If I ever renamed this blog it would be: 'A Room of One's Own' because that's what a personal blog really can feel like to its keeper especially when that person lives with four other people and shares almost everything except a URL.

Ben won't tell any of us where he keeps his nail clipper or stash of favorite pens, and do you know why? Because we'll take them and use them and then leave the pen caps off and let them dry out and we won't remember where we left the nail clipper. We won't even admit to using his nail clipper. Nail clipper? What nail clipper? You must be confusing us with people who care about the whereabouts of your nail clipper when all we want to know is where we can find the TV remote.

I took this shot of Whitney and Heidi, in our backyard. Yes, last week, outside, in February. The winter here is nice so at least we can all get outside and away from each other, of course unless you follow your kids outside with a camera. Then you're all back together again competing for mom's lens' attention.

DID YOU SEE THAT BUBBLE, MOM? Did you take a picture of MY bubble? How about MY bubble? Yes, I saw them. All of them. And I took pictures of your bubbles and your bubbles.

Of course I did.

For those of you who have trouble keeping up, we now live in Florida. And for those of you who really have trouble keeping up, we used to live in Wisconsin. And for those of you who don't care about where we live, this post is about to get tedious.

We now live in Florida, which is why we go to the beach in December, and, which is why our auto insurance premium doubled, and, which is why I've spent the past week scratching bug bites while I sit in front of the Christmas tree sipping ice water out of a festive holiday mug.

Is this post lacking yuletide enthusiasm? If so, blame it on Florida because Christmas in Florida is disorienting. Not as disorienting as the online Levi ad I saw for their line of denim dresses. The Mayans predicted the end of the world? Pfft. Nonsense. Wait, is that an ad for a denim dress? WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.

What is my point here? My point is that Christmas in Florida is like a denim dress, wrong and unnatural. Yes, that and I want to remind my lady friends denim dresses are the gateway outfits to culotts.

But yes, Christmas in Florida is disorienting.

Evidence: I will be walking down the hall from my bedroom to the kitchen, minding my own business, when I forget and look up and there it is...the Christmas tree. All sparkly and needy and 'Hey, 'tis the season!' And I'm all, 'Not now tree!'

More evidence: Ben took this photo on Sunday. Sunday the 9th of December. Who wants hot cocoa?

I grew up in the 1970’s watching Three’s Company, playing on my Sit’n Spin and wearing the skin off the tip of my index finger practicing dialing our home phone number on a rotary phone - the one and only phone in our house.

Hey kids, is your mama’s smart phone’s voice recognition confusing your theven with your thixth? Aw, too bad maybe you should take a look at the lovely, plump skin on the tip of your index finger and thank us kids of the 70’s who came before you. Thank the nubbed-fingered children of the 70’s who grew-up, got tech degrees and worked hard so that you wouldn’t be forced to live in a world where cartoons are only aired on Saturday mornings or a world where you had to wait a week to see the photos your mom snapped of you roller skating with your brand new Walkman.

And as if the children of the 70’s didn’t do enough for you kids of today...if making a world where childhood meant never having to memorize a phone number or that you would never have to worry about getting home in time to watch your favorite TV show again, Target's up&up brand has gone and given you Childrens' Gummy Multivitamins. That’s right! You kids live in a world where multivitamins chew like a gummy bear and taste like a fruit snack!

What’s next, kids? A world where you don’t have to tie your own shoes? What? You say you don’t have to tie your own shoes? You say you know about something called Velcro? Gee, sounds like you kids know everything these days! Must be nice to know everything. See kids, I didn’t know everything when I was your age because I didn’t grow up with the Google. I bet you didn’t realize that, now did you? I mean unless you already Googled the history of Google...then...never mind.

So yes, like everything else these days, vitamin taking is easier. And since it’s so easy to take vitamins, and since we’re headed runny nose first into cold and flu season, I decided that now is as good a time as ever to make vitamin taking part of our daily routine. That’s why I bit at the chance to take Target up on their offer to try their Childrens' Gummy Multivitamins and their Adults' Gummy Multivitamins (that’s right - adult gummy vitamins - this 70’s kid is finally getting something good too!).

Our whole family has been taking up&up Gummy Multivitamins for a few weeks now and so far so good (tasting)! I’m told they aid in healthy growth and development and while that may be, I can at least honestly say I’m feeling less lethargic.

And as for the kids, they’ve gone almost three weeks without colds (in November, no less) and seem as though they have more energy too.



Now if Target would only send me a ladder and a net.

Hey guys, this was a sponsored post. However, like always, I mean what I say and I say what I mean and the opinions here were all my own. I don't do many sponsored posts because I won't vouch for anything I don't like or won't use. Additionally, Target provided me with both the Childrens' Gummy Multivitamins and the Adults' Gummy Mulitvitamins to try. Big thanks to Target! Also, just thought I'd pass this on...Target's offering up&up vitamin coupons right now. Go get them here! 

Right now, I'm working on a sponsored post, which I'll be publishing here later this or early next week. Without going into details, I'll be incorporating some fancy Photoshop stuff into the post of which I needed a couple of "willing" models. And by "willing," I meant that I was at least hoping for a kid who would stand still in front of my camera without glaring into the lens.

What I got was a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras.

Heidi struck this look without any coaching, before launching into a succession of modeled poses.

I have no doubt that Heidi will kick some life ass when she grows up.