​​Beep, beep, beep (imagine your alarm clock).
 
I don't like even thinking about it.  I am not a morning person (and I'm not a night owl-I really like to sleep).  Recently I had to wake up extra early to take my oldest to school.  She was very much awake and very chatty.  I wanted to ask her to be quiet since I wasn't in the mood to talk.  I didn't though.  I took this rare opportunity to chat with her. 
Usually, when she comes home from school I'm lucky to have a one minute conversation with her (I mostly receive grunts).  In car rides, she often puts in ear buds.  I miss the chatter from when she was little.  So, I ignored my impulse to tell her it was too early for so much talking.  
And you know what, I enjoyed it.  We laughed and connected.  It was a short ride but enjoyable.  I made sure to tell her that. 
I hope we have more opportunities.

​​As 2018 came to an end, I reflected on a tradition that we started last January.  We made Sunday nights a Family Movie night.  Almost every Sunday, we sat down as a family and watched a movie.  If there was an event on Sunday we had to attend (such as an orchestra concert), we would watch one on Friday or Saturday night.  If everyone was really tired, it was only half a movie one week and then finish it the next.  A few times, we only watched a short cartoon (such as Garfield's Halloween).  For the most part we watched Disney animated movies.  We did throw in all three Back to the Future movies, though, for good measure.  This year we think we are going to focus on more live action Disney movies (we love Disney).  It has now become a weekly ritual we all value.
It is really great to all hang out together.  I look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come.