// it appears as though the hunt name is in the lottery, so to speak, five times for every one time the rest of the country is. and a cool lottery, no. rather, the jury duty lottery. going for my second time in three years and isn’t that like double what the rest of you have done? it feels like the hunger games. our name just keeps getting picked. system’s rigged, i tell you! someone’s out to get us!
// speaking of hunger games, i took william and lindsey to see it the other night. they read the books, and i promised (bribery is the only thing that really gets william to read), and so we did. it was intense. really good. but intense. at one point lindsey closed her eyes and i was like, to myself, “you’re a bad mom.” they were thrilled though, as you can imagine, seeing as a lot of their friends had seen it already and had read the books. i was dragging my feet letting them do either, but decided not to be the stick in the mud for once, and let them do it. happy to report, no nightmares!
// i considered a gift guide this year, i really did. shocking! but then i realized everyone and their mother was doing one and what could i really offer in the way of gift guides that wasn’t already out there? so, i will say, this
is probably the coolest book ever (for any age), a husband who loves history (and/or cities) will think this
one is pretty cool (steve does!), my most favorite kid pajamas of all time (and bonus! i find them at costco for $13 at least once a year and grab a few!), a popcorn maker
for the foodie and/or movie lover, one of our favorite family games
, the perfect shoe for virtually any member of the family (seriously–i have them, lindsey has them, jordan asked for them one year, and now william wants a pair. oh, and parker’s got the slip-ons!) and a buffalo check scarf for her! phew. that was by no means the most exhaustive list, but call it a real brief summation of a few favorites. does that count as a gift guide?
is probably the coolest book ever (for any age), a husband who loves history (and/or cities) will think this one is pretty cool (steve does!), my most favorite kid pajamas of all time (and bonus! i find them at costco for $13 at least once a year and grab a few!), a popcorn maker for the foodie and/or movie lover, one of our favorite family games, the perfect shoe for virtually any member of the family (seriously–i have them, lindsey has them, jordan asked for them one year, and now william wants a pair. oh, and parker’s got the slip-ons!) and a buffalo check scarf for her! phew. that was by no means the most exhaustive list, but call it a real brief summation of a few favorites. does that count as a gift guide?
// this was a great post by my friend sara – a round up of her favorite parenting books. she’s one of my go-tos when it comes to parenting. i really appreciate her take on all things family and her advice is pretty golden. check it out.
// another post shout out: this one by sydney. need i say more? amen to all of it. what i’d like to add? i’m more and more aware of william and lindsey’s privacy over the past few months. i’ve always asked them to keep my blog under wraps (they don’t read it themselves, but check out posts they’re in from time to time) when talking to their friends, but unfortunately sometimes they mention it (proudly, i think, which is pretty sweet) and curious friends go probing. i think they’re proud of this space of mine but don’t necessarily think through the ramifications of all their friends reading about our family, them when they were little, their parents love story, our age difference, blah blah blahhh. so, as they head closer to high school (william! next year!) i’m more aware of the eyes that might be on this blog, and how that could affect them. it’s a strange line to walk, and one that i didn’t have to give as much thought to when they were younger. same goes for nathaniel and jordan, of course, but since they’re not as much a part of every day here, it’s not as big of an issue. anyway, never a bad idea, to reevaluate and see what might need some tweaking as your family grows… so, that’s that.
// sometimes i come out of the bathroom after getting ready for bed to steve either doing jumping jacks or pushups and always at some absurdly high number. he starts counting out loud, “ninety two… ninety three.” i’m in the bathroom four minutes tops. mmmm, i’m not buying it steve.
// anddddd, not to brag, but my pinterest seasonal board is looking mighty good these days. that’s where the above picture can be found.
That's too bad about the lottery. My mom's name gets picked for jury duty about every 2 years or so, too. crazy.
Not that my family is growing at the moment but, I have thought about it for future times – how much is too much of putting your loved ones out there? Yes, babies are cute & adorable & you want to share all the pictures but, will my kid be ticked at me when they're older & look back to when I shared allll these cute but personal pics of them on my blog/instagram/twitter/facebook?? I hope I will know when to pull the reins back a bit when the time does come. Also, I haven't seen or read any of the Hunger Games books or movies but, good for you!! Cool mom points!! 🙂
it's such a hard call to make. i'm somewhere in the middle (except naked baby pictures, i can't get on board with those!). i try to put myself in their shoes. some of the stuff, when they're really little, will be so nice for them to look back on (i think and hope!). but as they can begin to form their own memories, i think it's natural to pull back a little bit, and then still more as they get even older. gosh, it's really hard, and i'm not sure what is right. weight it in odds — are you sharing 50%, keeping 50% of it private? that's too much, i think. i'd say i'm sharing 15% keeping 85% of our life to ourselves? maybe that's too arbitrary. as you can see, shayna, this is something i struggle with too! good luck as you navigate it yourself.
It's such an interesting question. I do think the person writing is responsible for what gets put out there – I wouldn't want to write anything that I had to ask my kids not to tell people about (for their sake or my own) – it's such mixed signals to say it's okay for me to write this but it might hurt us if people we know read it. (WIth all due respect to Bridget, because I quite enjoy the blog and am sure much consideration goes into every post! No criticisms here.) I don't blog, but for me these decisions would be the hardest aspect of it, for sure. For me it would be less about the quantity or percentage I share, and more about the content – maybe a little mental checklist: Am I cool with my neighbor reading this? My friends? Folks at church? Coworkers and husband's coworkers? My kids' parents and teachers and friends? My kids themselves when they're old enough to understand what I've written and how public it is? Etc. If yes yes yes yes … then "publish". This would be the main reason I don't blog, however compelled I am by the idea of it – it's a lot of responsibility!
Whoa! NYC has a happy little system where you don't have to go more than once every five or six years. Are you suuuuure you have to? Maybe it's a compliment to your upstanding citizenship?
Ooh…. good luck with jury duty. Maybe you should dress up as Princess Leia like Liz Lemon did…
Is it really fair to hold the kids responsible for any embarrassment the blog brings to people who know you in real life? I'm not sure that it is. Have you thought of taking your "Love Story" offline?
I think you may have read that as though they're being scolded for sharing it with their friends? Not in the least. This is just me doing my best to protect them as they get older.
I just think it's kind of weird to publish something in a public place, and then try to keep your kids from telling anyone about it. If there are negative ramifications from people in their lives finding out certain things from your blog, I think you should take the lead to protect them by not putting those things out there. Sort of like that moral about it being impossible to collect all the feathers once they have come off the chicken.
That's exactly what I'm doing. "Taking the lead to protect them by not putting those things out there." I'm NOT putting those things out there, nor have I ever. BUT, kids can be mean, kids can be unpredictable. I can't presume to know whether a silly post about us going to the beach would cause teasing or not because, let's say, some kid thinks Lindsey's swimsuit isn't stylish. Virtually anything can be used against anyone. You never know. So I have ALWAYS been very careful, but, as kids get older and their friends have more access to the internet, I'm being even more careful. That's all I'm saying. I think the sage moral you shared is a good one, but I think I've been pretty particular which feathers to pluck off the chicken, so to speak, all along.
Happy holidays! Great holiday gift list.
thanks for the link! and best kids jamimes EVVVVVVVER!! love you, lady.
I just made myself a red and black buffalo plaid scarf this week (http://www.everyday-reading.com/2013/12/a-buffalo-plaid-scarf-easy-gift-for.html), so I'm feeling very gratified to see the same item on your gift guide.
that looks SO good.
Hi. I'm Sara. Found your blog several months ago. Love it for so many reasons. And, now that I know about your pinterest board…it's a whole new ball game. Love all the stuff.
hi sara!
ohhhh pinterest. i ignore it for long stretches of time buuuuut right now i'm definitely in an 'i love pinterest' phase 🙂
I'm exactly the same way with Pinterest. Ignored it for almost a year, then the holidays came around again, and I was on it for hours last night getting ideas for holiday decorations and cookies! Oops! lol
Hi Bridget,
I think, I have been following your blog for at least a year and also enjoyed reading said love story.
I know there are different opinions on the topic, but I really have the impression that you have considered the frequency of your kids appearance on the blog as well the content of what you post.
Regarding the jury duty – they probably just think you are awesome 🙂
too awesome to send home without any jury duty responsibilities?!? (i'm crossing my fingers for that!)
thanks for this comment, too 🙂
I haven't read The Hunger Games, but I've seen the movies. Are the books better? My sister read the books, and she said they're amazing…maybe I should jump on the wagon.
I enjoy your blog more and more each day. Thank you. Also, have you ever seen this blog? http://anearlymorningwalk.tumblr.com/ All it is, is beautiful pictures and beautiful music. Much better to view on an actual computer vs. phone/tablet. It reminded me of you for some reason. I find it relaxing to sit and scroll through the pictures.
oh my word, GORGEOUS pictures at that tumblr! thanks for sharing it robyn! and for the comment. 🙂
Ugh, jury duty! I was called for local jury duty a few months ago, and just today received a summons for federal court! Since I didn't have to do anything for local duty, I'm still trying to investigate if that counts enough to get me out of federal. I definitely feel like my name must be in the hopper a few extra times this year! Good luck with yours….
My father-in-law and I both got called in for jury duty within two weeks of each other…. coincidence? I think not. I actually forgot to call the number or even show up. I got another letter saying something about legal action and forgot to call again (I'm on disability for Crohn's disease and only get out of the house like once a week…. definitely can't do jury duty.) Woops!
We got that game two years ago for Christmas and we love it here. It is a great family game and we ended up getting for my brother's family last year.
I think you are doing a really great job with the blog and the content you're posting regarding your childrens privacy. I know there is a small line, but in my opinion you never crossed it yet and I'm sure you can trust yourself that you will be careful enough in the future, without getting "paranoid".
I got summoned for jury duty TWICE within a 3 month period! No idea how that happens. Luckily I was excused from both, since I no longer live in that county. (I really need to re-register to vote where I actually LIVE. Lol.)
Erika
I am glad you decided to do a somewhat gift post….you have great taste. And I love that your hubby is trying to impress you with his workout skills. You are impressed right?!?! I find the whole thing endearing 🙂
You are so right on about everyone doing gift guides. I really appreciate them but I haven't been impressed with any of the ones I've seen this year. The other thing that has been on my mind is how all of these female bloggers are doing the "for him" gift guide. I'd LOVE to see a man's take on a gift guide "for him". Maybe you could convince Steve to do one for your blog. I'd totally be into that!
I just repinned so many of the photos from your seasonal board..I just couldn't help myself!