"OMG! I LOVE your shoes!"

Reflexively, the women I was standing with in a small circle all looked down at my feet. In a split second, I felt a combination of relief, grief, and gratitude. Relief that the unconventional shoe choice for a professional event was peer-approved; grief that I wasn't wearing fancy heels like 98% of the other women at the event; and gratitude for stepping out of my comfort zone.

My eight-year-old son keeps saying, "I know your parents are Santa." When I ask him to tell me more, he says, with some exasperation: "I know reindeer can't fly. I know Santa can't fit down the chimney." He repeats this every night before bed. He even told my husband he's going to set up a video camera capturing us leaving his gifts, but he thinks we'll erase it while he's sleeping. Mind you, he has no access to any sort of camera, but you can't blame a kid for trying.