Day 13--Reflecting on Childhood

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 13

When I think of my childhood, two families immediately come to mind....The J and the M families.  Most of my favorite memories were spent with these two families including many family getaway weekends ;)  The parents are still all very close and we kids like getting together when we can.  Every Christmas Eve my mother has a party where all three families get together.  It is so much fun, especially with my dad's crazy "Road to the 3 Kings Competition" and we love to relive the grand days of old.

We met the M family when I was in elementary school (our moms were Brownie Leaders together).  They have three daughters, just like us, and Nik is LB's age, Boo is K's age and Deetz is a few years younger but was usually my partner in crime :)  We spent many vacations at each other lake houses,  choreographed many dance routines (Circle in the Sand is my all time favorite) and theatrical performances (Pete's Dragon is a riot) and even a grown up vacation to Florida where S asked my dad for my hand in marriage :)   We have had a lot of fun over the years and I am so glad that we are all still in touch!

The J family has been my second family since we became neighbors when I was a tween :)  The family includes Papa J, Mama J, and the boys N (who is a few years younger than my sister K) and B (the baby) :)  I use to move in with them whenever my parents first turned on our heat in the house (so allergic to the dust and mold) and whenever Papa H would go out of town on business (I had to protect Mama J ;)).  I was one of their top babysitters (my sister was the other), started a tradition with B where I would pull him out of school for a day to have an adventure (Fun, Free, Friday), went on many vacations together (Cape Cod, the lake and Block Island) and the boys were both asked to be in my wedding (B couldn't make it due to a summer program but he did send Ducky....a story for another day ;)). 

I was really lucky to have these two wonderful families in my life growing up.  They were a very important part of my childhood and continue to be today.  I always know that whenever we are together there will be lots of laughs.  I can't wait for Christmas Eve!

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.

Day 12--Light a Candle for Those you have Lost

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 12

Today's letter is too painful to write right now but the spot is reserved for my beautiful sister in-law Kiki.  I promise to write the letter someday soon, burn it and send it to her in the heavens but for now, it has to remain unwritten.

Kiki has been gone for 6 months but it is all still so sureal.  As we enter into this time of year it is even more difficult.  As I was wrapping a package for Caroline last night, I flipped the box over and there was a gift tag attached to the box.  It said, "To Princess Caroline, Love Auntie Kiki and Dum-B".  I gasped when I saw the tag and my eyes welled up with tears.  Here I thought I was just resusing a box but in away I was keeping her spirit alive at this time of year. 

Tonight at 7pm the Compassionate Friends are having their Worldwide Candle Lighting for people who have lost children of any age.  This is how my in-laws are celebrating Christmas and they are encouraging all of their friends and family to participate as well.  I wish I could be with them tonight because I am sure the house (inside and out) will be glowing with candle light.  We will be participating too and invite you to join us as well.  Light a candle from 7-8pm (your local time) for someone you love who is no longer with us.  It is a world wide event so the candles will be burning for 24 hours as the light circles the globe.  I think it is a beautiful way to welcome in the holidays and let Kiki know that she is still with us.

"The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died at any age from any cause. As candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time, creating a virtual wave of light, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries."

Day 11-This Christmas was Funded by Amazon and Ebay :)

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 11

Today's letter went to another dear friend from my college days :)  J is one of my husband's best friends and believe it or not, J and I were friends a few years before S and I met or started dating!  J and I got to know one another on the Entertainment Committee Board at our University :)  We had so much fun together and even went on a "date".  He is one of the sweetest, funniest and most talented guys I know.  Whenever you are with J, you know that you are in for a bunch of laughs and a good time.

When I started having feelings for S, I went to J for help and advice.  He was so excited that I was finally going after a nice guy and agreed to help in anyway he could.  So I guess you could say that I have J to thank for my wonderful marriage and beautiful children!  Thanks J for being such a good friend and such an important part of our lives :)  Merry Christmas!

Holiday Thoughts

Over the summer I decided it was time to minimalize our lives.  I started with our Family Room and then moved onto the upstairs hallway :)  Both areas look great but I got distracted by the stuff in the basement and have not had the time to do much with the rest of the house (that is my goal for 2011).  I was a teacher and our entire basement wall filled with boxes of my teaching materials (from the floor to the ceiling).  The books were doing no good in the basement and so I decided to start selling them.  I put all of my professional books up on ebay and Amazon (as well as some my mom was ready to get rid of) and also a bunch of boxes of children's books.  I also had a few moms come through and buy some of my chapter books. 

So far I have sold about 1/5 of my books and I have made just over $600!  Throw in the other items I have sold on ebay (children's DVDs, our gamecube and some toys) and I have made over $700.  This money is what we have used to buy Christmas gifts and it has been so nice to not have to worry about credit card bills and debt that we don't need right now.  I hope to continue selling over the winter and then have a yard sale in the spring.  Whatever I do not sell will be donated to Children's hospitals or our local library book sale.  It is my goal that by next summer, that wall will be empty :)

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.

Day 10-Homemade Gifts

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 10

I have decided to stick with the sister theme and so today's letter went to my best friend La :)  La and I have been friends since freshman year in college (we met watching Friends in our dorm lounge) and she has always been more like a sister to me than a friend.  We have had our share of fights (we have had some big ones) but through it all our friendship has grown stronger and we have grown closer.

It was always our dream to live close to one another and raise our children together :)  This dream came true when La moved back to our homeland the day Z was born.  Our children are now growing up together and it is wonderful (Lil' C has already imprinted on La' son Li....a little Twilight reference for ya).  Thanks for always being there for me La, I am so blessed to have you in my life.  Merry Christmas.

Holiday Thoughts

We are trying to simplify our lives and show our children that one of the most special parts of this time of year is giving to others.  I thought that one way to do this would be to start a tradition of making one gift for each child.  My mother use to make the most beautiful gifts for us as children.  Money was tight growing up and she was quite handy with a sewing machine.  I will never forget the Christmas that she made us beautiful fabric bassinets and a complete wardrobe for our baby dolls.  I wish I had realized at the time just how special those were and had taken better care of them over the years! 

I do not have my mom's talent when it comes to sewing but I do have some of her creative spark. This year I made Lil C her very own alphabet book and I am making Z this .  They might not be amazing gifts this year but I hope to start planning next years gifts earlier and do something a little bigger, like build a cradle for Lil C's dolls ;)  I do hope that they will like their gifts and know that they were made from the heart.

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.

Day 9--An Amazing Day

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 9

Today's letter has been sent to my baby sister, the middle of our family, LB.  LB and I are two years apart and were polar opposites growing up!  They say that the middle child either does everything that the first does or does everything differently....that is what LB did ;)  I played soccer, she played field hockey.  I focused on music, she danced.  I loved to read, she did NOT.  I remember each September I would ask her, "Did my old teachers ask about me?"  She did not like living in my shadow and I now understand how annoying it must have been.

As I said to my sister in her letter, if I was to go back in time and tell my 15 year old self that I would one day be best friends with my sister LB, I would have laughed in disbelief.  We were so different that I would have dreamed that to be impossible.  Luckily as we grew, we realized how much we do have in common and have grown very close over the years.  We now call each other every day (sometimes 10 times a day), our children love to play together and we love to be together.  I am so fortunate to have LB in my life and want to thank her for everything she does for me.  Merry Christmas LB :)

Holiday Memories

Day 8 turned out to be one very special day for our family!  Because of the stomach bug, we never got to go to see the Curious George Movie last Friday.  When Lil' C took an early nap, I knew that today was the day to make that adventure happen.  Z had no idea what we were doing until we were standing at the concession stand.  When he heard me say, "Z pick out any candy you want" he about died and went to heaven (usually we sneak in snacks or stop on the way but I had no time).  We snuggled into our seats (5 minutes late) but they didn't start the show until we got settled because we were the only family in the theater!  A private showing of A Monkey Christmas just for us :) 

They both loved the movie (Z had seen it last year on PBS)!  Lil C could not take her eyes off the big screen and sat still for the entire 60 minutes!  They were both perfect angels and the movie had us all singing and laughing.  I didn't think it was possible but following the movie, Z had even more Christmas Cheer ;)  He was beaming and singing as we walked to the car.

To top the day off, S came home early and after dinner we got the kids in their Christmas jammies and drove around looking for the craziest Christmas lights.  We licked candy canes, sang Christmas Carols and drove to a house I had heard of...it was AWESOME and Z was jumping up and down with excitement.  No house was impressive after our destination house but it was still fun looking at the lights.  What a wonderful night and great memories made for all :)

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.

Day 8--Stopping the Madness :)

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 8

The next few days will focus on my sisters :)  I am so blessed to have two wonderful sisters in my life and today I have written to my baby sister K.  K was often last in everything that we did growing up and also had the most hand-me-downs.  It is for this reason that I decided to write to her first :)

I am so very proud of my sister K.  She is working hard to save our world and the way that big companies operate in it.  Her job is very important and she gets paid so little for the great work that she does.  Despite her little pay, she works so very hard and puts 110% of her self into her job. We are all really lucky to have someone like her out there working to help make this planet a cleaner, safer and more fair place to live.

K married her high school sweetheart (almost 2 years ago) and though they don't have children yet, I know they are going to make WONDERFUL parents :)  I am so blessed to have my sister K as one of my best friends and I love her dearly.  Merry Christmas K.

Holiday Thoughts

As always, I finished my holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.  I do this because I like to enjoy the holiday season and do not want to be stressed about not being able to find the right gift, lines etc.  As wonderful as it is to be all done with my shopping (and this year we had a very strict budget with which to shop) there a few drawbacks.  The first is that it is more difficult to return items because you bought them so long ago...if stores have a 90 day policy, you are all set but many only have a 30 day and so you better pray that the gift works out just fine!  The second thing is that some items get cheaper as you get closer to Christmas (however some do get more expensive).  The last issue that I run into, and is the biggest issue of all, is that it is so hard not to be tempted to buy additional things when you see them!!!  My children are sooooo easy to buy for and I am constantly seeing things that would be perfect for them.  I have given in to this temptation a few times but it is time to STOP the madness ;)  I am officially giving S my credit card and will not go to a store without Z (that way I can't buy anything for them).  I did so good with the budget and I do not want to blow it now :)  Happy shopping!

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.

Day 7-Stomach Bug Wreaks Havoc :(

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 7

Today's letter was sent to my favorite teacher of all time, Mrs. Leach.  She was my 9th grade Social Studies teacher and is one of the reasons I am a teacher today.  She was one of the most enthusiastic and energetic teachers I have ever had.  She loves history and this passion came through in her teaching.  I am so grateful to her for all that she did for me (9th grade was a huge growing year for me) and want her to know how special she is to me.  Merry Christmas Mrs. Leach!

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Today's box included a note about movie night.  Unfortunately we have been suffering from the stomach bug for the last week now and so most of the holiday movies have been watched and this is no longer as special as it would have been had we not been watching so much TV lately :(  None the less, Z and C are the last to be sick and vegging out in front of the TV seems to be all they can manage.  I am feeling a bit better today and look forward to having this whole bug behind us! 

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish. 

Day 6--Books of Advent

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 6

Today is my sister in-law A and brother in-law A's anniversary!  Two years ago today they tied the knot in the most beautiful winter wedding.  I thought it was only fitting that they receive today's letter (enclosed in the lightning mcqueen card that Z picked out).  A and A are so much more than in-laws....they are my brother and sister.  I love them very much and wish that we lived closer so that we could see more of each other.  They are both golf professionals and so they have CRAZY schedules.  I am looking forward to some downtime with them over the holidays and I know Z and C are going to love spending time with their auntie and uncle.  Happy Anniversary guys!

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Today's box included a note that told Z that tonight at dinner we would be eating dessert first!!  This was so exciting to him (it is the little things), he LOVES dessert :)  He immediately started planning what his dessert would be.  He is thinking that a candy can would be a very special treat for a very special night, I think he is right.

Because Z is just like me and loves the holidays, I also scooped up this idea from BJ Mama to help countdown to Christmas at bedtime too :)  Every night we go to the book basket where all of our wrapped books sit.  I have them numbered and strategically ordered so that certain books pop up at just the right time.  Z has been loving this!!!  It does not matter that the books are not new and that he has read a few of them a dozen or more times....it is so exciting and special to unwrap each and every one.  Then we curl up on the couch, next to the tree, and read that nights story.  I plan to do this every year until they are too old to care, it is a very special way to count down the days. 

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish. 

Day 5--A Griswold Family Christmas

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 5

Today's letter was sent to our family friends, B and S :)  They are best friends of S's parents and have been celebrating the holidays together for over 35 years!  We are Christian and they are Jewish and it is such a wonderful celebration every year, even more so when the two holidays align.  I don't know of too many families who celebrate Christmas with a delicious Jewish dinner, it is wonderful.  This will be the first year in a long time that we will not be celebrating together.  We have all decided that due to the loss of S's sister, Kiki, we needed a year to remember her and skip all the craziness of the holidays.  It will be difficult to be apart but I think it would be even tougher to be together (if that makes any sense).  I love B and S so very much and I am closer to them then most of my own relatives.  They are a very important part of our lives and I chose today to let them know how much they mean to me.  Happy Hanukkah B, S and the rest of the W clan :) 

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Today's door let Z know that we are going to have a special Griswold Family Christmas, decorating his Neene and Chi Chi "aka Clark's" Christmas tree.  My two sisters, families and mom and dad will be getting together to deck the halls, eat Chinese food and watch this fabulous movie.  It is a family favorite and I can't wait :) 

The picture above is my brother in-law posing as Eddie from the movie.  That is an actual "dicky" that he is wearing and he special ordered the tight fitting sweater just for Christmas eve two years ago.  I almost peed my pants when he surprised us with that funny get up....he tried to locate moose glasses (like in the movie) but they were too expensive :)

Well I got the stomach flu.....so we were exiled from my mom's house :(  Actually they offered to postpone the event but I told them to go ahead with out us.  S was sick with this bug all last week and I am now blessed with it.  We think Z had a mild case over the weekend and we are hoping that C does not get it :(  So we are going to watch the movie as a family of four tonight and I will not be dining on Chinese because that would not be good for my stomach ;)

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish. 

Day 4 of Advent-Hanukkah pictures and the Dentist :(

If you would like to learn more about my personal project called "Advent Letters", please click here :)

Day 4

Today's letter was sent to my wonderful mother :) She is one of my heroes in life and not only a wonderful mother but also a wonderful friend.  I am so fortunate to have her in my life and appreciate she always puts her family first.  She loves us with her heart and soul and I hope she realizes how much we all love her.  Merry Christmas mom, thanks for being you!

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Today Z has to go to the dentist (not his favorite activity after having his tooth removed) and so to sweeten the deal his special experience for today is to go out to breakfast with S :)

Here are some pictures from our Hanukkah party the other night. He wouldn't try the latkes but he did enjoy making them and he was super smart and quit dreidel while he was ahead :)   It was a wonderful experience and Z learned so much from it.

BTW...Our candles are crooked because they melted in the attic over the summer.  I have been trying to locate new candles but after 5 stores I am still unable to locate candles!  Wal-mart claimed to have them but 2 assistant store managers and 5 associates could not locate them (even though they had searched for them the day before and found them).  The two grocery store managers I spoke to were embarrassed by the fact that they did not carry them.  If I were Jewish, I would be really disappointed in this community. I hear Target has them so we will try tomorrow.

 mmmmmm, my first attempt was pretty good

 stand back z, oil splatters!

 dreidel, dreidel, dreidel....

 our melted candles

 the menorah, a gift from one of my former students :)

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

Click here to learn more about my husband's special fundraising effort to raise money for Make A Wish.