I wrote a post a few months ago, Redeeming Men, talking about how my goal is to not screw my son up.

So, a friend of mine emailed me and said, “Do you know any good, kind, compassionate men? Your anger is coming out in your writing. It’s emotionally destructive to you.”

Duh. Hate that.

Angry writing on a women’s website. It’s just too easy. It reaches a certain audience, (other angry women for sure), but I have too much respect for my craft. I’m too ambitious.

Also, I just got bored. With the anger itself and with talking about the anger. It’s futile. It’s unproductive. It’s not getting me what I want. I want to move forward.

I knew there was something, or a multitude of somethings, a string of pasts, that I was holding onto.

My friend, Jennifer, invited me to a Discovery Training in Dallas this weekend. God usually puts what I need right in front of my face.

I won’t give you all the details. Because you might decide to go one day (you should) and I wouldn’t want to ruin all the beautiful, delicious and glorious surprises. I’m hoping to pack my sweet husband off to a training next month so we can get on the same page.

But, I will shout out to every single man in that room.

THANK YOU!!!!

Thanks for showing up for me. I’ve been wondering where all the heros were. Frankly, I was getting a little worried for humanity as a whole.

But, this weekend you showed up for me - for women, for your wives, girlfriends, mothers, and daughters - and I don’t feel like I have to do your job anymore.

After this weekend, I know the quality of my mothering a son is going to be different - much better. I’m going to be a different kind of wife.

I’m going to establish some boundaries, and I think I can do that without anger now.

The quality of my writing is going to be better.

You were right, my friend, it’s time to get over it.

I’m so totally over it. Look who’s been waiting for me. Blessings come in such perfect packages.

At our Extended Family Christmas Eve Party on Wednesday we had a great time.

We did stockings and presents for the children.

Then sent them out to play with their goodies while the adults did a White Elephant Exchange and a game of Christmas Bingo.

No one liked the gifts we brought. Oh well.

Most sought after gifts included a lava lamp, a really tacky ugly phone in the shape of a golf bag, and a really nice set of frames. We scored a tool box and an emergency kit. We tried to score a box of batteries.

We spent our Christmas Day at home with our own little nuclear family. Being lazy and learning to use our cool gadgets and toys.

Our big gifts were ipods this year. Running and exercising is a lot more fun if you’re listening to a book or podcast or great music.

All the kids CDs are scratched and skip so they got them too.

We had biscuits and sausage gravy for lunch, waffles and whipped cream and fruit for lunch and wings for dinner. All day we ate as much of my mother’s Christmas candy as we wanted.

My husband and I took turns going to for a run. It was so warm we ran in shorts and tank tops.

We watched Miracle on 34th Street and made popcorn with our new popcorn maker. Half the kernels didn’t pop (my 1970s one pops nearly every kernel).

Zack got a mouse costume which is so very A Christmas Story. We have mice and he always says, “There’s a mouse in my room.” And now there is for sure.

Ainsley climbed a tree and ripped her new tights.

The lid handle broke off my new crock pot.

It was a perfect Christmas.

I can’t wait to hear about yours.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me.

My mother-in-law produces an Annual Christmas Pageant and this year we took it to a nursing home to spread some joy.

Zack joined in the Angel Dance and it was so stinking CUTE!

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas.

Last July when I went to San Francisco for Blogher’08 I stopped in a tourist shop and picked up some San Francisco Sour Dough Starter. I gave my mother a package and another to a friend.

I kept a package for myself and began following directions. It said to put the starter in a warm dark place for several hours. So, I figured the oven would be great.

My husband preheated the oven for some wings. Plastic bowl melted all in my Sour Dough Starter and my foray into fancy breadmaking was foiled.

Now, it’s probably not that complicated for Marye Audet who writes Baking Delights.

But, for me it’s proven to be quite a challenge.

My good friends made wonderful bread every single day like clockwork. They gave me another starter.

I decided to get creative and added garlic and parmesan cheese to my “sponge” and pretty much killed it. Don’t add that to starter - add that to dough.

I have ruined 3 sets of starters, mainly because I did not understand the steps that involve “the sponge” and “the starter.”

Maybe this has happened to you before - where you read the directions over and over and over and every time you draw a blank. Huh?

I logged onto

All Holiday Cafe to see if Katelyn Thomas could teach me how to use the starter to make more starter and a sponge, but no. She did have a lot to say about Making Gingerbread Houses, but the kids and I already did that.

They say the 4th Starter is the Charm.

No one says that, but, practice makes perfect, right?

When my friend gave me the last starter and announced there could be no more because he was moving to Alabama I Googled Sour Dough Bread and found these great instructions by S. John Ross.

And now I’ve been giving bread away all season. It’s so easy to make two snakes and braid them into a holiday wreath or a candy cane. This would, actually make my friend Jen from Jlogged.com very proud. I even took it as a white elephant gift for my Toastmaster’s party and my Vow counselors loved it.

Making dough has also been keeping my 2 year old Zack out of trouble. He likes to roll and pound and squish and smack it.

I was really glad I took the day off to go on this field trip. Look how much more fun school is than staying home with Mommy.

Zack put the camera down.

Seriously, give Mommy the camera right now.

Give. Me. That. Camera. Right. Now. Or You’re Going To Time OUT!

Photo Source: My 2year-old son Zack.

I shaved Zack’s head into a bitchen baby mohawk. It is so cute. He’s so broad and big and fat that when he gets mad he looks like he could kick your ass.

Actually, I had my mother-in-law do it. She kept trying to cut the sides short, hoping I wouldn’t make her shave it. I told her that made it look like a mullot which is just bad hair on anybody. I made her shave it. She said she doesn’t want to cut Zack’s hair anymore. I don’t know why she got so emotional about a little baby hair.

It’s a whole new meaning when I call him Mr. Z as I am likely to do about 10 times a day. Ainsley got a long bob that’s very pretty.