Category Archives: Q&A

Feb 15

Q&A :Time on my hands

Time to answer another question… This one was a good one too, I could use a little more free time, especially after this week.

Mimi asks “What is your favorite thing to do when you are not with your kids-if that ever happens!”

Great question Mimi. As you know I have three kiddos, one is in school, one is in preschool, and one is still at home with me as my tiny little duckling/shadow. Some days a  little more time to myself is something that I really wish I had…

I am lucky though with Dylan in school and Agnes still taking a nap in the morning, I do get a little bit of time to relax. I have a good hour, three times a week. Once the dishes are done, and the house is straightened up a bit, I hop on the gazelle, get a little exercise, and watch Food Network. I feel better after I’ve had an hour of  time to myself, and away from children’s television.

Lately, I’ve been revisiting things that I used to love to do. I’m catching up on reading in the evening, and getting back to crafting too.

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While Thade is at Tae Kwon Do, I found it is the perfect amount of time to cross stitch. I keep a little kit in my bag, and complete a quick project. I used to love to cross stitch before I had kids, and I would sew for hours on end.

If I had a little more time, I would love to travel more. I know one day we will. I would love to stop and take more pictures, but the little ones don’t have too much patience for it.

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My favorite local free-time guilty pleasure though is the Courtland Day Spa… I love it so. It is beautiful, quiet, peaceful and oh so lovely.

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It is the perfect place to spend a little down time. I promise to take Agnes there though, for her first hair-cut. I know she will love it too.

I know next year will be completely different from this year. I’ll have two in school full time, and one non-napper. Free time might have to get moved to evenings for a bit.

The kids are getting older, and their focus is constantly changing. I try really hard not to get frustrated when the days seem endless, and the sleep is fleeting, and there is no time… I remind myself often, that they are only little for a little while. I had better stop and enjoy the moment that I am in. Still a nap would be nice though.

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Thanks again for your question.

Dec 29

Q&A: All About Christmas

I hope to make this a monthly  theme on NicoStuff. I received lots of questions, and I’ve decided to kick things off with a Christmas theme.

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Barbara a.k.a. Nana asks “What was your favorite Christmas gift that you gave?”

This one is easy for me, and I give the same gift every year to the grandmas in our family.

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I like to give photo albums. I take pictures throughout the year, and I fill an album full of photos of the kids. I take a little extra time to write on the back of each photo the date, and where we were when we got the photo taken. There are cute shots, candid shots, and shots from the everyday day to day. Both Grandma and Nana seem to like this present too. Working on the photo album year long helps me look forward to the holidays too.

Barbara a.k.a. Nana also asks “What was your favorite Christmas gift?”

Hmmm, right now my favorite gift would be cookbooks!

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Well cookbooks, and books in general. I love to read, and even though I don’t have too much extra time to, I can pick up a cookbook and have fun flipping through the pages. I lucked out this Christmas, and my sweet family got me four cookbooks.

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Susan of Reconstructing Pearl asked a great question (and a few more great questions ) too “When will you take your Christmas tree down?”

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Susan, I try to set a goal of having the Christmas tree and all decorations put away by New Year’s Day. I don’t always achieve this one, but I think that New Year’s Day is a good day to get it all done.

Locally we have a lot of people who leave their decorations up well into March and April, and many homes have outdoor lighting that stays in place all year long, but they don’t turn them on at night. I try to keep the outdoor decorations simple, so that way there isn’t too much to put away at the end of the holiday season.

I might even be early this year with the outdoor decorations, we’ve got fairly warm weather this week, and I want to get it all done while the weather is cooperating.

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I will miss the lights though… I love the way they softly illuminate the house at night. It is so very pretty.

Thanks for reading, and keep the questions coming.