It’s snowing again here in New Jersey. Thin flakes covering the ice from a couple of days ago. I should head out to the malls before the highways become ensnared in hysterical shoppers, but it’s warm in here.

Life’s pretty good right now. About 90 percent good. There’s a nine percent of stress about Ian’s school placement for next year. And one percent annoyance that they have discontinued my favorite curly hair product.

I have a couple of small writing gigs lined up in January, but mostly, I have been on mom-duty this fall. Shuffling kids to and fro. Trying to maintain basic cleanliness levels of the house. Constantly shopping for new jeans for Stilts, my son. Jotted down next to my computer are three or four ideas for articles, but I won’t have time to tackle them until the first week of January.

We’re on the home stretch of holiday preparations. I have to bake cookies for the care packages that will be sent out on Saturday morning, and a few odds and ends that need purchasing. Over the weekend, I’ll deep clean the house in preparation for the in-laws, who will be here for five days. Christmas cards haven’t happened. Maybe I’ll do New Year’s cards. The tree is up, but only half decorated. The plastic bins of Christmas supplies are spilling onto the dining room table.

It’s very easy to get all stressed out about creating Christmas perfection. Especially when you live next door to people who hire contractors to professionally light the trees in front of their house. Steve threw some lights from Target over the railing in front of the house. Some very loud, blinky lights. Which is about as tacky as things get on this very tasteful block. There are no blow up Santas around here. I drove by my old house last week and saw a massive blow up reindeer on MY front lawn. I should have put a “no-tacky-Christmas” lights rider in our contract.

But there is more to life that the mess in my living room and the shopping list in my purse. Alright, let’s see what’s going on in the world…