Birthday Traditions

Today is My Buddy's Birthday! We have a few fun birthday traditions that I thought I'd publish in my blog.

One tradition that is unique to us is decorating the birthday person's door. I hang up their favorite colored crepe paper streamers that hang down in front of the door opening. When the birthday person awakes, there is this fun suprise to walk through all day long!

My parents started the "breakfast in bed" tradition years ago. We continue with this tradition as the kids ask for their favorite breakfast cereals/meals. I remember mom mailing me a box of Lucky Charms (or as she called them "Yucky Charms") on my birthday when I lived down in Oxford, OH. This year, #3 had yogurt ("ogurt" in his speech), fresh strawberries and milk. All of this was served on red plates with a small "You are special" bear figurine on the side. Another Hatch Batch tradition for "Red Letter Days." I already have been told all year that #1 wants "bacon, lots of bacon" for his breakfast in bed.

Our little family has the tradition of letting the kids open their birthday gifts in the morning. That way they have all day to laugh and play, laugh and play! I'm sure this will change as the kids grow older and spend more time in school and have other activities. But for now. It is really fun to watch them open their gifts in bed.

Another Hatch Batch tradition which is now ours deals with dinner. The birthday person gets to choose what meal is served. And of course, what dessert. Growing up, I picked a lot of uncommon desserts. I remember a cheesecake one year where mom spread cherries on one side and left the other side plain. Once I even asked for Baclava. Mom found a recipe, bought the varous ingredients and made it for me in a tiny kitchen in the humid month of August. I know #1 is following me in his dessert choices. This year he wants "brownies, you know that kind with the caramel inside." So I will dig out my old roommate's "Turtle Brownie" recipe and make it from scratch! YUM!

Another tradition that is being continuted is the singing of Happy Birthday...all 4 verses!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy Bithday to you!
Happy Birthday dear, ---,
Happy Birthday to you!

How old are you?
How old are you?
How old is ---
How old are you?

We love you, we do!
We love you, we do!
We love you, dear ---!
We love you, we do!

May the good Lord bless you!
May the good Lord bless you!
May the good Lord bless ---!
May the good Lord bless you!

Our newest birthday tradition was started last February by my daughter. As the cake is being served, everyone starts chanting "_____, gets the first bite! ______, gets the first bite!" And then the birthday person gets to eat the first bite of cake. While we have always waited for everyone to be served cake before digging into our own pile of sweetness, this new tradition is fun and yet another memory in the long line of memories that we collect during this earth life. I'm so glad to have all these birthday traditions and for the memories they foster.

My Buddy

Lately, my youngest son has been my buddy. He is the only one that wants to go shopping with me and we have tons of fun as we walk up and down the isle. We giggle and sing and play make believe. I love this one on one time. (The other two kids stay home with Dad.)

Tonight, he decided that it would be best if he wore one sandel and one boot. Then off we went. We went to Meijer and he saw a box of Saltine crackers which he "needed." Of course, I let him pick up a box and carry it to the checkout lane. Usually we talk to the live lobsters, but passed on that tonight. As we were walking past the pasta, he started flapping his arms. I asked him, "Are you a bird?" A nodded yes was the reply. "Oh, don't fly away!" I said to him. This of course made the gentleman next to us smile and nod his head. Later he was super helpful has he "tossed" the groceries onto the conveyor belt. I think the couple behind us in the checkout line noticed my son's peculiar footware because they kept smiling at us. Because he was so cute, my son was given 2 suckers from the check out girl.

We came home laden with treats...gogurt, cheese sticks, yogurt, saltines, tomatoes for salsa and chippies...All were his requests. The older two kids were eager to hear if their little brother got any treats for going with me. Little do they know what the real treat was...one on one time with mom and smiles and laughter.

I love my buddy!

Magical Childhood Moments

Late last night, the loose tooth that my daughter had been wiggling in her mouth for days, popped out! It was a pretty exciting moment since it was her first tooth to come out. She showed it to all of us and then we put it in a special wooden box. (It was the same wooden box that I had given my parents with a tiny baby inside, announcing that I was expecting my first child. Just like my mom had done years before for her own mother.) We put the wooden box on her desk by her jewelry box so that the tooth fairy would find it near the other important treasures.

My daughter is dear and sweet and unfortunately lives in an age where magical childhood moments are infrequent and die away rather quickly. Just last spring, she was already on to the Easter Bunny. I think I steered her back into childhood make believe.

Fairies are dear and special and fun. Luckily she still believes in them and plays along with them too. For instance, a Christmas Elf comes to our house every December 1 with a letter reminding us that he is going to be watching us duirng the day. At night, he will report back to Santa on what was done and said that day. The next morning, the kids gleefully run about the house trying to find the Elf's new lookout. A few general reminders are given in the letter: don't touch me, choose the right, obey your parents. It's a great month!

We have some house fairies too. I rarely, very rarely, make my bed. On occasion, my DH will do it. Then I'll exclaim, "Wow! The Bed Fairy made my bed!" My daughter has figured out this fairy. A couple of weeks ago, she came to me announcing that the Bed Fairy had made my bed. I could see the excited gleam in her eyes when she confided in me that she was the Bed Fairy.

So in the life of a child, at least my child, I am so glad there are these magical moments...Moments that I am trying to keep alive as long as I can in my kids' lives.

A short history on how I found my hobby!

In the past year and a half, I've become quite involved with rubber stamping and card making. I remember going to the house of an older woman at church who let me borrow some stamps/papers when my #1 was a baby and I was already expecting #2. I had a lot of fun making and sending out valentines that year. But then I got involved with babies and life.

Some time after my grandmother passed away, my grandfather asked me to go through the closet in the "red room" and take whatever I might like to have. On the shelves was a bunch of craft supplies and I took the few rubber stamps, a packet of markers and a couple of ink pads. I started playing with the supplies and realized that I needed more supplies to really get into this hobby. I called my friend, M**, who had a Stampin Up! party at her house about 2 years before. As it turned out, she was now a Stampin Up! (SU) demonstrator.

With more supplies and stamp sets that coordinated, I really took off. M** told me about Splitcoaststampers (SCS), a totally AWESOME stamping website. If I wasn't already hooked, I was totally sucked in after browsing around on that website.

A year and 8 months later, present day, and I'm still stamping away. I've taken over the dining room, which the kids now call "the art room." I love the new name of the room. Growing up, we called the living room "the music room," because it had a large baby grand piano in it. I certainly believe that being creative is much better than sitting in front of a computer or tv for endless hours! We spend countless hours in that room during the day. It's lovely!

Today I made a card for the Color Challenge, Tuesday's challenge on SCS. This card turned out quite nice and was am very pleased. I decided to make a card for a cyber stamping friend who has a fussy baby these days and came up with card that you see to the left. Going with the Froggie theme, I made this card. As I was almost finished, Mr. Brown arrived with a box of stamping goodies. So I will be giving the last card to my friend E**, whose orders help me get to my quarterly minimums as a SU demo.

I really enjoy making these cards and giving them away. And I'm so grateful that I have a place to upload them and admire them, long after they are gone!

Day 2...still thinking of somthing amusing to share...

But since I have this tiny following, I thought I'd better post something for you to read. If only for my mom to read since she has promised to check my blog every day.

You all probably wish you had a mom like that, don't you!

Last week, we met this nice little family that lives around the corner from us. Their kids' ages and genders match my kids' ages and genders! They have lived here just a year and are trying to sell their house. Well, right now they have 2 houses. One here and one on the west side of the state. When they sell one house, they will move to the unsold house. The husband pretty much travels all week long.

The mom and 3 kids came by tonight and invited us over and we went to their house and chatted while the kids played. It's so nice to finally find a nice, chatty friend...in the flesh. I am so hoping that the other house sells!

I don't know if that story is amusing. I guess we'll file this entry under "& Things." I could write amusing things about the neighbors that live closer to me that are not friendly. But I'll leave that to your imaginations.

First of (hopefully) many entries...

I think I started a blog or was in the process of starting one several weeks ago. But who knows where in cyberspace it is at this point in time. Not sure what I'll be using this for...thus the name Amusing Musings & Things. I figured that title pretty much covered anything I'd write about...if I even have something amusing to write about!