Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category:
Dear Santa
Christmas Tree Farm
We made our annual trip to the tree farm Saturday to cut down our Christmas tree. This is my favorite Christmas activity. I really look forward to it every year. There’s just something romantic and old fashioned about it I guess. And I just get to stand back and watch while the men do all the work.
Here are the boys with the tree (on the left) we picked out before cutting it down. David was fascinated with the saw.
Dave trimming off a few bottom branches.
Here’s David and I riding on the wagon from the field back to the farm office. David loved the wagon ride.
It was a balmy 38 degrees that day. That’s actually pretty warm. In past years it’s been about 20 degrees with an even colder wind chill. And it’s usually snowing. It did start rain and sleet just as we were leaving.
Here’s Dave, Elizabeth and Joey, our possessed Cocker Spaniels with glowing eyes, and David after decorating the tree.
We went simple this year. Just some white lights and ornaments. Mostly because I’m tired and didn’t feel like dragging out all the other stuff. The tree is so big we don’t even have enough ornaments to fill it. We had more, but most of the glass ornaments we once owned were broken in the last four years. Notice how that’s been since David was born? Guess I need to visit the Christmas decor aisle at the store this week.
The tree didn’t look that big in the great outdoors. We got it in the house, and it takes up half the living room. Oh, well. It’s pretty and it smells great.
I started putting a little tree in David’s room on his first Christmas. Now he looks forward to it. This year, for the first time, he hung all the ornaments on it himself.
The ornaments are sort of all lumped together. But he’s very proud of it.
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe in a reader and get more Mommie Daze every day!Busy!
Well, I didn’t mean to go so long between posts, but I’ve been busy. Between spending time with my SIL who is visiting, my husband who was off work for a few day, and getting ready for and recovering from Thanksgiving dinner, I haven’t been on line much lately.
Big meals are a lot of work, but we’ve been eating the leftovers for five days now, and I haven’t had to cook hardly anything since. Maybe I should just make one big meal every week that lasts for days.
I can’t believe there are only 23 shopping days left until Christmas now! I didn’t go out shopping on Black Friday. I hate all those crowds and standing in line for hours. I think I’m going to do a lot my Christmas shopping on line this year, warm and cozy on the couch.
Speaking of warm and cozy, there’s a real chill in the air now that we’ve got all this snow on the ground. I’ve been craving a nice hot mocha, but I gave up coffee when I found out I was pregnant. I guess I have to settle for hot chocolate.
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe in a reader and get more Mommie Daze every day!So Much to Say
Well, the morning sickness I thought I wasn’t going to have this time arrived last week. I spent a lot of the last few days on the couch. I am feeling better today. I read taking Ginger capsules and wearing Sea Bands can help, so I picked up both at the store yesterday. So far they seem to be doing the trick. I also discovered that for some strange reason Oreos seem to settle my stomach.
As if I need another reason to eat Oreos.
Anyway, now that I actually feel like sitting up long enough to blog, I have a lot to say. Let’s start with some Hall-O-Ween photos.
Here’s David dressed like, “A real fireman boy,” as he said. He seemed a little let down by Trick or Treating this year. I don’t think it lived up to the huge expectations he’d built up in his imagination. He did end up with a pretty good supply of candy. And we’ve been arguing over how many pieces he can eat in one day ever since Saturday.
The night before Hall-O-Ween we finally carved our pumpkin.
It was supposed to be just a grinning Jack-O-Lantern, but David insisted it needed teeth. So we ended up with a pumpkin with three teeth, badly in need of a dental plan.
Earlier that evening we made our annual trip to the apple orchard. Apple picking season was well past, but there was still plenty for David to do. Apple orchards around West Michigan are sort of like little amusement parks.
The big tube slide. I think it’s made out of a huge sewer pipe, but it is really fast.
This is the “train”. A bunch of 50 gallon drums on wheels pulled by a lawn tractor. Kids love it!
This ground trampoline is always a big hit.
But the zip line was David’s favorite thing this year. He went on that several times. They had a hay ride and corn maze too, but we learned last year that both last longer than David’s patience, so we stayed away from those this time.
And that’s how we crammed a whole fall’s worth of activities into two days. Oh, and did I mention I was nauseous the whole time? I haven’t even felt like sneaking some of David’s Hall-O-Ween candy. Not even the chocolate.
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe in a reader and get more Mommie Daze every day!
Tutorial: Make a Cloth Pumpkin
Here’s an easy Cloth Pumpkin you can make in less than an hour.
Choose your fabric. Find a round object to trace. A dinner plate makes a small pumpkin.
Obviously the larger the object the larger the pumpkin. Cut out your circle.
Sew a running stitch all away the way around the edge of the circle. Use something strong, like three of four strands of embroidery floss.
After you’ve stitched completely around the circle place some stuffing in the center of it.
Pull on both ends of the thread to gather the fabric together around the stuffing. Tie the thread to hold the gather together. You can add more stuffing through the hole in the top to fill out the shape.
One you have the shape you want, get some twine. Wrap the twine around the ball four times, criss-crossing like tying a ribbon around a gift. Tie ends to secure. Trim off extra twine.
To make a stem break a small piece off a stick. Insert in the center of the pumpkin. Hot glue to secure.
On a piece of green felt draw a leaf “collar” that you will insert over the stem to cover the hole on the top.
Cut the leaves out. Cut a slit in the center so that it will slip over the stem.
Place the leaves over the stem. To make vines wrap some floral wire around a pencil.
Pull the wire off the pencil. It will be shaped like a spring.
Make two vines. Wrap them around the stem.
And there’s your pumpkin!
Summer Chillers: Apple Pie Ala Mode Freezer Tart
Fourth of July is just a few days away, and as they say, what’s more American that apple pie? But I didn’t want to peel and cut up apples and make pie crust. I didn’t want to warm up the house by leaving the oven on for an hour either. So, I came with the Apple Pie Ala Mode Freezer Tart. I don’t often just make up my own dishes, but this one is a Mommie Daze original, sort of. It’s based on other frozen desserts I’ve had in the past.
Everything you need to make this you can buy pre-made from the store.
2 Pre-made graham cracker pie crusts
1 can of apple pie filling
1 gallon of vanilla ice cream
1 jar of caramel sauce
1 tub of Cool Whip
I did actually make my own crust, because I wanted to put it in a 9×13 dish instead of two separate pie tins. And since it was only 50 degrees when we woke up this morning, I didn’t mind turning the oven on for 10 minutes. It’s summer, but it’s felt more like apple pickin’ season around here lately.
Graham Cracker Crust for 9×13 Pan
2 c. crushed graham crackers
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
Stir together. Press into bottom of baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
In the past, I crushed graham crackers in my food processor. It gets the job done fast, but digging it out of the the cupboard and washing it afterward is a pain. It’s a lot easier to put the crackers in a big Ziploc bag, and crush them with a rolling pin. I let my son do that part. It’s a good outlet for a three-year-old boy who likes to pound on things.
Either you’ve got the store bought crust or your homemade one ready to go. Now you need to soften the ice cream, and chill your can of apple pie filling in the fridge. Sit the ice cream out on the counter for about a half an hour. It may take a little longer or a little less, depending on the room temperature.
Once the ice cream is soft spread it in a layer about 1/2 to inch think. (If you make your own crust, make sure it’s completely cooled first.) I found it easier to press the ice cream down into the crust with a spatula rather than actually spread it. I only ended up using about 2/3 of the gallon. Once the ice cream is spread out, put the tart in the freezer for an hour to let the ice cream firm up.
After an hour take the tart out of the freezer, and the pie filling out of the fridge. Spread the filling over the ice cream. Then spread the Cool Whip over the pie filling. Cover and return to the freezer for about six hours until firm or overnight.
When ready to serve, top with caramel sauce. (Mine actually has butterscotch on it, because I accidentally grabbed the wrong jar at the grocery and didn’t notice until I got home. Still tastes good!)
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe in a reader and get more Mommie Daze every day!
Mother’s Day Blog Bash: What I Know Now about being a Mom that I didn’t Know then
Notes from my Nest is hosting a What I know Now Mother’s Day Blog Bash. Besides the chance to win lots and lots of fabulous prizes, you’ll find posts from moms all over the blog-o-sphere sharing the mom wisdom they’ve gained on their journeys through motherhood. You can join in too, by posting your own bit of knowledge. Click her for full Bash details. Hint: If you sign up before May 2nd, you increase your chances of taking home some of those great prizes.
What I Know Now
What I know now is that it doesn’t get easier from here.
Days and days of sleepless nights. Feedings that never seem to cease. Diaper change after diaper change. Wondering what to do the first time the baby gets sick. Fearing that one wrong move during bath time will lead to unspeakable disaster. Trying to get those delicate little flailing limbs in one of those impossible sleepers with out injuring the baby. All those things that seem so difficult in the beginning.
I remember one particularly bad day about two months into my son’s life. My husband left that morning around 7 a.m., and wouldn’t return until late that night. I was going on about my 60th day of sleep deprivation. All I really wanted was for my baby to take a nap, so I could take a nap. But he started out the morning fussing and continued to get crankier as the day wore on.
I rocked my baby, I sang, I read, I put him in the swing, I put him in the bouncy seat. But he would not take a nap. I tried just laying my son down in the bassinet. That elicited angry screams, and at only 60 days old, I wasn’t ready to let him cry it out. So I rocked him and I rocked him and I rocked him, praying he would fall asleep, or at least stop fussing.
My son never went to sleep, and when I put him down even for a moment to use the bathroom, he would cry the most miserable cry. I just kept looking forward to the moment my husband walked in the door and I could hand the baby off to him. The evening went on and on, and I began to wonder if Daddy would ever come home.
Finally, my husband did arrive at 10 p.m., only to find me sitting in the rocking chair holding our crying son and sobbing myself, out of weariness and frustration.
When there were bad days like that, or when I could barely force my feet out of bed for one more three a.m. feeding, I kept telling myself, “It gets easier from here. This won’t last forever. You just have to get through now.”
Well, I do get more sleep now. And days are filled with more playing and laughing, than crying and fussing. Dinner time doesn’t mean being captive on the couch for 40 minutes with baby, bottle and another episode of A Baby Story on TLC.
But the diapers? We’re still working on that. Potty training, at least with my strong-willed boy who’s too busy building Lego towers to take time out to pee in the toilet, is harder than anything I’ve done the previous three years.
Now suddenly my son has an opinion about everything. Once compliant and easy going, he tells me no, directly disobeys and talks back. He even lies to me occasionally to try and avoid impending punishment for some wrong doing. (I am quite sure the dogs did not scribble on the wall with crayon.)
Those first months, even first couple years, of mothering were mostly about sustaining life and teaching physical skills. I fed him, I changed him, I nurtured him to he would grow healthy and strong. I taught him to talk and walk. For the most part, questions were answered and fears put to rest by a good baby advice book, the doctor or more experienced friends and relatives.
Then my son turned two.
My responsibility increased a thousand fold. Now besides trying to make sure he reaches his fourth birthday with out implaing himself with a dinner fork, I’m responsible for shaping this little guys morals, values and world view. I am responsible for making him into a productive member of society. I have to find the right balance between loving grace and effective discipline. When the milk goes everywhere after I just steamed the carpet, I have to hold in the angry words that want to leap off my tongue. When he pulls the dog’s tail for the millionth time, I have to make him stay in time-out, even though my heart aches as I listen to him cry in remorse.
And the answers? There is no book, no person, who really knows how to raise my unique son. They don’t know that when he wakes up cranky from a nap, his mood improves if you snuggle him for a few moments. They don’t know that nagging frustrates him, and only gentle coaxing really motivates him. I didn’t know either until I figured it out by trial and error.
A couple days ago at the women’s Bible study I attend, I listened as a mother of teenage boys poured out her heart. Tears ran down her face as she talked about what a struggle it is to raise young men in this world. ”How do you know where to draw the line? When do you compromise? What battles do you choose? When do you just have to let them sink or swim? How do you protect their impressionable minds from all the bad stuff out there?” One son recently wounded both she and her husband with a blatant act of defiance and disrespect. You could see in her eyes the concern, heartache, love and desperation to ”get it right.”
The problem was no one really had an answer for her. Even the women who’d been through it already. What do you do? “Pray, trust that it is in God’s hands and do the best you can,” was the only advice we could all come up with.
It doesn’t get easier from here.
It changes, and it might get even harder. But it also gets more rewarding. My son hugs and kisses back now. He says, “I love you.” When he succeeds at a new skill or does the right thing, I celebrate. I can’t wait to see what kind of man he does grow into. What will his special talents be? What career will he choose? What hobbies will interest him? What will his wife be like? What kind of parent will he be? Will my grandchildren be as mischievous as him?
It’s a long journey up-hill, and I’m not sure you ever really arrive at the end, even when the kids are grown-up and living on their own. But scenery along the way is well worth the climb.
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe in a reader and get more Mommie Daze every day!
