I have really enjoyed writing over the past few years. Chronicling my thoughts into a somewhat meaningful way has done wonders for my well being. Looking back at those first few disjointed paragraphs is a little embarrassing, but hey, who doesn’t think that from time to time?

So, anyway, this is it. I am moving on, and today is the day to say goodbye. I hope your Christmas was everything it is meant to be, that you are treasuring time with loved ones and reflecting on what it means to celebrate the birth of a Savior. I hope you use your time wisely in the coming year, and I hope you create memories that will travel with you for a lifetime.

Thank you for your support, encouragement, and loyalty. Come visit me at my Etsy store or at my new online home, Sensory Corner. 

Goodbye.

For those of us that have kids, we know that they are pretty entertaining. They come up with funny things to say, and they are so shameless in peddling their sense of humor. Just ask Bigs #1&2 on their latest hobby: playing practical jokes on dear old Mom.

Anyway, it is for this reason that I give you today The Interview.

I did a version of this a long time ago and recently ran across it. The answers were hilarious from my then 2 and 4 year old. And somewhat telling.

I haven’t done it since then, and I was curious to see what the Little had to say about me, and how the Bigs would answer now that they are older.

I headed over to my friend Ms. Pinterest to get a list of questions. And for better or worse, I am sharing the unedited answers below. For your reference, Big #1 is 9, Big #2 is 7, and the Little is 3. Each answer will be given in this order: Big#1, Big#2, Little.

1. Full stops [when writing sentences]; Do your homework;I need to watch you play with Dizzy [the hamster]

2.Ice cream; Us cleaning up the house;Watching me play with Dizzy [what does she want to do today??]

3. Making you clean up all of the mess; Making you clean up all the mess we made [I see an emerging theme];If I play with Dizzy by myself [we had a close call once involving the hamster being dunked into his water dish]

4.Telling a joke; Wrestling;Tickle

5. Sneaking out at night; Naughty;Tomato salad

6. 36; 36; 3 years old

7.5′something; 145cm; Pretty tall

8. Not eat wheat; Tell us to do our homework [not really I promise!!];I don’t know

9.Play video games all day [I wish]; Eat wheat [I'd be very very sick];TV exercise [I do 30 Day Shred on the TV]

10.Your vanilla sugar, vanilla extract, lip balm, and ointment. And for being the best mom in the world [he wants something I can tell]; For telling us to do our homework; Playing with Dizzy

11.Therapy [I assume giving it not receiving it]; physics[????]; nothing

12. Being lazy; gymnastics; being sad

13. Therapy; physics and therapy ; naughty words [again, ??????]

14. Curry; salmon cakes; curry rice

15. Making vanilla; being the best mommy ever in the whole entire world [I did not pay him for this]; nothing [thanks!]

16. Lindanna [Phineas and Ferb rockstar mom]; Ms. Godfrey from Big Nate [I think she is mean - ouch!]; Lindanna wants to have fun fun fun

17.Go to Ikea; go to water parks; go to Ikea

18. Same eyes; curly hair; we are both girls

19. I’m a boy you’re a girl; you are taller; chooses to ignore me

20. Because you tell us every day; you tell us every single day; I’m hungry

21. Cyprus; to water parks; to Ikea *at this point Husband decided to chime in. What did he say was my favorite place to go? Away.

Merry Christmas, everyone. That’s right, I said it. The “C” word. I love Jesus, and to me and mine Christmas is the celebration of His earthly birth.

Today I am taking the time to celebrate Christmas with my family. I hope you are able to do the same.

Find joy in your time, your loved ones, your life. Find hope in the Savior of the world. Find love in a tiny baby. And then give it all away to those who need it most. Merry Christmas.

And what is it? It is Christmas

It is not let’s see how many gifts we can stuff under the tree day.

It is not maybe we can squeeze in just one more activity if we skip dinner day.

It is not sugar highs and lows followed by guilt and New Year’s resolutions day.

In its simplest form, Christmas is a birthday party. I am not sure why we get the presents, but I guess the Birthday Boy himself began that tradition long ago, with our lives in exchange for His.

I know there are a multitude of websites dedicated to explaining why Christmas has origins in paganism, but we would be hard pressed to find someone who still celebrates the holiday in its original form. Rather, “Christ’s Mass” is an opportunity to remember the birth of a Savior, regardless of the time of year it actually occurred.

And even if you do not share in my beliefs, I would bet you desire to use this time of year to focus on family, friends, and the abundance of blessings in your life.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Since we moved to Europe, we have had the opportunity to take a lot of holidays (this is the fancy European way to say vacations). With a family of 5, most hotels here won’t let us stay together, which means either 2 rooms or lucking out and booking well enough in advance to secure a sought after family room (sometimes this just means two rooms with an outer door so you can keep the bedroom doors open). Even then, though, hotels are difficult with young kids; with no refrigerator (since windows actually open here, we’ve set milk outside on a ledge in lieu of a fridge) and very little space, it is not an ideal option, not to mention expensive.

So we’ve taken to staying in apartments when we visit new places. Our favorite website for this is Homeaway.com. This website is basically a clearinghouse for private rentals, because once you express interest in a certain house or apartment, you communicate directly with the home’s owner or caretaker. Payment and details are arranged directly in this manner – I have even been able to negotiate for a better rate from time to time. The one drawback is that most places require a minimum stay. Depending on the time of year, this could be 2 nights or a whole week. But again, this differs from rental to rental, so it still pays to look.

We have found some lovely places to stay using this site, from apartments in a city center to beautiful rural farmhouses. The holiday rentals can be found all over the world, in all sizes and price ranges. Often the rentals we find are in local neighborhoods rather than tourist spots, which we prefer as it enables us to see things we might have otherwise missed. It is a fantastic option for families, especially when it comes to meal times. Having a kitchen wherever we stay is invaluable to us, not only for the cost savings but for the convenience of having the choice to eat in.

Even if that just means takeout in our PJs.