A Family New Year Celebration

 

Photo Courtesy

By: Angie @ Kids Matter

Once you have kids, your life is full of big decisions. Just one of those decisions is what are we going to do on New Year's Eve now? For many, the nights of going out to clubs and drinking lots of champagne are over. They choose a quieter evening at home with the kids. Just because you aren't getting all dressed up and going out to party, doesn't mean the night has to be a drag. You can still have fun, it's just a fun that the kids can participate in too!

Eat traditional New Year's foods with the kids. Some traditional foods and the beliefs associated with them:

• Greens - eat your greens as they represent spendable greens of another type
• Black eyed peas - This is a Southern thing, representing humility and invites good fortune. I believe in other regions, they choose a different type or bean.
• Noodles - signify long life and you get bonus points if you eat the noodles without breaking them.
• Rice - signifies abundance
• Grapes - eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the new year. If a grape tastes bitter, watch out for that month next year.
• Pomegranates -  with its many seeds representing prosperity.
• Pork - pigs are considered lucky animals as they root forward and they are rotund/abundant
• Fish - the scales represent money and when a fish swims in a school it represents abundance.
•  Circular foods - like a cake or cookie represents coming full circle

Kid friendly activities:

• Count down bags - get 12 paper lunch type bags and draw a clock face on the front of each bag. Each time that is reached, the child opens the bag to find small trinkets, noise makers, hats, candy and/or games to play. You can do this for each hour up to midnight if your child can stay up. Mine never makes it past 10:00pm, so we start at 10:00am opening bags.
• Fill out the same printable form each year, covering the basics of the past year. It would be so much fun to look back on these each year and see the changes in your life, your likes and your handwriting.There is a great free printable at Wonderful Joy Ahead. 
• Toast one another with special drinks. Each year, I melt chocolate and dip the rims of glasses in the chocolate and then into sprinkles. Once the chocolate hardens, I serve the glasses with milk inside alongside homemade cookies.
• There is nothing more fun than a balloon drop! Besides having to actually blow up the balloons, there is little prep and it is completely mesmerizing for kids. You can order a balloon drop kit on Amazon.

 Whatever you do for New Year's Eve, be sure to include the kids and make it memorable for them. During the time frames of waiting for the next count down bag, we usually play some of our lesser used board games and see if we can find a new favorite family game! If we still don't like it, then it goes in my donate pile and I get an early start on my resolution to get organized. Have a wonderful 2015! 

Christmas Traditions For Your Family

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By: Angie @ Kids Matter

As the holiday season gets into full swing, lets discuss traditions that families have. I personally feel it is important to have traditions, not just for holidays but throughout the year. Kids will not always remember the gifts they received each year, but they will carry your family traditions with them forever.

1) Christmas Books: Many people collect 24 different Christmas themed books and wrap them individually. Each evening, a child opens one of the books to be read together as a family.

2) Baking cookies for Santa. We love to decorate special cookies for Santa and he even has a special plate at our house.

3) Special foods served each year at the big meal. For our house, it is always scalloped oysters on one side of the family and dumplings on the other. Delicious!

4) Gingerbread houses. You can bake it from scratch, but in our house we just buy the kits. It makes my life easier and the fun is in the decorations, not the baking for this.

5) Visiting Santa. We actually see Santa twice each year. We go to see him at the mall and have a great picture taken, but our church also has Santa come to a big breakfast that they have at the beginning of December.

6) A new ornament for each child, each year. We always do this with the intention of when the kids move out, they will already have ornaments for their own tree. I try to make it personal by selecting something reflective of the past year and I prefer the ornament to be home made, whether by us or someone else.

7) Writing a letter to Santa. In our house, you can't ask Santa for more than three things. It can be hard to narrow it down, but somehow he manages to do it each year.

8) Angel Tree. Each year we select a kid to buy for. The kid is either my son's age or has the same interests as him, then we go shopping and my son picks out a gift or two for the Angel.

9) Salvation Army. Each year we participate in the red kettle campaign by spending a few hours ringing the bell with some friends. In addition, I have to keep lots of cash on me for my son to donate in each and every red kettle he sees.

10) North Pole Breakfast. The morning after we decorate the tree, we eat breakfast under the tree. It is always festive, but we just eat donuts and drink hot chocolate. Our Elf usually shows up that morning also.

11) Elf on the shelf. We participate in the Elf on the shelf, but our elf (Buddy) knows that there are some rules he has to follow too. He is not allowed to make big messes or be bad. Buddy can be silly without making a big mess and we expect him to boost spirits by pointing out nice things we do and leaving little notes to parents about some nice things.

12) Birthday party for Jesus. Our church has a birthday party with snacks and storytelling and each family brings books to be donated to foster children. In addition to this, my parents always have a cake for Jesus and the grandchildren get a lit candle to blow out in each of their slices of cake.

13) A personal Christmas tree. We replace the nightlight in my son's room with a small tabletop Christmas tree that he decorates and we keep it lit for him each evening.

14) Drive around to see Christmas lights. If it is not too cold, bonus points for the kids being in pajamas for the ride.

15) Drive Through Bethlehem. Our church puts on a live action Bethlehem and includes real animals and actors portraying scenes. We always attend this event and it is a highlight of the season for us.

16) Stockings. Each year the stocking has a piece of fruit and 4 toothbrushes, in addition to small gifts. That is because my stocking always contained those things when I was growing up and I carried the tradition over.

What are some of the traditions that your family carries with you every single year?

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend

Belinda @ Kids Matter

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, first observed on May 30, 1868, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. While the holiday is in honor of the fallen, it is also a celebration of life for families throughout this great nation. Many families choose this weekend to kick off summer and spend great family time, bonding. May 29, 1983 was the day that started this annual weekend celebration for my family. That was the birth date of my first son. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a woman in search of a future, I was a mom. So, in addition to honoring the fallen, we opted to also celebrate family.

Each year on Memorial Weekend, our family comes together to celebrate birthdays, graduations, and life events. We spend time together eating, chatting, and letting all the grandkids just play their little hearts out. We have a cookout with big cakes and lots of picture taking to commemorate the event. Lots of friends and family are invited; games are played and presents opened. And oh, the many laughs that have filled my soul. It’s hard to imagine that this year marks the 31^st anniversary of our traditional Memorial Day weekend.

These special family times are just fleeting moments in the overall scheme of life. We take them for granted, more than we should. You never know what life event may happen and suddenly you find that one family member no longer in attendance. Suddenly, even a memory of the chaotic event, planning and organizing, can bring about a smile. Why? Because… even if it is only one event, it is still time cherished as family.

Family holidays and traditions are simple ways to keep family unity. Don’t allow times like these to slip away without even a second thought. Cherish every moment with your family… yes, even those with whom you don’t have an excellent relationship. The soldiers of this world have put their lives on the line in order to afford you the liberty of being free. Don’t we owe it to them to make the most of our family time? Slow life down for one simple weekend, to laugh and play with your family. Put away the cell phones. Hide the Xbox. Turn off the laptops and tablets. We all need to slow it down, relax, and enjoy life with our family. You don’t always know what lives you touch or what lives touch you until that life is no longer there. Remember, spend time with those who put a light in your heart as often as you can.

Happy Memorial Day from my family to yours!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Kim @ Kids Matter

In our family, as in most families, Thanksgiving, is a major holiday.  When I was young, Thanksgiving was so much fun because all the cousins played together the entire day.  Thanksgiving was about getting together with family.  Oh, okay, and the food. Yes, the food.  My mother was quite the cook.  She always bought the biggest turkey as the whole family was coming for dinner (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc).  She made the stuffing, stuffed the turkey (which was quite a production) sewed the turkey shut, and skewered the legs tight.  It was kind of scary the first time I tuned in to watch her do it. But oh, how the smell of that turkey cooking set in my memory, and ever after cemented the longing for turkey each Thanksgiving Day.  My mother began cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family when my grandmother, the matriarch of the family, was not able to cook anymore. 

I love a story she told about mashed potatoes while she was growing up and I have to share the story with you. In the early 1930s, my mother and her two sisters had to mash potatoes by hand until they were creamy, with no lumps.  It was quite a chore sometimes, especially if there were going to be many guests at the dinner table.  The sisters would take turns mashing to keep the arguing to a minimum.  One day my grandmother bought a MixMaster to mash the potatoes.  My mother tells the story about the night my grandmother brought the MixMaster home.  They were peeling potatoes for the evening meal, and my grandmother had to leave the house to run down the street to a neighbor’s home.  She told the girls not to use the MixMaster because she had not yet trained them how to use it.   Well, sisters will be sisters.  Of course they knew they could use the MixMaster, and have it back in the box before my grandmother returned.  So the sisters opened the box and set up the MixMaster.  My mother put the beaters in the potatoes, slid the switch to on, and WHAM potatoes flew everywhere!   The story goes that my mother was up on a chair with a mop wiping potatoes off the wall when my grandmother walked into the kitchen.  Such a great story!  I had the best laugh when she told it to me.

My mother and one sister have passed away. My Aunty Pat is still with us and she has always been a character.  She is very witty, funny, and enjoys life very much.  I was named after her and when I was young she took care of me, sometimes.  I remember one Thanksgiving… something about Lancers wine and “Hey Aunt Mary, the peas are green”, but that is another story to be kept in the family.

I also remember being so upset one day after my mother passed because I could not find her fudge recipe. Thank goodness, I eventually found it while looking through her many recipe books.  I now make many of my mother’s dishes and her turkey and dressing are a tradition carried on by my son and his wife.  We now celebrate Thanksgiving with my husband’s parents as well but still also cook at our house so we can savior Thanksgiving all weekend. 

As the holiday is fast approaching, I remember that my grandchildren are storing their family memories and traditions.  May each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with great memories to store, and remember to grab those recipes to carry on your family traditions.   Also, remember your children are storing memories.  Make them wonderful.

Holiday Ch…Ch…Changes

Holiday Ch…Ch…Changes

Robin @ Kids Matter

Thanksgiving is one of the few times each year that my whole family gets together.  Add to that some good food, fun game playing, and Black Friday shopping, and you have my favorite holiday of the year.  Or, I should say, had.   Over the years it was my favorite holiday, but things are changing.  Have you noticed that Christmas preparations start earlier every year?  Black Friday shopping has also started earlier and earlier.   Some stores are open all day on Thanksgiving.  Last year, almost all Black Friday shopping started on Thanksgiving Thursday!  You may be asking, “What’s wrong with that?”  It takes away from family time.  And family time is very important, especially since families have less and less of it in the hustle and bustle of everyone having different schedules and priorities.  Some people say, “But we can shop together.”   Sure, you could, but do you?  Does everyone in your family like to shop?  Is everyone looking for the same item?  Are you able to communicate and have meaningful interaction in the middle of the shopping crowd?  I don’t think so…

Personally, I miss the challenge of Black Friday as it used to be.  I fondly remember those years of getting up at 3:30 AM to be at the store and in line by 4AM.  Sure, it was cold and exhausting, you don’t always get that sale item you are looking for, but, many times I got the great deals and had fun with whomever I was able to talk into shopping with me that year.  Now, with shopping starting so early, the lines are a lot longer.  Last year, I went to one store and found the item I wanted, but the checkout line was too long.  After standing in a line that wrapped around the entire store for 30 minutes without moving, I gave up and left.  I am not willing to give up 8 to 10 hours of my Thanksgiving to go stand in line.  That time is too valuable to me! 

Enjoy the time you have with family, because you may lose them before you know it.  My mother passed away last year, and believe me, it does make a difference.  I miss her every day, but I especially feel her loss during this time of the year.  I remember the fun we had of planning the menu together.  I was the cook and she was the organizer.  She was a terrible cook, but loved talking to everyone to make sure they were coming, what they were bringing, and just generally organizing it.  Every year, there would be an unexpected twist, whether it was a neighbor joining us who had no family to celebrate with, or helping cook and serve at a homeless shelter.  I would always go to her home the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, to start the turkey process.  We really enjoyed that time together before the rest of the crowd arrived.  One year, we ended up with 10 pumpkin pies and no other deserts, but that was ok because it gave us a good memory to laugh about. 

So, how do you deal with changes like this?  Last year, the loss of my mom was very fresh.  My family got together, but we had pizza instead of the usual Thanksgiving fare.  However, we were more focused than ever before on the thankfulness aspect.  This year, my first thought was to cancel the holiday, but that didn’t work.  So, we are planning Thanksgiving at my sister’s house this year.   She has started the menu planning, much as I tried to avoid it.  It’s not the same, but I’m sure that it will still be a good time with family and friends. 

As David Bowie said, “Pretty soon you’re gonna get a little older.  Time may change me.   But I can’t trace time.” I leave you with a plea.  Thanksgiving is an important holiday.  Please don’t skip over it!

Halloween Tradition

Halloween Tradition

Kim @ Kids Matter

As soon as my children could walk, I would doll them up in cute Halloween costumes and we would go trick or treating!  They were so cute the first years; barely able to even say trick or treat.  I’m sure many of you remember how cute your children were and what that first “twik or tweet” and “tank you” sounded like.  It brings a smile to my face.  We would go to all of our relatives and friends homes and show off our cute toddlers. 

Each year as they grew older, we would carve the pumpkins.  It was a BIG scary ordeal when they were little. As they got bigger, the pumpkins had to be “cool” looking.  We had to decorate inside the house, make cookies and of course, decorate them.   I always found myself buying candy at least twice because by the end of the month, when we actually needed the candy for the night, it would be just about gone.

I remember warm trick or treat nights. I remember others when I had to drive the car up and down the street. The kids would pop out of the car, run up and visit a couple houses, and then run back to escape the frigid autumn air.

Now, my daughter is grown. This year she has her first toddler, Maddie, who will be a kitty cat.  She will be just three days shy of one year old, walking, and has no idea what we are doing.  My daughter has painted and carved pumpkins this year.  She has decorated the house but not bought candy.  She will take Maddie trick or treating down Main Street in town.  Trick or treating is a little different now than when my children grew up.  They also have the “Trunk or Treats”, which I think is a fabulous idea.  New traditions are being made before my eyes.  It is so much fun for me to watch my daughter carrying on old traditions and creating new ones.

I have so many memories; old and new.  Whatever the tradition… it’s all about how much family and Kids Matter!