Prompt -- December

December is upon us! It's a sneaky month arriving before you know it, right after that relaxing holiday they call Thanksgiving! But here it is... I love it! Mostly because I'm done... yes I'm done. O.K., so I have a few more things on my list to do, but knowing what they are is more than half the battle in my book... I just need an afternoon sometime without children and then I'm DONE!... it's that pesky without children for an afternoon that's the kicker!

I prepare for Christmas far enough in advance so that I can actually enjoy all the fun of December! December is a doing month! December should be a verb so it can be an action word! (yes we're doing Verbs in 2nd grade right now) But it should. No other month has so much action! It's as though people walk around blind most of the year and then wake up in December, see so much trouble in the world and try to do something to improve things. (I'm a guilty people too)

But more than the let's find world peace, December strikes me as a doing month because with children it makes me want to DO things. I likely wouldn't traipse out in the cold snow to sit on plastic and careen down a hillside except that my kids really want to... of course once out there I'm the one who's begging for "one more time?"... I want my children to experience all the feelings of Christmas. I want them to hear, see, smell, taste and feel it. I want them to ingest every bit... and not just foods. Lights, music, laughter, giving, thoughtfulness, the stories I remember growing up with and the new ones we discover every year. We probably read out loud together more in December than any other time... and I'm seriously a walking library patron spokeswoman I read so much... but we try to read a different Christmas story each night in December. There are so many wonderful Christmas movies to watch we have matinee Monday, in addition to the normal weekend theater 'chez nous' each week, just to squeeze in a few more shows. We've even been known to allow a Christmas movie during dinner, which includes being allowed to eat downstairs.... two big no no's... but it's Christmas time!

Christmas time gets us out of our house more... We're on the lookout for some service we can do. There are great parties in December... and let's face it we love to party! There are so many great activities that we can not take them all in.

We have decorated the house, including a little decorating in each bedroom so they feel festive every minute! We then sat down and each came up with four different things that we could 'do' together as a family to remember Christmas throughout December! With 6 of us that gives us 24 great activities in December. We have an advent Calendar with little pockets and the activity ideas were written down on slips of paper and randomly put into the pockets. Each day we will enjoy one! (Isn't it odd that I don't try this every month and have wonderful memories like this all the time.... I guess it wouldn't be as special if it happened so regularly)

Even without the snow arriving yet... we dipped into the hot cocoa tonight and had a cozy evening in front of the fire in the living room by the light of the Christmas tree and finalized our December plans. Well, not all... I hold a few back during the planning party so I can surprise them with some but I love to hear what they have enjoyed and remember from past years.

I think another reason that I like to start early is so that the focus can be where it should be. If I weren't ready I wouldn't be able to relax and take the moments to share the feelings of the Christmas spirit with my children.... I could easily turn into a combination of the Grinch, Shrek and Scrooge if I weren't ready for this holiday!

So to all Happy Holidays, get out and 'do' this December and remember to enjoy the Christmas season.... don't let it become a blur!

Prompt: What to do with the spare room

When we moved into this house we had some decisions to make. There were 6 bedrooms and four children. We could all have our own rooms, including Patrick and I and end the discussion there... or we could all just bunk together and have 5 spare rooms to do with as we pleased. At first, that was the plan, but then we really moved in and as all plans seem to need tweaking, this one definitely did!

Patrick and I decided that since sharing a room had worked our for us in the past we would continue to do so in this house. The new house has bedrooms grouped as follows, 2 together, 3 together and 1 sort of on its own. The one on its own happens to be the largest room, with the smallest window and smallest closet in the most trafficked area. The decision finally was made to keep the two youngest boys together in a room and leave the larger less secluded room available for.... well for something...

Naturally we put the two boys sharing a room in the small strangely shaped room. Sarah somehow managed to convince Caleb that she should have the biggest of the rooms and has forever teased that when Caleb moves out she'll take over his room as a nice walk in closet. (That shows how small Caleb's room seems)

The bedroom arrangements actually have worked out well. As for Patrick and I we had to decide between what was intended as the master bedroom and the other small bedroom. Oddly enough we opted for the small bedroom and we now had the master bedroom and the large, oddly located bedroom to give usefulness to. A master bedroom has never been so well used! I likely spend 75% of my life in there. It is the best office / project / school room ever! We essentially live in this room. It's near the laundry, bathroom and kitchen. Near the front door, has internet access and a t.v.! Can you say efficiency!

But now the quandary of what to do with the extra room. We already have a living room and a family room, a semi-formal dining room, storage space, and even a cold storage area. We've bantered a few ideas around like a guest room, a play room, an exercise room, but having such an efficient upstairs area really has me thinking that the rest of the house should try to be efficient also. I mean a guest room actually could come in handy... almost every other week... but that's only at night and only sometimes... A playroom just screams MESS to me, and what do they do everywhere anyway?? It currently has a shelf along one wall and the greatest, comfortable (really it is) guest hideaway bed ever. (Come check it out for yourself and visit us!)

So, I put it out there to the people... well the people in my house and asked what they thought it would be best to use the room for. I told them anything goes, I just needed some ideas. Their responses didn't really help me but I enjoyed it anyway!

Sarah decided that an indoor aquarium was just what we needed. It shouldn't cost too much. Only a new glass door so we could see in, and make the whole room an aquarium with dolphins and we'd need to put a trap door in the ceiling so we could get in and swim with them.

Miles did indeed have a less expensive approach. He suggested that we cover the walls and floor with mattresses and then we'd have a wrestling room where no one would ever get hurt! (Because it's the walls that pin you and contort you....
right?)

Duncan who lives to be outside and is starting to feel the effects of cold weather hampering his outdoor time, decided that we should bring the sandpit in for the winter and put it in this room. Then we can build sandcastles in the house and wear our shorts in the wintertime!

Caleb... so sophisticated in his 13 years.... I'll move in to that room and Sarah can have my room for her closet now.

Eventually the use will present itself.. until then a dream room.... for really wild and out there dreams!!

Prompt: November

November gets a bad rap!

No sun - no moon!

No morn - no noon -

No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,

No comfortable feel in any member -

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -

November!

by Thomas Hood

I mean I find it one of the most enjoyable months. The outside is officially done for the year. Even if I wanted to tinker in the garden or yard... it's too cold and too difficult. So now all that time that used to be spent outdoors is available for the projects that have been yearning for my attention, but I couldn't willingly give it.

"Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast."
- Sara Coleridge

Now November beckons to me. I rarely have a full schedule of activities scheduled for the month. Especially after such a jam packed October and typically December is already filling fast! I truly enjoy November and it's typically tranquil days. And then I read such disturbing quotes such as these....

"The gloomy months of November, when the people of England hang and drown themselves."
- Joseph Addison

I mean really... is this backed by any statistics to truly blame November?

I don't know that the reason that I like November so much is because my birthday happens to be in it because growing up I likely would have preferred a summertime birthday bash. And I was never too fond of the fact that the birthstone for November was a 'Topaz'.. I mean I actually considered that an ugly brown stone and would have preferred a different one. But all that aside the month of November has such a pleasant feel. It's often the first snow. The peaceful blanket of snow that is always so beautiful. We're not too sick of snow like in February or March. There are sometimes still some beautiful autumn colours to drink in. There's often some fabulous rain storms to listen to pitter patter against the windows and skylights and hear the wind as it howls around and makes you feel safe and protected all curled up inside by the fireplace. It's great soup weather. It's a great month to read some books.

I suppose I have an affection for November, like I have for a good nights sleep. It's rejuvenating and so necessary. It helps to give an appreciation for the spring time and gives the time to plan for it. A good rest is welcoming. And the promise of snowmen, and snow forts beckons. Evenings spent indoors together with hot cocoa or cider to enjoy are looked forward to longingly. Crunchy, crisp walks outside to see your breath and feel your blood circulating inside your body as it works to keep warm in your bundles of extra clothing. Yes November usually gets a bad rap, but not around here!

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
- Clyde Watson

Prompt: Favourite Halloween movie.

We've had weekend movie theater' chez us' for many years... but recently we began the behaviour game again and this time the prizes were tickets... (We really printed up and laminated some tickets, that made it even more exciting!) Now you have to earn your ticket to the home theater, a ticket for a beverage, a ticket for popcorn, a ticket for a cookie etc... During the week if you behave well you move forward on the game board and every four squares earns you a ticket. Sometimes if you behave poorly you move backwards... then you have to return your ticket. It's amazing how well the game is really working for something we used to do anyway!

So the Noble Theaters presents Halloween favourites:

• It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown -- A classic every child enjoys.
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks -- Although not a halloween theme... spooky incantations, a witch and things coming to life... always a good time.
• Casper the friendly ghost -- There are a few remakes of this one, I think.
  
• Monsters Inc. -- It's all about scaring and monsters.. great for this holiday.
• The Wizard of Oz -- Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my! Wicked Witch of the West, Flying monkeys, Tornadoes, ahhhh
• The Nightmare before Christmas -- Love it or hate it.
  
• Corpse Bride -- If you liked the nightmare before Christmas, you'll like the corpse bride.
  
• The Adventures of Ichabod Crane or The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney)-- A classic halloween tale.
• Meet me in St. Louis -- Again not really a halloween movie but it has a great halloween scene and I get to sneak in a great musical.
  
• The Adam's Family -- Great series of such a typical family.

For the later show or (older) crowd:

• Hocus Pocus -- A little older audience but enjoyable.
• The Worst Witch -- This is a series of shows about apprentice witches ... sort of Harry Potteresque... but no evil villain who can not be named.
• Harry Potter -- If you have a potter fan.. plan on requests for all available movies!
  
• Practical Magic -- Mature audiences only.. but witches of the likes of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman... make halloween romantic?!?..
  
• Edward Scissorhands -- Are Halloween movies supposed to make you cry?
  
• Pirates of the Carribean -- Another Johnny Depp and three of them to boot! Again not Halloween, but sure fits the bill for a good skeleton run pirate ship scare!
  
• The Phantom of the Opera -- A more mature musical spook, BUT a definite favourite of mine.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, "There is no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it." So go ahead, pop your corn, snuggle up under the blanket and enjoy the eery anticipation this Halloween.

Prompt: What do you want for lunch?

This prompt assignment was a flop! The kids thought I would take their 'orders' seriously... I wasn't about to make 4 different lunches! It was a writing assignment already!

If it had been for real... then I would have received my order too... a catered lunch that everyone would eat that didn't leave any dirty dishes behind!

Duncan wanted pizza. Miles wanted waffles with berries and whip cream! Sarah wanted Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad. (I actually could have gone for that one!) Caleb twigged in to the fact that I wouldn't be serving up their orders so he wrote... "fried worms, rats blood and sweet and sour roly poly bugs!" Which loosely translated, I'm sure meant... Macaroni and Cheese!

Prompt: Tell about an embarrasing moment.

What an easy prompt for me...

My life... the end!

OK OK... so I just mean I don't embarrass easily and that I frequently do things that others might be embarrassed by but I don't care!

But I do have one moment that stands out for me because of course I was recognized for it!.

It would be my golden plunger moment! I lived in the dorms my first year in college and the dorms had a get together once a week to keep everyone up to date on announcements and such. One thing they did periodically was to award the golden plunger (yes a toilet plunger spray painted gold!) to a resident of the dorm for an embarrassing moment that happened during their week.

I was set up on a blind date. He picked me up and took me back to his apartment where we were supposed to meet up with his roommate and my friend who set up the date. They left a note for us letting us know that they wouldn't be there until later. Awkward... Ok.. well he had made dinner for us, so while we waited for dinner to be done, he whipped out his guitar and started singing for me.

Thankfully dinner wasn't long until it was ready. We ate some kind of chicken casserole thing in relative quiet... some small talk I'm sure. I hadn't even finished my meal before I felt queasy. I excused myself to the bathroom which was... well.. a men's college bathroom... I was sure to only hover over the seat. I was okay, so I returned to finish my meal. As I got back to the table I had to turn right around and head back for the bathroom... this time the toilets' state of cleanliness did not even phase me as I leaned over and lost my dinner. As I came out this time, he was heading in... He didn't have to say anything for me to know what he had to do. We took turns going in and out of the bathroom a few times. Needless to say we threw out the leftovers.

I was hoping to go home at this point, but I guess he felt fine after unloading his stomach and wanted to head over to a little place in town to go mini golfing and sumo wrestling where we would meet up finally with my friend and his roommate. I suggested that we just do this some other time, I wasn't up to activities but he thought we should at least stop and let them know that we were bailing. FINE! I have puke breath... nothing in my stomach, a headache from retching but by all means lets go to a college hangout! I wish we had walked... I was now having dry heaves on the side of the road in front of the activity place. But by all means lets go on inside! It was loud and bright. He suggested we grab a burger since we hadn't had much of a dinner... "Uh, no thanks.. just a drink for me" That proved to just give my stomach something to lose, so I found a bathroom in a hurry. I seriously figured I'd just leave the bathroom and walk home from here now.... I was so done with this date. As I came out though.. my friend, his roommate and he (seriously wish I could remember his name) were waiting for me. They had decided we should all do the sumo wrestling. That was definitely that last thing I wanted to do. He obviously hadn't mentioned how our evening had progressed so far. I was glad we'd found my friend. "I need to go home actually." They all tried to persuade me to stay. Didn't anyone else get that throwing up in random bathrooms was not a fun night? Thankfully I won. He took me home. Not a word in the car and he was obviously rushing me home! Just before we got to the dorms I told him I was going to be sick again, so he pulled over and let me get out to heave... he leaned over and said.. "You're pretty close from here, maybe you should just walk."

I was glad to be let out! I went home, brushed my teeth and climbed into bed.

I wish it ended there but it doesn't... The next afternoon, when I was not at home, he came by and delivered a pie and a message that 'we never had a chance to have dessert so he was hoping we could get together again.' He came by everyday for the next week, always with some baked or home cooked item. I guess he wanted to prove that he could cook without making me heave. I didn't even like the looks of the first two items he brought (although one roommate tried the pie) but after three of four days had passed be brought some goodies that my roommates and I all sampled.... We were all sick that night! When he would stop by with his goodies he often tried to sing to us or just sit there and nothing would be said for long awkward moments. He would always leave abruptly though.. just up and be gone... sometimes not saying anything at all, just walking out the door. I wasn't mean to him, I understood that he hadn't intentionally tried to induce me to vomit more than once. I just didn't find that he and I ever had anything to discuss and his singing was really starting to drive me bonkers! It took him a while to believe that I wasn't interested thanks... and not just in his cooking. He did finally leave me alone and it was a few months before I was willing to accept someone setting me up on another blind date. But hey.... I won a golden plunger to stick in my front window for all to see.

Prompt: Do you have a favourite colour? What does your favourite colour make you think of and what makes it special?

My oh my... did this prompt ever cause tension in my home today!!! "That's really three questions.. that's not fair!" "It's a silly question", "Who cares", " That's too much writing!"

aye yi yi!!

I was personally looking forward to it although choosing only one colour was too much of a task!
I like different colours for different reasons! I've also always felt that different days of the week lend themselves in my mind to a different colour.... (I know I'm going off the deep end now)

Red makes me think of accomplishing things. Mondays... beginning of the new week, great intentions and plans... a rush of excitement of starting a fresh week with grand goals. Anything is possible with a red Monday! Red is confidence, importance and prosperity. Red is berries, apples, sweet smelling roses, fast cars and tomato soup.

Blue is my Tuesday colour. I like blue. It is refreshing and soothing. I likely need a more relaxing day and colour after my build up of red Monday.
I have tried for many years to convince people that I have a blue theme in my kitchen... but who am I kidding... the walls are a gorgeous yellow/orange and I have wooden cabinets and I've picked out a charcoal counter top... No blue in sight... the washcloths and tea towels are blue... and the cups in the cupboard used to all be blue.. now I have a whole rainbow in there.
Blue is still productive and steady, but peaceful. It is confident and conservative, trustworthy and truth. Blue is skies, water, the wind, my bluebirds and ink.

Yellow is Wednesday's colour.... It's calm. By now the house should be clean and the week running smoothly *lol* but the week is halfway by know as well and I have a sense of how the rest of the week is going and how much I'll really be accomplishing this week and it's a happy day. No stress, I've made it this far and if it isn't going well I can still change for the better but if it is going well... then smooth sailing ahead... Just a happy colour! Yellow is hope and courage. Yellow is childhood smiling and laughter. Yellow is a banana, a sunrise, daffodils, ducklings and chicks, a baby blanket and corn on the cob.

Green is a Thursday colour. It's almost a lazy day around here. No normal meetings scheduled or extra lessons of any kind... a kick back and enjoy nature kind of day. Green is renewing, healthful, stable and balancing. It is responsible without having to stress too much. Green is a new plant, a fresh vegetable, the grass when I remember to water it, a park, a shade tree, mints and lime sherbert!

Orange is Friday... but it's not a halloween orange... it's a burnt orange, rustic orange a BEAUTIFUL colour... it's warm and inviting, it's restful and relaxing... OK.. so orange is really up there as one of my favourite colours. Why Friday? Because the week is done and we're going to enjoy the weekend. Patrick would argue that the work is just beginning. But now I feel like it's not the mundane anymore, it's the fun, the projects, the things I just can't let myself get sidetracked by all week long and yet I want done or to be doing! It's a beautiful colour... like a gorgeous sunset! Orange is stimulating mentally and emotionally. Orange suggests staying home and family, a fun game or a good book. Orange is a warm fire, a pumpkin pie, apple cider, autumn leaves and crisp mornings.

Brown is like an accent colour. On it's own it struggles, but with other colours the brown is what is so alluring. Brown is my weekend. Brown pulls it all together, keeps me constant and going. Many shades of brown work... Some weekends are taupe and just sort of happen.. others are a deep chocolate brown, full and rich in activity and excitement! Weekends can be almost any colour because it's based on what we've got going on.. but always it's accented with a great brown! Brown is honest, dependable and wholesome. Brown is hot chocolate, a garden bed, fresh baked goods, cardboard boxes waiting to be turned into a house or a car, big brown eyes, brown paper packages and UPS.

Prompt: Where is your favourite place to hide?

Ready or Not!

I love playing hide and seek... sometimes I'll suggest the kids play the game just to get them out of my hair and then they're having fun or struggling with where to hide and I always end up playing with them. They love hiding inside things... like in the laundry bin, or in the garbage can, or inside the bottom cabinet of the computer desk, under the bed, in the bed if the laundry is on it waiting to be folded all the better!. I've hidden Duncan in a coat hanging in the front closet, obviously lying in the bathtub, or sitting on top of the freezer, in the dog's kennel, and in daddy's suitcase since it doesn't get put away much these days!!

In our old neighbourhood, we played 'kick the can', a nighttime neighbourhood version. Lots of fun and all the kids would dress in black.. it was like our streets cult came out after dark to play this hiding game... it involved kids and adults by the time the evening was over... We probably played at least once a week all summer long! We hid in all the front yards up and down the street looking for the best shadows and sneaking off so our footsteps couldn't be heard! The race for the can could be rather dangerous at times but always fun fun fun! If you had a good hiding spot you never revealed it to anyone!

Desperation led to this version in a Dr's office. We had such a long wait one time in our Dr.'s office. We had been shown to the exam room but the doctor wasn't coming.. There weren't any toys in the exam room and needless to say we were growing restless. So, one person closed their eyes and sat on my lap and everyone else had to hide somewhere in the room and stay very quiet and still and then the 'it' person had to find them without looking! It was pretty fun... the Dr. was amused when she came in also. We now take a blindfold with us to all our appointments!

Growing up places to hide.. mum was great at finding spots. I loved hiding on the kitchen chairs all tucked in under the table. There was always a rumor that Jill could hide in the water pipes... starting in one bathroom and ending up in another.... We never quite figured it out so maybe she really could... Channa seems to recall that she ended up in the neighbours toilet one time too....

Having a few acres with forest and a pond and lots of great hiding areas made for a GREAT game at Jill's on Hornby. Of course after a while sometimes people forget how many people they're supposed to be looking for... I had hidden on the rope swing that hangs out over the pond... Great idea as long as someone is still looking for you... but after quite a while I hear "Games over" but but... I'm stuck over the pond... you can't just stop! I called for a while but just had to wait until they realized that I wasn't coming in like everyone else and they would have to come find me! It was under ten minutes that I waited over the pond... but you start to have thoughts up on a small rope swing over a pond... 'maybe I should jump in, I wonder how deep it is in this spot?', 'they would miss me after a while, I wonder how long I might be here', 'I wonder why they stopped the game','How am I going to get down from here?'
Jill's house proved to be a fantastic place for a game one winter also... I wasn't there for it but the power was out and in the woods when the power is out it's rather dark!! A very eerie game of hide and seek... Grandma said she just stood still in the room for one hiding session. A dark that you can't see your own hand in front of your face!

"I ready, I hiding, I in da fwog" -- Sarah will forever be famous for her line during a game when she was almostt 2 yrs. Jill, Grandma and Bailey were visiting when Miles and Mackenzie were born. We had, and still do actually, a laundry bag that is a flexible pop up variety, dark green and it had (doesn't anymore), a frog's head that opened and closed over the top. She was indeed ready and hiding and in the frog, but didn't quite have the concept of waiting quietly!! We all used that line for many years!

Prompt: Describe your favourite park

My favourite park isn't so much a certain park or location but rather what elements does the park have.
I like a park that:

• has adequate shade so we don't fry and so that the equipment doesn't burn little bottoms.
• has enough adult seating around so that I don't feel the need to sit on another adults lap if I wish to sit and enough seating so that I don't have to become chatty with others if the mood doesn't strike me.
• having varied age equipment is wonderful. Going to the park with a toddler and a teenager can be challenging since rarely are they all satisfied with the equipment
• has equipment strong enough that should the mood strike I can romp with the children. (I'm often the only parent swinging like a monkey... )
  
• has a fence from any potential dangers, i.e. busy roads, busy areas where lots of people are milling.... I like to relax at the park.
• has a ground surface made of the new spongy rubber... No more getting rocks or woodchips in the shoes!
• are in areas that I already frequent... I've located many GREAT parks that would be a day excursion to go to and that really inhibits me from just saying... "let's go to the park"
• are different... Not the same equipment like every other park... Creativity is the point to kids play! (growing up we had the octopus park, the pirate ship park and the horsie park..) ... so far here we have the castle park, the digging park, the water park, the baby park, the dinosaur park and the school playground.
• having facilities are a definite plus at a park... nothing ruins a trip to the park more than one child needing the potty and having to pack everyone up to go home!
• have a bit of green space. It's nice for just running around with each other... a game of tag, a roll down a slope, something to get all the energy out!

Fortunately for my children, I've found a few parks that almost meet all of my criteria for a favourite park. We still don't go nearly frequently enough though. My all time favourite park is going to be the one that will one day be in my own back yard so the kids can play at their leisure. (I'm sure they'll want to still go to some of their favourite parks though!)

Prompt --- What we like about September

Our school this year has a journal prompt for each day. The kids thought it only fair that I write along with them. I didn't bother explaining my philosophy on fair again.. or that I have already learned to write and this is their activity... if me writing with them makes them write then write I will... I will title the ones I blog as Prompt.. (then the prompt) to identify them as school assignments... I may include their responses as well... since some are fabulous!

Interestingly... What do you like about September assumes that you've given some thought to which months you like... and I suppose... 'don't' like... I had to consider if I did or not. I think I prefer September as a fresh beginning almost more so than January's New Years'.... the weather is not so hot as it was in the summer and it's nice to be able to do things outdoors. The school year is beginning and although my children are still at home, we are getting back into the groove of doing school after a fun summer of playing and visiting. The garden is finally proving it's worth after all the work... fresh tomatoes daily and zucchini that I can't keep up with... This year I had success with my onions even.... I look so forward to next year when I actually plant my whole garden... This year was spent making my whimsical brick beds, and moving dirt and planning the garden.... organizing the garden shed and getting ready for a garden, but I did manage to plant my squash and tomatoes.

September brings back old favourites in the wardrobe for me... sweaters and boots, an excuse for hot cocoa or apple cider, soups and bread baking... last year it brought apples by the bucket non stop for 20 days.... (this year the trees weren't as laden... and I'm finding a blessing in that)

September finds all the neighbourhood children back at school and us at home in peace, and I somehow find that after a hectic summer that it is a time to reconnect with my own children and not have the constant distractions and albeit fun interruptions of summer.

So if nothing else... this September finds me at home... At home with my children, at home with my choices, at home and happy. Yes... I do like September... I think I like it a lot!