"The Love Boat"

I'm a huge fan of "The Love Boat." I have great childhood memories of Saturday nights spent in front of the TV watching the crew set out for another cruise. To this day, I have never actually gone on a cruise in part because I'm sure that I would be disappointed by the accommodations on board. They would not live up to the expectations that were set when I was an impressionable 8 year old. I also thought that Julie McCoy, cruise director, had the greatest job ever. Good news! I am now a cruise director in my very own home, how cool is that?

Now I understand why people plan vacations for the week after Christmas. The excitement of the holidays is wearing off, and the kids are all ready for activities outside of the house. The trick is to try to figure out what every other out-of-school child is doing right now and then do something else. Atlanta is in the midst of a terrible drought right now, but, of course, it has just rained for days so outside activities haven't really been an option.

My post-holiday latte is to make plans that involve friends. I have already sent out an email trying to recruit playmates for activities this week. It is hard to get out the door for a morning activity if you don't start trying to decide what to do until 9:00 AM. This can be a fun week if you keep everyone busy while trying to stay healthy. Whatever you do, stop and get a latte on the way - you'll need it!

Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas, so much to be done -
wrapping and cooking for Christmas day fun.
The kids were asleep and so was the dog,
mommy hoped to find a few minutes to blog.

It was soon Christmas morn, I'll admit it was wild,
Nothing matches the joy of Christmas for a child.
Barbies and bakugan and some cards from Starbucks,
who could believe our Christmas day luck?

We shared all the fun with the family that came,
Now I'll take a moment to thank them by name -
Thanks Grandaddy, Granjill, Uncle D and Grandpa,
Thanks to Meemaw, Deedaw, Aunt Allie and Grandma.

Now 2 days have passed, to my readers I say
Happy Christmas to all and enjoy this Latte!

Christmas List

Christmas Lists are a hot topic of conversation right now. Charlotte's is constantly changing depending on the latest commercials on Nick Jr. and Mason has had a few late additions to his. Almost daily, I'm able to keep up with the lists and pass requests along to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and, of course, Santa himself.

Today I was actually caught off guard when my dad asked me what was on my list. Christmas is 5 days away, and I couldn't answer. I know that I would like a fence for our yard so Goldie can run around, a new dining set for our kitchen, and perhaps a new TV for the living room. I would also love a really clean house, and a few hours to myself without kids, chores, or errands. I told Rob to take the kids to Target to buy me a new pair of rainboots. I'm guessing that none of this is at all helpful to my dad.

Here goes, a Christmas list latte - make a Christmas list for yourself. Take a few minutes out of your way too busy schedule of shopping, pageants, and sending cards to think of what you really want for Christmas. A little something just for you. I would like the book "Love the one your with" by Emily Giffin. Her books are fun and easy to read. Not that I need an excuse to go, but I would also be happy with gift certificates to Starbucks or Method - both places keep me going with daily lattes.

Goldie - Our New Addition

I felt like a rookie today. 6 1/2 years of motherhood, 2 1/2 years with 3 kids, but today I felt like a rookie. The reason? We got a dog. I figured that Mary Jane is out of diapers so we need a new source of chaos in our house. So now I find myself maneuvering a stroller and a dog around town to pick the girls up from preschool. It's a new experience for me. Goldie, our new dog, is a 2 year old, 30 pound, sheltie mix.

Goldie is filling a new spot in our family. We use to have a dog. She was the baby before we had babies. Now we have as many babies as we can handle - Goldie is our family pet. She is sweet and lovey and she has been sleeping on Mason's bed. Since she is no longer a puppy, she hasn't chewed or made a mess in the house, yet. I think she's great, I just haven't fully bonded with her in the 5 days that she has been with us. I don't think I have the emotional energy right now to let her be another one of my babies like Sadie, our 75 pound shepherd mix was.

Back to feeling like a rookie which happened (don't laugh) while I was getting my daily latte (on ice today, it's 70 degrees here). Although my favorite local coffee spot has a dog bowl and treats on the patio, I felt like I lost control of the dog and the girls for a moment while I was there. So here is my latte to share, give yourself time to adjust to a new situation, whether it's a new pet, baby, job, etc. I am very happy that we now have Goldie, I love that my kids will remember growing up with a dog - Mason only remembers the idea of Sadie. Obviously, I thrive on chaos, I just may need a green tea latte to keep me calm through the holidays with a new dog.

Memories

27 - I guess it's a number that means different things at different times. It's a number that I thought of last week as I was watching Mason's 1st grade holiday performance. Each of the 6 classes performed a musical number in costume. Mason's class was sheep and shepherds. They've been practicing for weeks, it was very cute and a little crazy. I realize that this is only Mason's second year in elementary school. Charlotte will start next fall, and Mary Jane 2 years after that. We have lots of these to watch and enjoy.

That's where 27 comes in, I was sitting next to a man who, for basically all of the 80's and 90's had 4 children who spent a total of 27 years in elementary school. My dad, who has sat through 27 combined years of his children's performances, now watches his grandson perform at the same school my brother and sisters and I attended. I'm guessing that it all starts to become a blur of costumes, songs, learning lines, and I'm sure a few tears along the way. I don't think I could find a picture of any of my elementary school performances if I tried, and that's ok. I don't need to see them on Facebook now, I have enough memories to keep me going.

So here it is, I've found that if you try to watch a performance, as many do, through the lens of a camera, you might miss out. Take some pictures before, buy the DVD of the show if the school offers that very nice feature, and just sit back and enjoy the moment. That's really what lattes are all about, enjoy. And dad, the next one is on me.

Take a walk...

...or a hike, but I don't want to sound rude. I mean it literally, get out and take a walk. That's easy to do in the spring when it's beautiful weather, but right now is when I really need the exercise and fresh air. I can make a list a mile long of reasons why the car is easier these days - bad weather, runny noses, pre-Christmas errands, etc. But on the flip side there is holiday stress and eating that I need to work off somehow.

Pushing a stroller for even 20 minutes is a great way to regroup. It is time when I don't talk on the phone, check email, or eat a snack. It is not a totally stress-free time if MJ goes on the attack against her sister in the stroller, but sometimes the girls will just sit back and enjoy the fresh air, too.

My latte is to get out and take a walk to get your next latte. You'll feel like you've earned it, and the kids can get some hot chocolate. If you're having a really hard time getting motivated, you can do what we just did, and get a dog! Many daily lattes about Goldie are coming...

Consignment Stores

In just two weeks, a lot of new stuff will appear in this house. The kids will be thrilled, and I'm already wondering where it will all go. One thing that I've done in an attempt to make a little room, is take a load of outgrown spring clothes to the consignment store. I've said before that getting rid of baby clothes is not always easy, but sometimes it feels great to make some room in the basement.

I am not someone who actually makes any money from consigning. Rob jokes that the only business at the store is from people who come in to sell things and end up making a few purchases. That actually sounds about right. At least I feel like I am being a little green in the process since I am buying used and, at the same time, I'm passing along things that no one in this house is using anymore. I also offset the cost of my purchases, and every little bit helps.

My soggy latte on this rainy day is to make some room. Santa is coming so whether you consign, donate, or throw away, make room now so you can enjoy the goodies in two weeks. Then you can treat yourself to an extra latte (perhaps Eggnog) and enjoy the season!

Family Dinners

One thing I've always felt strongly about as a mother, is the importance of a family dinner. This year, we've started making a real effort to all sit down together and eat the same food so that I'm not cooking one meal for adults and one for kids. In theory, everyone at least tries the food I've fixed before eating a meal of toast and bananas. Maybe one of the reasons we eat out so often is so that everyone can order what they like. Or maybe it's just so that I won't have to cook and clean up.

In our household, we are laying the foundation for pleasant family meals in the future by all coming to the table at the same time. I'm always excited when it works out that we all sit for 15 minutes and talk about our days, but I know that is more the exception than the rule. I seem to spend half of the meal in the bathroom with someone and the other half refilling drinks and cleaning up spills.

My family dinner latte is this, don't expect too much at dinnertime. If everyone, including me, eats at least one veggie and there are no tears, I consider the meal to be a success and we can then move onto play, bath, bed, and blog. Tomorrow is another day with another latte.

Tis the Season

As I've said before, I often feel like I live in a small town. Of course, Atlanta is anything but, and this time of year it really shows. It is overwhelming to look through the number of fun events taking place the next few weeks. At first glance, I want to take my kids to as many as possible to make this an exciting and memorable Holiday Season. Here's the reality - what seems to me like an activity right out of a Norman Rockwell painting , might create a memory of a long car ride for Mary Jane, carsickness for Mason, and too much money spent for my husband.

Here's a holiday planning latte, know your audience! The highlight of Charlotte's season so far has been seeing the girls dressed as Princesses in a Chick-fil-a Candyland to promote the new peppermint milkshake. There was face-painting, coloring, and we had lunch while we were there. Mason even won a game in the raffle which made his day. All for the price of a kid's meal.

We will do our share of traditional holiday activities this season. Mason & Charlotte are both going to be in the Church Christmas Pageant next week (Mason as a sheep, Charlotte as an Angel). We're going to ride the little holiday train that the Botanical Gardens on Saturday, but we're not going to try to sit through the Nutcracker when I'm pretty sure that I would be the only one really enjoying it. If you're enjoying the holidays, your kids will enjoy being with you even if you're just sitting at home redecorating the tree (as Mason does every couple of days) and drinking a latte.

2 Latte Day

I'm tired today. Not just my usual level of "mother of small kids" kind of tired, but more of the "how am I going to make it to bedtime" tired. It was a long night last night. I have always been proud of the fact that our kids have never tried to sleep in our bed. That is partly due to logistics, we have a full sized bed and, for years, an 80 pound dog shared it with us so there was no room for anyone else. What ends up happening in our house is that we go to whichever child needs us during the night.

Last night was one of those nights. Mary Jane has a cold which makes it hard to sleep, and Mason just woke up restless at 4:30. Here is what I learned, Mary Jane needs flannel sheets on her bed and Mason needs an alarm clock. After a night of no sleep, I managed to fall into a very deep sleep in Mason's bed around 6 AM. Unfortunately, we didn't wake up until 7:30.

I'm not going to feel guilty that it is just one of those days. I'll just have an extra latte today, and I'll tackle the laundry tomorrow. That's all my latte is today, sometimes you need extra caffeine and a good night of sleep in a bed without children.