I let Paizlee pick the winner out of Brad's goofy golf hat and she chose... siameseplease! So, little Paizlee just wanted to assert her royal stubborness over the last 18 months, huh? I can't really think of too many January funnies. It's been a rather stressful time in my family and that tends to overshadow my reminiscing. Perhaps it was when I made these chocolate Ghirardelli brownies with fudge on top, designed to make you salivate with just the thought of them. I'm pretty good at brownies....
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Can we discuss one of those Mom Topics that make non-moms squirm uncomfortably and plan their respective getaways? Potty.Training. Ugh. Just the thought makes me squirm uncomfortably. I was fairly certain that Paizlee would be sent off to college with her Dora Pull-ups. And then I had a temper tantrum. A big one. One that sent Breuklyn and Maddux scampering and patting themselves on the back for their ability to successfully wear underwear.

Before I get the inevitable handslap o...
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(This Estee's Take Column originally was written on June 30, 2008. I have re-worked some of the paragraphs because grammar is always a good thing and because some of the details regarding Nan have since changed and needed to be updated. Thanks so much for reading.) I have a confession. In my life I hardly ever mention to anyone that I scrapbook. It is a secret hobby that I absolutely love and yet never tell anyone about. People who come to my house for the first time are often quite surpr...
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Let’s break down the numbers of my crazy crazy life this week, shall we?

3 angry wasps that I chased around the living room this morning with one of Brad’s steel toe work boots. The left one, to be precise. I swear that I do not set out to look like an absolute crazy person in the morning when I wake up. It just happens. You can ask my neighbors. The lady across the street slowed down to a crawl as she drove by this morning while I was standing on the loveseat in f...
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I love to tell my children stories about when I was their age. I like to remind them that I was once more than the lady who is ordering them to stop flinging spaghetti noodles and reminding them of the benefits of clean underwear. Yeah, I’m a great mom like that. I feel young and exciting as I am powering my way through a particularly witty story only to be quickly brought back down to Earth when Breuklyn asks, “What the heck is a typewriter?” Well, perhaps my stories aren&...
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