Holidays

Daily Dose of Cupcakes

4 Comments / Family Funk, Holidays, Kid Talk, Memories /

Happy 18th Birthday

The birthday girl came home from an all-nighter to change clothes and get her stuff before heading to school to take a math test. We nudged her into the kitchen to check out her cupcakes and she giggled.

And then she said… “How did you know I love chocolate cupcakes with white icing?”

Errr I have been this child’s mother for 18 full years and I have baked her so many batches of cupcakes for birthdays and other events that it would be impossible for me to NOT know that this is the only kind of cupcake that Michelle likes.

Kids are clueless.

Taking cupcakes to school when you're in college


And then she grabbed a cupcake to take with her to school, as I knew she would.














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See mom, I told you

5 Comments / Family Funk, Holidays, Kid Talk /

A few days ago my mom called to see if Michelle wanted anything special for her 18th birthday or if she should “just add money to her CD”. I told her to just add the money to the CD because Michelle can afford to buy anything she wants or needs… and she really would appreciate money added to the CD (most often referred to around here as the “Michelle’s down payment for a house when she’s 25 fund”.)

Sure enough, Michelle proved that she can, and sometimes does, buy herself whatever she wants.

This mandolin was purchased by Michelle during her break between classes today – without touching her savings at all.

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I have a sock

4 Comments / Family Funk, Holidays /

TW knitted me a sock!

Some of you are aware that TW decided, about a year ago, that she was going to knit me a pair of socks for our “sock day” anniversary. This has brought me no end of amusement because TW did not know how to knit. Heh. Now she does (as do three of the girls) and now I have one sock to show for her efforts.

It’s a gorgeous sock, made with twisted sisters yarn, and I cannot wait ’til I have another one to match. If she knits like an inch and a half everday, I could possibly have it for Valentine’s Day…

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Quick Question for the Masses

4 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Family Funk, Friends & Family, Holidays, Movies & Television /

I thought I was going to post a real blog post but Surfette didn’t text me and tell me to write so I just kept on working and I’m still working and will probably still be working two hours from now.

I do however want to take a minute to ask a very important question…

Which one of you sent TW a Slingbox?

A package arrived yesterday (or maybe it was late last week?) and I thought it was that last thing for Prince J that didn’t arrive in time for Christmas so I didn’t bother opening it. As I was talking on the phone some time this afternoon, I glanced at the box and saw “Sling” and thought “Huh. Why would that box say “Sling”?” So I hung up and opened the box.

Slingbox. Which was on TW’s wishlist but since she doesn’t watch TV, Santa did not bring it. So which one of you sent it? Who do I kill thank?

Now, back to work I go.

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Holiday fiasco?

5 Comments / Family Funk, Friends & Family, Holidays, Kid Talk /

Every year I look forward to reading mommybloggers blogging about their holiday food fiascos and I always feel just a little be BETTER than them because I have never experienced such a thing. Possibly because I don’t do a lot of heavy duty holiday cooking or because I raised my children not to get all excited over holiday meals. Food. is. Fuel. That’s it. Unfortunately TW has come along and screwed that right up and the big kids have all of these big expectations for their holiday meals. Damn her. But it’s ok – she can do the cooking and deal with it if things don’t go quite right.

Seriously, as I was sitting here trying to come up with a holiday food fiasco so I could play along with Chris (y’all know how much I adore Chris, I’ve even pretended to forgive her for that whole “Big Yellow House” lie) and the only food fiascos I can come up with are related to my son. Poor Chris.

The first year my ex husband and I were divorced, Michelle and Chris headed back up to Jersey for the Thanksgiving feast. The ex had remarried and they were having some huge holiday meal with his new wife’s family. This was not a situation either Chris or Michelle were going to be in love with but Chris especially was no doubt uncomfortable just stepping in the front door. And then it happened. The boy dropped the macaroni & cheese as he was carrying it to the table.

The macaroni & cheese (which we do not have on Thanksgiving, EVER) was apparently one of the “new family’s” favorite Thanksgiving dishes and the kid dropped it. In front of everyone. Before anyone had a chance to eat a bite. Poor kid. The fact that his father divorced this “new family” hasn’t really helped ease the pain of that day – people still say stuff like “Don’t let Chris carry the macaroni & cheese”.

Also, the boy caught a birthday cake on a pink plastic serving tray on fire – inside of the oven – melted it all over the place which is why we have had a sign over our oven that says “Look Inside Oven” for about four years.

Do yourselves a favor – don’t invite my poor, sweet, son to your holiday dinners – he seems to be cursed.

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Quirky? Nah, not us.

2 Comments / Family Funk, Holidays, Kid Talk /

I think the quirkiest of our holiday traditions (besides TW’s weird obsession for matching holiday pajamas) is the fact that everything is a tradition. If we’ve done it once, it’s a tradition – according to little Liz.

This, I will admit, drives me a little nuts. But, it’s also quite amusing.

Going to the park by the hospital to take pictures that will be put on t-shirts for her mom for Christmas is a tradition – done once, years ago.

Going to Sears in holiday pajamas for photos is a tradition – done once, years ago.

Thank goodness I’ve done an excellent job of making it clear that last year’s “12 days of Christmas” celebration was a one time deal. It was fun once but I wouldn’t want to do it every year.

How quirky are your family traditions?

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Ant or grasshopper?

2 Comments / Christmas, Family Funk, Holidays /

Errr, I’m something else entirely but I’m not sure what.

Citymama is asking whether we finish our holiday shopping at the last minute (like a slow poke ant) or if we get it out of the way quickly (like a grasshopper). I’m having trouble categorizing myself.

I tend to finish quickly but then, much to TW’s chagrin, I start shopping all over again. I can’t help it. I’ll find a truly excellent gift for child number four that I simply cannot pass up so I’ll buy it. Then, I’ll find the perfect gift for child number one and I’ll buy that too. This means that I’ll probably actively look for perfect gifts for the other kids so that we keep the gift ratio sort of similar for everyone.

So yea. I finish early but seem to constantly buy right up until the very last minute. Budget and original lists be damned.

How about you? Ant or grasshopper or something else entirely?

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Being productive on my birthday

2 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Family Funk, Friends & Family, Holidays /

Well. I’m not sure anyone else would call what I’m doing today “productive” but it feels that way to me and since it is my birthday, humor me.

I have a troubling to TW habit – I save a lot of blog posts as “new” to read later or to save for possible blogging in the future. How many is a lot? This morning I started with 621 saved items.

TW constantly tells me to just get rid of them. She’s nuts. I saved them for a reason and I am NOT going to get rid of them without reading them, bookmarking them and blogging them.

So that’s what I’m doing today. Cleaning out my saved items. I’m down to 293. 115 of those are Queercents posts, heh. (The blog I most love to NOT read.)

Once I finish with the saved posts in my Bloglines, I’m moving to clean out my email boxes. I have hundreds of saved emails, most from TW on topics I’m no longer interested in (thank you new job!)

Go me.

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