Happy List: #70
Fancy seeing you here again on arguably the best day of the week – FriYAY! This week I shared a story about a recent trip to the hair salon. It wasn’t an experience I was expecting, but it was one I needed. My kids have been reading a lot of books lately, so I rounded up another list (the 8th!) of ‘what my kids are reading’ if any of you are interested. Of course you are! Here’s the List o’ Happy! BRITISH HATS I grew up in a family where hats were worn by ladies to weddings and funerals. I love the tradition. I love the formality the practice of wearing…
Books My Kids Are Reading Part 8
“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” ― C.S. Lewis I mainly agree with that C.S. Lewis quote. If I’m going to read a book aloud to my kids over and over and over, I want to enjoy it too. However, as my kids have become independent readers, there are some books that my kids love (aka Captain Underpants) that I love less. However, I’m glad these books make my kids want to hide under the covers with a flashlight to read after light’s out. Here are the books my kids and I have read recently that are…
When Life Gives You a Dose of Perspective
I had a million things on my mind and a hot latte in my hand when I recently plopped down into the chair at my hair salon to discuss the all-important topic of my unruly hair. My stylist, John, only asks me how my hair has behaved since my last haircut as a matter of politeness. We both know he’s going to take my feedback with a grain of salt and cut my hair the way he see fit. We both also know that no matter what he does, at some point in-between haircuts I’m going to get the scissors out and trim any hairs that are misbehaving. It’s our…
Happy List: #69
Welcome back and happy Friday! This week I took a design quiz to help me through my style ‘crisis.’ It was very therapeutic. Did you take it? I also shared how to wear your kids out what to do if you only have one day in London with kids. Now, let’s get on to the main event! The Happy List! MARGARITA LIME SHERBET Why do I always think sherbet is sherBERT? That’s embarrassing. I thought this recipe for Margarita Lime Sherbet from Around My Family Table looked good for Cinco de Mayo. You need an ice cream maker though, so if that’s not an option just go out for a…
Travel: One Day in London with Kids
One of the best things about living in Ireland is being able to get relatively cheap flights from Dublin to other cities in Europe via Ryan Air. Awhile back we took advantage of one of those airfare deals to make a quick weekend trip to London. I do mean quick. While we were there for 2 nights, we really only had one full day to see the London sights. Here’s how to make the most of one day in London with kids. Getting Around There’s no other way to get around London than with public transportation. If you want to know which travel pass is the best one to buy…
My Design Style Is a Little Bit Funky
I NEVER take those ‘just for fun’ online surveys. Especially not the ones on Facebook that ‘just for fun’ take all your data and your friends’ data and sell it. Thanks Facebook! Real swell of you. Anyway. I digress. I’m a loyal reader of The Lettered Cottage blog. I love Layla’s cottage style. Last week she took a HomeGoods ‘define your style’ quiz and shared her results. I got sucked into the hype folks. I was ripe for the quiz taking because I’m having a style “crisis.” OH NO! The horror! Say it isn’t so! Yep. Furniture I bought pre-kids and 6 homes ago is finally not working for me…
Happy List: #68
Hello, everyone! How the heck are you? I hope your week has been fantastic! If you missed it, on Monday I shared how awesome I am at teaching my kids life skills. I hope you read that sentence with the hefty dose of sarcasm that was intended. On Wednesday and without any sarcasm (I think?) I shared what to do and see if you only have one day to spend in Berlin, Germany. It’s not nearly enough time, but we made the most of it! Here is this week’s Happy List! STARS ARE JUST LIKE US I couldn’t love Jennifer Garner more than I do right now. Read the caption.…
Travel: One Day in Berlin with Kids
One day in any city is never enough, but sometimes a quirk in your travel plans presents an opportunity. For us, it was one day in Berlin or zero days in Berlin. Of course we’ll take the one day! Especially since it meant being able to see friends. The biggest thing I learned? We need to go back! Getting Into Berlin from the Airport Getting from the Berlin Airport into the city involves either taking a taxi or a bus. We took the bus. And then the train. And then walked to our hotel. Figuring out the bus and train situation was not impossible – we did it after all,…
Teaching Kids Life Skills Takes ALL The Patience
Here’s the thing about parenting. You have to teach your kids stuff. WHAT?!?! And not just the basics like walking, talking and avoiding yellow snow. Practical, fend-for-yourself things too. If you don’t, they’ll never have the life skills to live on their own. Let THAT sink in. But here’s the thing people don’t want to say – especially online where we all have a tendency to put our best foot forward. My life is super-duper perfect, by the way. Patiently waiting three lifetimes EVERY SINGLE MORNING while your kid ties his or her shoes (or insert any other thing here) is excruciatingly painful. Especially since you know that shoelace is…
Happy List: #67
We’re ending the week in my part of the world with an Irish HEATWAVE! Seriously, folks. 65 degrees Fahrenheit is about as warm as it gets on this little island – even in the summer. Based on the number of people I’ve seen sunbathing on the beach, I’d say quite a few people called in “sick” to work this week. Sick of winter, if you want to get specific! On Monday I shared my leather wrapped rock paperweight. I’m kind of obsessed with it! Wednesday on the blog was all about two-handle kitchen faucets. They are pretty, but I don’t understand why they are practical. Feel free to weigh in…
