There have been so many great gingerbread houses across the modern blogosphere the past few weeks. While I don’t have the artistic talent, I wanted in on the fun. A few families on my block got together for a little gingerbread making party. We had seven kids and three mommas. We set the kiddos up with graham crackers and all of the fixings, but we had the good homemade baked gingerbread fixings for the moms.

It was a little frantic with the frosting flying for seven kids between the ages of 20 months and 9 years old, but it was fun. Stacie and I both attempted to do gingerbread houses inspired by our own home designs. Stacie has great pictures of her own house on her own blog here. I made a few extra houses with basic butterfly roofs for the other two moms.

The kids had a blast!

Personally, I love this house the best. I baked the walls, but my architect/former engineer neighbor, Jo, totally rocked this butterfly roof house. I just loved it.

***Note: This blog post was posted on my home remodel blog at midmodredo.com, too.

I am slowly trying to get my sewing mojo back after a 30 year absence. My toddler son asked for a Buzz Lightyear costume. Yes, I could have bought one, but I am trying to reclaim my legacy in a long line of crafty make anything women. It’s not perfect, but he loved it. And, I re-learned a lot of things. Let’s just say that I really know how to use a ripper!

I wish it would have been as lovely as this Buzz Lightyear over at the blog, “Just Another Day in Paradise”, but I’m pretty proud of my first Halloween costume sewing project!

And, the happy faces are from the Saturday before Halloween…before my face got whacked by a ladder.

Just plain silliness. I just watched seasons 3, 4 AND 5 of Weeds this past week on Netflix on-demand with my father. Okay, now I’m done. I have it out of my system. Nancy will have to be okay without me for a while.

P.S. I just installed a Samsung Blu Ray player that allows me to stream Netflix to my TV. Only $130 bucks at the Costco. Bargain!

I’ve been posting a lot of comments on blogs lately. You know how you usually include your name, email and website, too? If anyone happens to find me from one of my comments, they probably think I’m the lamest blogger ever. I think that’s probably true.

BUT, I am definitely a reader and commenter. I look forward to reading everything in my Google reader and pondering the deep and really not so deep thoughts on everyone’s blogs. It’s one of my favorite times of the day.

So, if you found me here from a comment. I promise I’m not a big flake. I’m just necessarily a good blogger right now. But, I may already be one of your biggest fans. And, if you don’t have a blog, but are a fellow commenter on blogs, I love you, too. I love following conversations on blog posts. I love seeing how so many different “groups” of bloggers and readers tend to find themselves in the same conversations across the very diverse blogosphere.

I’ll be back later today to read your blogs. In the meantime, we’ve got a snow storm here in Denver and a toddler that is sure to be bouncing off the walls soon.

Last week I realized that I feel better at almost 39 than I did ever in my 20′s. Here is my non-Glamour magazine approved list of how to feel instantly younger without Botox or Spanx. (I can’t wear tight Spanx. I’m claustrophobic and I feel like a sausage. But, I wish I could include them here).

1. Hair Color – I’m prematurely gray. My mom and uncle were totally white before their 30′s. When I see my roots, they aren’t so much gray as solid white. So, I will forgo all other expenses so I can afford hair color.
2. Bangs – I can’t afford Botox and the thought of needles in my forehead kind of creeps me out. Bangs come to the rescue. (I actually did just see this in a magazine’s list of anti-aging tricks, but I knew that YEARS ago.)
3. Chase a toddler all day. It’s hard to feel old when you’re running after a crazy toddler for 14 hours a day.
4. Move fast. I’m a firm believer that no one can see your wrinkles really closely if you just move around a lot. It’s hard to focus too much.
5. Bare Escentuals – My mom got me hooked on this a few years ago. The mineral makeup works for me. The makeup doesn’t collect in my wrinkles and feels nice. I haven’t tried the other brands, but I’m a believer now.
6. Take classes. Any kind. Strangely, I feel instantly younger and revitalized when I am back in classes. You’d think I’d feel old as a boot next to a bunch of 20 somethings, but I actually feel younger when my brain is working.
7. Join a gym with lots of older people. I work out at a university gym. While I try not to compare myself to the itsy bitsy 19 year-olds, there seems to be a large group of 70 and 80 somethings working out there. (Maybe retired professors). They are rock solid! So, while I feel infinitely younger than them, it’s also really promising to see older folks pumping serious iron.
8. Cute shoes. Who needs to be told this? Finding cute shoes make me instantly lighter in my step. They are even better at a bargain.
9. Have a spouse or partner a good bit older. My husband is 9 years older in chronological years. In reality, I think I’m two years older. But, no matter what, I always feel younger than him in comparison.
10. Attend your spouse’s 30th High School Reunion. I didn’t know anyone there so I have no idea what anyone looked like in high school. And, everyone seemed really lovely (even though I was bored to tears). But, I felt like a kid there. While everyone else was talking about their grandchildren, we think we were the only couple with a toddler at home.

Moral of story – Age is relative. I’m just being silly, but I thought about my perception of aging this week and I feel great. Of course I have a disclaimer (I always do). I think that we (we the US) are pretty obsessed with NOT aging. I am not anti-aging. I don’t mind being almost 40 and am not trying to look like a 25 year old. I just want to be a healthy, well-aged almost 40 year old.

Tune in next week when I drop my son off at preschool. I may be the oldest mother. I may have a list of how crappy I feel.

***I have not received any compensation for mentioning Bare Escentuals products. They don’t know I exist except for my credit card in their database. But, if makeup suddenly shows up at my doorstep, I will be really happy. Hint hint.