Ode To Sisters

Jules here-

When I first delivered my second child, the gender had been a surprise.  After I saw she was a beautiful (well, kind of funny-looking), healthy little girl- I was thrilled. Most people (rudely) asked, "Oh, did you want a boy?"  And in reality- I didn't!! I was so happy that Grace would have a SISTER!!! Brothers are great (so no offense Greg) but sisters are amazing.

My lovely ladies

Here's the Top Ten Things that I love about having sisters:

10. They are truly honest with you. Does this make me look fat? Yes. Am I overreacting? No. Etc. Etc. They will always be honest (sometimes brutally so) but you know that you can trust their advice. I also know I can be honest with them- it's refreshing to be able to speak without guise or tact.

9. They get you the best presents. Since we talk all the time- sisters know what we need, want, or secretly desire- and our presents are usually right on target. From tiny kitchen gadgets to hand me down clothing- I love my sister's good taste!

Family favorite purchase :)

8. They will listen to your boring stories (not that I have any).  Who cares what I made my kids for dinner every night this week? Who cares about the great deal I got on cereal yesterday? My sisters do! Or at least they seem to!  I love having someone I can always talk about the mundane with.

7. They are truly loyal. Sisters will mock to your face but defend you to anyone who tries to do the same. No matter bad decisions from fashion to life choices- they will stand by you.

6. There may be spats- but we survive.  Do we always agree with each other? No. Sometimes we can get in arguments, disagreements, and even fights, but we somehow always manage to forgive and move on.  We are not exactly alike and our differences could alienate us, but instead we try to respect each other and not be too sensitive.

5.  Escapism as mothers. Moms, in particular Stay-at-home-Moms, need breaks from some of the monotony of daily life.  Having sisters to call helps break up the day with some grown up conversations, jokes, and encouragement.

4. My childhood was incredible. I always had someone to play with- from Ems and I's "Daring Dancing Duo" to Betsy and I's amazing imagination play- I was never bored. I was watching my girls sled in the backyard last week, and their laughter and giddiness as they careened into a bush reminded me so much of snow-play with my sisters!

Jules and Ems circa 1980

3. You can always ask them for favors. Need someone to watch your kids while you work? Call your sister! Need someone to help cook and clean for a party? Call your sister! Moving help, painting, laundry- whatever- no task is too menial or annoying to burden a sister with.

2. Same sense of humor.  My sisters and I are hilarious together- our conversations on the phone or text messaging could be on the radio-- well, at least WE would find them funny.... Being raised by the same parents with the same media influences, we have very similar 'funny bones' and often find each other cracking up hysterically.

Never trust a blogging sister with a camera

1. They just get it. As they know me very well, my sisters give the best advice, nagging, and support to me. They know when to encourage me to make a change and to support me even when I am not ready.  I can't wait to see how Felicity and Grace's sisterhood develops over the years!


Easy Rule #34234- When you can't afford to buy the gifts your sisters REALLY deserve for Christmas- write a blog post about them instead.

Easy Rule #3432- Never trust an older sister who choreographs dance moves that require standing on shoulders- Thanks Ems, my head will never be the same.

Snow Day with Friend- Picture it!

Jules here-

As I am resolving to post a bit more, and I have a new laptop :) - no more excuses! This is the first Christmas since I moved to New Hampshire eleven years ago that wasn't white.  I was quite thrilled with the mild fall; however, our ski mountains and tourism industry has suffered.  Tuesday, the "true" winter has begun with our first 5-6 inches of snow.   The children gleefully watched as the lawn (and driveway...) filled with fluffy white snow. 

We had a sleepover guest- Grace's best friend- for TWO nights due to snowy weather! She got to partake in our annual tradition of snowman pancakes.  I simply make 3 different sized pancakes and give them a variety of toppings to make their own snowman.  James's turned out a bit like a Picasso snowman, but it still tasted delicious.

 

Later in the day, I suited up to snow blow and snow shovel my driveway-- AHHH! It was quite cold, and I am not in snow-shoveling-shape. My sore muscles ache today, but I did a thorough enough job to get my minivan out!

This is the "Before" picture... before it felt as if the wind had frozen off my face.

The children wanted to go outside too- and after 25 minutes of suiting them up, they lasted only 15 minutes outside in the 17 degree day....

I was so cold after my outdoor endeavors, that I had to bake a ton when I got back inside. I made the classic easiest pumpkin muffins and an apple pie muffin to help warm my house.

For dinner, I made some quick homemade pizza using the Betty Crocker dough recipe and the kids were able to add the toppings. Yummy and fun!

We were blessed with a plethora of board games for Christmas, including my favorite Bananagrams! Grace and Sophie played for hours; though they needed some "Is this a real word?" help they did great!  

It was a challenge to keep the little ones from knocking the puzzles...

We also could not have a sleepover-snow day without a movie night! We watched the classic Balto which is a snowy tale about sled-dogs. Quite entertaining and also safe for all ages- it's hard to find a movie to entertain all kiddos.

Cozy kiddos watching a film

 Having four kids on a snow day made it TONS of fun! We loved having a "best friend" who experienced sledding, pancakes, games, toys, and movies with us- thanks for loaning her to us Chrissy!

Side note- Yes, I am blogging on New Year's Eve-I lead a crazy wild life here!!! Hope everyone has a blessed, safe, healthy, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Easy Rule #41321- Even though snow can be a bit daunting for a homeowner- it can be lovely to experience through the eyes of the children.

Easy Rule #4324- You can always take a hot shower and bake muffins when you're recovering from the cold.

Bonus picture- Took this from my car window on my way to work- seriously-- New Hampshire is gorgeous!!

Top Ten Reasons I Slacked

Jules here-

I did it again. I did NOT heed my letter to myself from two years ago and once again baked, crafted, gifted, traveled, etc. all in December- and I even added a few things to the list.  But, as Christmas day is winding down... I have no regrets (well, except that I didn't blog....).  So here are the Top Ten Reasons I Slacked Off this Month:

#10- Dated Technology.  One of the things I am saving for is a new laptop. My current one is 6+ years old, which is quite "dated" by today's standards. Unfortunately, I have to keep saving my posts as my computer often freezes when I have multiple-tabs open or I attempt to upload a picture.  I can't stand typing on my kindle or smartphone, I prefer a keyboard.  Here's the one I am saving for:

Oooh... so fast.

#9- Healthcare at the Holidays- Similar to shopping malls, hospitals fill up quickly this time of year. And since I work in home care, the hospitals try to send all the patients home before Christmas. We become very busy around the holidays... So my work has been quite busy and evenings are often spent with treatment plans, evaluations and notes.

#8- Children remember traditions now.  Could I skip doing homemade Christmas ornaments? Could I skimp on driving around looking at Christmas lights while delivering cookies? Could we skip singing carols at the nursing home? No- because they now remember what we did last year... They keep asking when they are going to get to their favorite things. THE PRESSURE!! AH!

Marshmallow paint (using sweetened condensed milk)

#7-This Whole "Real School" Thing- Lord- getting the kids to school on time every day and remembering to pick them up- who has time for this at the holidays? I almost wanted to keep them home from school to have uninterrupted prep time.

At School Holiday performance

#6- Helping out Siblings in Distress- Betsy decided to host an overwhelming large party while having a 3 month old and a two year old- needless to say she panicked a bit prior to the start. I am so grateful that I live within driving distance of her so I could help prep, plan, and implement her AWESOME Christmas shin-dig in her new place.  (Yes, Betsy, I am using you as one of my excuses for not blogging).

Rory with his hands full.

Who could stay mad at this cute little guy? Cutest nephew!!

#5- Christmas Concert- Having some of my nights been taken up with piano lessons and even a Christmas concert at the school really slowed my blogging progress.  Though having my kids be involved in a real "performance" was worth the time away :)

#4- More Christmas Baking- O.k. I am insane. After 250+ cookies, 300+ pieces of candy, I had a thought that I might have gone a bit over board. But honestly, from teachers, aids, support staff, friends, coworkers, mailmen, etc.--- I had over 20 cookie plates to deliver.  The children were super helpful this year and we were a little factory of truffle makers and sprinklers.

#3- Christmas Pageant- Who knew that having a sheep and an angel sing Christmas carols would require hours of practice.  We spent several Saturday & Sunday afternoons in December rehearsing for the main event last weekend.

#2-Squeezing in Shopping, Working, School, etc.-- NO TIME LEFT!  - So apparently, I have no time left after all those commitments. I am looking forward to trying to relax (which I don't know if  I know how to relax) and maybe doing a jigsaw puzzle this week- I am so happy to have time with the girls!!!

#1- Dance Parties I'll leave you with my lamest excuse- We dance A LOT at my house. Here's our post-Christmas, new pajama dance party!!

Easy Rule #122515- Yes, Christmas time is crazy and I should probably allow more time for reflection, but the kids LOVE the traditions and I do love spoiling them with love and thoughtfulness :)

The reason for the season. Christmas Day Mass- very peaceful, holy and takes a moment out of the selfish present unwrapping!

Cinderella Party

Jules here-

Before the onslaught of the holiday season, I decided (well, Grace and I decided) to throw a Cinderella viewing party. Ems and Jojo had seen the movie in the theater last year, and they raved about the new live-action movie.  I didn't want to break my 7 year streak of not entering a movie theater, so we waited until it came out on DVD.

When I allow Grace on pinterest, things get crazy. Parties escalate. We started with having 2-3 girls over, and it ended up being 13 children and 6 adults.....

Everyone came in costume!

After we sent out scrolled invitations, we developed our menu to fit our theme.  We wanted to make the children happy, but have a few grown-up taste dishes as well.  Veggies and dip (ranch & hummus) are a staple at our parties as it's a way to get kids not to die of scurvy from all the other sugary stuff I feed them... So we called this area "Cinderella's Garden". We also had clementine "pumpkins" in this area. Of course, I forgot to take a picture but they looked like this:

We also served the classic cheese and crackers- but when we added a little whimsical mouse figurine and a label saying "Gus's Cheese and Crackers" voila- fits the theme!

The children devoured the fruits, veggies, cheese and crackers- but I still wanted to give them some more filling food before the movie started.  I think "pigs in a blanket" always is a favorite- who doesn't like hot dogs and crescent rolls?  So how could that fit the theme? I decided to go with the original Grimm's Cinderella and called these treats- "Stepsister's Toes" as they looked kind of like chopped off toes... gross, I know.

For the sweeter side I made fruit wands, a Cinderella gown cake, and I made chocolate dipped pretzel wands as well.  We gobbled all of this up rather quickly during intermission from the movie:

We also decorated our home with lanterns, a painted, bejeweled pumpkin and loads of streamers (all leftovers from previous parties). 

We had a great time planning, implement, and eating at our party. But the highlight WAS the movie-- highly recommended for the good values, acting, and entertaining take on the classic tale.

Easy Rule #432342- Why plan a simple movie night when you can go all out? 

Easy Rule #34234- Definitely make extra food at a party- twice as much as you think. I had enough- but I feel as if I could have done more!