^{Posted by: ShortOrderMom}

New Year's Eve seems to be all about excess for many people, and with good reason. With resolutions to turn over a new leaf the very next day, why not indulge that night? Our New Year's Eve will be an indulgence for sure. We decided this year that we would watch a series of movies to pass the time on New Year's Eve, and the decision was that we would watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We also decided that this would be the perfect time to do something we had always wanted to do; eat like Hobbits.

I don't have a recipe for lembas or cram, I may be able to cook just about anything, but my expertise on making foods stay fresh for a journey's worth of time isn't in my abilities. So, I decided to go with some traditional English foods, since the Hobbit diet so closely resembles English country cooking. Sausages, cakes, eggs, too much mead, and mushrooms… Read More

^{Posted by: CallMeMama}

Santa arrived safe and sound last night. It was questionable up until bedtime, but my kids managed to pull it off for yet another year. The Cheese woke us up at 6:42 this morning by informing us, "Santa left a wrapping paper trail down the stairs!" It seems that Santa had spent extra time last night making a trail of Christmas wrapping paper that would lead our children down to their presents this morning. (Santa read about the idea in one of… Read More

^{Posted by: DrMommyKC}

With JP's upcoming deployment, our gifts to each other this Christmas were decidedly bent towards a tech-happy focus, devices that would help keep us close despite the miles of separation between us. As one of the last remaining people on the planet without an ipod of some sort, I decided to give him an ipod Nano to give him access to his favorite songs that might make being far away from home a little more bearable. I… Read More

^{Posted by: Joe_LoCicero}

I think it's never too soon to get the kids in on enjoying appetizers: understanding the manners that are involved in eating them, and getting to know their place in a meal's line-up. During this time of year especially, kids may see an array of foods being doled out before the main course. For instance, I'm proud that both Rocco and ChiChi have discovered all kinds of cheeses -- that they can even name -- that they enjoy as "appetizers"… Read More

^{Posted by: Princess_Peg}

Have you ever had the desire to have your own holiday cookie exchange but just aren't sure where to start? Well, today's your lucky day. 2007 will mark the 15th anniversary of my very first cookie exchange. That first year, we were still in our first house, our now-16-year-old had just turned one, and I was still grieving over the loss of my mother to cancer from the year before. I needed something to boost my spirits -- big time.… Read More

^{Posted by: BuckeyeChristy}

I gave you a list of gifts for the bottom half of the baby earlier, so it's only fair to give you my picks for the top half. Time is running out, but with express shipping you can still get many of these before Christmas. Many people love putting bows on baby girls. I'll admit, you can only take so many, "So, how old is he?" comments before you want to stick a little pink bow on her head.… Read More