I have to say this year has been exciting, and at times spectacular for me. In February, I got to revisit Germany for the first time in many, many years. I had a great time, but I missed my family much more than I expected to. And one lasting part of the experience is that…
Month: December 2008
Our 2008 Christmas Treasure Hunt
It’s become our family tradition to hide each others’ gifts and set up clues in order to find them. This year it was my turn to hide Peter’s presents. I tried hard to keep it easy, but not too easy. When the clues are too hard to figure out, it frankly gets frustrating for everyone….
The Great Homeschooler Chemicals Hunt
Since my children are both doing school at home, I am their science teacher. I figured getting what they needed for science labs would be easy enough. After all, most substances, like Epson salts and steel wool without soap, were easy enough to find at local grocery stores or hardware stores. And when I needed…
New Chairs
I have come to the conclusion that one of the worst things you can do as a host is let your guests sit on near-death chairs. To date, two of our guests have sat on chairs that fell to pieces underneath them. They were embarrassed; we were embarrassed; and nothing we could say could convince…
Struggling into the Christmas Spirit
Christmas seems remarkably subdued this year, and I’m sure it’s not just us. In comparison to other years, the Christmas songs as stores are muted, fewer expressly-for-Christmas items are on the shelves, and the mall (at least whenever I’ve gone) is uncrowded. But Kelly is carrying the Christmas spirit for all of us. I set…
The November 18 Birthday Girls’ Parties
As I’ve blogged before, Kelly and Shiaw-Ling share the same birthdate, exactly 21 years apart. And Shiaw-Ling always throws great parties, in the vein of great party givers, who know a great party requires a theme. This year’s theme was “poverty.” Very kindly, Shiaw-Ling held off on the fashion portion of her party until we…
Economic Signpost: Parking at the Mall
I have to say, despite all the ongoing grim economic news, I have a hard time accepting the fact that my country, and my countrymen in particular, are in difficult financial times. What: the American consumer stop spending? That seemed about as likely as Congress deciding it doesn’t need a raise this year! Furthermore, the…
Kelly’s Favorite Monty Python Sketch
In our ongoing sub-conscious efforts to make our children unfit for contemporary American society, we’re currently watching all Monty Python episodes on DVD. It’s not the least bit odd to them, and they’re already familiar with some of the main players, who have gone on to parts in some of my children’s favorite movies, like…