Christmas Exchange

I never really heard what anyone else got for the Christmas sibling exchanges. (Except that Heidi made Holly a Cheese Sandwich Quilt, awesome!) So here are the two we were involved in:

From Mark, Mel & Welly (limit $20.00, I think they cheated)

We all stayed up on new Years Eve competing for the highest scores on every game!

 

Emma has all of her suncatcher creations hanging on our atrium window. She loved it!

 

Hannah thinks the pink ballerina Barbie is great fun!

 

Sabrina doesn’t seem excited here, but she thinks that a pony that “smell lie soda” is the best!

 

Mmmm truffles, I should be the new spokesmodel!

 

Beef Jerky- always so popular! That and summer sausage…

 

We’ve already played Simpsons Clue twice and it’s so much fun!

 

From Erica, Jed, Owen, Davis & Kate (limit: $15.00, theme: music)

A Jingle Bells Book. The perfect read for Christmas!

 

We all loved the Kidz Bop Christmas collection!

 

Lots of music for the kids, and some from my past too!

 

Thanks To Everyone That Gave us Gifts or Holiday Cards!

We are so grateful to have such thoughtful family and friends.

 

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Tag

Got You!

You have been tagged, and are required to leave a comment on this post. If you have read this you must leave a comment! Preferably with your first name and at least a message ranging somewhere between “hi” and “this is my favorite blog ever.” Only I will see your email address and I promise not to send you any spam. It doesn’t matter if it’s years after I’ve posted it or how busy you are… It takes 10 seconds. 🙂

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My Kind of Mom

…or your Mom

‘Meanest Mom on the Planet’ Sells Teenage Son’s Car After Finding Booze Under Front Seat

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Maus

For Christmas, Amy gave me the two-volume set of “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. I first read these books when I was in high school and was really affected by them. I had checked them out of the library so I never owned the set until now. I just finished re-reading them and I am just as amazed at the story as ever. Maus tells the story of Art Spiegelman’s father who was a Jew living in Poland during World War II. He takes you though his father’s whole experience first learning about the Nazis, being moved into the ghettos, going into hiding and finally being sent to Auschwitz.

What is really unusual about this is that Art Spiegelman is a cartoonist and he tells his father’s story in comic book form. In the book, the Jews are drawn as mice and the Germans are cats. It sounds like this would take away from the seriousness of the subject or be a distraction but it isn’t at all. It’s incredibly powerful and personal. The story of Maus has a way of pulling you into it and making you feel like you are right there with the characters. You feel their fear, their confusion, their helplessness, their despair and their determination. Anyone that wants to learn about the Holocaust needs to read Maus. Here are a couple of pages from the first volume.

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No More Junk Mail

 

Maybe it won’t take care of all of the junk mail, but I found this site on Martha Stewart called Opt Out Prescreen. You fill in your name and address (social security number and birthday are optional) and it should get rid of all the insurance, bank, and credit card offers. It seems to be legit, but I didn’t use my SS# or B-day just in case. There is also one for catalogs called, Catalog Choice. I know I throw away an awful lot of junk, so this seems like a great solution!

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