Seeing as our kids are growing up faster than we did, I'm guessing that it is only a matter of years before my daughter decides not to believe in Santa Claus anymore. Of course, we'll do our best to help her "keep the faith" but there's only so much a parent can do. I still like my wife's suggestion, to say that kids who think their parents are Santa just aren't on his list anymore, and their parents didn't want to disappoint them - classic!  read more »

It's that time of year, when productivity starts to slow to a crawl due to the high percentage of people out of the office. It's also the time when some businesses decide to send out tokens of appreciation to their client base. Shall I be one of them? I do appreciate the work that my clients have entrusted me with this year, but what kind of token is appropriate? Perhaps I should re-gift any fruitcakes we receive this year and send them to my high-maintenance clients. I think they could use a little more fiber in their diets...  read more »

Last weekend, we decided to take a short drive to Branson and take the kids to Silver Dollar City. On the way into town, we stopped at a Lowe's and picked up a new screen door - the final item in our renovation checklist. Yes, the house renovation is officially complete and the Bob Vila moments should occur less frequently on this blog from here on out.  read more »

I recently blogged about my parents' plan to visit us for the week between Christmas and New Year's. My father actually traded his yearly time share in Vegas for a week in Branson, which is about an hour away from us. They would like us to stay with them in the condo during that time. Unfortunately, my mother was just telling me over the phone that the trip may not happen after all. This economic recession is affecting my father's business pretty badly. In the neighborhood where he builds custom homes, they haven't sold a home in several months.  read more »

I was at the local dollar store the other day with the kids, and was quite surprised to see how many kids toys they had for only a dollar. It used to be that all you could find were cheap plastic toys made in Taiwan. Now, they've got a large assortment of plush animals, dolls, die-cast cars, and all kinds of games and gag gifts. Granted, they're probably still made in Taiwan, but it's awesome to be able to walk into a store and say to the kids, "pick one thing and I'll buy it for you; anything you want in the entire store."  read more »

This year, we won't be heading home for the holidays. We just can't afford it, and to be honest I hate traveling during the holidays as it is. Most of our family still lives in Colorado, and they've been bugging us about visiting for several months now. Fortunately, my parents have decided that they are going to come out and visit us during the week after Christmas. My father traded his Vegas timeshare for a comparable floorplan in Branson, and they would like us to come out and spend some time with them.  read more »