We are such a stereotypical family. Yesterday, my kids played at the most sterotypical kids games ever. Christopher has a lemonade/juice stand set up (indoors of course, since it was too cold outside) and put the hard sell on all the family members, including anybody who happened to visit the house yesterday. Meanwhile, Cate was dressed up in her hand-me-down Barney costume and only would respond if we called her "Barney" rather than "Cate." Later in the day, we settled in for a game of Scrabble Junior while Cate painted a picture with her easel in the kitchen. Finally, the kids created an enormous fort out of every pillow and blanket in the house. My kids just crack me up.

Meanwhile, we parents continue to sweat out what to do about our house. A realtor came yesterday and will have a market analysis of our house by Monday. We hear that the market is beginning to wake up a bit after a very slow December but you just never know. Still, she had good ideas for cosmetic changes we could make at a reasonable price that would make the house ready to sell. And they work with a staging company (offered for free to the consumer and paid out of the sales commission) to help make the house "parade ready." I think we'll end up making an offer on the other property -- it's just a question of at what price. We believe it's a reasonable price right now, although not sure if it's still too high for us. We'll see.

And me? I finished my first reading of "To Kill a Mockingbird." I never read it before --somehow making it out of honors english classes all throughout high school and a minor in English in college without reading that book. It's a beauty -- the structure, language, themes, and atmosphere it creates are beautiful, if a bit melancholy. I enjoyed it greatly. Now, in search of the next great book to set on my book stand. I will take suggestions.