Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

I decided to celebrate my birthday twice this year, and after successfully orchestrating the Harry Potter themed birthday hullabaloo for my ten year old, I figured it was high time for me have a birthday soiree for my own self.  I invited a few of my Michigan friends over for an evening of fun and intrigue.  The theme: Murder Mystery.  The instructions were somewhat vague, leaving tons of room for creativity: "Please come dressed as your favorite murder mystery character." My friends did not disappoint.  We had a wide variety of characters including... Dame Agatha Christie and Detective Inspector Jack Frost. What a handsome couple they make! Adrian Monk and Precious Ramotswe. Of course you've read Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful series about the lady detective from Botswana, right?? Dr. Reid and Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds were terribly impressed with my lifelike pistol shaped ice cubes . Even Scooby Doo turned up!  A...

How old am I again? I am old enough to be slightly less excited than my two-year-old. Lili knows she will be three on her next birthday.  Obviously I must be turning four since I am a bit older than she is.  Works for me. "Time flies like an arrow.  Fruit flies like a banana." ~ Groucho Marx

"Wake  up!  Wake up, everybody!!  It's time for fun Christmas today!!" And now a note from my ten year old: "Yes, you read that correctly.  CHRISTMAS IN JULY!  Around the Carson house things are... well, Christmasy!  You may see  holly by the door, a jolly Santa figure, and even a small, lit tree!  There may be snowmen lurking in the bathroom and all sorts of other small surprises.  There are literally candy canes hanging from the ceiling.  There will be cinnamon rolls and treats too.  Of course Santa is a little too busy to visit today, but there's still that good ole Christmas spirit!  Who would have guessed what a wonderful idea it is to have a fun Christmas day in mid-July to be precise?  Keep your Christmas spirit folks because Santa watches us all year long, even in July!" Today, for several reasons, we had a Christmas in July day.  My daughter Sophia's cooking camp was canceled at the last minut...

I still love blueberries.  It's my 3th (pronounced threeth) summer here in Michigan, and I still get excited about the fact that I can pack up my kids, drive just a little way in the car, and pick my own buckets and buckets of blueberries.  We've been twice since the blueberries got ripe enough to pick, and the kids still indulge me when I want to take artistic blueberry photos like this... On our last visit to the blueberry farm, my youngest insisted that everyone call her "Little Sal" while she dropped blueberries, kaplink, kaplank, kaplonk, into her little blue bucket.  "Little Sal" incidentally ate at least half of the blueberries she picked, but no one faulted her for that.  (Does your favorite pre-schooler know Robert McCloskey ?  If not, you really need to go to the library.) We've tried several recipes with our prized, locally picked blueberries: muffins, waffles, pancakes, smoothies, crumble, blueberry chicken, and I even see a blueb...

I  have complained in the past about the fact that three out of five people at my house don't seem to require as much sleep as ordinary humans.  I am not one of those people.  (I also have one eight year old daughter who is normal with regard to her sleep needs.)  Here is the biggest dilemma:  In addition to requiring 7-8 hours of sleep each night, I am also an introvert.  Of course this does not mean that I hate people or that I am terribly socially awkward, but it does mean that I need time alone to recharge my batteries.  So help me out here.  How am I supposed to get time to myself when all of these people are always awake and chattering? My husband can and does often entertain himself late into the night.  My ten year old can also be persuaded to go to her own room and read, write, or draw, but my two year old is a real problem.  A wide awake two year old should not be left unsupervised even if Mama needs her 'alone time'.  ...