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. 

Day 3 of Advent--Movie Day :)

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

Day 3

Today's letter was sent to my very dear friend Sey :) Sey has had a very difficult year but has managed to stay as positive as possible.  Her beautiful children O and L are both inquisitive, creative and so very special and I am proud to be O's god mamma :)  Sey is always there when I need someone (she has been a wonderful support this year) and I am so grateful to have her as my friend.  Merry Christmas Sey!

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

This year Z and Lil' C's advent calendar is filled with holiday experiences.  Each day there is a note in the calendar that shares that days activity.  Some have to do with giving, some crafting, some are adventures to go on and others are just plain fun.  I know it has only been three days of this but Z is always jumping up and down (thank goodness his leg is better) when it is time to open the next box :)

Day three is an adventure :)  Z does not know it yet but we are off to see a Curious George's A Very Monkey Christmas movie at the movie theater.  For those of you not yet familiar with Kidtoons, you need to check it out.  Each month, participating theaters, play kid friendly films (many are PBS shows) during the day.  It is a cheap way to go to the movies with young children :)  If they get restless, you can always leave and not feel guilty for spending a fortune! 

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

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

Day 2 of Advent

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

Day 2

Today's letter was sent to Z and Lil' C's Kindermusik Teacher, Miss Rose.  Miss Rose is so much more than a Kindermusik teacher for our family, she is a great mentor and friend.  I do believe that angels are put down on earth to remind us to do good in this world and treat people fairly....Miss Rose has to be one of those angels.  She is one of the kindest and most giving people I know.  Her entire being and soul is filled with goodness and love and we are so fortunate to have her in our lives.  That is why today she is the recipient of my second letter of Advent.

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Today they opened up their door and there was a note inviting them to write letters to Santa.  I love this activity and in our town we can actually put them in the mailbox addressed to Santa and Santa will write back :) I also went onto the Portable North Pole website and made a video for Z.  I gave them as little personal info as possible (S is paranoid about stuff like that) and it still came out great.  I plan to show him in a few days, after Santa gets his letter :)

Special Christmas Fundraising Project

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

The Countdown Begins

Two weeks ago I was in Lil C's room cleaning up the books she had pulled off of her bookshelf.  One of the books was a collection of Christmas stories that a student had given me my first year of teaching.  It was called Whispers From Heaven for the Christmas Spirit.  At the time I was given this gift, I assumed it was a collection of children's stories and shelved it for my future children.  Picking it up off of the floor of Lil C's room, I took the book in my hand and thought that it might be a wonderful thing to share with Z this holiday season.  I opened it to the middle and read one of the short stories and began to cry.  I quickly realized that this was not a children's book after all but a collection of beautiful stories to remind us of the true spirit and magic of Christmas.  The story that I turned to spoke to me so clearly and I felt that this book had been waiting for me, waiting until I needed it.....

Since that day I have spent some time each day reading a few of the beautiful stories.  Some stories are sad, some filled with miracles, some make you laugh and others make you think....it is a wonderful collection and it has made me truly appreciate all that I have been blessed with.  

This book has been a true gift to me and thus I have decided to spend this holiday season giving back.  My shopping is done, cards have been mailed, house is decorated and so now it is my time to spend time each day counting my blessings and giving to those in need in anyway I can.  Money is tight for us but I plan to give through baking, cooking, volunteering, donating and my new special project, "Advent Letters".

"Advent Letters" is a project that I dreamed up as a way to reflect upon my life and those special people in it.  My mission as we count down to Christmas is to write one letter per day (24 in all) to someone important to me, I hope these letters will show the people in my life how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate them.  It is a gift for me to write them and I hope it will be a gift for them to receive them as well.   Each day this month I will share on this blog the recipient of the days letter as well as the experience that Z and C will open in their Advent Calendar.  So please think of others as you go into this crazy time of year and find away to give back.

Day One

My very first letter of "Advent Letters" went to my brother in-law, Uncle B.  Uncle B lost his wife this year, our dear Kiki, and I felt he was the perfect person to start this project with.  He is an amazing person with a giant heart and I know how badly it is aching right now.  I am so lucky to have him as my brother in-law and will miss him terribly this holiday season (he will be visiting his family over seas).  I hope he enjoys the first letter and I hope he knows how much we love him.

Z and Lil C's Advent Calendar of Experiences

Z and C opened their first door of their Advent Calendar today and found a note letting them know that tonight is the first night of Hanukkah.  Our dear family friends celebrate Hanukkah and every holiday season we celebrate along with them.  Tonight we will read our Hanukkah books, play a game of dreidel and I will attempt to make latkes for the first time (I hope they are 1/2 as good as B's :)).  It might seem odd to some but we are spending our first day of Advent, learning about and celebrating Hanukkah.

 Click here to learn more about a fundraising effort my husband has organized for the Make a Wish foundation :)

Everybody Loves Christmas Time

My wonderful husband wrote a fun and catchy holiday song back in 2002.  He has had a few "fans" of the song for a few years now (friends and family with copies of the CD) but this year as a special holiday project he has put it up on iTunes for all to hear.  I am so happy for him.

As many of you know, we lost S's sister this past year after a four year battle with breast cancer.  In honor of her and her love for the holiday season, all proceeds of the song for this year will go to the Make a Wish Foundation in her name.  Krista was a dream maker and so S thought it was fitting to raise money to make dreams come true for children who need hope.

So please go to iTunes and check out the song (that's me on the cover, the one in the red dress).  It costs only 99cents and it is really fun and catchy.  Z listens to it about 30 times a day and I am still not sick of it ;)  We would love it if you could spread the word (we have a FB fan page called "Everybody Loves Christmas Time"), we are trying to raise as much money for Make A Wish as we can. 

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Fall Pictures

Here are some photos from our fall.  I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost upon us and that winter will be here soon :)

Z at the pumpkin patch :)

 Z "raking" leaves

 big family trip to the apple orchard

Lil' C's first time apple picking

 Columbus day Weekend at the lake

Z playing baseball with my godson O 

 Z's glow in the dark cast (before signatures)

 Lil C checking out the top of the pumpkin :)

 checking out the finished jack-o-lantern

 Lil' C all dressed up in her cow costume at TRU because we couldn't go to any 

Halloween parties due to her cold :(

 Our Spookly the Square Pumpkin Window

Our Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving Window 

All turkeys were made from tracing Z's feet or hands.  

We even have a cast turkey (it looks like a potato) :)

Z isms....

Kids say the darndest things and I want to take a few minutes to record some of Z's most recent comments :)

First let me record Lil C's:

"Daaaawwwddy,  Daaaaawwwwddy, Daaaaawwwwddy"  she says this all day everyday
"Mamma!!!!!!!!!!!"  she says this when she is screaming and upset
"Chi Chi" she says this when she sees my dad.
"sh ba da la ma na ra da ra da da ra"  this is her daily babble

Z isms

"Z would you like a grilled cheese?  Lil C and and I are enjoying one."
"No thank you mommy.......do they have a boy cheese sandwich?"

While listening to "All I want for Christmas" by Maria Carey Zachary looked at me very puzzled and said, "Mommy, who is this lady and why does she want me for Christmas?"

While driving home in the carpool the other day, Z turned to his friend Abbey and said, "That's a crack house over there.  Yup a crack house.  See the crack house!"  My friend Kacie was trying not to laugh in the front and wondered what Z and I talk about on our rides too and from school when he then said, "and there is a stone house, and there is a white house....."  :)

Z was playing with my dad and was pretending to be a dinosaur looking for spiders.  He would catch pretend spiders for my dad and say, "here is a red one, it smells like apples".  Then he gave my dad a blue one and my dad asked him what the blue one smelled like and Z said "Uranus! (Your Anus)"   My dad decided not to eat that one :)