And, here we are. The trees are mostly barren, some snow may have already fallen (depending where you are), and the Christmas decorations are starting to go up. With the spirit of the season in our hearts, let’s embark on our monthly journey through the blogosphere.

James R.C. Smith of SocialDad.ca talks about what it was like to pack up his life and move across town with a child. It’s been a pretty big change for James, moving to an entirely different part of the city. With a new neighborhood to explore and a new space to fill, he’s got his hands full. Especially since the kid has to get used to the new digs too. Have you ever had to explain moving to a new house to your children?

Jeremy Barnes of Thirsty Daddy reminds us of an important life lesson: keep finding firsts. Think about how easily we fall into a routine and take everything for granted. Break free of the mundane and humdrum. While we should look back to our past fondly, we shouldn’t cling to it too fervently. Instead, look ahead and keep celebrating new adventures and new experiences. Every morning is a new day filled with limitless possibility.

Eschelle Loftus of Mumfection offers some advice on how to handle ungrateful kids. This ties in perfectly with Jeremy’s post above, as even us adults can become incredibly ungrateful for all the good things in our lives. Exercise gratitude daily and teach your children to do the same. And when they become all whiny and unappreciative, borrow a page from Eschelle’s playbook and help them put things back into perspective.

Vernon D. Gibbs II, over on City Dads Group, talks about the power of the apology. It’s not just about teaching our kids that they should apologize when they do something wrong; sometimes, we’ve got to say sorry to our kids too. Discipline is absolutely a part of parenting. But, so is modeling the kind of positive behavior you want to see in your children. Remind them that you’re still human and you’re still fallible. That way, they’ll have the strength to apologize genuinely when the time comes too.

Dylan Cutler of Phruitful Dish ends this month’s speedlink with some seasonal advice. Are you feeling the effects of seasonal affective disorder? She’s got eight spices to beat the wintertime blues, boosting your mood and even alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression. She’s even got recipes to go along with all of them. I’m all about nutmeg and cinnamon in just about everything, especially my eggnog latte!