Confession: I Love Christmas Creep

I love Christmas Creep. You know what it is. It’s the Christmas carols playing on the radio since before Thanksgiving. It’s the lights that have been up since Halloween. It’s the house that I walked by the other day in the dark. I fell in love with the owners right away. You see, they had their Halloween spiderwebs up with Christmas lights underneath. Pure joy. I also love the baking. I mean, come on, who doesn’t like baking? I have type 1 diabetes and eat a gluten free diet that incorporate large quantities of veggies and fruits, and I still … Continue reading

Think Pink This Christmas

There’s nothing like shopping for Halloween candy in Target while being stared down by Rudolph, Frosty and Santa in all their inflatable glory. Long live commercialism. Given that Christmas displays have been up in various stores since the beginning of the month, I didn’t see it inappropriate to blog about holiday gift ideas in the days before Halloween. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? Conformity seems to spreading this year. Believe it or not, we’re thinking pink around here this Christmas. Thanks to a delightfully charming treasure chest of Pinkalicious goodies, my true-blue, anti-frou frou daughter is looking … Continue reading

Christmas Music in October?!

I rarely listen to the radio while driving, but my 5-year-old insisted on hearing some tunes as we navigated our way to yet another Halloween event last week. Rather than waste time trying to convince her that silence is golden, I hit the “scan” button on the radio and the tuner immediately landed on a soft-rock station. Only instead of playing its usual fare of “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Sailing” and “If You Leave Me Now,” Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” merrily flowed from the car’s speakers. I thought it was a commercial. Seriously. It was the day before Halloween, … Continue reading

The Sad Legacy of Rap Music

I recently blogged about rapper T.I., currently being held in jail on gun charges. He allegedly sent his bodyguard to purchase machine guns. Machine guns? Seriously, didn’t those go out of style with Prohibition? Who needs a machine gun in this day and age? I do enjoy listening to some rap music, but I also think some is pure trash. Anyhow, I started thinking about all the rappers lost to tragedy when I read today that rapper Big Moe had died at the age of 33 due to a heart attack. While his death was not related to violence, it … Continue reading

Family Home Evening: Christmas in the Book of Mormon

One way to discuss the importance of Christ’s mission on the earth, and keep the focus on the season is to have a family home evening on the first Christmas in the Americas. This is an interesting lesson that should keep your children interested. It can also lead to a discussion of the importance of believing in and following Christ. You can open the lesson by telling about the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite. You can read the prophecy he gave concerning knowing when Christ was born in Helaman 14:1-8. You can then read about how the wicked Nephites were … Continue reading

The Fitness Blog Week in Review October 28-November 3rd

Good morning and welcome to our first week in review for November. It’s the 11th month of the year and it’s getting cold outside! With 19 days left to go till Thanksgiving we have a lot to be thankful for and we’ll start with our ten reasons to be thankful for fitness later on today. In the meanwhile, here is our Fitness week in review: Saturday, October 28 In It’s Beautiful Outside: Get Out of the House discussed that getting your kids off the sofa and out of the house is something we should take every opportunity to do. In … Continue reading

Is it Time for Christmas Decorations?

My husband called me from the road the other day when he was out of town with work. He calls several times a day to keep in touch when he’s gone, but this was just a quick call to tell me that the house he was driving past was the second he had seen that day where the people had already decorated for Christmas. He noted that these were not just people trying to get a little jump on things or even people who fit the lyrics of Redneck Woman, where it talks about keeping Christmas lights up all year … Continue reading

The Marriage Week in Review – October 7 – 13

Another week down in the month of October and just two weeks to go until we arrive in November and the beauty of planning a Holiday Wedding or celebrating an anniversary in what for many people is one of the warmest emotional times of the year. Personally, I can’t wait for Christmas music, but in the meanwhile, we still have Halloween and time change to get through. Be sure to note on your calendars that October 29th is the day time changes and we’ll be rolling the clocks back an hour. Another great benefit to the crisp fall air in … Continue reading

Affordable Fall Family Fun

The first day of autumn is just two weeks away, and just because Wal-Mart and Target already have their Christmas displays up doesn’t mean you should fast forward over this wonderful season. Fall is a great time to bond with your family in the great outdoors before Old Man Winter arrives and your kids refuse to move away from the warm TV. To help spice up the season, consider attending ones of the following fall-themed parades, festivals and kid-friendly events that won’t bust your family’s budget: Half Moon Art and Pumpkin Festival, San Francisco, California: On October 13-14, you can … Continue reading

Moms and Black Friday Madness

A mom in Wisconsin showed her dark side on Black Friday Eve and got arrested for it. The incident took place not far from where I live and just goes to prove that insanity festers when you combine cold temperatures, red-hot Black Friday deals and warm-blooded parents, who want to make their kid’s Christmas, extra special. According to reports, 21-year-old mom Lanessa Lattimore, really, really, really wanted to surprise her toddler daughter with the toy she’s been begging for, so she headed to a Toys R Us store in Madison on Thursday night. The store opened at 10 p.m. Thursday … Continue reading