WE JUST RETURNED FROM A WONDERFULLY RELAXED SPRING BREAK AND EASTER HOLIDAY IN MY HOMETOWN. We visited my 97 year old grandmother who was alert and talkative. It was nice to see her recovering from some winter rehabilitation and back to her own home. Amazingly she lives independently in an apartment specially made for mobility issues…I venture to say she is healthier than most 40 year olds. Very little medication passes through her body and she is still able to carry on a conversation with skill. We also saw my Aunt Barbara while there at Mammaw’s apartment. Her family owns a tax firm so I thought it was a special gift to get a photo during the annual tax hibernation.

I sorted through some family history and found a tramp art box made from burnt matchsticks around a cigar box. It was made for my dad during the 50′s by a prisoner he visited as part of a church ministry. Dad now uses it to hold special photos like the one of he and my mother while dating.

I explored one of the family bibles for clues about my grandparents and their heritage. Well, my heritage also.

On Saturday we let the kids hunt Easter eggs all over the hill at my parent’s home. There are lots of statues and fun things to place the eggs in so we enjoyed the hiding part. Next year I think we have to get more complicated because the boys complained that we were too easy.

In the next picture Drake is about to find a hidden egg and make his sisters really mad…big competition there.

And not long after that Grace found a fork…in my parent’s driveway. Don’t ask, they live in the country!

See the baseball egg?

Grace and Alana search the driveway for eggs amid the daylillies.

And someone placed a lovely teenager amid all the chaos. No problem though…she used her tunes to drown out the craziness.

St. Francis cradles an egg…and ironically a caterpillar was crawling up on his head. Tis the season for butterfly magic.

Grace was enamored with the caterpillars. The three little girls made them pets until Uncle Russ explained that they needed to be outside. Thanks Uncle Russ for promising to guard those butterflies-to-be. I have the feeling that three girls will be looking for updates!

Best hidden egg was the one under Chloe the cat. She stayed like that for about 30 minutes.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter and Passover week with the ones you love.

JUST SUBMITTED AN ARTICLE WITH SOME IDEAS FOR ENJOYING SPRING AROUND ATLANTA. It was an article which could have gone on forever because Spring is one of the best seasons in our city. We cover events like egg hunts and other activities in our events calendar area, so I choose to generate some thoughts about a day out in the glorious sun. It seems like this season began in January because of the mile winter, but if I had to extend one season this is the best case scenario.

I’m not mentioning pollen….

I’m not mentioning pollen…

I’m not AaaaChoo!

Let me know if you have any other ideas for Spring…always looking for more ideas to explore with my family. 

IN THE SUMMER OF 2010 WE TOOK A FAMILY TRIP TO CHICAGO FOR A FAMILY REUNION. We made a point of going through Springfield, Illinois on our way to the Windy City and it was a day enjoyed by everyone in our family. In honor of President’s Day I wanted to reshare our fun from that trip. I always love traveling with my kids. Oddly enough, they seem to exhibit perfect behavior while traveling — perhaps because they are learning something new?

 I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when they realized that you could rub Abe Lincoln’s nose!

FOR ME, FAMILY PHOTOS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AMONG MY MOST TREASURED MEMORIES. I THINK THEY ARE FOR MOST OF US. I am blessed to have been surrounded by family and friends who are excellent photographers. Though some are amateur like me, others are professionals. I am often amazed by their creative eye and ideas.

Recently my friend Erin offered a session idea for families in November. It was literally at 15 minute session and because of her unique ideas and perspective we got some of the best kid shots in a while. Who thinks put a bed in the middle of the woods? Who knows just the quilt that will pop in photos and seem timeless? Who strings a web of stars and the moon to give an enchanted feel? Erin’s Attic Photography does!

I’m in love with all the shots, but these three really make me smile. There won’t be too many years left for 3 kiddos in pajamas. I should mention that matching pajamas would have been great, but my older kids are now sure to express their opinion on these matters. I decided that it was better for them to feel better in their own skin and show their personalities.

What are family photos like for you? I’ve had a variety of good and bad experiences, you too?

I REVEALED MY LOVE OF THE VISUAL BOOKMARKING SITE CALLED PINTEREST RECENTLY. Initially I was drawn to the graphic feel of the site. You can browse images for hours looking at all kinds of crafting ideas, home design and organization, gorgeous outfits and even shoes. It’s a type of shopping…only no buying. (My husband should appreciate that fact, right?)

The real strength of Pinterest is it’s ability to organize ideas and line up projects for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas. Pinboards filled with ideas for a kitchen makeover or laundry room reorganization are easily kept together for you as you pin them. I used this board:

to keep ideas for Grace’s 7th birthday together.

And I keep all the craft ideas I want to try on one board:

When the holidays came around I began to put some of those idea finds to work. I needed teacher and hostess gifts and I didn’t want to buy the usual items. I remembered a project for tile drink coasters which was posted on my friend Ashley’s awesome blog, The Handmade Home. I’ve been following Ashley’s art and design work for years – not to mention laughing along with her growing family’s antics. Not too long ago she was on the Nate Berkus Show and rocked that fame big time. She’s an Auburn girl like me, so you know we have the best in design training. {War Eagle to all the Auburn design geeks out there!) Anyway, I used my handy dandy Pinterest link to find the tutorial.

So I set about to buy all the items necessary:

• Mod Podge
• Cotton Fabric
• Ceramic Tiles
• Felt “feet”
• Brushes
• Scissors

As usual, I started the project after kid bedtime. It didn’t take me long to get in the crafting zone. So relaxing and satisfying. The step-by-step directions worked perfectly and I can honestly say that the options are endless with this idea. You can take it and put your own spin on it. I used cotton quilting fabric because it was the right weight and price, but you may want to use a favorite shirt or a pretty napkin you find. That’s the beauty of Mod Podge and the technique combined with your ideas. Here are three of the sets I created:

and they’ve gotten good reviews thus far from the teachers and friends I’ve gifted. In fact, I plan on having some of these on hand regularly as hostess gifts.

Head on over to my friend Meghan’s blog, JaMonkey, and look at the other Project Pinterest ideas shared there. Add yours to the linky or use her Project Pinterest Facebook page to share. Time to put those Pinterest ideas to work!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING DOWN AT OUR HOUSE. WE ARE SAYING GOODBYE TO THE SEASON AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR. Before it was dismantled completely, I took a few pictures of the obvious signs of Seasonal Overload. Hope you enjoy my {not so} Wordless Wednesday:

1. Potholders have replaced stockings on the fireplace:

2. The reindeer have begun to protest about being left in the snow…uh, I mean dust storm.

They mentioned a dust blizzard and that’s when the protests really got ugly:

4. It takes a village to care for the special babe in the manger. (Possible colic?)

5. The Sugar Plum Fairy has reported a party gone awry in her jurisdiction.

But seriously, I hope you enjoyed your down time and are ready to tackle 2012 with me. Happy New Year, my dear readers!

WE HAD A NICE CHRISTMAS. Lots of photos of trees and photos of memories of Christmases past. I show things like the photos of Jordan when she was younger. Christmas in Hawaii was really a hoot. Santa wore “slippahs” (aka: flip flops), an aloha shirt, and shorts. There is a photo of Grace kissing Santa when she is about 18 months old. There is a toddler photo of William knocked out in a stroller during our pre-Christmas trip to Disney 8 years ago. Lots and lots of memories.

I love the Christmas sequined ball on the dresser because my Grandmother made it years ago. She just turned 97 and still lives independently…love her so much!

The amaryllis finally bloomed on December 24th…just as promised. Before Christmas.

But I think I like this photo of William making a “custom” purse for Grace before Christmas. 

Sometimes big brothers have a sweet side for their little sisters. More on that tomorrow.

MAKE THE HOLIDAYS YOUR TEACHABLE MOMENT Whether it’s the Angel Tree, a soup kitchen, or a mitten tree at your school, the holidays and the giving spirit just go together. I just finished a piece for Savvy Source Parenting showcasing ideas for the Atlanta area. You can be guaranteed that there are needs like this all across the county.

As our family ages into a more capable set of contributors we are beginning to find more opportunities to participate. I often hesitate when my children were young, but now those same children are out finding opportunities to serve and loving it. This has brought our family into the community in a way I could have never imagined. I’d love to have your thoughts on this. How do you serve with your family? Is it through your church or a community organization?

Of all the things I have taught my kids, giving service has been one of the most meaningful.

MAMMA MIA, HERE I GO AGAIN. MY, MY – HOW COULD I FORGET YOU? This weekend is an ABBA You Can Dance weekend at our house. Everything is almost ready to go.

Mirror Ball? Check!

Funky Glasses? Check!

ABBA You Can Dance game from UbiSoft? A must! {Run immediately and buy your wife one of these games right away…so. much. fun!}

You know how the holidays bring together all kinds of people? How being together is part of the deal? Well, I’m probably one of the most social people you’ll meet…but I have to admit that it gets a little busy around the holidays. I absolutely love having family and friends come through my door, but what happens when they crowd into the kitchen? I’m prepared this time…it’s time to have a dance party while I am cooking them food. This weekend I’ll be hosting some 70′s fun and I can’t wait. In fact, the party may go on all weekend. I hope my dog doesn’t howl too loud when I sing “Dancing Queen”.

I’ll keep posting updates all weekend if you’ll promise to laugh and dance along with me. Growing up in the 70′s did have it’s benefits…

How about you? What do you love about the 70′s?

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE TERM “WEEKEND CONCERTS” MEANT THE BANDS I WENT TO SEE OVER THE WEEKEND, BUT NOW AS A PARENT IT MEANS SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT. I think I’m enjoying this phase even more. William’s school chorus had their holiday concert at a beautiful local church. He looked so mature standing there with all of his friends singing. The complex harmonies of young voices filled the air and echoed off the walls.

And then we went straight to our church to get ready for the Children’s Christmas Concert there. Grace did end up wearing an angel costume, but this was the first year William has not been a Shepard or Wise Man. (The following photos are by Julia Elliott Photography. She’s a very talented photographer who also happens to love all the kids at church.)

I absolutely love watching this program each year. The kids at our church are just adorable and sometimes funny. It’s a joy to watch them grow up together. William is one of the big kids on the back row  of the group photo. Grace is below him.

About a month ago I found out that Grace had volunteered to do a solo for Silent Night. Eventually she talked her brother into singing it with her. At the practice two weeks ago he decided that he did not want to sing with her. So, I had assumed that discussion was over. Grace sang alone at the final rehearsal and it sounded great. I was completely shocked when they BOTH stepped up to the mics and sang Silent Night together! It was a sweet moment.

All the rush and preparation seems worth it when you see them accomplishing something special up on the stage. It’s a milestone for them as they grow and even more of a milestone for me as a parent.

Getting the chance to see them stretch themselves and experience new opportunities…well, I realize that in those moments we *are* doing something right. These are the things I dreamed of them doing in their lives. That’s magic.

FROM THE MOMENT I RECEIVED THE BAKING KIT FROM BETTY CROCKER MY KIDS WERE BEGGING TO MAKE THE NEW MOLASSES COOKIE MIX. And it didn’t disappoint. As soon as the warm smell hit the air there were mouths waiting to eat them. Of course, my kids love being in the kitchen if they can cook. {No one wants to empty the dishwasher or take out the trash, but they will cook.} And they love cookies. No problem with those nice cookies disappearing here!

Take advantage of a 75 cent coupon off the purchase of one Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie pouch mix today!

Now you can have a chance to win one of these prize baking kits on my blog. The kits Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie Mix prize pack includes a Betty Crocker apron, non-stick baking pan, and a mixing spoon. Since it is the holidays we are going to keep it simple. Today is Wednesday so I’ll take entries until Thursday at midnight. I will announce the winner on Friday. That way you can use the baking kit over the holidays and enjoy these cookies in your household.

What do you have to do for an entry? I’ll give an entry credit for each:

• Comment on this post below. Tell me if you bake for the holidays or just buy the goodies you take to parties.
• OR “Like” Mundane Magic’s page on Facebook. {If you are already a FB follower simply leave me a comment saying so.}

So, hurry and enter the contest so I can get the goodie box out to you. It’s a quick one so just take a moment to leave a comment.

DISCLOSURE: The product, information and prize pack has been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

ON TUESDAY NIGHT A GROUP OF LADIES FROM MY CHURCH CAME TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON. It was a nice gathering for a rainy school night. (30 + people braved the weather to come out.) I simply love our group of women at church. My friends are all ages, from all different types of backgrounds, professions, and personalities. We have such fun together. Through the years we have laughed and cried our way through different situations. It was an honor to have them in my home.

Want to know the amazing thing…I didn’t have to cook one thing. Nope. Nothing. There was so much food there we were overflowing with extras. I made coffee and provided half and half. And water I guess. That’s another thing I like about my church friends. They are awesome cooks.

I think this little sweetie wins the most stylish friend of the night. This is my friend Eileen’s 4th baby and she is such a fun one to watch. All smiles!

The week went by in a flash for me after the party. My ballerina got a sinus infection and couldn’t dance in her last school performance. She couldn’t sleep at night either. That was challenging for me because I love my sleep as a mother. She’s feeling a little better now and on the mend.

William has his chorus performance tomorrow in a beautiful Episcopal church with his school chorus. Right after that we rush back to our church and get he and Grace ready for their Children’s Performance at church. No shepard or angel this year…they are getting too big for that apparently. Grace is singing Silent Night acappella.

She’s never done that before either…seven year olds don’t know that they can’t do something. I guess we should all be that way.

I’VE TOLD YOU ABOUT MY BALLERINA, GRACE. She had her debut appearance in the Georgia Ballet’s professional production of The Nutcracker last weekend. My parents came into town and got to see her fight in the Mouse King’s Army during the battle scene. On Thursday night we had another dancer in our family – William!

William is on the intermural dance team at his elementary school. There are 7 boys on the team…and approximately 45 girls! He doesn’t quite appreciate the odds yet, but he will eventually. It was International Night at our school so he danced a Turkish Dance. And a Beyonce dance:

So proud of him for doing something active that he enjoys. I am still not quite sure why the back of his shirt reads “Viper” as a nickname though. He choose it because it sounded cool.

Yeah. Just what a mother wants to hear her son called as a nickname!

Here are some more dressing room photos of Grace before her big night. I love this look from a mouse who is patiently waiting for her time to go down four flights of stairs and hit the stage with the Mouse King:

Thanks for joining me on this Wordless Wednesday. Leave a comment so I know you were here visiting. {I’d love to visit other blogs, too!}

HOW DO YOU GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT? Our family travelled to Pine Mountain, Georgia recently to experience a few special family moments together at Callaway Gardens. The weeks following Thanksgiving are sure to fly by in a big rush. Lots of scheduled plans usually find our family exhausted by the time the new year arrives.

We met my parents and immediately enjoyed a lunch (and incredible views) at The Country Store. We had time to visit the Day Butterfly Pavilion mid afternoon. The best time is actually around midday when the sun is at it’s highest, but we  got a glimpse at some wonderful butterflies in their habitat anyway. My kids were fascinated at the larger butterflies eating the fruit which is placed up in the trees.

Although they are all familiar with the life cycle of the butterfly, there is something special about seeing the crysalids actually moving and working to become a beautiful butterfly. Even my teenager, Jordan, was enamored with the different stages displayed in the pavilion.

As the sun went down we donned our jackets and excitedly prepared for the main event – Callaway’s Fantasy in Lights. As we arrived at the Beachside area we first saw the Nativity Story being portrayed in lights with a full narrative. Up in the food and concession area there were fires glowing, smores, kettle corn, and even heartier goodies to enjoy. Soon we boarded the trolley set to take us on the nighttime tour of the gardens. I had brought blankets to share, but the weather was moderate and we needed only jackets. Gotta love the weather in Georgia!

The initial part of the ride allows you to ease into the nighttime sky and then you begin to see the entryway to the lights and their glow. And then the oohing and aahing begins:

The kids had a great time because so many of the animated lights were delightful. I loved how the new additions to the exhibit included the butterflies we had enjoyed earlier in the day. It was just the right experience to put us in the Christmas mood.

After the ride we made our way to the  heated, indoor Christmas Village and visited with a really authentic looking Santa (or as we call it – a good Santa) for pictures at a reasonable price. There were so many specialized gift items inside and also opportunities for children to make glazed pieces as personalized gifts or memories for your family. We had a fabulous night together.

We stayed at the Cottages at Callaway Gardens and found them perfect for our needs. 4 queen sized bed made sleeping our family plus grandparents simple. There is a full kitchen inside the cottage and a living area complete with a already stocked fireplace. That’s what we enjoyed best of all…the fireplace. We all gathered around late at night and enjoyed some much needed conversation and down time with no television (through there were three available in the cottage).

The next day we awoke refreshed and after enjoying an early morning fire with coffee we headed off on our next adventure. Callaway has a full site of information about their 20th anniversary year of the Fantasy in Lights event. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the experience.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided with Callaway Gardens Holiday in Lights tickets, admission to the Gardens, and a night’s stay in one of their lovely 2-bedroom Cottages so I could experience this event and give you my honest feedback in this review.

LEADING UP TO HALLOWEEN, THERE WERE SEVERAL THINGS WHICH MADE ME RATHER NERVOUS AS A PARENT. Hardly any of it had to do with the holiday I love. Almost all of it had to do with the kids I love and how they keep me laughing. And concerned. And scared. Here are my examples:

1. Can you believe that these boys will be motor vehicle drivers within 5 years? That’s scary! {Will and his friends leaving the school lunchroom last Thursday.}

2. Somehow we have a math lover among us. She even puts it on her Halloween crafts. That’s scary! {Grace’s artwork at the church Fall Festival on Saturday morning.}

3. Ninjas drink from juice pouches before they go on candy missions. Somehow I imagined it would be something different. Scary! {William at the neighborhood pizza party before the trick-or-treating began on Halloween night.}

4. Grace shows her unmentionables to the neighborhood because she thinks that Hermione Granger should be able to practice her trapeze act in a school uniform. That’s really, really scary. Her father and I watched in amazement. I don’t think the Ninja brother helped the situation at all! {Neighborhood pizza party before the trick-or-treating began on Halloween night.}

Happy {not so} Wordless Wednesday!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT FALL WEEKEND. I decided to take a little time off and simply enjoy the characters around my home. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and Halloween is a great kid holiday. I love comparing the photos from year to year and enjoying the funny happenings that go along with them. People with older children will remind you that one day your children won’t care about dressing up or all the fun that going around neighborhood brings. My kids are already growing into a new stage so I believe that parenting advice is true.

As you can see, Grace decided to be Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Why? Grace says Hermoine is smart and likes math – and that is something Grace likes also. William decided to be a Ninja and he insisted on carrying a pillowcase he grabbed from the closet because somehow he thought it would hold more candy. I’m quite sure he had aspirations of filling it all the way. (That, thankfully, did not happen.)

So about that Ninja costume..last year William was Lego MiniFig like this:

We made it from scratch using some ideas we got from the internet and modifying it to our situation. Will and I worked for about two weeks on it. Duct tape and a cheese puff container were necessities. He looked so cute and so unique. It was a lot of fun showing off the outfit…

until he discovered that running in the costume was not necessarily the easiest. By the end of the night William had only his sweatpants and shirt on and the costume had gone by the wayside.

This year he had a desire for speed.

The look of daring and danger.

And the ability to run to more houses with that pillowcase…if his sister doesn’t kill him for the fake ninja knife attack.

Ah, Halloween! I’ve got more photos for you later. Hope you had a good one with your family.

I COMPILED A LIST OF SOME KID FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN FUN IN THE ATLANTA AREA. Atlanta is filled with all sorts of tricks and treats when it comes to Halloween. A friend of mine complained that some of the ‘cool’ events {am I really old enough to type that phrase?} she had enjoyed as a young adult now seemed a little too risque’ or happened too late for her young family. I put some thought to it and then realized that really not all events are meant to be family friendly. Certain events are meant for adults only. If you can do some homework before you go, you can determine if your family would enjoy certain events. I did a little of the homework for you — and goodness there were so many activities around Atlanta from which to pick. I could have added 100 more items to this list! Take a look at my list of some Atlanta fun for Kid-Friendly Haunts in Atlanta. Did I miss any that you enjoy?

While you are on the Savvy Parenting page take a moment to check out some of the other articles for Fall ideas with your kiddos. There is a great article about seasonal books to enjoy with your little one.

Hope this gets you out enjoying the Fall season!

I’M HAVING A PROBLEM REALIZING THAT MY ONLY BOY IS TEN TODAY. Last year I went down a walk down memory lane. I just reread that post and now I am misty eyed. Me, the one they call “Mean Mommy” when they don’t get what they want…yes, I almost cried when I saw that cute roly-poly boy with the Elvis hair.

William’s hair had a personality all it’s own. No matter how much you wet it down or cemented it to his head, it would stand straight up and wave at you. He had so much dark hair when he was a baby that we had to get it cut at 4 months. 4 months – hardly any southern mother does that! (It’s so funny to think that he has a headful of light brown hair now.)

When William was about 4.5 he kept a notebook of inventions. They were great. So full of imagination and ideas. Five years later he convinced his Dad that he wanted to show off an invention to some engineers at the company where Dave worked for 12 years. So, Dave arranged a meeting and he proofed the powerpoint presentation that William created. I cannot tell you what that meeting meant to my nine year old. I am so thankful that those engineers actually took him seriously and wanted to talk to him.

At the end of May he lead singing at a Sunday night service which was held outside in our church’s pavilion. That was a proud moment for me as a Mom.

In June he went to football camp at Auburn. And this Fall it seems like he actually remembers a lot of what he learned at the camp. War Eagle Buddy.

There’s so much more to him, but these pictures alone are proof that he is indeed a ten year old. Double digits. I convinced him that ten did not mean he was a “tween”.

I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for you William. Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom

PS: Do you think you can try to eliminate these type of things from the bottom of your backpack this year? These flat and dry items caused me some major Mom Trauma at the end of the school year. I don’t know if I’ll be able to send a tangerine with you ever again.

WHEN YOU GET AN INVITE FROM DISNEY, YOU KNOW IT WILL BE A FUN PARTY. Disney held a gathering for Atlanta bloggers and media this past Saturday at the W Hotel in Buckhead. It wasn’t difficult for me to get the whole family to join me. See, that’s the thing about Disney — they love families. Lunch at a nice hotel in Buckhead with Disney? Count us in!

I’ve got more pictures to share on Tuesday, but just couldn’t resist sharing a few unedited ones tonight. Here’s Grace in her custom Minnie creation:

The line to get body parts painted:

And one of the desserts which was really delicious.

Disney’s got a lot of new and exciting additions to their parks, cruises, and vacation locations. So much so that my kids are now clamoring to visit again!