This is what we woke up to this morning. May I remind you that it is April 4? And yes, I am aware that this is happening all over the country, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. We’re coming up on 6 months of winter and I am so ready to get…
This year, it is my quest to be the awesomest birthday party mom ever. I started with My oldest’s 10th birthday party in October, and my middle daughter’s 8th birthday party a couple weeks ago was my second stab at the awesomeness. Once I do my youngest’s 5th birthday party in July, I might be…
I think one of the most painful times of my entire life (and I mean painful as in painful/awkward, not painful/tragic, FYI) was the space between coming home from my mission and meeting my future husband. Ugh. I had sort of dated this one guy before I left, but I already had my papers in and stuff…
What girl doesn’t love curling up with a good Jane Austen? Okay, so I know a few who haven’t discovered just how wonderful that can be, but I know a good portion of you will totally understand my love for Austen and my need to re-read all her novels every few years. That said, I can’t…
How a baboon pooped on my head and other adventures Our second port was Belize. We took the tender boats into shore this time. The kids thought it was a blast to ride on the smaller boat, and it was quite the ride, too. I think it took us 15 or 20 minutes to get to…
Dolphins. And Swimming. Just Not Together. After we returned with our oldest daughter from visiting the Mayan ruins, we ate lunch on the ship. We then picked up the other two kids from the kids’ club and headed back on shore. The Costa Maya port was pretty boring right off the pier, but since that’s…
I’m guessing I don’t have to do much to introduce this book to you, as it has already received quite a bit of attention in the news, on Facebook, on blogs and message boards and everywhere else. I must say that last week I spent more time than I should have defending this book to…
Our first port was Costa Maya, Mexico. We decided to leave the two younger children at the Royal Caribbean kids’ club and take our oldest to see the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben. My parents also chose to do the same excursion, so we all went together. The first thing we saw when the ship docked…
After getting down to the Port of Miami on Sunday morning and standing in several lines for what seemed like hours, we finally met up with my whole family in the last line. That was cool. Then we got onto the second largest cruise ship on the water: The Liberty of the Seas. First we…
Santa Claus is part of the magic of Christmas for me. I don’t think he has to take away from the Christ-centered aspect of the holiday, and in fact, I think he can add to children’s understanding of Jesus Christ and the ultimate gift our Heavenly Father gave to us. I have always said I…
My oldest daughter is my parents’ very first grandchild. I’ll never forget how excited they were when I found out I was expecting, and after she was born. They even changed their answering machine message to “You have reached Grandma and Grandpa P.” instead of using their first names. They were thrilled. I have to…
I am not much of a history buff. I have decided that this is due to the incredibly boring manner in which the history books I studied in school were written. I might also lay blame on less-than-stellar history teachers, too. Suffice it to say, I usually don’t enjoy reading history books, but every once…