This past weekend our family headed to George L. Smith State Park, near Metter, with hopes of canoeing in the lake there. The trouble with a family of five, with young kids, is that we don't exactly fit into canoes very well. The rental canoes at the park carry no more than two people each. So with three kids unable to handle a canoe and only two adults, we selected one canoe and one john boat, and off we went.

You've probably seen them – or even posted them - on Facebook or other places: the perfect family photos of beautiful, happy people. It's not so much how they are dressed or what they are doing as it is the feeling they give off. It's that “life is good, we're so happy” vibe. And we're so happy for them, and we “like” their pictures every time.

The other night my 6-year-old son was apparently having trouble falling asleep (possibly because he was reading by flashlight in his room instead of closing his eyes). He normally does not come out of his room once he's in bed, but this night was different.

It was around 10:30 when he made his appearance in the living room. There sat my husband and me on the couch eating our nightly snack, watching a bit of tv, and chatting about the day. We were busted, caught red-handed with tasty treats.

It's amazing how quickly it adds up. I go into Walmart with a short list of items ranging from peanut butter to a picture frame. Shouldn't take long. Shouldn't cost much. Though I was pretty sure my $40 in cash wouldn't cover it. It never does.

On Saturday evening my family and I went to the Savannah Harbor Festival of Lights (savannahharborfestivaloflights.com) on Hutchinson Island. We arrived at 6:30, waited in line for 20-30 minutes to pay our $20 admission fee (which includes a $5 food voucher), and were finished by 8:00. We chose to drive through, but there are also options to walk, ride a bike, or take a trolley ride or carriage ride through the lights also. Check the website for pricing.

On Saturday our family made our traditional two-hour drive to Charleston to experience the James Island Holiday Festival of Lights (http://www.ccprc.com/index.aspx?NID=1546). It's a three-mile drive through Christmas light displays along with Santa's Village, which boasts a train ride, marshmallows for toasting, a holiday sand sculpture, Santa, carousel, and more.

Here are some pretty cool things to do this weekend...

Savannah's Veterans' Day parade downtown on Saturday will start at 10:15, beginning at Abercorn St and Gwinnett St. You may want to arrive between 9:30 and 10:00 to get a good spot. Click here for the parade route... http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2010-11-11/parade-route-savannahs-veterans-day-parade

I am nearly certain there is a black hole in my house. It probably originated in the dryer, as dryers are notorious for eating socks. While our black hole likely started out by sucking up random socks, it apparently has moved on to a variety of other items that have no acquaintance with the dryer.

This past weekend my husband and daughter went on a Girl Scouts Father-Daughter camp-out. It was a bit unusual for our family to split up like that, but it turned out to be a pleasant treat as I spent time with the two boys and my husband and daughter had their fun time together.

Camping. The mere thought of the word conjures visions of the great outdoors, toasting marshmallows, hiking, and a cozy tent. The reality of this past weekend did in fact include all of these elements, mixed in with a good dose of sibling fussiness, the revelation of things forgotten, and the logistics of coping in a large group environment, all rounded out with general sleep deprivation.