You should TOTALLY go see the live Nativity Scene at Civita di Bagnoregio next weekend

So this is a post of limited relevance to many, but IF you are in Italy next weekend, you should totes check out the presepe vivente (live Nativity Scene) in Civita di Bagnoregio.

If the weather is good that is.  We had pretty mild conditions and loved it.  A friend who went last year said it was bitterly cold and windy.  I can definitely see how that would put a damper on the fun.

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Sleep hygiene for preschoolers

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The other day I was listening to a podcast where one of the hosts mentioned having excellent sleep hygiene as a goal for 2017.  (I would link it here, but I don’t remember at all which one it was.  Maybe Balanced Bites?)

Sleep hygiene, of course, being things like no screens before bed, going to bed at a certain time, having your room pitch black and interruption free, etc.

My kiddos need better sleep hygiene.

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Looking back at 2016

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2016 was a big year.  A pretty good year, I’d say overall.

We had some aggressive travel goals, and I’m pleased with how it turned out.  We did big trips to Sicily, Marrakesh, Lake Garda, and the BalkansWe tagged along with James to Malta, and we did a bonus trip to Vienna.  We did plenty of weekends and day trips as well to places like Abruzzo, Viterbo, and Naples.

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Is Santa real?

I grew up in a Santa house.  James grew up in a no Santa house.

We’ve been trying to straddle a middle ground.

We’d read books about Santa and see Santa places, but we wouldn’t make a big deal about WHAT DO YOU WANT SANTA TO BRING YOU and YIPPEE, SANTA IS COMING!!  We’ve just tried to treat Santa as a part of Christmas fun, but generally talk about Baby Jesus and giving and family, etc.

That actually worked much better than I expected.  Until last night.

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