Decorating gingerbread houses is a timeless holiday tradition. But watching your children lose control of the icing, hearing the clink and clank of tiny bits of candy hitting your kitchen floor and yelling at them repeatedly to stop eating the decorations is far from blissful. So I’m taking back this tradition and after the hectic pace of the holidays unwinding with friends for some friendly competition while smelling gingerbread is bliss. Kids are still involved, they are the judges!
Cub Scouts has been a great organization and activity to be a part of. One of our favorite events is the annual bake-off. The rules state the scout should create the dessert, from concept to product. Adults should only assist as needed, for safety purposes. Hmm, really? Lucas’ concept was a Pokeball cake.
“If I were Santa I’d eat all the cookies and make Pokemon real.”
“If I were Santa I’d make princess costumes, so like I could sew it?”
“If I were Santa I’d say ‘yo ho ho’ and bring everybody presents.”
My Disney Girl’s Perfectly Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian describes itself as “this fantasy-come-true showers young princesses with the royal treatment.” Greeted by Rose Petal, having rose petals sprinkled over her head and crowned a princess Penny began a magical morning.
The tree is trimmed. The Hallmark Barbie ornaments are delicate with detail, the battery in the Linus ornament that plays the Charlie Brown theme song has died, the crystal Swarovski snowflake sparkles with the light and the Santa from my childhood tree sits atop mine.
The stockings line the fireplace. All purchased from the same store, in different years, with different names. They hang empty, waiting to be filled.
Slips of paper from the Advent calendar line our fridge, reminding us of the activities we haven’t had time to do.
The garland on the banister languishes on the upstairs landing, partially hung.
Half of our outdoor bushes are lit while the other half remains in the dark.
My shopping list is riddled with gaps, re-dos and incompletes.
Sunset over Central Park
Where does it go? The years. The minutes, I know exactly where they go. They are spent washing hands and brushing teeth, zipping coats and tying shoelaces, setting the table and cleaning the table, giving kisses and getting hugs. But the year, in an instant it is gone and as easily as you recall laying in the hospital bed staring into the eyes of your newborn you are now watching him blow out a candle that says 4.
“Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
You are wonderful…
There is nothing quite as magical as Walt Disney World. It has the ability to not only transport your child into a world of possibilities and realities but it also transports us, the parents, to our childhood. No matter how foggy the memory, we remember. And experiencing Disney World anew through our children’s eyes allows us to truly live the magic. Because when you’re a child its not “magic”, its reality.
Our Everyday 