labels and used my circle punch to complete the look.
 Overall I would say it was a success and we all began our holiday season with four dozen different types of cookies just waiting for guests to pop on by. 

What are your favorite ideas or tips and tricks for entertaining during the holidays?
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How Do You...?


I was incredibly inspired this weekend. I "made a friend", which feels very elementary to state, but there isn't any other way to put it really, and it makes me chuckle to say it out loud. As we were talking we realized we had both had similar experiences and difficulties in meeting other moms. There is a delicate dance that is performed in mom-to-mom interactions. Often one side is more eager than the other, which can be intimidating. And this led me to think of the last time I had to really work to make friends, the dreaded junior high. 


High school you develop a "thing". You play sports, are in advanced classes, or maybe theater was your thing. Maybe it was a combination. All of these "things" come with a pre-made group that hopefully accept you. College, you have roommates, classmates, forced interactions, etc...But for me junior high time was the last time I really had to sit down and think, "What makes me cool? " 


So here I am again, "making friends" and truly having a blast. This woman asked me if living in the city made this process easier and I had to answer honestly that it wasn't. I have met many enjoyable nannies, but the mom's aren't very friendly. So it makes me wonder, how do you make new mommy friends? What is intimidating about someone like myself approaching you at the park? Share with me! Shed some light on this situation and please pass on your tips~
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