Traditions-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Our family traditions are just a bit strange. We don't swap nice gifts, we trade weird ones. Everyone wraps up some white elephant items (the uglier the better) and we play a dice game. First we play to get the wrapped gifts, unwrap them, and then play the dice game again to steal the strange gifts from each other. There are nice items included, and someone brings candy bars and small toys for the kids to go after so they don't feel left out.
And then there is the pickle. (We got this great idea from Dave's family) We re-wrap the same deli pickle every year and include it in our game. Pickle # 2 is going on 5 years now, and has started to get smushy. Pickle # 1 got accidentally eaten after 2 years of play(I know, icky-icky mushy pickle)
We also all go to Macy's and visit the 8th floor Christmas display and then we all get our picture taken with Santa. Can you just see 15 people crowding around and even sitting on poor old Santa, "Ha, We've got him surrounded!"
The kids love the silliness of it all, and everyone so looks forward to our crazy family traditions each year.

Goonie Boots

When I was 6 years old, my mom made me some special slippers. They were made from shaggy brown fake fur, and came up to my knees. Remember Alice the Goon from Popeye? "I luv Popeye, I luv Popeye." (Back when there were only 2 cartoons on to watch after school-Popeye and Tom and Jerry. For some strange reason I liked Popeye.) Anyway, back to the slippers. My Christmas gift that year was some home-made slippers that were more like the furry version of mukluks that you some times see on the worse outfit page of People Magazine. They were brown shaggy furry slippers that came up to my knees and we called them goonie boots (named after Alice the Goons feet) I loved those "goonie boots." They were so warm in fact that I'd get sweaty feet, and instead of taking off the slippers, I'd take off clothes. I was a tall and scrawny 6 year old, all knobby knees and wild tangled hair, running around in only my Wonder Woman under-roos and my goonie boots. I was all, "Lord of the Flies" back then.
I wonder what happened to them, my beloved goonie boots?

Maternity Clothes

Has anyone else noticed that maternity clothes have gotten so much better looking in the last 5 years or so. I recently donated a long lost bag of maternity clothes and was surprised at the difference between clothes I wore for my first pregnancy, 14 years ago and the ones I wore 4 years ago. The ones from 1994 are just terrible. Toddler rompers in size jumbo, blue jean bib over all(in both shorts and in pants), and purple leggings with a green puffy shirt with huge shoulder pads. Did I really wear these? I must have looked like a melon in those tight purple leggings and green shirt, and I shudder at the thought of looking like a giant toddler in rompers. I thought I looked so cute. The ones from 4 years ago are much better. Cute flared jeans, flowing shirts, and beautiful dresses. The undies, unfortunately, were the same styles. If you've ever been pregnant, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Jumbo grandma panties, that can stretch from a size 4 to a size 14. And the bras, what more can be said about those monsters with the 4 hook clasps and shoulder straps wide enough to land a plane on. I still remember the first time I put on my new preggy undies. My sister was over and down stairs, waiting for me to change. I couldn't stop laughing, there was only 1 inch of space between the tops of the undies, and the bottom of the bra. My sister couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying. It was a kind of hysterical laughter that only a pregnant (or crazy) person can truly master. Don't get me wrong, they might have been ugly, but boy were they comfortable. I didn't want to give them up until I had to-yes they are that comfortable. Ahh, one of the many joys of pregnancy, up there with morning sickness and stretch marks.

Sticks and Stones...

My kids have to creative. I don't allow them to tell each other to "shut up." Instead, I hear "sshhhh" loud enough to rattle the windows, and wake neighborhood dogs. The no name calling rule has been pushed to it's limits by all the kids. They don't call each other "stupid," or "dummy," but all have other more creative things to say when they are mad. Leif can be heard yelling, "geeze, kid!" Tess is famous for telling people that they are a "Meany" or saying, "tarter sauce" when she's mad. Oscar now also says, "kid" like it's a nasty word. So far, Tom has been the most creative in his name calling. It's hard not to laugh when you hear a 5 year old calling his 13 year old brother a "butt sneeze!" That one is still my favorite, and I guess it is a good description, and a great substitute for name calling. I know it's all in the context, but I feel kinda proud of his creative use of the English language, and it really is a funny put down coming from a toddler.

Cookies and More Cookies

I'm tired of cookies. I just did my annual Christmas cookie baking. 9 dozen "The next best thing to Tom Selleck" cookies (chocolate with Andes mints melted on top-my favorite), 3 dz choc chip, 6 mini loaves of banana bread, 3 dz death by chocolate, 3 dz choc choc chip cookies, 2 dz peanut butter choc chip, 2 dz turtles, 2 dz peanut butter cups and...fudge. I'm chocolated out, if that's at all possible. I think I ate my weight in chocolate over the last 3 days. Happy Holidays and pass the cookies!

Philmont Training trip with the Family

Philmont, in New Mexico, is the Mecca of Boy Scouts. Our family was lucky enough to go last summer. The High Adventure base is usually reserved only for Boy Scouts and Explorer Scouts, but they had some summer training sessions for adult leaders, and programs for families members, so off we went. It was a really long drive with six people and all of our stuff in my crowded minivan. In Denver the DVD player in my van got stuck on one movie, and wouldn't let us change movies. The kids hope never to see "Balls of Fury" again after 40 hours of the movie, over and over again. If we turned it off, they'd start to fight and get restless, so on it would go, and everyone would calm down. Never underestimate the joy of quiet kids in a cramped van.
The trip was great, we'd never seen mountains before. The sky was so open, days so hot and nights so cold.
Max and I got great Cub Scout training, and the kids all had fun at a week long day camps. Oscar got to go on "real hikes" and Leif went on an overnight hike into the back country. The two oldest boys also got their first taste of altitude sickness and dehydration, but were better off because if it. They both learned first hand what it feels like coming on, so they knew what to do and what not to do when they were out hiking and camping.
We saw deserts, mountains, and tons of wild life. I'll post pictures when I find them. It was a great trip, fun and memorable. Well worth the gas to get there.

The Other Tess Strikes Again

She's at it again, that other Tess. When my toddler Tess, gets caught doing something she shouldn't, she's quick to blame "the other Tess." Who painted the mirror in mom's expensive red lipstick? "The other Tess." Who dropped glitter and beads all over the living room? "The other Tess." I guess it does make some sense to a four year old that her imaginary friend would be the trouble maker. Her brothers don't buy it for a minute, but me, I'm not so fast to judge. I had an imaginary friend (my shadow) who did bad things like cut the baby's hair and flood the bathroom floor. I'm more understanding about it, so I'll be keeping an eye on that "other Tess."