I love this time, after Christmas and before the kids go back to school. There are no major events going on, nothing to stress over. This year we are having extra fun because Gris and her family are here. The kids get along very well, so it feels like we are the ones on vacation. Everyone is so excited! Last night, Gris came over and made dinner at my house. It was a lot of fun. We had to go to the store to buy some groceries and right away, she insisted on paying for everything. The cashier asked why we were fighting over the bill. I explained that we were married to brothers that both wanted to pay for dinner. I love a challenge! Gris underestimated my sneakiness because I gave the little ones some coins and sent them off to the quarter machines. I told Echo to ask Gris to go with him. "Gwi-is! Come on!!!" There was no way she could let them go alone. Naturally, my plan of distraction worked and I won!! Gris was SO mad...
Yesterday was just about perfect. The kids and I played outside with bubbles all afternoon. My sister brought over a giant bubble maker and we used half a bottle of dish soap before the day was over. I didn't have to cook dinner. My laundry was done. The only bad thing was that Echo got an earache right before bed. I read him books until he went to sleep, but even then he was scrunching up his face in pain. Poor little guy.
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
It was a good movie and I recommend it, but not for children [and yes, there were people in the theater that brought small children].
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
Sure, we had to drive to the top of the mountain and crawl under a fence, but it's SNOW!! Echo wasn't impressed. He lost a shoe, so we brought a snowball to him in the van. "This isn't snow! This is a dirty slushie and it tastes like water. YUCK!"
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
my brother in law and his daughter making tamales
There is something comforting about tradition... knowing what will happen and enjoying the experience without thinking or planning. Our Christmas celebrations are very much about rituals that we have developed over the years. Several days before Christmas, Mike's family starts making tamales. His brother and sister do most of the work. They make red ones, green ones, sweet ones. My niece was excited because she got to help with the masa this year. On Christmas Eve, my mother-in-law's neighborhood has a luminaria display. Mike's sister hosts a gift exchange every Christmas eve and the family makes enough food for that night and a party the next day. I've never eaten so many tamales in my life!
Christmas morning is our family time. Mike loves Christmas and always has a ton of presents for the kids. Even if we are wrapping up toys from the dollar store or candy, we make sure the kids each have a stack of gifts. We divide them up by person and take turns opening them. It can take hours because we talk and laugh and make a big deal of each gift. It is a really special family time. We didn't have as many gifts this year, but everyone got something they really wanted. Echo got tools and his T-Rex. Jon got a skateboard. Butterfly was thrilled with her Easy Bake Oven. Bleu got a PSP [spoiled!]. Mikal is rocking out to a new MP3 player. Mica finally has her own phone. Mike went wireless and I got the movie I've been wanting.
It was hard not having Mia here. I talked to her several times Christmas morning. She was the only one awake. I guess they did their presents on Christmas Eve and her dad and his girlfriend slept in. I could tell she was missing the fun of stockings and presents and kids squealing. They do a lot of fun things over there, but it is different when you have a house full of kids. Christmas is a good time to have a big family... The girls wanted to spend some time with their mom for Christmas, but as soon as they got there, they were asking to come home. The entire visit lasted maybe half an hour. It is hard watching them try to have a relationship with their biological mom. When they try, something always goes wrong. When she tries, they push her away. It is a hard situation and the girls didn't want to deal with it on Christmas. We picked them up and went to to open presents with Mike's family. The guys watched the game and the rest of us listened to them moaning and groaning as Dallas got their butts kicked.
Bleu's best friend in the whole entire world is his cousin. Since Gris and her family came down from Chicago, the boys have been together every second. We had a slumber party here last night and the kids are all playing quietly together. There is so much for me to be thankful for this year. It was a really great Christmas.
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
One year ago today, our world was turned upside down. Our niece Serena was shot and we didn't know if she would pull through or not. No one expects something like this to happen to someone they love. It was a confusing time and emotions were running high. Anger. Fear. Concern. How can something like this happen to someone so young and innocent? It has been a year and Serena is doing great. I last saw her at Thanksgiving. She was planning a party and asked me to buy her a kitchen. Each time I see her, she is a little happier, a little less guarded. She laughs more now.
She is on the front page of the local paper today. Here is a quote from Mike's aunt: "This is for all the people out there suffering," she said. "Know that there's hope... Miracles still happen. She's a walking miracle." [link]
*Note: these photos were taken last year after she was released from the hospital.
Show us something unbelievable.
Donkey Donkey sneaks a cigarette.
as seen in the photojojo newsletter
I love it when a plan comes together! I'm not the crafty type. In fact, I had to buy scissors and a hole punch to make this project. Once I had the materials, it was super simple and fast. I'll go through the steps, but for a more detailed [and illustrated!] explanation visit the link above.
Choose a photo. For my first one, I picked an abstract print of a plant. Don't do this. The green doesn't show up against the tree. I'd say go for something light and bright, like yellow or pink.
Cut the photo into strips and punch a hole in each end. This is where I had a problem. Who knew I couldn't cut straight? This would be easier with an exacto knife and some sort of cutting board with lines. Stack the pieces up and fasten each end with a paper fastener. Bend them in the middle until they stay curved and fan them out to create a sphere. Voila!
* Mia figured out a different way to do it. She cut strips in the other direction and punched a hole in each end and one in the middle. She fastened them all together in the middle and then brought the two ends together with another tack. This creates a smaller ornament that is much tighter. It ends up looking like on of the cipolline onions that Giada always uses.
This would be a fantastic project to use up those blurry photos in the bottom of your junk drawer. Plus, it is easy enough for kids to complete on their own. For the younger kids, it might be nice to cut and punch a lot of strips for them to mix and match.
View my step by step pictures on flickr: set | slideshow
Originally published at kristyk.org. You can comment here or there.
