How We Spent the Holiday Break (or My Love Affair Roku)

This post contains affiliate links.

I think I may be the only sad mom on Facebook to see her kids go back to school this week. It could be because it also means that it is time for me to go back to my day job. I thoroughly enjoyed laying around the house and binge watching Netflix.

Since the start of fall all the way to Christmas Eve, we have had plans every weekend. We wandered, explored, created, and enjoyed Northeast Ohio. From Halloween scares to the twinkling lights of Christmas trees and so much in between. When it was all done I can honestly say - I was pooped! The kids, too.

Once Christmas day hit, I tried very hard to not leave the house. One Sunday we headed over to the Botanical Gardens but too early, they don't open till noon on Sundays so we played with the helicopter the oldest got for Christmas, till it broke, and headed home. Sure, we could have hung out at the Art Museum until it the gardens opened, but...

We ventured out to the Children's Museum for the annual sand exhibit, but only because I had made plans a month before and my darling friend reminded me. I needed the push and the kids needed to get out. I was still pretty reluctant to go despite knowing it would be fun for all.

The oldest is nine and still loves to go and this is the first trip RD went and was able to explore on her own. She even attempted the climbing wall, where she made it to the top, stopped, cried, and held up the line until she finally overcame her fear that there was no slide to go down on the other side.

Climbing to the top she realized there was no going back. She sat at the top and cried but eventually headed down. She came off and told a (great) staff member, "I want to go home," through tears and by the time she got to me she was ready to try again. She went at least seven more times. #kids #thisiscle #passtheplus #humansofcleveland #fearless #girlpower

A photo posted by Mary Johnson (@mryjhnsn) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:39pm PST

Catalog Envy: A Living Room to Live In

Up until a week ago I have been very much against home ownership.  I think, for some, it is fine and for others, not so much.  I like the idea of calling someone to fix what needs to be fixed and I like not worrying about property taxes and the such but over the last week or so the Husband and I have been discussing buying.

Yep, buying.

I need a minute.

Sigh.

Yup, I think we are ready to own.

While this discussion is starting, I am distracting my self with imagining redecorating my living room.

My living room is an odd shaped rectangular room with the front door right dab in the middle so arranging the furniture has been a challenge.  Of course, thanks to pinterest - I now have some new ideas to work with for rearranging the furniture and a whole new "if only" board.



It dawned on me, thanks to the pin above, that I can have a sitting area! I have no idea why this never occurred to me before but I plan on rearranging my living room next.



I have always wanted one of these. I hate the idea of a traditional coffee table but this, this is furniture.




I have a decorative tin thingy now that holds the kid's toys that are in the living room but this I can push around (or out of the way) while collecting the toys.

Changing the lighting and a new way to hang the family photos is a great way to freshen a room but at the end of the day I just want a room we can live in and call our own, renting or otherwise.

Do you have a case of catalog envy?

Anywhere in the World and I Would Live...

If I could live anywhere, where would I live?

When I was young, I wanted to live in New Orleans. I wanted to live in the French Quarter with a view from a balcony where I sit in the early morning and sip my café au lait. Or maybe, I could live in the Garden District with Anne Rice as my neighbor and take the street car to my job probably as a server or bartender somewhere on Bourbon Street.

I was so in love with that city. In a way, I still am but as with first loves, or in this case more of a crush, once you see the reality love wanes but that memory stays. I spent many a day (and night) roaming the city and it was amazing, wonderful even but I knew it was not for me to stay. I tried, several times to stay but I always came back to Ohio.

As I got older, I thought that Seattle may be a good place to lay my roots. I still have not made it there to visit but after the last few days of rain, I am not sure it is a place I want to visit for awhile.

I have dreamed my whole life of living in Ireland. But, I don’t dream of living there anymore. I certainly want to visit. One day I will visit it.

I never imagined I would end up in the suburb I grew up in, the city, yes, but not the little community that I spent my childhood and teenage years in. I thought I would live in a trendy, urban community and probably in a walk up.

But, no, I am living a few streets from where I grew up. I should be in the same parish that I made my first communion and confirmation in and my kid goes to the school that I walked past every day of my grade school years.

Deciding to move where we live now was given a lot of thought but it was also a no brainer. The houses are old and have character as does our neighborhood. The schools are good and there are plenty of playgrounds to amuse the kids. We are not far from where I work and there are s few beaches near by as well.  There is a hospital, shopping and grocery stores within walking distance, not that I do, but I did when I lived just a little closer to them. My brother, sister and mother lived in the city still and I knew that this was the right choice.

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would still live right where I am. My mother has been moved but only a city away and my brother moved to but he is still not far from us. It was right for them. Staying is right for us.

My younger self is more than likely disappointed in me for settling. But, the reality is that we are home when we are together.

If you could live anywhere, where would you live?  I am participating in NaBloPoMo and this is the Friday prompt.

Paper, sidewalk... Mama Kat's Weekly Workshop Prompt

I am participating in Mama Kat's  -Pretty Much World Famous- Writer's Workshop.

Wordless Wednesday: Feels Like Home

Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong