It is always a sign of chaotic times when my body opts to return the comfort T-Zone of my hormonal, oily, teenage years. If you see me in public and wonder why I’ve opted for small Christmas lights dotting my chin and forehead, just know that it wasn’t intentional.
Tag: Holidays
When the Holidays look Different
As Rich had his arm halfway up the business end of a turkey this morning, he took a pause, shook his head and said “what am I doing?” Being the ever present person available to offer ways to do things better, I jumped in with a quick what’s wrong? while googling How to Turkey. … Continue reading When the Holidays look Different
Seasons of Change
Bruised knee, 1; Jyl, 0. Such an odd holiday season this year! I had some time alone while Rich and the kids were out to dinner with his mother - and while it was truly only a few hours, I think because it was Christmas Eve and not our typical 'pre-Christmas night,' the idea of … Continue reading Seasons of Change
Bingo!
The more I research, study, and educate myself on the behaviors of teens, the more I think a boarding school directly to college route makes sense. Ship them off to a far away land until they’re maybe twenty-five. I fantasize a marriage without teens. What would that be like? I say this as my husband … Continue reading Bingo!
(Ab)Normal Traditions.
It looks like the surrounding neighborhoods spent much of 2020 designing new layouts for their Christmas lights. Ours...are not quite up yet. Rich is holding firm to not lighting the house until the third-ish week of December. And, in a who are you? twist, our Fall/Thanksgiving decor still adorns the mantle, flag pole, and front … Continue reading (Ab)Normal Traditions.
Drink your milk.
I saw a great Facebook post last week pre-chiding folks for the anticipated comments on Thanksgiving Holiday posts ~ you know the ones...crowds of people cheek to cheek stuffing turkey legs down their throats. The point of the post was the point of so many posts this year - our own response to seeing others … Continue reading Drink your milk.
The Grace Period
Oh, hey, how about that, 2020...how'd you get here? I wrapped up 2009 with a tour of the Baltic Sea region - fluttering around from Stockholm to Moscow to Estonia to Oslo to London with a few other stops sprinkled in. I had no idea that would be my last jaunt abroad as I had … Continue reading The Grace Period
A Barlow Christmas Carol
Poop-ocolypse 2019
Wait, did I miss Elf?
So here I sit - two weeks away from putting 2019 in the books
Bread Wars
Before: For as long as I can remember, once a year, my dad cooked one thing. Okay, that’s not fair. For much of my childhood, he did fix dinner during my mom’s annual trek to her parents' house. Like the time he made hamburgers with the ketchup and mustard inside. Which didn’t work out. His … Continue reading Bread Wars