Our un-fancy Christmas tree
The unexpected snow we had this past weekend changed our plans for those two days. After a few slow miles on the interstate, it became clear that driving ninety miles to the annual breakfast-with-Santa that we’ve attended with my in-laws for the past six years or so was probably not a good choice. As much as we treasure that family tradition, this year the holiday season would have to start off differently.
As we headed back home through the fog and flurries, my husband and I knew we would still have a special day of pre-Christmas fun. Most importantly, we would finally satisfy our girls’ inquiries about when we would decorate the Christmas tree.
I hauled all the boxes of Christmas stuff out of the basement. Immediately, the girls descended on them. As my husband put the tree together and I untangled the lights, the girls unrolled and unwrapped ornaments of all sorts, from hand-stitched felt animals to hand-blown glass baubles. The family room was a sea of ornament hooks, bubble wrap and plastic bins. As the girls loaded the branches with ornaments, I tried to corral the chaos. Amazingly, nothing broke, but I had moments where I held my breath as a child grabbed the tail end of packing paper and some fragile, lovely thing tumbled onto the floor, one misstep away from the feet of a sister. There were moments when, through clenched teeth and in a not-very-Christmasy voice, I said, “Be careful with that.” There were a few tense moments, even though nothing about decorating the Christmas tree should have made me tense.
Before I had children, I purchased beautiful glass ornaments and planned to ’someday’ decorate a tree in gold, silver and white. I am not a fancy decorator, but I think the combination of these colors, together with tiny white lights, is really beautiful. But the newlywed years of just my husband and me (and a very waggy black Lab) in a small house weren’t conducive to me putting up such a tree. Nor were the following years of babies, toddlers and lots of moving. Now that my children are a little older, they’re still rambunctious and curious, and having a tree that I wouldn’t want them to touch would be ridiculous and frustrating for everyone.
So on this beautiful Saturday, with white snow outside and bright laughter inside, I decided to simplify. I decided to make decorating the Christmas tree more relaxing and more fun for me. I collected all the fagile items and packed them back up in two bins. I deposited those boxes at the very back of our storage space, so that next year, I won’t even get them out. Everything that does come out will be child friendly so I won’t have to hold my breath as anything gets unwrapped.
Because we didn’t rush through this snowy weekend, because the weather upended all our obligations, I had the chance to do this. Given the gift of an open day, I chose to just be in that moment. I didn’t try to squeeze in a few loads of laundry, do any cyber shopping, or even make dinner (ordering pizza was the perfect snow day treat!). I chose to spend the whole day decorating the tree, reading Christmas books, listening to Christmas music, and slowly cleaning it all up. We focused on the tasks at hand and on enjoying each other–because really, these precious days of our children’s childhood go by all too quickly. The number of Christmases when they’ll be little are so few.
Sure, eventually, I’ll get out those fancy-schmancy Christmas ornaments. I’ll have a beautiful shining tree with coordinated ornaments. But it won’t matter to me nearly as much as this family room tree full of handmade gingerbread men, ornaments painted with my children’s tiny fingerprints, and all the mismatched souvenir ornaments collected to remind us of hobbies, jokes, friends, trips, and events in our lives together.
What a blessing to be able to clear the clutter of the fancy and the fragile to focus on having fun together, making memories more precious than silver and gold.
(This Works for me Wednesday and any other day of the year too.)
Snow’s here!
This Saturday we awoke to a snowy landscape…and the snow just kept coming! By the time the flurries ended on Sunday we had about four or five inches, quite a bit in Central Kentucky the first week of December.
Out came the snowsuits and boots, the hats and gloves. And out went the girls. Well, not exactly. Kathleen got as far as putting on her snowsuit. Eleanor got totally suited up and made it off the porch before she came back in. But Charlotte was out for hours!
She and her father made this awesome snowman, Jolly. What a great exercise in teamwork and stamina! She was out for hours afterwards too, experimenting and playing with the snow. Welcome, winter!
Not-so-little Girl’s Bedroom Makeover, part 1
As Charlotte turned seven, I really wanted to give her bedroom a makeover.
She liked the color of her room, lavender, so I didn’t feel the need to repaint it (yay!). Primarily, I wanted to replace a lavender and white valence with curtains for greater privacy and to block sunlight on early mornings or later summer evenings to promote sleeping. I also wanted to pump some color and fun into the room.
We went together to a local fabric store. All of the home dec fabrics seemed so boring, but this regular 44″ fabric immediately appealed to Charlotte’s energetic and colorful personality.
I had thought I would pair it with some other fabrics in that line with stripes and polka dots.
I had planned to use 2″ to 8″ strips of the other fabrics at the top and/or bottom of the curtain panels to break up all those psychedelic waves. But as I played with the fabrics, I decided it was better just to let the wavy pattern shine.
We all love the curtains. They complement the pale walls by adding lots of color and energy without overwhelming the space. They are simple tab-top curtains, lined with a middle weight cotton muslin. My favorite thing about the curtains is that she won’t outgrow them anytime soon. I think she will be happy with them for many years to come.
(And that extra polka dot fabric came in handy when I recovered a chair and bench for her room.)
Goodbye Summer
Well, I never meant to take a summer vacay from blogging. We got so busy having fun, the days just went too quickly for me to stop and write about them. Combine that with a few technical glitches from moving servers and a whirlwind trip to the Czech Republic and France, and I found myself with oh-so-much to write about but no time to type it all up. So, here’s to playing catch-up now that Fall has arrived.
Charlotte’s been back in school for a few weeks now, and the little girls have been back in preschool for just one. It’s hard for me to think that another summer of their precious childhoods has gone.
However, we do have some great memories! Our favorite thing that we did together as often as possible was go to the pool.
Charlotte went off the high dive for the first time.
The cool water was a great antidote to the heat.
Every summer vacation is good, but I think this was my favorite one yet as a mom. Why?
- Now that my youngest is two, we weren’t so limited by the nap schedule. In fact, the little girls went days without naps this summer. Some days, they held up great. Others, well, things might have been rough around 4:30, but they were sound asleep at 7 o’clock. On days I could tell they were running out of steam, we made sure to be at home in the afternoons, but for the most part, I used this new freedom to pack more into those brief summer days.
- We had almost exactly two months for summer vacation–not enough time for all the things we wanted to do! Last summer, I felt like the days got away from me, so this summer I was prepared. In early May, I talked to the girls about what they wanted to do this summer. Charlotte wrote a list of activities like the children’s museum, the pool, a picnic and so on that the girls agreed they all wanted to do. I think we managed to go and do everything they requested except for the zoo. The days we could have gone were just too hot, so we’ll go over fall break!
- The list also included specific requests for playdates, and I set to work inviting friends over as soon as school ended and kept it up through August, trying to plan a week or so in advance. The girls didn’t get to play with everyone on the list, but they had more friends over than they would have if we hadn’t planned for it. It was really nice for them to strengthen their friendships from school over the summer. My girls also spent lots of time playing with the neighbors. Long afternoons of play was much more fun than play sandwiched between homework and school-night bedtimes.
- I sprinkled in just enough summer camps. I started looking into different programs in March or April and got recommendations from friends. Some great programs I didn’t sign up for because they were all day, and I wanted to have my children with me for at least part of the day; others just weren’t convenient; other sounded great, but I thought that particular week needed to be a week of downtime. Amazingly, I got lucky. Every program my girls went to was a positive experience for them and we hit a great balance of scheduled and unscheduled time.
- I was prepared for days at home. I had several craft ideas tucked away in my mind for days when plans fell through or the grumps hit. Really, though, my ideas didn’t come into play much–the girls were content to rummage through our art cabinet and come up with their own plans. But, if that hadn’t been the case, I was prepared.
- Finally, as evidenced by my lack of presence in the cyberworld this summer, I just gave over to the whole concept of summer vacation. I didn’t want to be at the computer, shooing kids away so I could type. I wanted to enjoy this time, especially with Charlotte who I see too little of during the school year. The computer and then house were a little neglected, but my family got plenty of attention. We read books, cooked, sat in the hammock, and did all those other great summer things that families should do.
Yeah, it was a great summer….
Ah, summer
We have enjoyed this first week of summer vacation. Our mornings have been full of fun at home.
We’ve spent lots of time in the backyard playing and looking for four-leaf clovers.
We’ve read books. Lots and lots of books.
Actually, there’s nothing like the promise of a book for a prize to motivate Charlotte to read! We’re participating in summer reading programs at our local public library, Borders/Waldenbooks, Barnes and Noble, and Half-Price Books.
We’ve made sculptures from straws and marshmallows. First the girls cut the straws. This is an easy way for little fingers to practice using scissors.
Then they sculpted.
Then they ate!
This craft idea came from Craft Camp hosted by Skip to My Lou–check it out for great ideas for summer fun!
In the afternoons, Charlotte has attended a camp at the local School for the Creative and Performing Arts. It’s been a great experience for her. The younger girls have enjoyed playing together during those afternoons. There’s been too much to do for them to bother taking naps!
Our evenings have been full of playdates with the girls’ friends and family fun–walks, music-making, and tennis lessons. The girls had their first lessons ever. (Well, Charlotte and Kathleen did. Eleanor just got to be a ball girl.) I had my first lesson in, ahem, about 22 years. We have an awesome instructor, my husband, who actually did teach lessons many, many years ago. This was a highlight of the week for all of us, and we can’t wait to get back on the courts again! Summer evenings are just a great time to do all those things you mean to do, but can never seem to find the time to do!
Because summer fun is a indeed a finer thing in life,
I’ve shared this post at Amy’s Finer Things
Quesadillas kids love (with beans)
I love beans. They taste great, are versatile in recipes, and are full of fiber and protein. My kids like beans too. Usually, they eat them with no complaints. Sometimes, though, they won’t eat a bean if they can identify it as a bean.
One really easy recipe I make with beans is quesadillas. For a long time I mixed cheese and beans and salsa together, scooped some on a tortilla, and cooked it. Most of the time, my kids ate these quesadillas with no complaints. But if they were feeling picky, they would avoid the beans and just eat the cheese.
My friend Regina, mother of four and long-time vegetarian, taught me a great trick for making kid-proof quesadillas with beans. Now, I puree everything in my food processor! So simple, so genius. (Maybe you’ve been doing this forever…well, then you’re smarter than me!)
It works! Everything sticks together really nicely so no stray beans fall out. My children don’t have any chunks to pick out. The pureed beans and melted cheese blend into gooey goodness. I use any beans–Northern, cannelini, pinto, black, kidney. And I usually use a sharp cheddar. If your children are picky and you’re trying to sneak beans in to their meals, I’d start with a lighter colored bean.
I have sauteed onions and peppers and added them in too, but that makes the puree more watery and less appetizing. In my opinion, the added nutrients weren’t worth the complaints.
I usually use whole wheat tortillas. I’ve used corn tortillas, and they’re fine, but we prefer the whole wheat.
So, here’s what you need:
One can (rinsed/drained) or two cups beans
8-12 ounces of grated cheese
1 cup salsa
one dozen large tortillas
Puree the beans, cheese and salsa in a food processor. Add more salsa if the mixture is too thick. Spread some of the mixture on half of a tortilla. Fold the tortilla over. (If you use small tortillas, spread the mixture on one, then stack another on top.) Cook on a griddle or skillet over medium heat. (Use non-stick cooking spray or a little oil on the pan.) Depending on how much bean mixture you use on each quesadilla, you will use eight to twelve tortillas. Cut into wedges.
Serve with some extra salsa for dipping, and enjoy!
Another perk: not only do these quesadillas make an easy, nutritious dinner, they don’t require you to use the oven! A great choice for summer!
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
