Christmas Traditions 2011

This year has been full of so many changes for me personally, and for our family in many small ways...loudly shouting or whispering softly.  Especially since I started preparing to teach about so many different winter holidays to my elementary school kids (I got a part-time job working at one of the local elementary schools in the mornings as a literacy aide (think, part-time teacher of specific programs) for kids ranging between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade), I found myself learning more about the sources of so many of the traditions that I personally treasure as well.  It has gotten me to thinking about which ones I would like to add to our own list of things we like to do to help make the holiday a magically memorable event that is felt and experienced far more than just one or two days.  I'll have to post about it later (I'm all out of time for tonight), but I would like to extend a challenge of sorts to those few who may read this: please take a moment to sit down and look through your own traditions and the reasons for continuing them....are they carrying on simply because of enjoyment, or do they actually mean something to you?  Have you shared that with your own little flock of loved ones?

Back to School?!

Ok, so here is the realization for today: Only 26 more days until the First Day of School!!!  Yep, you heard me: the end of summer break is now peaking over the horizon, and parents and young children everywhere are starting to plan for their day of celebration...I mean, separation.  (You know you too have been dying for this little bit of peace from each other!)

However, this also means that while we are all, parent and school children alike, anxiously awaiting some gleeful separation to do what we each do best when alone (here it comes) there will also be several tension moments of emotion knowing that for those few hours every day we will not be able to see each other.  (You knew there had to be a sappy moment, right?)  But, dry your tears (they are too early).  There are still 26 whole days before you jump on the roller coaster ride of emotion watching as your children begin to celebrate as much as (ok, probably more than) you as they skip (also known as run) their way to class.  But not to worry...there are only another 9 months to get through before they will once again be there, 24/7, peeking over your shoulder to see what they can "help" with next!  Happy End of Summer, everyone!

Nothing like escaping via the internet...

Ok, it is a hot night, we are moving in less than a week, my house is currently filled with boxes and stuff waiting for boxes, and I've just decided that I need to take a break! After all, it is Sunday and Father's Day and Johnny was stuck working 12 days straight and...ok. I know; excuses, excuses. I just basically figured that since Johnny was asking for a day off (and he doesn't have to work tomorrow so he can help make up for having the day off), I would take some time as well. At least while I can since my oldest two are pretending to be asleep (while whispering back and forth, of course) and John has the baby while he screams himself to sleep. Bedtime has really become a relative thing around here...at least the whole concept of "routine" anyway. It all basically boils down to a matter of how long Kieran decides to scream since he just doesn't want to sleep. So we all wait him out, hoping that things will get better and he'll start to fall into more of a routine soon. One can only hope, though I'm not holding my breath anymore.