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Napkin ring
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Traditions
Christmas and New Years 2012 has brought about some new traditions that I would like to start, I mean continue.
Jeff was watching a show on the History Channel about Christmas. I asked him if he learned anything and he said yes. Here is the one thing he took away from the show: Our traditions are not as old as we think they are.
What does that mean you ask? Well what that means is that we as humans long for the way things used to be, in our lifetimes, not our parent's/grandparent's/great grandparent's lifetime.
There have been some changes to my Christmas traditions since I got married and started my own family. The first change that I made was I stopped all the running around. I want my children to be able to enjoy their toys, their house. So a few years ago we started having Christmas Eve dinner with Jeff's family. We usually have salad and lasagna. After dinner we open gifts and sit around talking and the kids play with their new toys. Before dinner we go out front and sprinkle Magic Reindeer Food on the lawn. The kids usually make this special food in school so it is ready to go. We come back in and the kids head to bed.
I have one rule about Christmas Morning: you can't touch the gifts until everyone is downstairs. Clayton jumped out of bed this year and ran downstairs, by passing my room. Luckily Jillian had already come in to wake me up, so I was able to yell down and remind him not to touch anything until we got down there too.
One of my favorite things from Christmas when I was a child was staying in my pajamas all day, eating, sleeping, and playing with my new Santa gifts, so I wanted the same for my children. We get to stay here doing nothing much until about 3 PM. At that time we go to my parent's house for dinner and gifts. My brothers and their families are there as well. We have ham, homemade mashed potatoes, and lots of other yummy stuff to eat. My mom also makes homemade lemonade. My mom loves to cook!
For a long time on New Years Eve we used to have a party at our house, people stopped coming so we stopped having it. I would also have dinner for my family before our party, which I still do. For the past 2 years my brothers and their families bailed on dinner, so it was just my family and my parents.
This year for New Years Eve we did a few new things which I would like to continue next year and the years after that. One thing we did new this year is that we made a rice krispie treat train. It was easy and fun and I have the molds so it will be easy to do again next year. The other thing that we did new this year is that we cut openings into milk jugs, filled the bottom with sand and added a candle. People over by my parent's house do this for Christmas time and that was my plan this year, but because I was feeling under the weather and Christmas seemed to come and go quickly we didn't get to it. Since we did it for New Years Eve I thought of it as "Lighting the way for the new year" and I would like to welcome the new year the same way for years to come. The third thing that I would like to make a tradition is me and Jillian doing our nails. It was fun and a chance for us girls to bond and get pretty.
There were a few parties this year, but none seemed kid friendly, besides until the kids get older I think staying in on New Years Eve is just fine. That way if they need a little nap they can have one.
Where there any new traditions that you and your family started this year?
Jeff was watching a show on the History Channel about Christmas. I asked him if he learned anything and he said yes. Here is the one thing he took away from the show: Our traditions are not as old as we think they are.
What does that mean you ask? Well what that means is that we as humans long for the way things used to be, in our lifetimes, not our parent's/grandparent's/great grandparent's lifetime.
There have been some changes to my Christmas traditions since I got married and started my own family. The first change that I made was I stopped all the running around. I want my children to be able to enjoy their toys, their house. So a few years ago we started having Christmas Eve dinner with Jeff's family. We usually have salad and lasagna. After dinner we open gifts and sit around talking and the kids play with their new toys. Before dinner we go out front and sprinkle Magic Reindeer Food on the lawn. The kids usually make this special food in school so it is ready to go. We come back in and the kids head to bed.
I have one rule about Christmas Morning: you can't touch the gifts until everyone is downstairs. Clayton jumped out of bed this year and ran downstairs, by passing my room. Luckily Jillian had already come in to wake me up, so I was able to yell down and remind him not to touch anything until we got down there too.
One of my favorite things from Christmas when I was a child was staying in my pajamas all day, eating, sleeping, and playing with my new Santa gifts, so I wanted the same for my children. We get to stay here doing nothing much until about 3 PM. At that time we go to my parent's house for dinner and gifts. My brothers and their families are there as well. We have ham, homemade mashed potatoes, and lots of other yummy stuff to eat. My mom also makes homemade lemonade. My mom loves to cook!
For a long time on New Years Eve we used to have a party at our house, people stopped coming so we stopped having it. I would also have dinner for my family before our party, which I still do. For the past 2 years my brothers and their families bailed on dinner, so it was just my family and my parents.
This year for New Years Eve we did a few new things which I would like to continue next year and the years after that. One thing we did new this year is that we made a rice krispie treat train. It was easy and fun and I have the molds so it will be easy to do again next year. The other thing that we did new this year is that we cut openings into milk jugs, filled the bottom with sand and added a candle. People over by my parent's house do this for Christmas time and that was my plan this year, but because I was feeling under the weather and Christmas seemed to come and go quickly we didn't get to it. Since we did it for New Years Eve I thought of it as "Lighting the way for the new year" and I would like to welcome the new year the same way for years to come. The third thing that I would like to make a tradition is me and Jillian doing our nails. It was fun and a chance for us girls to bond and get pretty.
There were a few parties this year, but none seemed kid friendly, besides until the kids get older I think staying in on New Years Eve is just fine. That way if they need a little nap they can have one.
Where there any new traditions that you and your family started this year?
Happy New Year
Happy New Year everyone! My new year has started out pretty wonderfully.
I am very sad that my Winter Break is coming to an end. As a matter of fact yesterday when I woke up yesterday and had a heavy sadness fall over me. I am sad that I have to return to my job here very soon.
I have taken a look at what I had planned on doing over this break of mine and I haven't accomplished any of it. That is right, I had planned on cleaning the house, de-cluttering my piles of papers, cleaning out and organizing the kids room's, cleaning out and organizing our bedroom. I had planned on doing something with my manuscript, doing something with my resume and sending both out to people. Of course so far none of this has been done. So what have I been doing you may ask?.... Well my first day off I went to the grocery store (it was way overdue) and then went and did the Room Mom thing at Clayton's school.
I ended up getting sick for Christmas. Luckily I wasn't as sick as some other people, but I still tried to take it easy and relax.
Instead of cleaning I spent as much time with the kids and Jeff. I didn't get on the computer very often since that was not spending time with the family. We had a wonderful time playing games, sled riding (bring on more snow please), making crafts, wrapping gifts, baking goodies. We went sled riding in our front yard a couple of times and went to Rapid Run Park to sled one day. We went as a family to eat at City Barbeque, China Buffet and Cancun Mexican Restaurant. We watched some TV together and the new movies the kids got for Christmas. I think we have watched Paranorman two times so far, we watched The Lorax, and Puss and Boots. The only one we have not watched yet is Tin Tin.
Yesterday afternoon the kids and I made a rice krispie train and made "yard" candles out of milk jugs. Last night for New Years Eve my parents came over for dinner. My mom brought White Chicken Chili and I made a pot of Homemade Veggie Soup. After dinner my parents hung out and watched a Goosebumps movie with us. About 9 PM Jillian and I went upstairs to paint our toe nails. My toes are a dark reddish color, Jillian wanted one set of toe nails to be painted pink and the other set to be painted blue. One the blue toe nails I put pink roses and on the pink toe nails I put blue hearts. At 10 PM I let the kids go out front to let off some of their party poppers (just in case they didn't make it to midnight). Jillian was afraid of the loud noise that some of the poppers made, but she cheered for the confetti! About 11 PM both of the kids laid on the couch to watch some TV. Jeff sat between them and pestered Jillian (earlier in the day she told him that it was not his job to pester her. He said, "I know it isn't my job. It is my hobby") Clayton played his new DS. At 11:11 I told them to make a wish, I told Jillian to wish that she could stay awake til 12. I went back upstairs to paint my finger nails and came back down about 11:40ish and Jillian was out. Clayton asked me if I would wake him up in 10 minutes and then he was out. At about 11:55 I woke them both back up. It took a few minutes to get them to open their eyes, but I knew that if I would have let them sleep through it they would have been very upset this morning. As a family we watched the ball drop on TV, then Jeff, Clayton and I went out front to let off the rest of the poppers and blow the horns. A family up the street were banging on pots and pans. Jillian stayed in the house blowing her horn and chasing the dogs. Both kids were in bed and back to sleep by 12:30 AM.
They slept until about 9:30 this morning (I think), man I am going to miss the sleeping in. And it is going to be REALLY hard getting everyone up for school tomorrow. I am really getting sad to think there is only about 1.5 hours left before I have to send them to bed for school tomorrow. Anyway, today as a family we went to eat lunch and then bowling.
So no I didn't get the stuff done that I was hoping to, but what I did do was spent a lot of quality time with my family. The time we got to spent together this winter break was so much more important then cleaning the house. They are growing up so fast and I don't want to miss it. Besides I needed some of the me time and the we time. I am not going to beat myself up for the lack of things done, but I am going to praise myself for giving time to my child, husband and me.
Happy New Year to you and your family. May 2013 be the best in every way!
I am very sad that my Winter Break is coming to an end. As a matter of fact yesterday when I woke up yesterday and had a heavy sadness fall over me. I am sad that I have to return to my job here very soon.
I have taken a look at what I had planned on doing over this break of mine and I haven't accomplished any of it. That is right, I had planned on cleaning the house, de-cluttering my piles of papers, cleaning out and organizing the kids room's, cleaning out and organizing our bedroom. I had planned on doing something with my manuscript, doing something with my resume and sending both out to people. Of course so far none of this has been done. So what have I been doing you may ask?.... Well my first day off I went to the grocery store (it was way overdue) and then went and did the Room Mom thing at Clayton's school.
I ended up getting sick for Christmas. Luckily I wasn't as sick as some other people, but I still tried to take it easy and relax.
Instead of cleaning I spent as much time with the kids and Jeff. I didn't get on the computer very often since that was not spending time with the family. We had a wonderful time playing games, sled riding (bring on more snow please), making crafts, wrapping gifts, baking goodies. We went sled riding in our front yard a couple of times and went to Rapid Run Park to sled one day. We went as a family to eat at City Barbeque, China Buffet and Cancun Mexican Restaurant. We watched some TV together and the new movies the kids got for Christmas. I think we have watched Paranorman two times so far, we watched The Lorax, and Puss and Boots. The only one we have not watched yet is Tin Tin.
Yesterday afternoon the kids and I made a rice krispie train and made "yard" candles out of milk jugs. Last night for New Years Eve my parents came over for dinner. My mom brought White Chicken Chili and I made a pot of Homemade Veggie Soup. After dinner my parents hung out and watched a Goosebumps movie with us. About 9 PM Jillian and I went upstairs to paint our toe nails. My toes are a dark reddish color, Jillian wanted one set of toe nails to be painted pink and the other set to be painted blue. One the blue toe nails I put pink roses and on the pink toe nails I put blue hearts. At 10 PM I let the kids go out front to let off some of their party poppers (just in case they didn't make it to midnight). Jillian was afraid of the loud noise that some of the poppers made, but she cheered for the confetti! About 11 PM both of the kids laid on the couch to watch some TV. Jeff sat between them and pestered Jillian (earlier in the day she told him that it was not his job to pester her. He said, "I know it isn't my job. It is my hobby") Clayton played his new DS. At 11:11 I told them to make a wish, I told Jillian to wish that she could stay awake til 12. I went back upstairs to paint my finger nails and came back down about 11:40ish and Jillian was out. Clayton asked me if I would wake him up in 10 minutes and then he was out. At about 11:55 I woke them both back up. It took a few minutes to get them to open their eyes, but I knew that if I would have let them sleep through it they would have been very upset this morning. As a family we watched the ball drop on TV, then Jeff, Clayton and I went out front to let off the rest of the poppers and blow the horns. A family up the street were banging on pots and pans. Jillian stayed in the house blowing her horn and chasing the dogs. Both kids were in bed and back to sleep by 12:30 AM.
They slept until about 9:30 this morning (I think), man I am going to miss the sleeping in. And it is going to be REALLY hard getting everyone up for school tomorrow. I am really getting sad to think there is only about 1.5 hours left before I have to send them to bed for school tomorrow. Anyway, today as a family we went to eat lunch and then bowling.
So no I didn't get the stuff done that I was hoping to, but what I did do was spent a lot of quality time with my family. The time we got to spent together this winter break was so much more important then cleaning the house. They are growing up so fast and I don't want to miss it. Besides I needed some of the me time and the we time. I am not going to beat myself up for the lack of things done, but I am going to praise myself for giving time to my child, husband and me.
Happy New Year to you and your family. May 2013 be the best in every way!
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