A few of my Facebook friends have recently posted links to blog posts with titles like "Can we tone down the holidays, please?" and other things of that nature.
It's March, Easter is coming up, if you don't have kids in school you may wonder what the big deal is. So here it is... St. Patrick's Day. Once a day when you just made sure your child (ok me, I was that age) wore green when they walked out of the house so they don't get pinched? Now a holiday. Not a holiday in that kids are out of school, but a big celebration with green food, Leprechaun trap building, etc. Then there are the complaints of what some kids are handing out for Valentine's Day - fancy little bags of goodies instead of just a card. Take it back another few weeks to Christmas and everyone points to the "creepy" new tradition of Elf on the Shelf. Some have even started complaining about Advent calendars - which are not a new thing and I loved mine as a kid.
Well I have already blogged about the supposed "creepy" Elf on the Shelf. Basically we bought it and love it and don't find it creepy - which seems to be the key word people use who don't buy in. "It's creepy."
I am a big fan of holidays. Love them. In today's day and age with so much crummy news and things we need to shelter our kids from, I am all for embracing the fun and frivolty of a handful of days a year to celebrate random things.
We aren't really Irish, though the red hair tricks many. More Scandinavian and my red hair (hence my kids' as well) comes from my Swedish grandmother. But St. Patty's day? It's a hit here. The kids love corned beef, which I fix once a year on March 17th. They love building leprechaun traps and they get more elaborate every year. This year my son's was rigged with motion sensors - making things pretty interesting...
Fun. It's all it is.
We pick and choose with holidays. I get tired of all the freaking candy at holidays and my personal annoyance is when every holiday becomes a gift giving occasion. My kids get "presents" on their birthdays and Christmas. For Easter they will get small little things I don't think of as presents out of the dollar bins in their baskets - chalk, jump rope, a stuffed rabbit (for Skadi). For Valentine's Day, my daughter got a pink teddy bear, because she loves that stuff (and her chocolates still sit untouched). I don't have time to spend hours working on Valentine's, so my kids picked out the ones with a card and a piece of candy attached. And so far - neither the nearly 6 year old or 8 year old has complained at all. I like to think they know better.
Back to my point... the blog posts asking to scale back the holidays.
You don't like it? Don't do it! Quit succumbing to parental peer pressure and the assumption that if it is posted on Pinterest that "everyone" else is doing it and your child will feel left out if they don't have baggies of rainbow licorice and gold coins for St. Patty's Day. Your kids will deal.
St. Patty's day? I cooked dinner. My kids built their traps themselves (ok, dad couldn't resist in helping Skadi incorporate her ceiling fan into hers) as they have been doing since they were 3 years old in preschool with access to paper and tape. And that was that.
And you know what, if my children EVER complained that they don't get to do all the stuff their friends do they will get a stern lecture.
My son at chess club (over Christmas) told one of his friends about the underwear episode with our Elf, Mina. (Mina decorated the untrimmed tree with his underwear.) The boy told his mom in my presence and she looked at me, rolled her eyes (not in a horrible way, we have been acquainted for 1.5 years now through the boys) and said, "oh you are one of THOSE moms."
Yes, I am one of those moms who loves to have fun and do silly things with my kids that make them laugh and adds to their magic of the holidays. That when they are 28 will look back and laugh and say to me, "mom, do you remember when you, I mean the Elf, decorated the tree with my underwear?"
Yep, I am one of those moms.
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts
Friday, March 22, 2013
Monday, February 22, 2010
Skadi cake baking
I am trying to get better about using the full functionality of my good camera and not just as a point and shoot. Here are a few shots from Sunday where Skadi and I baked a chocolate cake. They could use a little time in PhotoShop to lighten them, but I will play with that later.
Note my KitchenAid paddle behind her. We could not leave this out of the picture. She insisted it was a tree and it was not moving.
Oops yes. It is Valentine's Day frosting. I am a bit late on this one. But she was obsessed with the can at the grocery store. I caved and then I had to hide it at home to ease my guilt at not doing it on Valentine's Day.
Friday, February 12, 2010
All that Valentine's Day Flap
One thing you tend to hear a lot about this time of year is what a racket Valentine’s Day. The camps are split and it seems like nearly an equal divide (completely unscientific assessment) on what I am seeing among friends regarding Valentine’s Day.
The “anti” camp in past years has seemed to be made up mostly of those who unfortunately don’t have a significant other at the time and may sport a little bitterness, which sucks and is understandable. This I buy and I understand.
But lately, ok, the last decade or so it is also made up a lot more of people in relationships. One sentiment that seems to be embraced by this “anti” camp is that it is retail driven and they refuse to celebrate their love because the retail industry tells them to. Is this really the point? I have to admit that this week when I have seen this on Facebook - yes all.over.Facebook - that I roll my eyes.
When I hear this I always wonder if those same people celebrate Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the like. Ok, so Christmas and Easter are religious holidays and aren't really comparable. And I do agree that Christmas is really over commercialized and I see a backlash against this and I applaud the more creative gifting (homemade gifts) and charitable donations as gifts.
But what about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? If anything, these holidays are less rooted in tradition as Valentine’s Day, which was actually established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD.
Mother’s Day is actually only about 100 years old in the United States and was created to honor mothers and family relationships. Mother’s Day is, according to the National Restaurant Association, the most popular day of the year to dine out, also the day with the largest volume of phone calls placed and the busiest single day for florists. Obviously people are celebrating Mother’s Day! Assumably these people who boycott Valentine's Day are celebrating family love on other days.
I am not one of those die-hard Valentine’s Day nuts. I don’t plan a date usually since I hate trying to eat out or go out when there are crowds, or the fight to secure a babysitter. This year AB is getting a book and a box of candy (don’t worry, he never reads my blog). The kids got little boxes of chocolates and each a little something – Starbucks travel cups for their coveted hot cocoas, Leif got a Lego set and Skadi got the second Tinkerbell DVD. Honestly I wouldn’t have gone with the toys, but I had the DVD leftover from Christmas that I didn’t give her then as she had a large excess over Leif. So I decided it was time to dole that out and to make it fair, Leif got two new Star Wars Lego kits.
I don’t need much and AB tends to overdo Valentine’s Day with flowers AND top of the line chocolates. But who am I to complain?
On Valentine’s Day we will recognize the love between my husband and I, the love we share for our children and for our parents and grandparents.
Remember Valentine's Day when you were a kid? I loved decorating my shoe box and reading way more into the Valentine's from the boys in my class gave out. It wasn't my favorite party day at school, but it was fun!
My kids received a Valentine’s Day package from grandma and grandpa yesterday and could hardly wait to get into it. Leif got a card and two games (and then he stomped us at Trouble last night). Skadi got a card and a skirt and leggings set that she wore all evening and then to school today with her kitty cat rain boots.
Leif sat down to finish off his Valentine’s last night and I was happy I had bought a box of them for Skadi too. She wanted to send hers out. Her first plan was to send one entire stack to grandma and grandpa. I reminded her we had sent them cards and artwork earlier in the week, but I would be happy to send more Valentines too! Uncle Andy and baby Annika topped Skadi's must send list - but it quickly changed to her classmates as she listed off all but one classmate (yes, I walked into the classroom this morning and said, "darn it"). ;-)
Sunday we will enjoy a homemade turkey pot pie and then I am attempting chocolate melting cakes. All food made with love, like every other single meal (even frozen pizza night).
No, I don’t need a retail industry to tell me to celebrate the great loves of my life either. Neither does my husband, I feel loved on the other 364 days of the year. But as with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, why not celebrate your love and do something fun (and eat some chocolate)?
The “anti” camp in past years has seemed to be made up mostly of those who unfortunately don’t have a significant other at the time and may sport a little bitterness, which sucks and is understandable. This I buy and I understand.
But lately, ok, the last decade or so it is also made up a lot more of people in relationships. One sentiment that seems to be embraced by this “anti” camp is that it is retail driven and they refuse to celebrate their love because the retail industry tells them to. Is this really the point? I have to admit that this week when I have seen this on Facebook - yes all.over.Facebook - that I roll my eyes.
When I hear this I always wonder if those same people celebrate Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the like. Ok, so Christmas and Easter are religious holidays and aren't really comparable. And I do agree that Christmas is really over commercialized and I see a backlash against this and I applaud the more creative gifting (homemade gifts) and charitable donations as gifts.
But what about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? If anything, these holidays are less rooted in tradition as Valentine’s Day, which was actually established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD.
Mother’s Day is actually only about 100 years old in the United States and was created to honor mothers and family relationships. Mother’s Day is, according to the National Restaurant Association, the most popular day of the year to dine out, also the day with the largest volume of phone calls placed and the busiest single day for florists. Obviously people are celebrating Mother’s Day! Assumably these people who boycott Valentine's Day are celebrating family love on other days.
I am not one of those die-hard Valentine’s Day nuts. I don’t plan a date usually since I hate trying to eat out or go out when there are crowds, or the fight to secure a babysitter. This year AB is getting a book and a box of candy (don’t worry, he never reads my blog). The kids got little boxes of chocolates and each a little something – Starbucks travel cups for their coveted hot cocoas, Leif got a Lego set and Skadi got the second Tinkerbell DVD. Honestly I wouldn’t have gone with the toys, but I had the DVD leftover from Christmas that I didn’t give her then as she had a large excess over Leif. So I decided it was time to dole that out and to make it fair, Leif got two new Star Wars Lego kits.
I don’t need much and AB tends to overdo Valentine’s Day with flowers AND top of the line chocolates. But who am I to complain?
On Valentine’s Day we will recognize the love between my husband and I, the love we share for our children and for our parents and grandparents.
Remember Valentine's Day when you were a kid? I loved decorating my shoe box and reading way more into the Valentine's from the boys in my class gave out. It wasn't my favorite party day at school, but it was fun!
My kids received a Valentine’s Day package from grandma and grandpa yesterday and could hardly wait to get into it. Leif got a card and two games (and then he stomped us at Trouble last night). Skadi got a card and a skirt and leggings set that she wore all evening and then to school today with her kitty cat rain boots.
Leif sat down to finish off his Valentine’s last night and I was happy I had bought a box of them for Skadi too. She wanted to send hers out. Her first plan was to send one entire stack to grandma and grandpa. I reminded her we had sent them cards and artwork earlier in the week, but I would be happy to send more Valentines too! Uncle Andy and baby Annika topped Skadi's must send list - but it quickly changed to her classmates as she listed off all but one classmate (yes, I walked into the classroom this morning and said, "darn it"). ;-)
Sunday we will enjoy a homemade turkey pot pie and then I am attempting chocolate melting cakes. All food made with love, like every other single meal (even frozen pizza night).
No, I don’t need a retail industry to tell me to celebrate the great loves of my life either. Neither does my husband, I feel loved on the other 364 days of the year. But as with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, why not celebrate your love and do something fun (and eat some chocolate)?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day part 2
I have to share what made me giggle this morning (aside from the weirdness of doing the Avent calendar with Leif on Valentine's Day)...
We were driving to work/school and I saw the kids walking to grade school. The girls in their red and pink dresses and tights and their neat bags of Valentines.
Then the boys... dressed normally with their bags of Valentines probably signed by their mothers - I discovered the past few days, boys have no interest in helping with Valentines. I tried. I really did. But it kind of makes me laugh when thinking about how much I put into getting a Valentine from the boys I liked... and how they must have painstackingly picked out specific Valentine's implying lifelong love...
Anyways, I digress. There were the boys swinging their Valentine's bags at each other and hitting every post they walked by with those poor bags.
Just another observation for nature versus nurture.
(Not quite sure what this says about my husband though...)
We were driving to work/school and I saw the kids walking to grade school. The girls in their red and pink dresses and tights and their neat bags of Valentines.
Then the boys... dressed normally with their bags of Valentines probably signed by their mothers - I discovered the past few days, boys have no interest in helping with Valentines. I tried. I really did. But it kind of makes me laugh when thinking about how much I put into getting a Valentine from the boys I liked... and how they must have painstackingly picked out specific Valentine's implying lifelong love...
Anyways, I digress. There were the boys swinging their Valentine's bags at each other and hitting every post they walked by with those poor bags.
Just another observation for nature versus nurture.
(Not quite sure what this says about my husband though...)
Happy Valentine's Day!
I am a holiday person, I love birthdays and nearly every other holiday out there. We put window clings up and I sometimes go a little overboard in decorating for holidays.
But that said I am not a huge Valentine's day girl.
I am not on the anti-Valentine's day bandwagon that says you shouldn't have to have a holiday to tell someone you love them (my counter to that group is what do you do about every other holiday on the calendar - Mother's Day. Father's Day...). I am not anti-consumer holidays necessarily either.
I am just not a big Valentine's day person. I don't insist on flowers or chocolates and usually am ready to strike a deal with AB that we don't do anything for each other for Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day comes on the heels of our three pack of gift giving holidays - Christmas, then my birthday and then AB's birthday. By the time it arrives I am out of gift ideas! (And usually realizing I have had far too many sweets the last 8 weeks...)
I do always make sure he has a card and a little something sweet. (The kids get a touch more spoiling.)
AB agrees to this and nods his head... then goes off and does something on a much grander scale. Last year it was chocolate truffles (to satisfy my pregnancy cravings) and flowers. This year he has something up his sleeve... but I don't know what.
Upon discovering that something was in the mail and him "hoping" it arrived by today, it sent me scrambling at 10am this morning to get something in the works for him.
Kind of takes away the romance though when you have to call your significant other at work and make sure they don't have anything on their schedule tomorrow so he can go get a massage for his present. Nothing says "last minute" more than that phone call ON Valentine's Day...
He was thrilled.
I felt like a dode.
Next year I am not going to be a Valentine's Day slacker!
So onto the meaning of Valentine's Day. Love.
I am so very lucky to have AB and am so thankful for our relationship. We rarely argue, we respect each other, we have two beautiful children and respect each other as parents, we value each other's opinions and we love each other still after nearly 8 years of marriage and 6 more on top of that of hanging out together.
Happy Valentine's Day AB!
But that said I am not a huge Valentine's day girl.
I am not on the anti-Valentine's day bandwagon that says you shouldn't have to have a holiday to tell someone you love them (my counter to that group is what do you do about every other holiday on the calendar - Mother's Day. Father's Day...). I am not anti-consumer holidays necessarily either.
I am just not a big Valentine's day person. I don't insist on flowers or chocolates and usually am ready to strike a deal with AB that we don't do anything for each other for Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day comes on the heels of our three pack of gift giving holidays - Christmas, then my birthday and then AB's birthday. By the time it arrives I am out of gift ideas! (And usually realizing I have had far too many sweets the last 8 weeks...)
I do always make sure he has a card and a little something sweet. (The kids get a touch more spoiling.)
AB agrees to this and nods his head... then goes off and does something on a much grander scale. Last year it was chocolate truffles (to satisfy my pregnancy cravings) and flowers. This year he has something up his sleeve... but I don't know what.
Upon discovering that something was in the mail and him "hoping" it arrived by today, it sent me scrambling at 10am this morning to get something in the works for him.
Kind of takes away the romance though when you have to call your significant other at work and make sure they don't have anything on their schedule tomorrow so he can go get a massage for his present. Nothing says "last minute" more than that phone call ON Valentine's Day...
He was thrilled.
I felt like a dode.
Next year I am not going to be a Valentine's Day slacker!
So onto the meaning of Valentine's Day. Love.
I am so very lucky to have AB and am so thankful for our relationship. We rarely argue, we respect each other, we have two beautiful children and respect each other as parents, we value each other's opinions and we love each other still after nearly 8 years of marriage and 6 more on top of that of hanging out together.
Happy Valentine's Day AB!
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