“What does Tyler want for Graduation?”

“What does Tyler want for Graduation?”

Want to guess how many times I was asked this by our immediate family members leading up to our son’s High School Graduation? These are family members who have known him for all of his 18 ½ years, and either see him frequently (or frequently enough), and are (or can be) in touch often via phone &/or email.

Don’t get me wrong…we appreciate their interest in wanting to get something he will use or like, and something he doesn’t already have.

Part of the frustration is the answer I gave them all is “I don’t know.”

Am I a bad parent? Should I be upset that they don’t know our son well enough to think of something? Is it right for them to tell Tyler “We asked your parents but they were no help, so we hope you like what we got you.”

I wish people, especially immediate family members, would remember how very stressful Graduation time is for the parents. And with this being our first one I feel like I am beside myself with worry or stress…wondering if I’m covering all the bases regarding the Graduation Ceremony and the upcoming Open House.

Bottom line…it’s not rocket science. Go with your gut, go with your heart…and you can’t go wrong.

Holidays and Exhaustion

Why do Holidays wear me out so much? Is it the cleaning, the food prep, the stress of having someone over? Maybe it's the procrastination of doing some of those things that makes it build to a level of insanity on the day...nah, that couldn't be it.


The good news is we now have leftovers for at least 2 meals this week, and extra meat to put in the freezer. Our main level is a bit more organized and somewhat cleaner.


We could see it is not only wearing on humans...all 3 dogs were passed out yesterday after our guests left. And our oldest dog is still exhausted. Here she is in her favorite spot -- keeper of the laundry. At least I can drink caffeine to get thru the day...I think I'll just let her sleep it off.

Family Traditions...Creating Your Own

Does your family have any traditions...either for the Holidays or for Birthdays? Like many families we all have some favorite things our parents or grandparents did, that we have carried forward for our own children. And there are some we have chosen not to...like eating Lutefisk during the Christmas season.

Creating new traditions for your family doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. Sometimes it's a special phrase you may say to each other at bedtime or when one leaves for the day. It could also be something you didn't even realize had become a habit or tradition. It's quite endearing when these things mean a lot to your children, as they do to you. Here are just a couple of our examples.

*Birthdays

~The Birthday person gets breakfast in bed on their birthday. If, for whatever reason, it is not convenient for the Birthday person or for the rest of the family, we postpone it for another day in the week.

~The Birthday person gets to pick out what we have for supper that evening. In our house the kids have chosen my meatless Taco Salad 90% of the time.

*Friday Movie & Pizza Night

~Every Friday (a few times it is delayed until Sat) we have movie and pizza night. And this means that whomever's friends are over, they join us as well.

Please share your own traditions...we'd love to hear them!

Christmas traditions...have any?

*~*Merry Christmas*~*

There's a rumor that Christmas is only 2 weeks away! Ok, my calendar shows it too ;-) And Hanukkah is only 12 days away!

I would love to hear any Holiday traditions you have...food, Santa, gifts, games, etc. Was it a tradition you remember from childhood; do you continue it; have you started any new traditions?

I think the one consistant thing we do each year is on Christmas morning. First off, you must stay in your p.j.'s, preferably as long as you can LOL Everyone gets to empty their Santa Stocking at the same time...unlike the night before where only one gift at a time is opened. Then we have Christmas Bread, otherwise known as Cardamom Bread. My Mom & Dad make it, and I swear I could eat a whole stick (loaf) myself! It is braided which makes it even nicer :-) After warming it in the oven you put a mix of sugar, cinnamon, and a little coffee (makes a "paste") over the top. Part of the fun is licking this mixture off your fingers as you eat it. My preference is to dunk it a little in my coffee. The kids don't yet see the delight in this.

The pictures are two of my all time favorite Christmas time pictures of our kids...from a "few" years ago.