It’s Small Success Thursday at CatholicMom.com! Why not stop by, encourage other moms and share your own achievements from the past week or so?

I didn’t get in on the Boxing Day fun last week for Small Success Thursday, because we were visiting my family for what is known as “Christmas The Day After.” While some cousins couldn’t make it (and were definitely missed) we had a great time just enjoying the visit, the dinner, and plenty of laughs.

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My house hasn’t completely fallen apart despite all efforts to the contrary (super-balls in the manger scene, remote-control helicopters in the stereo speaker wires…)

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Little Brother successfully navigated three days of Christmas with blood sugars in check! He even got to have dessert. For the record, there are about 7 carbs in a medium-sized Christmas cookie. I made them all the same size this year so we’d avoid the Higher Math involved in figuring out how many carbs in a large Christmas tree vs. a skinny candlestick vs. Frosty the snowman. This year, we just had stars.

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I invented a new way to shop for furniture. Our family-room couch bit the dust (long story, not the kids’ fault…this time) and I was in no mood for shopping companions. I set out for the store, cell phone in hand, and explained my requirements for the new sofa to the saleswoman. Once I found one I liked that fit my wish list, I texted a photo to my husband, who showed it to the rest of the family for their thumbs-up. I may never bring anyone to the store ever again. That was Monday. It was in stock, so we got it on Tuesday, and I watched the Mummers Parade from the comfort of my comfy new couch.

What’s a Mummer? It’s a Philly New Year’s tradition and it’s tons of fun. My favorite part of the parade is the String Bands division, where the groups perform their own music while dancing and wearing elaborate costumes. String bands include brass instruments, banjos, xylophones, accordions and the occasional double bass. Here’s an impressive performance by the Polish-American String Band.