Archive for the 'Holidays' Category
Have a Wonderful and Safe 4th of July!
The 4th of July is a great time for families to get together. A nice warm day, picnics in the grass, icy watermelon, slip & slide fun (hey, do they still have slip & slides?), and the amazing firework displays.
It’s a fun and family focused day of the year.
But sadly, many accidents can and do occur on the 4th each year. Not to put a damper on the day’s festivities but there are some simple facts you need to know to keep your family safe and healthy this 4th.
Facts & figures
I could give millions of accident stats for the 4th — there’s no shortage. However, let’s just look a few biggies offered by The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):
- “In 2005, 10,800 people were treated at hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries.
- The highest risks of fireworks injury are to school-age children. In 2005, nearly half of the people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15.
- Fireworks can result in severe burns, fractures, or scars or even death or disfigurement that can last a lifetime.
- Even sparklers, which are considered by many to be harmless, reach temperatures of more than 1,000° F.
- Based on the amount of time and quantities in use, fireworks pose a higher risk of fire death than any other consumer product.“
On July 4th there are more U.S. fires reported that on any other day of the year — and fireworks account for half of these fires. The figure that surprised me was the sparklers — which are seemingly harmless. I always have let my son use them in the past but I’m re-thinking that this year. Each year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) promotes a list of safety tips for 4th of July firework safety.
This year however, the AAP is doing something new. The NFPA has come forward with, instead of safety tips, a new recommendation that tips aren’t needed. What’s needed is a call for everyone to leave the fireworks to the professionals. The AAP agrees with the NFPA and so this year’s tips are a little less bulky and a lot safer…
“Legal or not for consumers, fireworks are too risky for amateurs leave the fireworks to the professionals.”
Besides saving you some reading this tip could save your family money, stress, and more importantly maybe your health or life. So follow this year’s one tip. Gather the family, pack a picnic, and head to the nearest community fireworks festivities for a fun and safe 4th.
Safe & happy July 4th wishes from Family Resource!
Posted in Child Safety, Healthy Living, Holidays, Personal Safety | 1 Comment »
On the Road Again..
Today we drove down to Florida to reunite with our babies after their Disney World fiasco as well as spend some quality post-holiday time with our family. It’s just a long enough drive to get you thinking about things but just short enough to let it end before you become obssesive or negative about your thoughts. It was a quiet ride - just me and John - with both of us (however trite it may seem) reflecting on the past year and, more importantly, the year(s) to come.
I will sum it up by saying just a few things. #1. I feel, most days, like the luckiest person in the world. As I drove the six hour haul today, I realized that even with all the mistakes I have made (and more than likely, will continue to make) I have managed to eke out a very sweet life. While I am proud to say that I have made rather difficult decisions which, eventually (over two years of great struggle) proved to be wise, I can only attribute it to the fact that I am surrounded by such great people. #2. I, finally and after 29 years on this planet, trust myself and my decision making abilities. I feel strong and confident and like I have made, and will continue to make, solid choices. Having faith in your own ability to steer your life, I think, is quite possibly one of the greatest gifts you can ever give yourself (or earn, depending on how you look at it). AND, last but not least #3. In my childrens’ absence I realized that the life of a single, young, unattached adult is not for me. The ability to indulge in constant self gratification became borderline grotesque for me. I found nothing redeeming about it. I can now say that my struggle as a young mother who never quite felt like she had a good go at being a 20something go-getter is over. My family is a defining quality of me and I will no longer daydream about the life I never had - because, honestly, this is better than anything I could ever have dreamed.
So. Happy New Year to you all. See you tomorrow….
Posted in Daily Living, Holidays, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Simple
Sigh. What a day.
We managed to keep most presents a secret (with the lack of closet space in this house, it was no small feat).. We managed to keep ourselves stress free and smiling - even through my son declaring to all his young friends (who adamently believe in Mr. Claus) over our Chirstmas eve dinner last night that “there is no Santa and, quite frankley, I don’t really believe there ever was!”….. ahem. yeah. We managed to stay within our budget. And, mainly, we managed to have a Christmas that was all our own - we didn’t allow anyone to set a schedule or pace for us. Today was, honestly, one of the nicest days ever.
It was, however, the first Christmas, since having not gone to my mothers to get spoiled, I realized that I am bonafide grown up. All the presents under the tree were put there by me - which consequentially means that, of course, there are none for me. All the food was made by me. All the presents wrapped - you guessed it - by me (and John). I dunno. As much as I relished every moment of making today super special for the kids, there was an equal amount of time realizing that my Christmases will never be the same. I will never be the one to lay in bed, eyes wide open, just waiting for the sun to rise so that I can go wake up my parents.. I will never rise and run to the tree to see how, in just one nights sleep, the vacant spots under the limbs have been filled with boxes reaching up to the ceiling and rivaling the tallest branches.. I will now be the one who knows exactly what each stocking holds.. I will now be the one to be woken, rather than the eager tiptoer tugging at the bedsheets praying it’s not to early…. I guess this first Christmas away from my own parents has left me realizing that it’s now my turn. Happily, but, none the less, still kind of achy for my own eyes to light up when I see the tree first thing Christmas morning. I guess that happens when I see their eyes light up…..
hmmmmmm.
Ok.. Here’s the deal.. I’m trying to pretty it up but, really, I guess I just didn’t consider what an absolute decline in presents the whole “not going to visit my parents” would mean for me. That’s the bottom line. I mean. If I think about it, it makes sense.. I don’t know why I didn’t consider it in my pro/con list for the whole going-staying home debate.. I think I’m gonna have to reconsider and, at least, do an every other year visit.. John and I got each other what we could, but ultimately, all our money was spent on the kids. We kind of get jipped out of presents if we don’t go visit the family. Hmmm. Things to consider for next year. My pro/con list will definately look a hell of a lot different in 2007 for our Christmas plans.
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Good Times.. Good Times.
This holiday is a busy one for us. But, in a good way.. Our usual hectic paced travels down to see family in Florida has been replaced with friends visiting from all over the country - and us having the best times of our lives.
One of my best friends will be in from Brooklyn later today - Saturday night we have a big Dirty Santa and an even bigger honky tonkin’ evening to follow. For those of you who don’t live in Nashville: Honky Tonkin’ is what we like to call going out to honky tonk bars and dancing the night away. None of us like country, per se, but just for the record - there is nothing more fun that watching (and then joining) a room full of drunken cowboys dance around in their boots and spurs. Yes. They really wear spurs.
And, the time with the kids has been heavenly. We are actually getting to enjoy each other. Despite the fact that, currently, we all have the flu - we are still making the best of our time together. One of the best things about being married to a professor; the holiday time is plentiful! He has been off since December 10th and will be off until January 13th. heaven.. heaven.. heaven…..
I hope everyone else’s holiday is starting off equally as merry.. To help ya kick things off - here’s a gingerbread recipe.. Nothing gets you in the mood like being in a kitchen with two kids, a bottle of wine, your wonderful husband and a killer gingerbread recipe to be knee deep in.. Enjoy….
Posted in Cooking, Holidays | 2 Comments »
One Whole Week… Are You Serrrrrious?
I have divulged to you my plans (or unplans, as the case may be) to stay home for the holidays - and not commit ourselves to hauling ass all over Tennessee, Alabama and Florida, crammed in a car for eight hours with two kids (and two grown ups) who want more than anything just to be home with their own tree and presents and friends and Christmas dinner, just to appease my mom. Everyone else understands - they have all admitted that they would never entertain the idea driving 8hours during the holiday season with kids. Everyone but my mom. She did it with us when we were kids - no matter where we were in the world, she made sure that we picked ourselves up out of our relaxing holiday and loaded every present, package and suitcase into our minivan just so that she could be near her parents for Christmas. It was crazy. And, I have decided that it is not how I am going to spend my holidays with my kids anymore. I say “anymore” because I tried - for the last six years I have felt obligated and was never prepared to face the insurmountable guilt that I knew my mom would hash out. Buckets of guilt would be slung my way - with precise aim. It’s a gift of hers. Everyone’s gotta be good at something, right?
In her defense, though, these are her only grandkids. They mean the world to her and she means the world to them. But, when I gaiged how excited my son was to stay home, the decision was final. I broke the news to her in, probably, the least sensitive manner I could have mustered. Not intentionally - it just happened that way. I said it very casually and as if it weren’t a big deal - because, once we had made the decision, it wasn’t a big deal. To us. Her reaction was very similar to what I would imagine it would be had I told her that I was secretly a stripper and John was a full time pimp down in the lower east side of Nashville. Appalled. I gave her some time to work it out. After a week, she called and said that she and dad had decided that they, if it was alright with us, wanted to pick the kids up the day after Xmas and take them down to Disney World. I know part of the reason is she wants the kids to be around her family for a holiday - and that Disney World is a guise for that. But, hell, I’ll take it.
And, the she said “We’ll be back on New Year’s Eve”. Wait. That’s a whole week. Hold. On. Just. A. Damn. Minute. I’m torn. Half of me (the half that wants to feel like a cutloose and fancy free 29year old) is jumping for joy and spinning cartwheels out on the sunlit, dewey front lawn. The other half (you know, the mom part that can’t imagine her kids away from her - flying down the highway at warp speed with her half deaf father who can barely see through his five inch long old man eyebrows and her junk food addicted mother [godbless'em]) is flipping out and damn near an anxiety attack about it.
A week. That’s a long, looooong time. John, of course, is already counting the hours of sleeping in that a week without the kids amounts to. I, on the other hand, will probably wake up every morning at 630am wishing that a little boy would climb in my bed and warm his toes on my belly and that I could hear a two year old in her crib singing a morning song to herself.. Being a mother is quite certainly one of the most beautiful forms of torture on this planet.
Posted in Daily Living, Holidays, Mental Health, Uncategorized, Vacation and Travel | No Comments »
It’s All About the Candy. And Making Mommy Proud.
Wow. Halloween was - how should I put it - nuts.
Maggie opted out of her ingenius chicken costume - even though picking it out was, what I believe, to be one of the best decisions I have ever made as an adult. It had everything - it was cute, cuddly, snot-shooting-out-of-your-nose-pee-in-you-pants-just-a-little-bit hilarious. She wouldn’t go for it. She was happy to give us her best chicken sqwack. But she wouldn’t put it on. She hated the chicken suit. We begged. We pleaded. She almost gave in but, alas, there was no competing with the delightful bag of goodies that one of my best friends gave me. The bag held two very new-like Disney Princess Costumes. She has three daughters and an excess of such costumes. I don’t have any feminist issues with the Princesses - I just think they are kind of lame girls that don’t have a lot of personal goals. I was never a big Disney Princess girl when I was a kid - I was more of an Olivia Newton-John/Xanadu kind of girl. I admired Kira in The Dark Crystal and the Ice Queen in my Chronicals of Narnia books. BUT, Maggie is now the proud owner of a Snow White costume that she just won’t take off.
I have to admit - she looks pretty damn cute in it. She spins in circles and sings and has already figured out the coy little spaced out princess blink that they all mug when they meet their prince. Blech. But, she was happy for halloween. And it was fun to watch her dance around feeling pretty. That was more than enough to make me change my mind and give in to her choice. I even started to go with it - I gave her my blush and blush-brush and let her sit in front of the mirror putting on so much that she looked like she had some sort of rash. John and I decided we would keep the chicken suit for our next friend who has a baby.
Now that I have bragged about how noble and mature John and I were about our chicken disappointment, I can now rag on the awful, nasty mother that my friends and I were accidentally in leagues with during our trick or treat rounds last night. We tried to get away from them but, we couldn’t shake ‘em.
Her daughter was dressed as a fairy. Adorable. Adorable. Adorable. She must have been about three? Four? Hard to tell with the costume. My best guess would be a young four. Again. Stupifyingly adorable.
Star Wars seemed to be the prominent theme for the evening. There were plenty of Princess Leias and Darth Vadars to go around. I must have passed seven Princess Leias on one block alone - and so did the wench of a lady that was stealing her daughter’s halloween joy.
Wench (First time Pricess Leia passed): “Oh, look, she actually dressed up like an interesting person! Too bad you had to pick something lame like a fairy. God.”
Not kidding. I am so not kidding!
Wench (second time Princess Leia passed): “humph. There’s another little girl who made a better costume choice than you did. Don’t you feel so boring being a silly old fairy?”
At this point me and all my friends were very loudly saying “Wow, look at all the Princess Leias! What this Halloween needs is some FAIRIES! Wait! Look! There’s one! HELL YEAH! That’s the coolest costume I’ve seen all NIGHT!!”
Wench (to us, very rudely): “If she was your daughter, you’d be tired of all the fairy, girly stuff. Trust me.”
Yeah. Whatever. John and I grabbed our Snow White, who was incidentally walking around bawking like a chicken, and crossed the road leaving the fairy with her wicked witch of a mother, praying that she would find her fairy dust and find a way to fly away.
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Birfday Beauties…
My daughter’s second birthday is this Sunday.. We have planning on having a big bbq with lots of friends and some family.. It will hopefully be fun - of course I am getting that preparty worry that I won’t have enough food or that the kids (or the adults!) won’t have fun.. Lots of good advice to be found on several websites - I really liked the parents who said to keep it simple and fun.
I have bought some soft crowns with glitter pens and stickers and markers for everyone to decorate. We are going to bbq and have a pretty nice spread out with both kid friendly and grown up friendly foods.. A pinata. Some sidewalk chalk.. A little art station… A cooler full of cold drinks for kids and grown ups… Bubbles.. what else??? Ummmm… so far that’s all I’ve worked out.. But it sounds fun to me.. Anyone reading this, feel free to shoot some suggestions my way!
Posted in Activities, Arts and Crafts, Holidays | No Comments »
Happy 4th of July!
Today is one of my favorite holidays since having kids… A chance to get outside with your friends and eat as much wonderful picnic food as possible, true American style. We have the whole afternoon/evening planned around bbq, slip and slides, baby pools and fireworks. We’ll be secluded out in south of Nashville country and surrounded by folks who we thoroughly enjoy being around. Fun times for all. Here’s my contribution to the shmorgasbord:
MINTED VODKA LEMONADE1 cup (packed) mint leaves, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups vodkaCrushed ice
Fresh mint sprigsCombine chopped mint and sugar in large bowl. Stir in lemon juice and vodka. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Strain mixture into pitcher. Fill six 6- to 8-ounce glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Garnish with mint sprigs.
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May Day
I can remember, as a child, some of my favorite memories were watching footage of sit-ins, protests, rallies, marches and demonstrations. There was just something very moving to me about it, even as a seven year old girl. The idea of people coming together to demand change or stand for the greater good was quite possibly the most utterly romantic character that human beings inhabit. We are, at the core, an impassioned and determined species.
May Day is the day that most causes embrace as their rallying day. It has historically been the day that people gather to take their stance against their opressors. Strikes, riots, marches - so much has happened on this day in history. Though it initially started out as a seasonal celebration of spring and the oncoming bounty of harvest, it moved on to be a world known International Worker’s Day.
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Mother’s Day Can Be Difficult for Those Experiencing Infertility
It can be particularly difficult to face the many emotional issues raised by infertility at a time when everyone is celebrating motherhood and fatherhood. RESOLVE urges men, women and couples who are experiencing infertility to plan ahead for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, acknowledge their feelings and prepare themselves emotionally to handle questions and comments from family and friends. The Coping with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day article has a list of suggestions to help those who are experiencing infertility get through the holidays.
For women experiencing infertility, Mother’s Day can also be difficult in places where they expect to get the most support — their church. Here’s a letter from an anonymous church member to her pastor describing what it’s like for her when mother’s are celebrated during the church service.
Dear Pastor,
It’s almost Mother’s Day again. They seem to come so quickly. I’m sure you are planning a very special service for all of the mothers. I know that it is such a special day for them, and I do not want to spoil anyone’s joy. It is important for all of us to rejoice with each other, and even those of us who are not mothers can give thanks for those who are mothers.
All I ask is that you remember that this day can be extremely difficult for a number of members in our congregation. For women like me who struggle with infertility, Mother’s Day can be the most painful day of the year. I’ve thought about staying home, but I know I need to be in God’s house.
The most challenging part of the service is when all the mothers stand and the congregation smiles and applauds them. It feels awful to be the only one still sitting. I want to be able to stand with them. I want more than anything in this world to be a mother. It’s something I have always wanted. I have carried children, but they were taken before they were ever born. I do have children in heaven, but I’m not a mother in the eyes of those here on earth.
So, on Mother’s Day I often go home and cry, not quite able to understand why I am unable to become what so many in the church consider to be “God’s highest calling”…a mother.
t is not only the un-mothers who feel lonely on this day. It must also be a painful day for single women who have never married, for mothers who have lost children, and for moms who have sons or daughters wandering from the Lord.
As Mother’s Day approaches, I pray that you will remember that it is not only a day of rejoicing for some, but a day of painful reminders for others. I know that God will help you to be a blessing to our congregation as you minister to us on this Mother’s Day.
Anonymous
From Bethany - Letter to My Pastor
Posted in Holidays, Infertility | No Comments »
