This month is flying by and today is my mother AND our dearest Em's birthday! I shall not reveal their ages :) I planned for Ems birthday days ago with cards, presents, etc.- wait, no I didn't. But I will call her later today! As for my mother, my original plan was to host a lovely dinner, make a cake, and give her a simple gift.
Of course, after I bought everything, I started feeling worse and worse until... NOROVIRUS! So I am lying here in bed typing about the birthday party, and canceling the celebration. After some glorious quality time in the bathroom last night, I finally was lying down enjoying the excruciating stomach pain, when I hear a yell from James's room--- VOMIT! So far, girls are fine, but that means they'll wait until they are walking across my new carpet.... **Cardinal rule of vomit- 5 and under WILL NEVER MAKE IT IN THE TOILET, and THEY PREFER FABRIC AND UPHOLSTERY**
My little Irish girls
So as I do 5 loads of laundry and lie down in between- I shall regale you about the happenings in my household. First, we had St. Patrick's Day this week! One of the few celebrations that encourage a love for Red-Headed Irish people!! :) My children love getting dressed in green, and this year we got to see The O'Brien Clan (our good friends) play at a pub! We all had a great time pretending how to Riverdance to the awesome music.
I also got the traditional gold coins and set-up a fun morning surprise! I, of course, have been thrift shopping so I had some random cheap toys to have the Leprechaun bring (side note, my kids don't really believe in Leprechauns but it's fun for them to pretend. James said, "I know Leprechauns are fairy tales, but I like to imagine that you are one!"). With the addition of a quick rainbow paper chain the effect was complete!
Breakfast was green-dyed biscuits with honey which they gobbled up!
My sister, Betsy, and her two ADORABLE Irish kiddos, came up to celebrate St. Patrick's with us at the pub, and little Charlie was a fantastic dancer!
We also have been loving the taste-of-Spring weather we have been having, though snow is expected tonight... The children seriously frolicked in our backyard and were giddy to reveal that we had our first crocuses for the year! We also have been exploring every playground in the vicinity and playing tag (which I am seriously out of "tag shape".... winded is an understatement!).
Though the weather is warm, I have a cursed syndrome called: Raynaud's Phenomenon. It basically makes my hands go into survival mode against frigid weather. I usually wear gloves all winter and always in the grocery store. This is what happens when I forget my gloves when I am shopping- and yes, it is painful to have your fingers lose the blood to them. They become painfully numb and tingly... ouch! Come on HOT summer- I am ready!
I wasn't even in the frozen section when this happened. Ouch.
Finally, the inside-fort always SOUNDS like a good plan until clean-up time comes, and the children suddenly can't remember how to put couch cushions back and they are too weak to move small chairs. Huh. Outside play time is coming at a perfect time...
My lovely destroyed living room at 8 PM. Ugh.
So that is a a glimpse into my week- lots of fun until we have been destroyed by this virus. Ugh. Looks like we are missing Palm Sunday Mass and watching a lot of TV today. Not my original plan of Maple Sugaring, birthday partying, and prepping for the week... :( Boo.
Easy Rule #34234- You can never have too many towels and blankets when kids have stomach illnesses. Don't throw them away.
Easy Rule #42342- Don't get cocky- the second you even think you've survived the winter without the Norovirus- you get it, and you get snow the next day just to rub it in.
Of course, we haven't had a PARTY since the Cinderella one in November, so Grace was itching to party plan and pinterest. Starting in early January, we planned a fantastic Valentine's day bash for a group of friends, and to make it extra special- I insisted parents drop off their children so they could have a "couple" date. Luckily, two of my guests were a 16 year old and an 11 year old girl- who were more helpful than the average under 5 year set we normally host...
As we started planning this early, I had plenty of time to check out a few thrift shops for Valentine's items-- I hit the jack pot!! Several local St. Vincent de Paul Stores and Salvation Armies had little Valentine's displays- that I pretty much destroyed. I got a vinyl tablecloth with hearts (brand new!) for $1, 20 sheets of Valentine's Day stickers for $1, a glass heart shaped platter for $0.50, 2 clear plastic bowls for chips for $0.10 each, pink streamers for $0.50, Valentine's paper napkin packs for $0.25 each (I bought 3), and even brand new doily packs for $0.25 each, 3 colors! Whew! It was a better savings than the Dollar Store- though I did get full sized plates and a disposable table cloth.
After decor, we planned a heart and love themed menu. Well, sort of. Grace really wanted to have names like, "Meatballs from the heart", etc.... but we mostly just made things heart-shaped. Earlier in the day, I prepped 10 pizza dough hearts- I cooked them for about 10 minutes after shaping them so the kids could make-their-own pizzas that night.
We had fruit, veggies & dip, and cheese and crackers as appetizers. Plus of course, we had cupcakes and candy too...
As for activities, we set up a Valentine's card making station (I used the disposable table cloth for glue-protection on the table). We had stickers, doilies, construction paper, cut-outs, foamtastic, etc.
We made the mini-pizzas, then we cleared off the craft-table to make room for cookie decorating. The cookies were the "favors" and I had little Valentine's bags to take them home in. I made plenty so kids could make several to give to family at home.
I made a mix list of "Love" songs from the 50s to the 80s and it was fun to sing along to some of the classics! Finally, the older girls lead the kids in a hilarious game of Head Banz (highly recommended for children!) until the parents came for pick up! It was a fantastic night of food, celebration, and friends!
Easy Rule #34234- Sometimes helping out friends with babysitting isn't really work- Just fun for the kids! Plus you SUGAR them up, and SEND them home :)
Easy Rule #41324- A holiday about chocolate, love, and crafting- hmm... not much I don't like!
Side note:
Grace overheard me singing the song, "All you need is love" by the Beatles and she asked, "What does that mean?"
I answered, "Well, they are just saying that all you need in life is to love someone."
Grace replied with a snort, "Well, Love isn't going to buy you a car...."
That's my little practical capitalist- guess we missed some of the message of Valentine's Day!! :)
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:
#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!
#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!
Happy Halloween!! I'm awaiting Trick or Treaters as I sit and type this- though we have had a few, it has not been the onslaught I predicted. So, as I am typing, I am taxing my over-full candy dish... mmmm...
My children did not want to go with our normal "theme" Halloween and my budget was less than $15 for ALL of the costumes.... How did I manage? Beg, borrow, and steal (well, look for steals at thrift shops...)
First, Grace. She wanted to be a cowgirl. Luckily, she was brave enough to ask a couple of classmates to borrow cowgirl boots AND a hat. Two items down, check! She already had jeans, but she needed a few additional accessories.
Second, Felicity wanted to be a chicken. Yes, a chicken- I don't know why. I looked everywhere for a chicken costume to no avail. So I had to be creative, and spend more money than I intended. I bought a chicken hat on Amazon. Turned out to be AWESOME. We had white pants, an old white sweater of mine, and a white long-sleeved undershirt. I did have to buy a fluffy scarf for the wings/tail and some hospital sock chicken feet.
She could put hat up for visibility too.
$5.95- Chicken hat
$0- White accent clothing, previously owned.
$2.00- White scarf from thrift shop
$0.25- Yellow chicken feet hospital socks
Total cost of costume: $8.20
Lastly, James- who KEPT changing his costume idea. So, instead of asking him anymore, I borrowed a Spiderman costume from my awesome-former-neighbors!! So a FREE costume!! He loved being a superhero too!
$0- Spiderman costume
Total Cost of Halloween Costumes: $9.95--- Woo Hoo!!!
So, I bought an 8 pack of glow sticks for safety on their costumes AND 3 pairs of gloves to keep their hands warm tonight!
Halloween total: $14.95 (not including the ridiculously expensive candy that we have to hand out...)
Oh and my last minute Halloween costume? Clark Kent.
$0- Old sunglasses with lenses pushed out.
$0- Superman pajama shirt- previously owned
Total cost of awesomeness- Free.
The group shot!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Easy Rule #1031002- You don't always have to make things from scratch for them to be cheap!! I spent less this year than last year's homemade debacle.
We know we've been slacking- the holidays got the best of us both. I had all these idyllic plans for the Christmas season and I barely wrapped my presents and I'm still getting Christmas cards out. Enough lame excuses and on to my reflections of Christmas.
Santa visit!
As my eldest is six years old, she clearly remembers the last few Christmases, and so family traditions have now officially been established. The younger ones need to be reminded of special holiday events, but Grace reveled in every joyous moment. Here are a few never-miss-Christmas-traditions:
Gingerbread/Graham Cracker Houses- For 4 years, my friend Tanya & I have rounded our children up for some delicious decorating of candy houses. The children LOVE it; this year we had to delay our tradition until after Christmas because of my move, but we still did a "kit" gingerbread house before Christmas.
Holiday TV Specials- Rudolph, Frosty, and Charlie Brown's Christmas-- who could miss these? The key is finding the time to DVR them all (or borrow the DVD's from the library). I personally love surprising my kids with an unexpected stay-up-late movie night!
Rudolph
Dollar-Store Shopping Spree- As you know, I am a
big spender. So the dollar store is a perfect location for the kids to
do some shopping on their own. They love to buy gifts for each
other, their parents, and grandparents. I ended up with a Dora
hairbrush this year and a new hot-pink make-up case. Score. Ems also
does the "wrap-with-mommy" afternoon in which she takes one child up at a
time to wrap his/her presents. The kids love the special one-on-one
time and to share the secret gifts!
Homemade Ornaments- I used to make Ems' kids ornaments every year, but I thought they might be out-growing the tradition. However, Ems indicated that the kids LOVED getting their special ornaments every year with their name on them. So, I re-instated this tradition with some child-assistance. We created these foamtastic ornaments for all of our cousins.
We made extra for us too :)
Christmas Eve Pajamas- My kids LOVE pajamas and as 99% of their clothing is hand-me-downs, this is the one time of year they get something NEW. I scour stores for discounts and purchase comfy pajamas to unwrap before bedtime on Christmas eve. I attempt to get Christmas-theme pajamas, but the last two years I could not find any cute ones!! They don't seem to mind what they look like- they just love the fleeciness!
2013- Penguin Pajamas
Wrapped Items in the Stocking- Honestly, I thought everyone did this. Unrolling the two yards of wrapping paper to reveal a tube of chapstick is one of my favorite childhood memories. Only in later years did I realize that so many people suffered from the boring concept of simply emptying out your stocking loot into a pile and looking at it. UGH. Wrapped stockings are SO much better. Side note tradition: Silly-putty is a must-have item in the stocking, as well as a new toothbrush. Grace remembered....
Ready to open!
Church before Presents- Though some people think this tradition is harsh, my children don't even bat an eye at waiting to unwrap the mounds of presents! When they first wake up, they get to unwrap the items in each stocking and then eat breakfast. We scrub up, dress in our finest, and then go to Mass. After Church, the children's excitement builds and we are able to tear into the fantastic pile of presents. Not only does this keep the "Christ" in "Christmas" it also slows down the mayhem and paces the present-chaos a bit better. Plus- the pictures in their Church clothes are a bonus :)
James gets his golf set!
Play-doh is always welcome :)
Grace expects these traditions now, and it makes me excited about the holidays when we have a mini-bucket list of things to do. Besides the events listed above, we of course look at Christmas lights, make cookies/candies, write cards, and more. I have avoided the Elf on the Shelf (Thank the LORD!) and expensive trips to see Santa at the mall (Though he was free at the Bass Pro Shops!) What traditions have you started? Anything we should add to our Christmas repertoire?
Merry Christmas!!
Easy Rule #58790- You do have a few years until your kids start to remember Christmas. So try to think about which events you would like to do every year. Don't make it too difficult.
Easy Rule #8797- Even when you don't get everything done on your Christmas To-Do List, the holiday is still a blessed event.
