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Easter Pictures: Spring Break Survival

April 11, 2009 By 4 Comments
Sears Auto 35 TL
Image by UberJ via Flickr

OK so as I mentioned I am having a hard time with this entire Spring Break thing!  So today my mother and I dressed all of the kids in their Easter outfits and threw them into the car and were off to Sears.  Now I know what you are thinking… why did you head to Sears.  We were off to Sears for Easter pictures.  We have not had pictures in YEARS.  The last time was when the baby was a month old.  For those of you who do not know she will be 2 in a month!  So needless to say it has been a while.

We have never been to Sears so I was a little bit aprehansive.  It was great though.  They had a kid friendly waiting area which I did not have to wait in because they were ready for us when we got there.  The girls did great although it is difficult to make them all smile at once.  Abigail kept trying to make the baby smile and Emma had the fakest smile.  Even with all of these obsticales we were able to come out of the seccion with a few really nice shots.

So day two of Spring Break has been a success.  We did the pictures, went to lunch, had a play date and now we are getting ready for bed.   I am so happy that it is all working out.  I would say that going and having pictures done is a great way to survive Spring Break!  You should give it a try!  I found that it really occupied a lot of time, the kids had fun and we were out of the house.  We will not discuss how much Grandma spent though!  We will keep that part to ourselves!  Either way day two survived.  Nine days to go!

Becca

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Spring Break Survival

April 9, 2009 By 8 Comments

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Oh my… I woke up this morning and remembered something.  IT IS SPRING BREAK.  Now, the words that are to follow are meant with the most love and affection.   I hate Spring Break.  It is not like Winter Break where we all get involved in Christmas.  This Spring Break thing stinks unless you are going away which we of course are not this year!  I remember back in high school and college when I went away with friends.  We had a blast.  One year was Ocean City another year was Disney.  Now I am home with restless kids, a house to unpack and no plan!  So what is a stay at home mom to do with three kids for eleven days?  I am compiling a survival guide in order to make it though.  I need you help though.  Here are a few questions to get started with:

  1. What is there to do that is free?
  2. What can I do with no car?
  3. Is there any activity that you can think of that a 1 year old, a 5 year old, and an 8 year old?  I am drawing a blank!
  4. Is there a magic potion to give children that makes them not whine?
  5. How much is it a mother can drink without it being a problem?
  6. How can I avoid hearing, “I am bored there is nothing to do.”
  7. What fun things can you think of to make the kids tired enough to still go to bed on time?  Oh and I have to be able to do it with my not healed correctly broken foot!

I will spend the day developing a survival guide.  I hope that it works!  Today, I am just going to wing it.  So far we have had 5 fights, Abigail has bitten Emma, Emma has scratched Abigail and the baby is a whining mess!  HELP!

Becca

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Family Easter Traditions

April 4, 2009 By 7 Comments
Calgary Zoo Easter Bunny 2
Image by thivierr via Flickr

I became so interested in Easter traditions this week because so many people visited. It is a shame that more people did not leave their family Easter Traditions in the comments section. I was really hoping to post all of the great ones that I hear this week. I know that one that was mentioned time and time again is dying Easter eggs. Today is our big Easter egg dying day and I am so excited! I think that we are going to have a blast. I know that the smell of vinegar can turn some off the the entire thing but I think that it is important for people to give it a try!

Another tradition that people mentioned is spending time with family. This is what the holidays are all about. Being in a room with the people who share your gene pool. I know that for a lot of people this can be the down side to a holiday but I think that without the mother who wants to know when you are going to have another baby, the stinky grandparent and the kid who is eating dirt there are no memories. These are the people who have formed us into the person we are today. They really are the fabric of our lives. If we love ourselves then we have to love them. It is a guilt by association thing.

The Easter bunny is a tradition that I had forgotten to mention. I cannot believe that I left him out! Here is a little bit of Easter Bunny History! It is said that the Easter Bunny has been around before Easter. I know this is hard to believe! He is said to have originated in Germany in the 1600s. The Easter bunny can either just leave a basket out in plain site or he can hide it. In our house he is always hiding it here and there. The kids have a blast trying to find it and figure out whose is whose. I wish he had more time to write a name or two down.

There is one more tradition that I forgot to mention. The Easter Bonnet has always been my love of Easter. There are not many times in this day in age that a lady can wear a hat without people looking at her funny. I think that the hats and the white gloves just make Easter what everyday used to be. I wish that we all still dressed to the nines like this for church. I think that it is sad that it is now acceptable to wear jeans and a tee to Church. You should be in your Sunday best. That used to mean a hat and Gloves. Now it means jeans? What are we thinking people? Either way, Easter is a time when we can dust the hat off and slip the gloves on and walk a little taller!  Oh and do not forget to play the song Easter Parade when you are walking down the street in your bonnet and gloves!

Becca

I would still love to learn some more about what Easter traditions your family has.  Please let me know in the comment section.  I think it adds to the fun!


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65 Days Until Christmas

October 22, 2008 By 2 Comments
A folk tale depiction of Father Christmas on r...

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Traditions

A huge part of Christmas and the entire holiday season are traditions. I was thinking about the things I remember as a kid and have been thinking about what new traditions I can make for my family. Don’t get me wrong we already have a few that we have brought from our childhood. I think that it is important to have one that is new to us if not completely new.

The first and biggest tradition in my family is Elmer the Elf. Elmer has been watching over this family since the 1800′s. It is a tradition that has not died and continues to be passed. Starting on Thanksgiving, the children know that Elmer is watching. He works for the big guy and is there to assure that you are being good and not bad. If he catches you being good he will leave you a small prize the next morning. It adds excitement and certainly keeps the kids on their toes. They want to be good at the hectic holiday time. There have been times in my family that we have had to call Elmer but he always takes care of it. Elmer is a special magical part of our holiday season. Sometimes we know he is watching because he leaves his hat behind.

Another family tradition we have is to spend Christmas Eve. together. It is a time that is cherished. All of the kids get together and play while they anticipate Santa’s arrival. We have a beautiful dinner, chat and enjoy each other. It is like the end to all of the running around and hustle and bustle. We track Santa on the computer and usually get home just in time.

We also, like everyone else I know, leave cookies for Santa and a few carrots for the reindeer. Sometimes we leave egg nog instead of milk because Santa likes it a little more. It is the second to last thing before bed. Of course we read twas the night before Christmas right before bed.

A tradition we used to have but that has died was movie time Sunday. On Sundays from Thanksgiving to Christmas we used to get together and choose two holiday classics to watch. Everyone had their week to share the two that they like the most. While watching the movies together we would do crafts, enjoy each others company, wrap gifts or write our holiday cards. It was so special and I miss it. I think that this year I will start doing it again! I hope that others think it sounds fun!

So there are the traditions we have already. I am looking for a few new ones to start. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. I have a few in mind but thought that it would be nice to know what you family does for Christmas to make it special.

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