A little of this:
Isa and Henry after the very-under-attended 6 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass, which I highly recommend. My boys were assigned to serve at this Mass this year, so we switched from our usual 4 p.m. plan and it was glorious. So relaxing. So very lovely.
And a little of this:
related: anybody know the magic trick to cleaning scuff marks off my risers? Besides the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and 12 tons of elbow grease? Which I will totally apply, would just love to avoid that method if there is an easier way.
and a healthy dose of this:
And we are heavy in the throes of Christmas break. Late nights, late mornings, lazy days, letting my 12-year-old drive us around the abandoned parking lot up the street. Good times. So good.
One of these days writing will resume. But babies don’t keep. And teenagers, I’m beginning to realize, keep even less. I’m enjoying these days so very much. I hope you are too.
Paint the risers black. I hear it looks great even if dirty.
Rachel,
We discovered how non-crowded the 6:30 pm Mass was at our church last year. Prior to that we had needed to arrive at 3 pm for the 4 pm service, as that was the only way to get a seat.
So much more relaxing and a much better atmosphere to enjoy the wonderful celebration that is Christmas Mass!
Have a very Happy New Year, and thanks for the pictures. I know that I am not alone in loving watching your family grow up!
Best,
Kathryn
We discovered our 6pm was empty too, always our plan. This year, my son was serving at the 11:30 Christmas Day, the last Mass, also much less crowded than the 4pm Christmas Eve, but we so enjoy staying in our pajamas all morning on Christmas, so it was a bit of a struggle to get everyone dressed and Church ready by 10:45, especially when we told the little ones they had to leave their presents behind for 2 hours.
When my risers get really bad, I repaint them. We switched to a glossy version of Kilz a couple of years ago, it covers everything and the little roller brushes are the perfect size.
Scuff solution: Install a runner up the center of the stairs. It also makes life a bit quieter.
More white paint– after everyone is in bed so it has all night to dry? I like the idea of black but it might not mesh with the rest of the decor…..
Ahh…Rachel Balducci. You speak right to my mama-heart once again. “..teenagers keep even less.” You speak right to an impending fear of mine. We’ll have our first teenager next year, and I know the next years will simply fly by with our boy. What can we do but just enjoy these sweet moments to the fullest? Life is good.
P.S: white paint!
You are so smart to realize that teenagers keep even less than babies! Those high school years fly by! Enjoy them.
About the stair raisers: you could consider some spanish or italian tiles on the raisers (google: tiles on stair raisers images, or click here: https://www.google.com/search?q=tiles+on+stair+risers&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=pUrgUI2UFJOE0QH51oHwBw&ved=0CF4QsAQ&biw=1600&bih=799)
Merry Christmas Balducci clan!!
xoxoxo
My mom made us take our shoes off at the back door and run around in socks or slippers or rubber soled shoes that were for indoors only. It cut down on the dirt and the black marks of floors and risers. I tried that as well, but with considerably less success.
Yup, only socks allowed in our house too! Did you know shoes carry tons of nasty stuff with them? Eeewwwww!
Love your description of your holidays, Rachel, sounds so idyllic!
paint.
either a fresh white once a month or a darker color or accent the steps with some Chuck N. quote and you won’t even notice the marks (or if you do they will be like marks of manhood/scars to go with the quote).
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with family!
Hi-gloss or semi-gloss (often called trim, kitchen/bathroom paint) white paint definitely cleans easier. I just painted the living room and kids room with kitchen/bathroom tinted paint–handprints and scuffs wipe off so much easier, and the higher reflectivity of the paint brightens the rooms.
Riser scuffs: repaint, w/a second coat of polyurethane. (Think of manicures, with the color & then the top coat gloss!)