12.20.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Calm, Children, Christmas, Death, Food, Frankincense, Gifts, Gold, Meditation, Myrrh, Remembering, Royalty, There Wisemen
The gift of Gold has worth throughout time and cultures. It is a gift for royalty, a gift for the King child.
We all would like to make our children’s dreams come true on Christmas day to make them feel rich beyond money. Our little princess will receive a szu szu castle, not quite gold but you would think it was as hard as it was to find.
The gift of Frankincense is the milky sap tapped from the Broswellia tree (save that for your Christmas trivia game). Herbalists say it is calming and meditative. In ancient times it was burned and believed to carry your prayers to heaven.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take some of that!
Christmas is a time for reflection and meditation of years gone by and our many wonderful gifts and prayers that are answered, regardless of whether you need smoke to reach the heavens.
The gift of Myrrh is derived from a resin produced by a scraggly tree that grows in the semi-deserts of North Africa. It is considered a wound healer and used as an embalming material. It was one of the burial spices of Jesus.
We all have lost someone close and perhaps the Season brings sadness for those who are no longer with us. The memories of Christmases past can bring a calmness to us that we don’t seek or receive during the rush of our every day lives.
I have added my grandmother’s halupsies (cabbage rolls), my father’s orange slices and chocolate clusters and my brother’s Cherry Mashes to our cuisine to remember their favorite foods of the holidays.
Here’s hoping you receive that special gift, remain calm and remember those who have passed for the Holidays.
Merry Christmas
03.30.10 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Children, garage sale, math, school, Wizard
At my last parent-teacher conference the teacher was pleased to announce that my first grader is a MATH WIZ. Really? Math, you don’t say? That’s nice. HOW?!
It’s not like I’ve worked with her with flashcards since her high-chair days (Oh, those commercials drive me nuts, pleeaaase!).
The teacher continues her excitement, “Yes! She is the only one in my class that has a full grasp on money and change.
Oh, I get it now! Perhaps this teacher doesn’t realize how many garage sales this poor little girl has had to endure. I did the dragging, but little Miss Math/Garage Sale Wizard did the shopping! This one ain’t shy. Before I can browse through a box of book titles, she is up at the card table asking if they would take a quarter for a toy, shoes or anything that sparkles.
She found out early that mama wasn’t going to buy her everything just because it was cheap. Really how many Little Pony’s do you need? That’s when she started taking (and buying!) little purses to throw all her found change in.
We started early.
At first she would need help identifying coins (The quarters are the big ones.). Then we worked on how much each was worth, followed by adding and making change.
She has it down, sometimes even assisting the poor little lady who is adding items with her industrial-sized adding machine next to her muffin-tin change organizer.
Last week my daughter was all excited saying that she had to get some old toys priced and, “Oh, could you make some cookies and maybe some granola bars?”
I’m thinking I must have missed something on a school note. It’s not like the teacher uses flashcards with us parents. I’m lucky to read school notes half of the time. But as I’m going through the assortment of gold star math papers, I find verification of my Little Miss Math Wiz demands — A Math Class Garage Sale.
Each child is to bring 25¢ in dimes, nickels and pennies along with low priced items. A math class garage sale! How ingenious! I wonder where are on earth the teacher came up with such a brilliant idea.
She’s a garage sale wizard
There’s got to be a twist
A garage sale wizard
She’s got a coin purse on her wrist
How do you think she does it?
(I don’t know)
What makes her so good?
She ain’t got no distractions
Can see the bargains and deals
Doesn’t let high stickers stop her
Pays only in small bills
Always gets a bargain
Never over-pays at all
That Math/Garage Sale Wizard
Sure has a bargain ball!
12.14.09 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Children, Christmas, Crafts, Food
After popping a bag of popcorn, we snuggled in to watch a favorite holiday movie. After a few handfuls, my daughter soon lost interest and the bag found a comfy little crack in the couch to settle in for the winter.
As I was saving my couch and prying out the wedged bag, I came to an impasse: Do I THROW AWAY food or do I roll it closed and stuff it in the bread box to be thrown away two weeks from now?
Now, I hope you agree that there is something wrong with throwing away food, and I’m sure you know that popcorn grows stale after about five minutes.
Then, I had one of my BRILLIANT ideas! How fun would it be to string it! I was startled to find out my youngest had no idea what I was talking about and had, in fact, had that “mom-I-think-you-have-finally-gone-over-the-deep-end” look on her face.
This made me wonder what other traditions, Christmas or otherwise, that I have assumed my children knew just because they were parts of my memories.
Guess what parents? YOU are in charge of making your children’s memories. The bonus here is that these simple moments are the memories that last.
Tips for stringing the popcorn:
- Keep the thread on the spool. That way you can make your garland as long as possible.
- Thread, dental floss and fishing line all work.
- Let the popcorn sit out for a while. It is less likely to break if it is stale.
- After the holidays, put the garland outside for the birds.
