Heading out the door in the morning is an extended process for my family this year. My three kids attend three separate schools. My 9th grader, Colton, scrambles to catch his bus at 6:43. (This is the kid, who, when given the opportunity, would sleep past noon.) My middle schooler, McKenna, sets out at 7:25. My youngest daughter, Ella, enjoys a more leisurely pick-up time of 8:30.

Making cookies at the holidays is one of my favorite memories as a child. It starts to feel like the holidays when we start to make cookies! As a mom, I couldn’t wait to make and decorate cookies with my own children - who happen to be boys. That’s where my Rockwell moment ends and reality begins.

Have you noticed all the movies named after holidays out there? New Year’s Eve, Ground Hog Day, Valentine’s Day and even A Christmas Story come to mind-- but what about Thanksgiving?

Do you ever feel like your Thanksgiving menu might need some refreshing? I’m at that point this year. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for tradition. Classic roasted turkey with creamy gravy and green beans are always on the menu…but sometimes it’s fun to throw something new into the mix.

When I was a child, the thought of eating pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving caused me to squirm in my chair at the kid’s table and feel anything but thankful. If a slice was forced upon me, I gingerly spooned the dollop of whipped cream into my mouth and silently counted down the days until the Christmas fudge would appear.

Ryan and I are constantly looking for easy weeknight meals, but we want to use ingredients that are fresh and full of flavor – none of this boxed business for us! A challenge for expanding my fast-meal repertoire, though, is that Ryan claims that he isn’t a big pasta fan.

Everyone has a favorite holiday cookie. Mine just happens to be molasses ginger cookies. So what happens when you take a classic favorite, and make it just that much better? Sounds impossible, but we did it with these Spicy Ginger Cookies. A recipe from our downloadable Holiday Brochure, you could pretty much call these the "ultimate" ginger cookie.

It’s a big day tomorrow for a special group of friends. It’s RACE day! A few months ago, I made a simple pledge to myself to eat better, lose some weight and get in shape. In my adventures to try and be more healthy, I was able to find an amazing group called Strong Women In Fitness Together, a women’s running club near my home town of Philadelphia. I hesitated - they would probably be these amazing athletes. In my mind, the ladies would actually run fast and LOVE to work out... UGH. What I found was full time moms, career girls, out of shape and in shape women in all body sizes as well as athletic abilities.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that my daughter-in-law Amanda (a fellow blogger) and son Ryan have been expecting their first baby, my first grandchild. This grandma-to-be has been just a little excited – that’s an understatement if there ever was one! I hate to think how much I have already spent on this little bundle of joy. I just simply can’t resist all those cute little outfits. Well, the big day arrived and Clark Craig Wahlund entered this world on October 9. Isn’t he just adorable?