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The House That Could Have Been

dream houseWhen we were planning on returning to Wisconsin, we found out that a doctor was selling his practice and his home. I called him that night and after ½ hour of discussion, I made him an offer at his full asking price. I knew this house very well because when I was growing up, my best girlfriend’s family designed and built it. It was built with the Frank Lloyd Wright vibe. There were large windows, vaulted ceilings, and unique features like a second-floor living room, a large backyard with gardens, and an inground swimming pool. Continue reading

Family Commune

When asked what my dream house would be, there is 1 thing that comes to mind…  It would be to have a family commune.  I envision it similar to how we used to go camping.  Each family unit has their own private area, but there is also a common area where we would gather for meals and general activity. Continue reading

My House is Me

“My house is me and I am
it. My house is where I like
to be and it looks like all my
dreams.”  –Mr. Plumbean

my house is meI taught First Grade…forever. One of the favorite ways to kick off the school year was with a week of color experiences. On “orange day” I would always read “The Big Orange Splot” by Daniel Pinkwater. In it, Mr. Plumbean has a house and yard that don’t blend in on his “neat street”. Day by day, neighbors come to his house and leave to create their own dream house. Following the reading, we would talk about all the things we would include in the house of OUR dreams. 6-year-olds included lots of slides, pools, TVs, and game rooms. 

This activity always made me a bit nervous. Continue reading

Did You Know Snow is Cold?

snow

I’ve always assumed that when snow is mentioned, we all understand its characteristics. It’s wet, white, made up of individual flakes, and, of course, very, very cold. Continue reading

Big Snow

snowSnow memories are so different than things are today.  First of all, we actually had a lot of snow, not the one to two inches we have lately.  Even this closes schools, businesses, you name it, for being bad weather, it is nothing like we used to have. Continue reading

The Dreaded Ice Derby

skatingAt what point do you decide that your child has to participate in an event or allow them to quit?  I’ve often wondered this over the years in relation to various kids’ activities, but especially when I think about my childhood. Continue reading

The Snow Police

snow police

Kadon and Luka are excited about the snow–2009.

When I first started teaching, one of the first purchases I needed was a warm winter coat and snow pants for recess duty. Kids are all running around and warm, but the adults are just standing there–watching, protecting…policing. 

I think it is interesting how snow brings out the joy and excitement in children. One good snowfall and they are all rolling snowmen and trying to throw snowballs (without getting caught). Continue reading

Decorating Hiatus

I love Christmas decorations.  If I could do nothing else it would be to decorate for Christmas.  I love trying to come up with different ideas for decorating from year to year.

It’s at this time of the year that I would love an all-white house so that I could experiment with different colors and different themes.  Now, I do believe less is more, and can’t stand big artificial plastic guys.  I like pretty, sparkly, shiny, decorations placed strategically around to accent those empty spaces. Continue reading

Christmas Adulting

One big drawback of being an adult is that I am the one responsible for the setup and clean-up of celebrations and events.

Christmas Adulting

I think this is Luka’s decorated gingerbread house.

As a child, I looked forward to Christmas–the music, the sugar cookies, Santa, family gatherings, and presents. But now…I’m the one who makes the cookies, invites the guests, buys the gifts, decorates…

Oh yes, the decorations.

When I was little, I loved having a Christmas tree. I loved the smell of the real thing. Our tree had all sorts of decorations and big colorful lights. Mom would put up the tree about a week before Christmas and then keep it up forever. (We have more recently witnessed the tree make it past “3 Kings Day” to see St. Patrick’s Day!) Continue reading

Christmas Until Easter

I always struggle with when to take down my Christmas decorations.  I’m not the type of person that puts everything up the day after Thanksgiving.

I usually try to wait until at least December has started.  I’m also strongly against taking them down on December 26th as so many people do as I’ve just got them all up and the house is looking very festive and cozy.   Continue reading