Home > Mama Drama > Archives > Holidays and Celebrations category
Holidays and Celebrations
April 6, 2011
Lent brings a respite for this mom
My husband usually works Friday evenings, so I do the meal time dance on my own. Often we wind up having leftovers or quick breakfast for dinner: scrambled eggs, toast, a veggie and some fruit. I can walk in the door with the girls at 6 p.m. and have food on the table by 6:15.
Meal time is stressful with small kids. There is no way around that. Meal time when parenting solo after a day at work is even more stressful. At least for me, eating out doesn’t make things easier. My kids are generally well-behaved, but it takes a lot of mental management on my part. (Will they eat? Will there be a meltdown? Can I finish my meal before the meltdown requires us to leave? Don’t forget to keep an eye on the milk and the straws, because someone is guaranteed to spill if I don’t). Even kid-friendly places, like Central Market can be an obstacle course. The crowds, the other kids, keeping track of both girls at the same time and how do you balance a tray of food with a squirming 18-month-old on your hip?
So my decision to take the girls to the parish fish fry this year was not one of pure devotion. It was an inexpensive meal that I didn’t have to prepare or clean up. Admittedly, I was also drawn to it for spiritual reasons as well. I converted to Catholicism five years ago, and did not grow up with the tradition of meatless Fridays. I wanted to show my nearly 4-year-old daughter one of the concrete ways that we express our faith, and show her that she is part of a larger community beyond Sunday morning Mass.
The season is supposed to be about communal sacrifice (see today’s article by Addie Broyles on Austin’s parish fish fries), but I have to say that the Fridays I’ve spent with my fellow parishioners have been some of the most fulfilling and relaxing evenings I’ve had.
I grab some sippy cups with milk from home, add some fruit cups to my bag and maybe some microwaved frozen peas (the girls aren’t fans of cole slaw) and we hit the road. The lines for the fish are never long and the fillets, french fries and hush puppies always seem to be fresh from the fryer (Thank you, Knights of Columbus and Boy Scouts).
The best part is that there is no shortage of helping hands — volunteers fix our plates, help me carry them to the table and bring us drinks. My cost? $7, since the girls eat free, plus another $1 for dessert. Ayanna takes great pleasure in taking her money to the table, and picking out her treat and paying the grandmas and moms running the bake sale table without mama’s help. And I’ve managed to meet some of the other parish families that I’ve only seen in passing on Sundays.
Since the weather has improved we eat outside at a picnic table and finish up the evening with a 30-minute romp on the church playground with maybe a half a dozen kids. Just enough for playmates, but not so many that I fear my toddler will get run over on her way to the slide.
It has turned my most stressful night of the week, into a peaceful prelude to our family weekend. There’s only a few more weeks until Easter and I plan to make the most of this Lenten blessing.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
November 24, 2010
Thankful for the holiday shift
My family was hanging out with some family friends last night and afterward I remarked to my husband, “We are the only ones who don’t have a holiday tomorrow.”
I wasn’t complaining, after all my husband and I both work at the newspaper, and in the course of our careers we have pulled plenty of holiday, weekend and night shifts. The news never takes a holiday, and many times neither did we. Besides, this year, so what if we don’t get Wednesday or Friday off. We still have the actual Turkey Day at home together as a family, and for that I am thankful.
But there are plenty of people who do not: many of my co-workers, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, airplane pilots, police officers, grocery store employees, gas station attendants, movie theater clerks, etc. There are lots of people who have to stay on the clock, so the rest of us can enjoy our holiday.
When I was single, I chafed a little when co-workers with children would say that they couldn’t possibly work for lack of child care. And unfortunately, since becoming a parent, I’m pretty sure those words have crossed my lips. And for that, I apologize.
I used to work many of those holidays shifts with co-worker and Statesman page designer Scott Ladd, who is again working this Thanksgiving. I was struck by his personal blog post at Ambient Noise, which I will share here, as a way to say that I am thankful for all the folks taking shifts tomorrow.
Thank you.
By Scott M. Ladd
As millions of people in the U.S. prepare for the pilgrimages this holiday week, I’ll be working at the Paragraph Factory preparing the next day’s content that wraps around those ads you’ll be poring over as you wait in line for those Black Friday deals.
No, not looking for pity or anything. I’m used to Thanksgiving work schedules.
Growing up, Thanksgiving wasn’t that big of a holiday in the house. My mom, a British ex-pat, used to make jokes about the Pilgrims and how it was good to get rid of them. She also used to make jokes about Independence Day being the day that the British became free of that upstart colony across the way. It didn’t stop my mom from making turkey with the fixings … cranberry sauce complete with those can rings, Hawaiian bread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, etc. But Thanksgiving was never a big deal for us like so many of my friends who hit the roads or the airports on the quest to spend time with extended families. For us, the family consisted of my younger sisters, my mom and my dad. It was a small unit.
But Thanksgiving also was a time when my dad, who was a firefighter, used to be on-duty. Early on I understood that while a significant portion of the country was doing the holiday thing, there was also a significant portion that celebrated the holiday on a different day or in a smaller style. A few times we did Thanksgiving in a fire station. A few times Thanksgiving was just the four of us. A few times Thanksgiving (and Christmas) navigated to the day before or after the traditional holiday.
Once I started working as photojournalist at a newspaper in college, I was tabbed to be the guy who covered the news on those holidays. Usually it was a quiet affair … some sort of travel story, some sort of charity dinner and then by evening it would turn into some sort of escalated family disturbance that turned into something much worse. At some newspapers, there’d be a potluck of some sort. As my career turned more professional, I volunteered to work those family holidays so that others could spend time with their loved ones. It wasn’t a big deal for me and usually translated into extra holiday pay.
However, in the past few years, it’s become more difficult. I now have in-laws that I adore. While my partner understands the need for me to work holidays (and evenings and weekends), the extended family is having difficulty understanding it. Last year, they were kind enough to move to move the holidays to allow me to partake in them. It was unbelievably kind of them - especially when you realize that unlike my family gatherings, the in-laws are a gigantic, sprawling family unit.
This year, the holidays are upon us and I’m working. My partner is flying to see his family. I’ll be at work. The in-laws don’t quite get why I have to work and wish I could be there with them. I understand the sentiment. Like I said, unlike most who gripe about visiting family, I really dig the huge sprawling family dynamic. It’s something new to me, what with me coming from a tiny family. The family is beyond kind to me.
And that’s where this year, it seems a bit different. I’m realizing that all those years where I volunteered to work so others could be with their families was more than nice gesture on my part. I actually am missing out on something cool.
Perhaps next year, I’ll be more greedy and ask for time off around the holidays and see what happens. Perhaps I’ll get the time to spend with that extended family that wants me there for the holidays.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 29, 2010
Let the Halloweening begin!
This morning I had no trouble getting my 3-year-old dressed.
Once she wiped the sleep from her eyes, she remembered that today was the day she got to be Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty), and that costume that’s been sitting in her room for weeks was finally fair game.
I assembled her costume from some consignment store leavings — silver shoes, yellow plastic crown, pink dress. In her mind, she IS Princess Aurora today. In fact, she corrected me twice. “I’m not Ayanna, I’m Princess Aurora.”
Her 1-year-old sister knew enough to want to be in costume too. I hadn’t planned to send Elizabeth to school in anything except pajamas this morning (she will be sporting a pumpkin costume on Sunday). But after she saw me crown Ayanna, Elizabeth grabbed her bath hat (a yellow duck velcro contraption to keep water out of her eyes) and handed it to me to put on her head.
I suspect that even if they got no candy today, this would be one of the best days of their little lives. Playing dress up was made for little kids. It made me giddy just watching them. Princess Aurora practically sprinted to class to join Snow White, Dora, 2 Spidermen, 2 Supermen, a cowboy, a lion and her best friend, a black cat.
I tried to get a picture of the crew before I left home, but with all the excitement (and the need for me to get to the office this morning) they best I can produce is the picture above. We’ll try again on Sunday before trick-or-treating.
Happy Halloween!
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
April 23, 2010
Four years after "I do"
Last night to celebrate our anniversary we flipped through the pages of our wedding album with our almost 3-year-old.
“Who’s that?” I asked Ayanna.
“Daddy.”
“And who’s that next to him?”
“That’s….. that’s…… that’s….,” her voice trailed off the way it always does when she is uncertain and doesn’t want to guess wrong.
“That’s mommy.”
I don’t blame her for not recognizing me. My hair is straightened, with golden highlights, and done up in a top knot. My ever present glasses have been replaced by contacts. I’m wearing make up and I’m about 10 pounds lighter. I hardly recognize myself.
In a way it was a lifetime ago, even though my husband and I exchanged vows in Hawaii only four years ago.
In those four years, we’ve had two kids, bought a house, had a series of job changes. We’ve packed a lot into those years.
After the wedding pictures, Ayanna was primed. So we put the wedding video in. We have never watched the video which was taken by friends, not a professional videographer. I had no clue it would mean so much to be able to watch the moment with the kids (Thank you, Jason.)
Ayanna was mesmerized, recognizing most of the people in the video — her grandparents, her uncles, her cousins, her aunts and family friends. She was most impressed with the dress and the flowers. And she could hear the rain that started just as the ceremony got started. (The minister said the rain shower that lasted the duration of the ceremony signified fertility — He incorrectly predicted twins.)
When it was all over, Ayanna said. “Mommy’s not a princess anymore.”
Nope. And that’s OK. The big white princess dress was just the beginning.
Do you include you kids in any anniversary rituals? What are they?
P.S. Dave and I are going out without the kids this weekend. Really, the best of both worlds.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
November 23, 2009
The godfathers
As a military brat my family moved every two or three years. Although I usually made new friends quickly, I was abysmal at keeping in touch with the old ones after we picked up stakes and relocated to another state.
So, I’m in awe at my husband’s relationship with J.J. — his best friend since second grade. Their mothers were friends, so they became friends. They played together, got kicked out of confirmation classes together and stayed close even though they took different paths in high school.
Decades later, as adults, we’ve vacationed with J.J., his wife Jennifer and their kids. And this weekend our daughter Elizabeth and their son Finn were baptized together and we chose each other to be our kid’s godparents.
It is rare these days, even in non-military families, for families to stay in one spot.Extended families are often far away and long-time friends are hard to come by.
My husband made the point at the party following Saturday’s ceremony that what started out as two rugrat kids has turned into a motley crew of 11 (Our family of four and their family of seven.) And still J.J. and Dave have the ability to laugh and joke like time and distance don’t exist. It’s like they just saw each other yesterday instead of J.J.’s family living in Georgia.
Friendship like that is precious — a lesson that I hope to one day convey to our kids.
But if Saturday was any indication, with J.J.’s two-year-old son Seamus draping his arm over my two-year-old’s shoulder, we might be able to see this friendship into another generation.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 29, 2009
Mom, I want to be a sniper
For kids, one of the joys of Halloween is picking out your own costume. One of the challenges is convincing mom and dad to go along with it.
I was walking the neighborhood yesterday afternoon, when I ran into my neighbor, who was walking her two oldest two kids back from elementary school. Jennifer actually has four in her brood — the youngest is one and the oldest is 11.
I asked if she was set for Halloween, and she said she’s still short two costumes. Her son, age nine, piped up and said he was going to be a sniper for Halloween.
Jennifer cringed and diplomatically said “We’re going to have to rethink that. You know how I feel about guns.” I had stepped into a conversation that was several weeks old and explained why there was still no costume four days before Halloween.
Kids costumes are much more complicated that when I was kid. We only celebrated Halloween sporadically, since my mom had religious objections to the holiday. But when we did, costumes were either homemade or one of those masks and plastic outfits out of the box.
Today’s costumes are much more realistic and many have more adult themes, even for the smallest kids. Girls costumes bare their midriffs and have short skirts. Boys go far beyond being vampires with false teeth, and opt for more gory or violent themes. When it comes to gun toting costumes, many schools and festivals don’t allow them, Officials urge parents and kids to make sure that the weaponry isn’t too realistic, since it could be mistaken for the real thing.
Do you have ground rules for costume selection? What are they?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
July 21, 2009
Explaining the moon landing to my children
Last night 8-year-old Ben and I watched “Moonshot,” the History Channel’s drama/documentary about Apollo 11. Ben was filled with questions about what it was like and why we weren’t on the moon right now and when are we ever going to get to Mars. I think these are questions we all have.
Finally, unsatisfied with my answers, he pulled out a book he has on space and figured out how many millions of miles the Earth is from Mars. Then he wanted to know how much rocket thrust it would take to get us there.
I could see the wheels turning. It’s his generation that will hopefully get us there and beyond.
The neatest part of the night was when he called my father to talk about what it was like to watch the lunar landing on TV. Then he said, “You know what, Grandpa? The moon stinks like rotten eggs.”
For all of my son’s scientific ponderings, he’s still 8.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
May 7, 2009
What's your perfect Mother's Day?
Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Now that I’m the mother of toddler I’ve had a lot less time to ponder the higher meaning of motherhood. Ayanna keeps me on my toes and it requires an amazing amount of mental energy to keep one step ahead of her.
This year Mother’s Day falls on my husband’s birthday, so the plan is to head to Kerby Lane early for breakfast to beat the brunching hordes.
We could ask the toddler to make us breakfast, but so far she has only mastered opening oatmeal packets and dumping water. Teaching the not-quite-2-year-old to work the microwave is most certainly out of the question, and would be a tough one to explain to the fire department, the insurance company and child protective services. So, kid breakfast is probably not worth it this year.
What do I want for Mother’s Day?
Honestly, I’d just like to nap. I, like my daughter, have a hard time winding down midday. So, despite my best efforts even if I try to catch some ZZZs while Ayanna’s napping, I usually wind up staring at the ceiling. My thoughts are crowded with all the tasks that are still undone, trying to come up for work the next week or even thinking up blog ideas.
In fact, my inability to nap, makes my regular trips to the chiropractor the highlight of my week. Before the neck and spine popping session, I have to lay on the table for about 20 minutes, feet and back propped up and do nothing. Bliss.
What do you want this Mother’s Day?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
April 13, 2009
I don't like my Easter basket
That’s what my daughter told her grandmother. Followed by, “You should have known I don’t like chocolate.” Followed by “I wanted lollipops and jellybeans.”
What do you do with such an ungrateful kid? To top it off, it’s not even the holiday we celebrate at our house. Every Christmas and Easter we go to their Christian grandmother’s house to be part of a family day. They know that the Easter Bunny is really grandma and that Santa Claus is also grandma.
I’m thinking no more Easter baskets ever, but I know that would also make Grandma unhappy.
Have your kids every said anything so rude? What did you do?
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
April 10, 2009
Making the holidays fun, memorable
Aside from the Easter egg hunts and the Afikomen search after the Passover Seder, how do you make these holidays special?
At our house on Wednesday night, the kids acted out the Passover story. My 5-year-old daughter was Pharaoh. My 8-year-old son was the narrator. Their 6-year-old friend threw representatives of the 10 plagues at the Pharaoh. First it was stuffed frogs. Then light-up plastic bugs for the locusts and puppet zoo creatures for wild beasts. It was a good time, plus it helped the parents make sure the kids really know why we’re celebrating the holiday.
What fun have you had or will be having at your houses?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
April 7, 2009
A candyless Easter?
I finally made it to Target yesterday to peruse the Easter aisle. The upside? The week before Easter everything is 15 percent off.
The downside? They were sold out of the PAAS egg dying kits, and I had a minor panic attack when confronted with the mind boggling array of Easter treats.
This is our first year doing an Easter basket for Ayanna. My memories of Easter as a child are hazy at best. My brother and I did have baskets, with that green, static-cling, plastic grass. We hunted for eggs and got maybe four or five pieces of candy plus jelly beans. Then church, and then ham for family dinner.
So I was a little surprised by the two aisles chocked full of various toys — most of them are choking hazards for toddlers anyway. I did pick up some pastel pink and green Play Doh, a little fuzzy bunny and some environmentally friendly basket grass.
But when I got to the candy aisle, I just couldn’t make myself pull the trigger. We’re not against sweets, but we do limit them. Jelly beans, M & M’s and Jolly Ranchers are still choking hazards at this age. Giving her a chocolate rabbit the size of her face, also seemed unwise. The sugar shock alone might send her into overdrive, not to mention impending doom for our sofa.
Which then leaves the gigantic bags of peanut butter cups, chocolate eggs and confections in the shape of rabbits or chicks. Unlike Halloween, where the point is to give the sugar away, what were we going to do with bags of that stuff?
The not quite 2-year-old certainly doesn’t need it. The pregnant mom with gestational diabetes doesn’t need it, and although my husband would probably disagree, he doesn’t need it either.
I feel a little grinchy, but I’m thinking about going candyless this year. We’ll take it one year at a time. Maybe by the time she notices that other kids get candy at Easter, she’ll have enough buddies that we can give most of it away.
So how do you fill your kids’ Easter baskets?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
November 3, 2008
Choices for untraditional baby showers
Women start to get cranky near the end of pregnancy. I can say that, because I’ve been there.
You can’t bend over. You can’t roll over. You have to pee every time you stand up. You can no longer recognize yourself in the mirror. There is no dress in the world that will make you look trimmer.
And that, of course, is the time that you get to be the guest of honor at your baby shower. And while you are touched that your friends care enough to throw a bash for you and your new arrival, the prospect of games and fru-fru fun is enough to make some women cringe.
This weekend my husband, Ayanna and I attended a baby shower for one of our co-workers. It was a co-ed affair, no games and environmentally friendly; presents weren’t wrapped and the plastic partyware was reusable.
It was a successful end-run around the traditional hour of present opening, which has left every pregnant woman I know exhausted from bending over and wrestling large boxes and gift bags. There was a ton of good food and mimosas flowed freely. Genius on the part of the hosts.
The brunch was great, everyone had a good time and guests universally expressed relief that they were able to avoid the usual baby shower activities — tasting mystery baby food, wrapping the pregnant mom in toilet paper, etc.
Such a thing had never occurred to me and got me thinking. If I could do it over, would I have changed anything in my more traditional showers (I had two — one with co-workers and one with family friends).
Absolutely not.
While the ritual present opening was exhausting (I was worthless for the rest of the day and my side ached from all the bending), I appreciated the running commentary as I opened gifts. New moms are universally clueless, and I needed people to tell me what some of that stuff was really for. For all the unsolicited advice I received while pregnant, some of the most useful offerings were the tidbits I received at the baby shower while opening gifts.
“So, that’s what this is for!”
While I had done plenty of research to fill out my registry, there’s no way I could have known what the best bottle brush was (Avent), or that there were rubber duckies that were heat sensitive or that there was such a useful thing as sleep sacks.
And since my showers were co-ed, my husband got to be part of the infosession. It provided answers to pressing questions like, “Why do we need a Diaper Genie?”
The other lesson, which was particularly useful for me, was not to take myself quite so seriously. When you have to excuse yourself in the middle of opening gifts to go to the bathroom, all you can do is laugh. Same for the cutsie games. Despite my initial reservations, it was surprisingly fun and comforting, in a way, that the party turned out to be more about my baby than it was about me.
So don’t dismiss a traditional shower out of hand, but if you just can’t stomach it, there are plenty of other acceptable (and enjoyable) choices.
What did you enjoy about your shower?
Photo: Green Gift Bagz
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 31, 2008
And the winner of the toddler photo contest is...
Kristina McGuire and her li’l lobster baby. Priceless.
Thanks to those of you who sent in photos to the Halloween toddler gallery. We’ll keep the gallery up through the weekend, so you can still feel free to add fresh pics of your ‘lil Halloweeny ones.
If you haven’t been through the gallery, be sure and check it out. Some folks even snuck in some older costumed cuties — the homemade Oscar the Grouch still cracks me up.
You may now commence with your Halloween parenting marathon. For me: Costumed kid and snacks sent to day care, day care party at 11 a.m., back to work so I can leave by 5 p.m., home for dinner and ready for the neighborhood ghosts and goblins. No trick-or-treating this year, we’ll wait a year for that. Even so, thank goodness Halloween is on a Friday this year.
Are you ready?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 29, 2008
DPS offers Halloween safety tips
With Halloween on a Friday this year, more big kids and little kids will likely be out later than they would be on a school night, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Officials are warning folks to be careful, especially in neighborhoods and areas where children are likely to gather.
For adults: Use caution while driving, even if you aren’t doing any celebrating. Costumes can be difficult to see in the dark and children are unpredictable (especially when hyped up on Halloween treats and adrenaline.) And if you are having a party, designate a sober driver.
DPS officials also issued their tips for trick-or-treaters of all ages.
Have a safe costume:
Avoid toy guns and knives - they could be mistaken for the real thing.
Wear costumes that are light in color and short enough to avoid tripping.
Wear shoes that fit.
Place reflective material on the costume, so drivers can see you.
Avoid masks - use face paint instead for better visibility and peripheral vision.
Carry a flashlight.
Other safety tips, include:
Look both ways before crossing roadways. Always walk, don’t run.
Cross the roadway at intersections and crosswalks when possible.
Travel in groups with adult supervision.
Do not enter the cars and homes of strangers. Avoid homes without visible porch lights.
Make sure children know their home phone number and how to call 911 or their local emergency number if they have an emergency or become lost.
Take all treats home for an adult to inspect before eating anything.
Never eat unwrapped candy.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 24, 2008
Mealtime mayhem and tips for little chefs
One of the most frantic times at our house is just before dinner.
Usually it goes something like this: Toddler is starving and mad I won’t play with her. I’m trying to nuke whatever it is that I’m going to serve her in the microwave, while she’s crying and clinging to my legs and generally slowing the whole thing down.
So dinner time has become an exercise in the art of distraction. The other night I took six cans of vegetables out of the cupboard for her to play with. Other times I pull out a plastic bowl, metal pot or some sort of safe serving utensil and that might buy me a few quiet minutes if I chose my weapon wisely.
(A few months back I actually put flour in the bowl and let her go at it. Huge success on the distraction end, not so successful on limiting the mess.)
However, she is approaching the age where I can start incorporating her into the meal making and make the experience more pleasant for everyone involved. I recommend starting with a “no deadline” situation like baking cookies, where if things take a little longer, you don’t have a ravenous tyke on your hands.
Relish Austin blogger (and fellow mama) Addie Broyles passed along these tips from kids’ cookbook author Barbara Beery, who also founded one of the first kids’ cooking schools in Austin 18 years ago. Addie has some super cute Halloween recipes planned for next week’s Life & Food section, so stay tuned.
If you want a sneak peak though, check out the video with Beery and the tips for cooking with kids of various ages on the jump.
Photo: KRT
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 15, 2008
Send your pics of Halloween tots
We are currently trying to concoct a costume for Ayanna. Last year, we did a pumpkin motif straight from Pottery Barn Kids. It was a little on the warm side for Central Texas fall, but scored big points on the adorable scale.
This year we are freelancing a tad. A co-worker gave us a frilly, pick onesie with a tutu sized for 24 months as a shower gift. We’re planning to turn that into a princess-style ensemble, complete with headpiece, tights and a wand of sorts. I’m still trying to work out something that’s not a choking hazard, but I’ve still got two weeks.
(I honestly didn’t think the kid would take the stiff frills, but we tested it out over the weekend and she was humming and twirling like it was meant to be. Go figure.)
Which got me to thinking, why let the big kids steal the show for Halloween? Send us your favorite pics of toddlers and infants in Halloween attire — baby hotdogs, frogs, pumpkins, ladybugs, ballplayers and princesses — the cuter the better. Just keep it to kids ages 2 and under, please.
I’ll pick a winner and feature the photo on my Halloween Day blog, meanwhile come back here often and watch the gallery grow.
Can’t wait to see your pics. Here’s the link to upload your pics.
To see the gallery, click here.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
September 29, 2008
Halloween candy buyers beware, candy may have added caffeine
It’s a little early for a Halloween blog, but when I saw this I that the early warning was worth it.
Any parent will tell you that for as much fun as Halloween is for kids, the downside is coping with the sugar rush. Get any kid hepped up on sugar just before bedtime and you are asking for trouble.
So then why would someone add caffeine to candy bars?
According to this item from K-EYE, the newest trend is energy bars — your name brand candy bars are adding caffeine to give their candy a bigger punch. After the success of energy drinks, this is the next wave. For example, Snickers now has Snickers Charged.
So experts are warning consumers to beware as they stock up on treats for Halloween. The bars are marketed towards adults, but not always placed appropriately in stores, according to Samantha Cassetty, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
“The products are marketed towards adults, and in fact they are not recommended for children,” she says. “The labels clearly state that they are not intended for consumption by children. But sometimes they’re sold in the pharmacy section and other times they might be sold near the regular candy.”
So do yourself and your neighbors a favor a skip the energy bars. The sugar in the regular candy alone will be more than enough to keep the kids up well into the night.
Cafferty goes as far as to recommend granola bars as a healthy substitute. But I pity the person who has to stare down an eager 8-year-old as they dump granola lunch fare in their trick-or-treating sack.
What’s your treat of choice for Halloween kiddos?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
July 25, 2008
Staycation translates to a lot of work
Next week my husband and I are on vacation. We’ve already paid for the kids to go to summer camp for the week, so there’s no real reason to go anywhere.
So, what will we be doing? All the things we can’t get done when we’re working. We’ve got doctors appointments, vet appointments, dentist appointments, etc. I’m getting my hair cut and a facial. We’ll probably see the movies we want to see, but don’t want to spend extra moula for a baby sitter. I’ll also do some volunteering at my temple, that I can’t do during a work week.
For fun, we might take the kids to Schlitterbahn during the week when the crowds aren’t as bad.
I think I’ll be just as busy as a usual work week, but the difference will be it will be on my schedule. I can go to the grocery store in the middle of a weekday. Maybe, I’ll even take a nap or take the dog for a walk.
There is a slight twinge of guilt that I’ll be at home or running errands while the kids are at camp, but next week’s schedule for them looks fabulous: a trip to a zoo, a farm, swimming, etc. I think that’s a better deal than going with Mom to get her hair cut
Have you had a staycation this year? What have you done?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
May 7, 2008
Lessons from the School of Momdom
Mother’s Day is only a few days away, and I am celebrating my first as a mom.
I’ve learned two things in the past year:
- My mom is a saint, and
- My daughter will be as much my teacher as my own mother was.
Lesson for Year 1: I am not actually in control, and that is OK.
I am a control freak, or at least I was. Kids do things at their own pace and of their own accord. From my pregnancy on, Ayanna has proved time and time again that she has her own ways of doing things. I may be bigger and wiser than my daughter, but guiding her is more than telling her what to do. I have to convince her that it’s the right thing to do.
Sometimes “convincing” takes the form of not giving in to the crocodile tears, sometimes it’s redirecting her away from the remote control to a more suitable toy and sometimes it’s cuddling her and telling her that everything really will be OK.
Somehow I think there are many more lessons in store for me. So, what have your kids taught you?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
December 28, 2007
Help for the holidays
Ah, the holidays.
My parents came this week for Christmas and to help with day care. They live on the East Coast and when my mother heard that our normal day care was closed this week, she jumped at the opportunity to help.
So with Dad in tow, they arrived on Sunday. My husband and I have worked all week, except for Christmas Day. Man am I spoiled. I come home and laundry is done and dinner is started. Dad, not to be outdone, has taken over dish washing and floor mopping, plus weather proofed our doors.
I love Christmas.
Have holiday visitors helped or hurt this week?
Permalink | | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
December 13, 2007
Gifts for unsung day care heroes
Face it, the folks who care for our kids while we toil away at work are unsung heroes. I adore the women who care for JP. They have fostered his creativity, held him when he was sad, made sure he had enough to eat and got him through, if not taught him, to be potty trained. Okay, I know I promised I would not mention that again but if it weren’t for their support, I would still be struggling.
So now is the time I would like to give back, but what to give? I did a Web search on “gifts for day care providers” to get some ideas. One site was very helpful: http://stepbystepcc.com/gifts.html. They told what they liked and did not like. Popular were cash and gift cards. Many liked luxury items for pampering that they would not get for themselves. Still others wanted books and supplies for the day care. Candy and cookies were not popular. I guess calories are the last thing people need around the holidays. The overwhelming majority wanted acknowledgment that we know they are doing the best job they can do for us.
So I have still not decided because Austin has so many great options. I fear that my indecision will cause severe procrastination. What are you going do? Any ideas to share?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
November 30, 2007
Toy drives need a pick-me-up
The Christmas trees and lights are going up, and the shopping is well under way in the houses of most of the people I know.
The local toy drives — Brown and Blue Santa, Salvation Army and the Christmas Bureau — are in full swing as well. But if you read Asher Price’s story in today’s Statesman, you’ll see that toy collection efforts in Central Texas are going much slower than usual.
They annual Chuy’s parade, which nets more than 40,000 toys brought in only 2,400 this year because of bad weather. This year’s recalls have also complicated matters, with centers having to reject early donations because they are no longer deemed safe.
So nonprofits are scrambling to make up the difference. The local drop-off centers might not be as exciting as a colorful holiday parade, but the goal is the same, making sure that Central Texas kids have something this season.
Groups are asking for new, unwrapped toys that do not resemble weapons to be dropped of at the following locations:
Salvation Army Christmas Cheer Center, 6510 S. Congress Ave. Christmas Bureau of Austin and Travis County, at the Chase Bank tower, 7600 Burnet Road, Suite 100. Brown Santa toys can be left at any H-E-B supermarket. Operation Blue Santa toys can be left at any Chuy’s restaurant, Starbucks, Wal-Mart or any Austin fire station.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations, Toys and gear
November 28, 2007
Shopping headaches: Trucks and dolls
I admit that I’m the kind of parent that tends to obsess about the messages toys send. So with our first Christmas looming, I’m already frustrated.
I’ve given in to the pink for girls debate. At 6 months about 75 percent of my daughters wardrobe has some pink or lavender. But I have decided that Ayanna should have a mix of “boys” and “girls” toys. So one of the item on our list for list is a Tonka Scoot N Scoop truck.
According to the description on Target.com
“Little boys will love the scooping action that picks up the shape blocks and other small toys (not included) then tosses them into the dump bed.”
The best thing about “boys” toys is that they actually DO things. The “girl” equivalent is the Disney Princess Ride. There is no cargo bay to practice motor skills or matching shapes … there’s a princess play set instead with a mirror that lights up. Whatever.
I did want to get her a baby doll. Role playing is important for both genders. But even that hasn’t worked out as well as I hoped. My daughter is biracial (I’m black. Her father is Caucasian), so I had hopes of finding doll that looked a little more like her. She’s not a blonde, blue-eyed kid.
Alas, I went on Target.com this week and clicked on “African American dolls” and got three choices — all light beige, with straight hair. Not a brown face among them. Incidently Target offers the exact same choices for Hispanic and Native American dolls. Go figure.
This Christmas is going to take a lot of work.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations, Toys and gear
November 20, 2007
Toy safety for the holidays
The toy-buying frenzy is about to begin, and many parents are more than a little bit leery about what to put under the tree after the spate of toy recalls this year. Who really wants to buy a shiny new toy only to take it away a few weeks later when the next recall notice comes out?
My husband and I took a preview of infant toys at Target on Saturday morning as we tried to figure out what on earth a 6-month-old might enjoy. I must confess that I looked at some items like the Dora the Explorer toys (victim of several recalls for lead paint) somewhat askance and I had to fight the urge to check to see if the items were made in China (virtually everything is these days, so that’s hardly a predictor).
Rep. Lloyd Doggett and officials with TexPIRG held a press conference today to warn parents about which toys to avoid and to publicize the advocacy group’s “Trouble in Toyland” report.
The report warns against various choking hazards, including balloons and small balls; overly loud toys, certain toxic hazards including cosmetic sets and some kinds of modeling clay; and yo-yo waterballs.
The feds also held a press conference today, offering more general guidelines for carefully choosing gifts. Regulators with the Consumer Product Safety Commission say to beware of the following:
— Riding toys, skateboards and inline skates that could cause dangerous falls for children.
— Toys with small parts that can cause choking hazards, particularly for children younger than 3.
— Toys with small magnets, particularly for children younger than 6, that can cause serious injury or death if the magnets are swallowed.
— Projectile toys such as air rockets, darts and sling slots for older children that can cause eye injuries.
— Chargers and adapters that can pose burn hazards to children.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
November 16, 2007
Chuy's parade is fun -- and a great life lesson
The highlight of the Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade is the kids giving toys to kids who are less fortunate.
A chance to learn about giving
At 11 a.m. on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, the Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade will march, roll and float its way through downtown Austin.
The parade will feature all the things that make parades exciting to kids, including marching bands, fire trucks, an appearance by Santa Claus and giant floats in the style of a Macy’s parade. And the grand marshal of the parade will be Longhorns coaching legend Darrell Royal. But what makes this parade special is in its title: Children have an opportunity to give the gift of a happier holiday to other children.
The parade begins at the Capitol and heads south on Congress Avenue. It then goes west on Sixth Street, ending at Guadalupe Street.
During the parade, which is in its 19th year, kids will have the opportunity to donate new toys to Operation Blue Santa, a nonprofit group led by the Austin Police Department that distributes the toys to children who otherwise wouldn’t get many gifts. Flat-bed trailers that are part of the procession stop at various points during the parade, and kids run up to drop unwrapped toys on the truck.
The response is overwhelming. Last year, the parade collected a record 42,000 toys.
If you’ve never seen this parade, don’t skip it this year. In this season that kids often associate with “getting,” this is a great opportunity to teach them about giving.
When I first took my son to the parade years ago, I was pleasantly surprised at how excited he was to give a gift to kids who are less fortunate. He picked out the toy with a lot of care at the toy store. Once we found our spot on Sixth Street for the parade, he clutched the toy in his hands in eager anticipation. When it came time to donate the toy it was the highlight of the day for him. And he wasn’t alone — the kids giving away the toys at the parade all appeared to be having a blast. It will make you feel great about human nature.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 31, 2007
Let the candy surge begin!
Much like the day after Thanksgiving is the kickoff to Shopping Splurge Season for many adults, Halloween is the kickoff to Sugar Rush season for many kids.
Halloween, of course, is all about the candy. According to Nielsen, which tracks information in various markets, candy sales for this holiday are expected to top $2.1 billion in the United States. Before you scoff at everyone else buying sugary snacks, get a taste of this: 97 percent of American households buy candy during the year, according to the Nielsen numbers. The average candy-buying household, Nielsen says, buys $74.68 worth of candy each year. And Halloween is the biggest candy holiday of the year.
It won’t end after today. Even if your tykes tear through all of their Halloween candy (or you manage to give most of the candy they bring in away), the winter holidays are also associated with sweets.
Christmas is often associated with candy. Think candy canes, sugarplums and chocolate Santas. Think post-holiday dental visits. And it’s not like there’s that much time until Valentine’s Day and Easter, when that well-meaning aunt sends the kids baskets full of chocolates.
With childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions, all these extra empty calories certainly do not help.
So, what to do as a parent?
Well, you could just ban candy from your house. If you are someone who consistently did that from the beginning, you might get away with it. Good luck if not. The fun of trick-or-treating IS the candy.
You could recycle your candy. When your kid gets his or her loot (and you’ve checked the candy for safety), take a decent portion and give it away to the trick-or-treaters who show up at your door.
Buy the candy from your kids. Yeah, we live in a consumer-driven society. And your kids likely have picked up on the value of money. Try offering a few bucks for the candy (which you then can bring to work for your co-workers on Thursday).
Don’t buy any candy for your household. This isn’t the same as banning candy from your house. Obviously, with all the holidays, candy will still come in. Just don’t add to it by buying more.
Make it a teaching moment. Having a treat might be OK, but overdoing it can be bad. That’s a good, tough lesson that parents can teach their kids during the candy season. Explain to them the danger of empty calories. Teach them about tooth decay. Be a good role model — as tempting as it might be, chowing down on candy all the time sends the message that it’s OK to do that.
What do you do to fight the candy surge?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 30, 2007
Trick-or-treat safely, please
Tomorrow everyone will be too hopped up on candy to read this, so today we will blog about Halloween safety.
Even though we have a little extra light this year because of the delayed time change, remember that drivers have a difficult time seeing at dusk. Kids in costumes need to be aware, as should parents who may be hanging back with strollers or smaller kids away from the doors.
Here are some tips, courtesy of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service and the Dell Children’s Medical Center:
Kids:
Wear light-colored flame-retardant costumes and clothing to be seen in the dark. Remember to use reflective tape on costumes, and yes, even on bikes or skateboards.
Keep costumes, masks and makeup simple to prevent trips, falls and obscured vision.
Use a flashlight.
Walk on the sidewalks where possible, not in the street.
Look both ways before crossing the street. And cross at the street corner.
Use a glow stick instead of a candle so your jack-‘o-lantern isn’t a safety hazard.
If you visit a house where a stranger resides, accept treats at the door. Don’t go inside.
Trick-or-treat only in well lit and familiar areas.
Parents:
Remember the popular trick-or-treat hours are 5:30-9:30 p.m., so watch for the kids.
The kids will be excited and may move unpredictably. Take an active role to look for kids - at intersections, at the curb line, and in the medians.
Drive with your headlights on.
Happy Halloween!
Permalink | | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 18, 2007
Pokemon Halloween costume: $250
It’s less then two weeks until Halloween, do you have your kids’ costume?
My friend Neilynn, mother to two boys, spent the early part of the week in costume hell. She figured Oct. 15 would be plenty of time to outfit Jacob, 6, and Noah, 3. The only trouble was finding costumes the boys deemed acceptable.
Jacob had his heart set on a Pokemon costume. (If you didn’t know, Pokemon is big time in the elementary circuit this year.) A trip to Goodwill proved fruitless. So then she got online checking eBay. To her horror she found that Pokemon costumes were going for as much as $250 for Charizard, . Her limit: $40, including delivery.
His first seven character choices were out of the price range and she started joking that she’d just put in in some posterboard with Pokemon trading cards plastered all over. I think she might have done it, if I hadn’t convinced her that Jacob would be teased for the rest of his life.
The winner was Merrill, won for $7.50 plus delivery. But even then she was having regrets, since Merrill is apparently one of the lamest characters. Definitely not the cool points, Jacob was seeking.
Meanwhile, the youngest has his heart set on being a pumpkin. He wants his costume to match the family’s 5-pound Yorkshire Terrier, 5-lbs. Great idea for infants (My 4 month old’s pumpkin costume is ready to go, thanks to Pottery Barn Kids.) Target didn’t have any in his size and she was having similar problems on eBay.
She’s still waiting to see if she’s going to win her pumpkin costume auction, which ends this weekend. At this point she says, “He will be a pumpkin.” And she didn’t have the heart to send Jacob to social oblivion and last night bought a second costume — the very hip Pikachu — for $37.50.
The downside of starting earlier next year? The kids will probably change their minds by the time Halloween rolls around.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
October 17, 2007
Present-free birthdays?
Parents are putting the kibosh on kids’ parties that turn into gift-orgies, according to a report from NPR.
Some parents are putting the words “No gifts, please” on birthday-party invitations because they want the fun of the party without the hassle of figuring out what to do with a pile of presents. Some are even suggesting that friends and family give donations to charity rather than the latest Dora the Explorer item or Tonka truck.
When I was a kid, birthdays were small-time affairs. I received a few gifts from my parents, perhaps a check or $20 bill from my grandparents. If I did have a party (and that was not an annual affair), I invited at most six or seven of my closest buddies. These days, parties are major events with the whole class usually invited to avoid leaving anyone out, plus the normal assortment of family gifts.
My girlfriends have invited me to their kids’ parties, and often asked for clothes, knowing that the kids and parents will deluge the birthday boy or girl with toys. Often, the birthday party is preceded by a trip to Goodwill to get rid of the bounty from the previous year. As a learning tool, rather than just bagging up the leftovers, one of my friends lets the kids pick what they will give away. Sometimes they surprise her, offering some of their favorite items to give to someone else.
Would a present-free birthday fly with most tykes? Probably not. Who wants to be the only kid who doesn’t get to open presents?
Would you consider going present-free? Do you have ways to dispose of the occasional excess of goodies?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
September 25, 2007
How to feed 30 people and not lose your mind
This weekend the relatives are descending for Ayanna’s baptism. I thought it would be great to have everyone over for lunch afterward. Afterall, in my pre-mommy state, I loved entertaining.
Hosting that many people (8 of them children under 9) poses some challenges. So, here’s my top tips, if you should be as insane as I am:
1) Keep the menu simple. If you can afford it cater, but if you can’t think about what can be made in advance and what is easier for someone else to do. In my case, we’re ordering fried chicken and biscuits, but I’m making the side dishes.
2) Make sure items can be served at room temperature. Little kids and hot plates are not a good mix. You also don’t want to have to constantly refresh platters that need to be kept cold. Fruit salad, toss salad, rice and vegetable dishes are all good choices.
3) Drinks. Go with cans. They are easier to keep cold and eliminates wobbly 9-year-old trying to poor themselves a drink from a full 3-liter jug. That is a disaster waiting to happen. Have small plastic cups handy, in addition to small bottles of water and whatever grown-up beverages you plan to serve.
4) Use paper and plasticware. Although not environmentally friendly. It is mommy-friendly. No worries about dropped glass on hard wood floors and easy cleanup for when the masses finally leave.
5) Give kids a place to go. My sister-in-law is bringing non-messy craft items and some games for the kids to keep them from bouncing off the walls. She also recommends posting a few house rules in the kid room.
6) Have an extra person around to hold the baby. Even if your darling child normally naps for two hours in the afternoon, they won’t do it on the day you REALLY need them too. If the husband is unavailable or needs to mow the lawn to help prepare, recruit a friend or relative to sit and watch you work and deal with the munchkin(s).
Wish me luck …
Permalink | | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
September 15, 2007
Time for a party
A few months ago we got an invitation to a birthday party with just a week’s notice. I was put out but we went and had a great time. I kept thinking how inconsiderate it was to only give one week notice.
Well, today a week and two days before JP’s third birthday party, I sent out Evites. OK, I could not even get I together enough to buy invitations and hand them out. I didn’t have time to make them on the computer and print them out. Last weekend I called the guest and asked them to put it on the calendar but it is not the same as having an invitation in hand.
We are just having a small party at home. Many of his friends had the cool ones at bouncy places or play facilities. They were tons of fun but JP still has this thing about having too many kids around. He prefers smaller groups so maybe next year we can have a bigger class party. In the meantime, I will bring goodies to school so the class can celebrate. I say this now, whether I can accomplish that is another story!!
Right now I figure I need to order or make 3 cakes. One for class, one for his actual birthday and one for the party.
Have you had this happen? Where did the time go? How did I used to have so much time to plan a party?
Permalink | | Categories: Holidays and Celebrations
