Husband’s guide to surviving Snowpocalypse

Today winter has hit New York. Snowpocalypse turns out to be real, and we’ve had to postpone T’s birthday party as no one wants to step outside in this weather. But as my husband, C, says, “All is not lost.” He has come up with these easy steps to survive the blizzard. Enjoy.

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And this chocolate coin medal is awarded for…

We’ve had interesting conversations about the value of earning a medal in our household this week, as T has just earned her very first medal for completing a four-month gymnastics course.

Families were invited to watch a display on the final week (normally B and I hang out with all the nannies, coats and strollers until class is finished). C left work early specially, and B was bursting with excitement to finally watch T on the trampoline, bars and floor. At the end of the display, each gymnast was called to jump up onto a box, arms raised, and receive a medal. B begged for a turn. The coach agreed, so B clambered up onto the box, raised her arms, and beamed expectantly. Nothing happened. “But where is my medal?” she called reproachfully.
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Starting a new Christmas tradition

Sorry about the radio silence. I epically ran out of blogging steam in the run up to Christmas, and then used the excuse of toddler jetlag to avoid writing. It’s now well into January so I can procrastinate no longer. **sound of sleeves rolling up and a big gulp of tea, brief pause to google ‘what is the opposite of procrastinate’?**.

We flew back to England for Christmas, and had a fab time catching up with friends and family. We tried something new this year – staggered presents. Last year we packed up the lot and carted them to Devon via London, and then all the way back to New York again. This year we decided to exchange our own immediate family’s gifts a couple of weeks early in Manhattan, and then for the girls to open one or two a day (as and when friends gave them something, providing their behaviour had deserved it) throughout our trip.
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