No sooner had we finised the Valentine Cherry Pie Envelope, then someone wanted to make a roll cake that she had seen on YouTube. Hint: it wasn’t me. I was too tired. We weren’t even done cleaning up from the envelope. And as it was explained to me, it seemed to defy the laws of gravity. Something I wasn’t up for.

However, I did notice that of my three kids, two could care less it was Valentine’s Day. Sensing all three kids slipping away, I got on board with the roll cake. Who knows, this could be the last Valentine’s opportunity. I’ve already aged out of any events at their schools. My days doing kid sutff (at least the non-chauffeur variety) are numbered. We pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees.

You know what? It was spectacular. It did defy gravity. It tasted delicous. Far more fun than the evnelope. All around success. And, I hear you can find out how to do it on You Tube!

My friend Karen posted this. As you can see her daughter is pretty smart!

“So Gracie (and every other member of my family) seem to lack the dexterity gene of putting a new roll of toilet paper ON the holder. So after seeing this again today I said “Gracie, go put the toilet paper on right.” This is what I found. It’s going to be a long 7 more years isn’t it?”

kids…love ‘em!

The first day of any school can be nerve wracking for kids and moms. Even the bravest kids get butterflies. My little cousin Carly Jane got a letter from her teacher that she was not allowed to open until the night before the first day of school. She was super curious to say the least!

The big “night before” came and Carly Jane was finally able to open the letter. What we found, complete with confetti, is that Carly Jane had gotten herself the best teacher ever. I loved the letter so much, I posted the whole thing below. P.S. Carly Jane was delighted to sleep with it under her pillow.

Magic! Talk about a wonderful way to start the school year.

Before summer slips away there are four things you must do: look at the ocean (not on your phone, in real life), ride a bike, look at the stars and catch fireflies. You get extra credit for chalking the sidewalk and blowing bubbles.

Back to School Hacks because I’ve learned a thing or two….(or stolen them from my friends).

1) Sharpie on a String. Oh, how I love my sharpie on a string. As somebody who can never find a pen, or one that writes, having a incredibly bold sharpie to put names on lunch bags, sign last minute forms, label clothes as the kids are going out the door, just makes my life easier. There’s something so permanent about a sharpie that it just makes me believe whatever is going out the door, just might come back.

2) Create a downstairs Hair Station. I swear, there’s something about children that they just don’t like to go back upstairs by themselves once they come down. Save yourself time and aggravation by making a Hair Station. Everything is right where you need it. Even if you don’t have a downstairs bathroom, keep your hair products on the first floor. It’s a time saver.

I thought I was so clever using ribbons for the barrettes. Let you know how that goes. Don’t forget your toothbrushes. They can move downstairs too.

3) Set your house up like the Pros do. I stole this one from Brenna’s fourth grade teacher. Keep your supplies in see through jars (plastic is probably best) that kids can easily access. No wonder our school supply drawer was always a disaster. Kids need to be able to see what they need.

4) Skip White Board Erasers. From that same wonderful teacher, I learned you don’t have to waste money on white board erasers. Old socks will do. Finally, I don’t feel so guilty about those socks who permanently lost their mates. Now my widowed socks have a whole new career.

5). Save that Art/Use Archival Folders. I know we can save everything on our devices, but I’m Old School when it comes to my kids’ art work. I know it can be overwhelming, but I promise it goes away. I hardly get any new pieces these days & I treasure the ones I saved. In fact, one of my top mom moments, was when I heard my daughter’s little friend saying, “You’re so lucky, your mom always hangs your art up.” Oh, did I eat that up! So here’s what’s worked for me:

I bought a few of these Archival Art Folders, which you get at art supply stores. They come in a bunch of sizes, and I went for the largest size. So I could drop anything in that came home without worrying about folding and crinkling stuff. Archival Folders are designed to protect and preserve paper. They also lay flat, so they can slide under beds or hang at the back of a closet. I labeled each one with a couple of holidays, and simply drop artwork in as it comes home. I love displaying their art through the year. Totally indulgent!!! But, I’ve grown tired of my ornate frame….I’m feeling a makeover coming on.

One July day my youngest asked me, “Isn’t it time to make promises?” After some back and forth I figured out she was talking about New Year’s Resolutions. I told her we make those in January. To which she replied, “Well, I think we should make them in July.” I’ve decided she was right! It’s much easier to make a resolution in July. There’s less distraction. Less stress. July is a much better time to make changes. And if you don’t feel like taking on something brand new, it’s a great time to circle back to the resolution you did make in December.

Happy July Resolutions!

When our home was destroyed last winter by a burst pipe, we were left with next to nothing. When it came time to go back to school, we had no computers, no books, no paper or even a pencil. It made an impression on all three kids to say the least. Taking a page from the world according to Oprah, I knew we all would feel better about our situation if we somehow tried to help others. And that is the short story of how the living room in our temporary housing came to look like a Staples store had exploded.

The idea actually started with my son J.’s teacher. She mentioned that almost new school supplies go into the trash at the end of every year. In June, we set up boxes to collect gently used school supplies, and we got more than we bargained for. We lugged all the stuff home and started the triage. We divided our haul into three piles: trash, good as new, and hospital. The hospital pile required tender love and care. We got a God wink when we realized we were in dire need of a good eraser, and two suddenly appeared in the next box. Rubbing alcohol, hair spray and nail polisher remover helped us remove names, subjects, and occasionally, who was in love with who.

In the end, we collected an enormous amount of binders (who knew drab green was so popular!), marble notebooks, spiral notebooks, pencil cases, paper, and even a few calculators. Our first thought was that we could ship them to a school overseas, but the freight was prohibitive. We ended up donating them to a soup kitchen, whose patrons were in dire need. It made us feel like we had A LOT. And we do.

There are a few promises I’ve made to myself, and one of them is to take a walk after it snows (or while it’s snowing!), at least once each winter. The winter landscape puts everything into prospective– so you think I’d jump at the chance to pull on my boots, right? Not always so. Sometimes, I have to force myself out the door, but in the end I am always thankful I do. Snowfall is a gift — take a moment to enjoy!

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I got a kick out of watching my teen age daughter get TV ready for her first on camera interview! Here’s the back story:
This year, I was thrilled when I got to be part of the decorating team for First Lady Michelle Obama. I was even more thrilled when I got to bring my teenage daughter Maeve to see the decorations in D.C. Then my friend Lynn Doyle, host of Comcast’s “It’s Your Call,” invited both Maeve and I to be guests on her show! I talked about the history of White House Christmas decorating and Maeve talked about what it was like to go to a White House Holiday Party. I know I had more fun then she did, but it was pretty awesome. Moms of teenagers don’t often get the chance to be cool!

Here’s we are on set. Not bad, huh?