Ready to muse? Here are a few thoughts for today.
1. How many of you know it’s Pearl Harbor Day? It’s important to remember these important dates in history, especially in light of everything going on in the world today.
2. Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. We had potato latkes and lit the menorah. Sophie played dreidel and we gave her a few presents. We are not huge gift-givers around the holidays. I tend to give Sophie a few things at Hanukkah, such as a board game and something she’s asked for.She gets other “fun” things from Santa (you can read here why we decided to embrace Santa Claus). I’m not sure she was thrilled with her board game this year; although she was happy to receive Bob the Minion. It’s a balancing act giving Sophie nice gifts and the things she asks for (aka junk that she won’t really use). We don’t have an unlimited budget; so I prefer to spend money on experiences, and buy her the things she needs during the year. I would love to know how you handle holiday gift-giving with kids!
3. We decorated for Hanukkah and Christmas this weekend, and my holiday music playlists are on heavy rotation. If you’re wondering why this Jewish girl loves the holiday season, you can read about it here. My opinion (read: fear) of the Elf on the Shelf, however, has not changed over the years.
4. Speaking of the holiday season, I enjoyed this quick read from “Simple as That” about ways to simplify Christmas. I tend to be very ambitious and want to do so much. This year I vowed to only do things that I really want to do and say “no” more often. I love what she said about focusing on why we do things. I’m trying to incorporate that into all my actions this season. First action item: paring down the holiday card list.
5. Great list of book on this article: “21 Books From the Last 5 Years Every Woman Should Read.” I added many of the books to my “to read” list.
6. I found myself nodding in agreement while reading this article about not limiting screen time for kids. On that note, one cool thing Sophie started doing completely on her own is putting the closed-caption on every time she watches a show. She told me she likes to see the words as she hears them. I thought it was a cool way to encourage reading and word recognition with television, which benefits both auditory and visual learners.
7. Fascinating article in the Los Angeles Times about the prevalence of young women living with their parents like it’s the 1940s. As a GenXer, I can’t understand it at all. But then again, I’ve seen a lot of people in these situations. So who knows!
8. Finally, last night’s episode of Homeland! It took me hours to get my heart rate down!
What’s going on in your life? Tell me what you’re musing about this week!
Other Posts You May Like: