House of Estrogen

A Look Back at 2009

As 2009 comes to a close and I get ready to watch the ball drop in Times Square through live streaming video, I thought I'd share a look back at our 2009. We had a lot of fun this year but struggled through a lot of difficult times too. I am ready to get 2009 behind us and move on to a new year and fresh beginnings. Good-bye 2009, hello 2010! Happy New Year!

 

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A Tradition Continued

Last year, we started a new tradition at Thanksgiving of giving each person in the family the same amount of money to donate to the charity of their choice. It has turned out to be a nice way to talk about our own family's blessings and the struggles and issues facing other families.  I think we all benefit from letting the children really have a say in how we do some of our charitable giving. We discussed our selections over Thanksgiving but with the chaos surrounding J.C.'s injury that week, we finally finished doing our donations today, just under the wire for 2009.

I chose to contribute to the Dallas Zoo in memory of my Uncle John who was an ardent Zoo supporter and volunteer.

J.C. made his contribution to Doctors without Borders, a humanitarian organization providing medical assistance to people in war torn countries. Anderson Cooper of CNN has been very impressed with the work Doctors without Borders is doing all over the world. He has written about them in his book and done a 60 Minutes Story about how they are tackling the crisis of malnutrition.  

Addison donated her share to The Ronald McDonald House of Durham which provides a home away from home for the families of seriously ill children being treated at Duke. It is a wonderful place.

Nina, like last year, chose to purchase animals from Heifer International "because people don't really have a lot of food, so I was thinking I would give them some food because they are starving sometimes."  Heifer International provides livestock and training to families living in poverty as sustainable gifts for the families to support themselves and provide for their communities. Nina donated a pig, a trio of rabbits, and a flock of chicks this year.

Elise decided to split her money between two organizations. She gave half to the Lance Armstrong Foundation "because I know that cancer is really scary, so I  really wanted to do something to cancer." With the other half, she is giving to an organization from which she benefited this year. Karl's Books is a nonprofit that collects new and gently used books for kids being treated at the UNC Chapel Hill Pediatric Oncology Clinic. Children being treated in the clinic can take a book to help them escape boredom, fear, or feeling rotten during treatment. They can read them in the clinic and take them home. When Elise was seen there in the clinic this year when she had ITP she was able to enjoy a book while waiting in the clinic and then take it home with her. She knows how much it meant to her, so she wanted to donate to Karl's Books "because sometimes people get bored at the hospital not doing anything except mushing their brains up watching TV." She took her money to Barnes and Noble where I told her to select a variety of books for different ages of boys and girls. I suggested she choose books that she thinks kids would get excited about receiving at the clinic. I think she did a great job. The reading level pretty much stops at age 8. The list is also a bit slanted toward an 8 year old girl's interests, but that's OK. Any 8 year old girl being treated at the Clinic in the new year should have a nice selection of books from which to choose! Elise purchased:

• Lanie (An American Girl) by Jane Kurtz
• Hank Zipzer: Day of the Iguana by Henry Winkler
• Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
• Baby Einstein Touch and Feel Farm Animals
• Usborne touchy-feely book: That's Not My Fairy...
• Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton
• Chloe the Topaz Fairy by Daisy Meadows
• Scarlett the Garnet Fairy by Daisy Meadows
• Megan the Monday Fairy by Daisy Meadows
• Titanic (A Magic Treehouse Research Guide) by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
• National Geographic Kids 2010 Almanac
• The Tasty Tale of Chewandswallow by Rick Barba
• The Princess and the Frog: Hoppily Ever After by Elle D. Risco
• Skippy Jon Jones by Judy Schachner
• Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr.

Farewell 2009!

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A Quality School Bus Education

"I have my middle finger up because it means something bad happened."

- Nina, age 5

Simple Woman's Daybook, December 28, 2009

For Today...

Outside my window... is a bright, sunny, beautiful winter day with a bright blue sky.

I am thinking... about chocolate. I need some. OK... yeah, my hips don't need it, but it sure sounds nice right about now.

I am thankful for... all the Christmas morning memories this year.

From the kitchen... leftover ham from Christmas, macaroni and cheese, and baked apples.

I am wearing... jeans, a navy tank, and a new tan shirt that I really like.

I am creating... thank you notes.

I am going... to sew a bazillion patches on Brownie and Daisy vests tonight.... gotta get those vests ready for cookie sales!

I am reading... nothing right now. Maybe I'll take the girls to the library this afternoon to pick up something new to read.

I am hoping... that J.C. doesn't end up needing surgery. The orthopedist basically left it in his hands this morning saying that if his knee feels stable, then there is no need for surgery. If he has trouble with biking or other activities though, then the doc will go in to try to repair it. His PCL tear has healed from a stage 3 to a stage 2 tear on its own. Surgery might get him to a stage 1 if it goes well. It is major surgery though, so hopefully he'll do OK with this stage 2 tear. Crossing fingers.

I am hearing... my quiet house. I took all three girls plus a friend to a bounce house place this morning, so they bounced themselves to exhaustion. They are all napping now. Ahhhh...

Around the house... Christmas decorations I need to start packing away.

One of my favorite things... my new car - yes, I know that is the same thing I listed last week, but it really is my favorite thing right now... the heated seats, the XM radio, the Onstar phone, the remote start, the new car smell. I just love it!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... not much planned... mostly just a lazy week at home.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...  Elise received the game Bananagrams for Christmas. While we were playing, Nina came over and tried to spell her middle name, Elizabeth. I've seen lots of variations of Catherine, Kathryn, Katherine, Cathrin, etc. but never this variation on Elizabeth. Maybe she's starting a new trend.

 

  

  To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

I Want to be Two Again

I'm pretty sure that when I was two, I did not fully appreciate how stinking cute I looked in dresses with ruffles on the back. Sadly, now, I wouldn't look nearly so cute.

 
 

 
  

Holly Jolly Christmas

By all accounts, we had an excellent Christmas this year.

- The girls were thrilled with their stash.

- We somehow managed to come out under budget - SHOCKER!

- The house looked like Toys R Us threw up all over our living room, but that's to be expected. I thought J.C.'s head might explode today during his rant about the mess, but he tolerated it quite nicely yesterday.

- Although the day was ridiculously busy with Christmas festivities at three different locations, Addie conked out for a 2+ hour nap in the middle of it. Thank goodness - we wouldn't have survived otherwise.

- We ate fabulous food all day long and spent time with lots of family.

- We drove my new car, and well... that was just fun. All the XM satellite holiday music stations made the drive a bit more festive.

The morning started out with a bang... I think Santa scored big with Nina's grown-up Dora doll. (I apologize for the length of the video. I had "issues" with the video editing software, and after cursing it for a good bit, I finally gave up. No editing today.)

There was laughter...

 

And kisses...  
 

A note from Santa (explaining in great detail why he brought the doll Kirsten rather than Ruthie who was requested)...

And men in the kitchen carving turkey and making chicken slicks (I couldn't let this blog post go by without mentioning chicken slicks. I just like the name. Chicken slicks. Maybe I'll say it one more time. Chicken slicks. Really, is there anything more Southern than something called chicken slicks?)...

 

presents galore...

 

Some relaxation...

And some ZZZZ's

A really cool photo (I wish I could take credit for creating this effect, but my camera somehow ended up on the wrong setting. A bunch of pictures came out blurry, and I just got lucky that this one looked really cool!)

Stockings stuffed with goodies (I think Addie would have been perfectly happy with the Pez dispenser from her stocking and nothing else!)...

And silly T-shirts (bonus points to the first commenter who can name the origin of the "I am the Stig" shirt without having to google it!)

A really nice family photo (Hey look! Proof I was there!)

A Magnatiles builder...

And a Magnatiles destroyer...

And several generations (that's great-granddaddy)

The day is over, but the memories (and left-overs and toys) are still with us. It really was a holly, jolly Christmas this year!
 
  
 
 
 
 

  

Prepping for Santa

1. Assemble and light luminarias so he can find his way.

 

2. Bake Candy Cane Kiss Brownie Bites and set them out with a ginormous glass of milk.

3. Open Christmas Eve gifts of new PJ's and don them.

 

4. Hang stockings and place swim goggles in the ready position.

 

Whew... I think we're ready!

  

Simple Woman's Daybook, December 21, 2009

For Today...

Outside my window... it is cold and dark. I'm late writing my daybook today.

I am thinking... I really shouldn't be shocked how close Christmas is every morning when the girls open their advent calendars and tell me how many days are left until Christmas. Somehow though, it manages to surprise me every day. I am done with my shopping but haven't even touched wrapping paper. I'm beginning to stress about that.

I am thankful for... my family.

From the kitchen... leftover birthday cake from Addie's party. Is it terrible that I let my kids eat leftover birthday cake for breakfast?

I am wearing... jeans and a Sanitary Fish Market t-shirt, but I will be wearing pajamas as soon as I finish this post.

I am creating... hopefully some wrapped gifts sometime in the next day or two!

I am going... to bed soon.

I am reading... I finished The Help, by Kathryn Stockett on my flight back from Dallas earlier this week. I LOVED this book! I highly recommend it. I think it ranks up there as one of my favorite books ever. Right now, I'm just reading People magazine!

I am hoping... that we have a wonderful Christmas this year.

I am hearing... my quiet house. Everyone is sleeping.

Around the house... Christmas decorations making the house look cheery.

One of my favorite things... my new car that I bought TODAY!!!! Woo hoo!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... holiday camp for the girls, making dinners with a friend, working through Christmas Eve, then enjoying Christmas as a family.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...  my new GMC Acadia!

 
  

  To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Beep, Beep!

By the time the older girls were two, they were already completely enamored with a cartoon character. Elise was a Sesame Street junkie, so it was a no-brainer that her second birthday party would have an Elmo theme. Nina was all about Dora the Explorer when she was two, so her planned and then postponed and then planned again and then canceled second birthday party would have been a Dora party. The nurses in the hospital where she was being treated were the beneficiaries of a lovely Dora cake.

As Addison's birthday rolled around, I was at a loss for a party theme. The child refuses to watch TV, and her favorite book is about a dratted caterpillar. I was not in the mood for a caterpillar party. She loves school buses though, so the school bus themed birthday party idea was born.

We had a school bus cake.

Entertainment was provided by a school bus pop-up tent.

 

 

She was sporting a tres chic personalized school bus t-shirt.

 

 And Elise gave her a school bus toy.

 

 

This gift had nothing to do with school buses, but it is an awesome ride-on. The little caster wheels move in any direction, so you can do 360's on this bad boy.

 

Addie's favorite gift of the night came from Nina. Nina selected this jack-in-the-box about a month ago, adamant that Addie would love it. She was right. I had to pry it out of Addie's chubby little paws tonight, so she didn't take it to bed with her.

 

 

This party may have been lacking the usual Elmo, Pooh, Barney, or Dora paraphernalia, but I believe the school bus party was a huge success. Beep, Beep!