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Archive for Holidays

Memorial Day Rememberance

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Renee Spindle

Today is the day we observe Memorial Day. A day we fellow citizens of the United States of America honor those who have fought and stood for our freedoms. A day to honor the military forces for their continued, diligent work to keep our freedoms in tact.

I am reminded of this poem that our family has talked about around this time of year, and I thought it would be appropriate to post this poignant poem today.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

– Lt. Col. John McRae, May 3, 1915

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This One’s for My Mom

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Renee Spindle

I’ve been reminiscing all week about past Mother’s days, and memories growing up, and one memory keeps popping back into my head that I thought I should share.

Growing up in northern Illinois my Mom was a teacher for many years. And for quite a few years she was busy going to night school to earn her Bachelor’s degree. And I’ m sure she squeezed in time for our nightly activities too.

But this memory sticking out in my mind this week is kind of a funny one, now that I think back on it. After school we would all assemble back at home, except for my Dad. He got home right about dinner time. My Mom would say to us , “I need a little nap, I’m just going to lay down for half an hour”, or whatever the time frame was. Oh and she would also remind us that we were not to bother her unless there was some sort of emergency, or something to that effect. I think my memory of this is from when I was 10 or 11, because at that time I remember thinking to myself , a nap before dinner, what is she thinking!!

But, being the well versed Mom and Grandma that I am now I totally realize why she did this. She needed her decompression time from her class, and re-energizing time for what ever activity was happening in the evening. Hats off to you Mom, because you knew what you needed to do to take care of yourself. Just another awesome Mom memory that eventually taught me this lesson (just last year actually); power naps are good, or should I say napping of any kind is good for you to re-charge your Momster battery.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

What your fondest memory or life lesson from your Mom?

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Take a Break on Mom’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Renee Spindle

Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and I know you are all busy today with your weekend to do list just remember Mother’s Day is your day. On Sunday, just stop and take the time and allow yourself to put your Mom duties on pause for a day and just relax. Now I realize for some of you it may be difficult to put yourself in this mindset, but just give it a try.

For all the hats we moms wear it’s nice to be able to just slip off the hat stack and take a breather. The hat stack can be tall and cumbersome sometimes, but taking a breather is definitely necessary on occasion. This is easier for me to say now because my kids are all grown. When they were younger and we had so many activities going on, it would take me a long time to acknowledge that I needed get out from under the hat stack for a bit.

If you get too caught up in your family’s day-to-day activities, and don’t take some time to pause and relax, you’ll make yourself go crazy, be stressed to the max, literally pull your hair out. I fondly remember when my kids were younger locking myself in the bathroom #1 to be able to have a phone conversation in peace and quiet, and #2 to take a well deserved bubble bath.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have always loved my Mom duties, it’s just that sometimes we need a little break. Some of you may have your girlfriend time, others may take time with their own Mom’s, or maybe your escape is a date night. However you escape or should I say rejuvenate yourself be sure and do it on a regular basis. Put the “take a break” date on your calendar if you need a reminder. Just be sure and take some well deserved time for you.

To all the mother and grandmothers, etc. may you have a nice and relaxing day. Enjoy and relax, read your favorite book, or take a nap. To my own Mom – you are the best of the best. A great teacher, friend, and the best role model for your grandchildren. Happy Mother’s Day Mom.

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Does your family have any birthday traditions?

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Renee Spindle

I am a traditionalist. I love traditions, and creating memories for family members. There are a few birthday traditions that we have so much fun with I thought I should share them with you.

The traditions that go with the birthdays at our house are numerous and fun. We try to have a theme for the birthday parties, whether you are young or old. Iron Man, Batman, Transformers are some of the recent favorites. My oldest son works at Party City so we get great discounts on the party decorations. This makes for lots of fun decorating the house, which is at the top of my “I love to do this” list. We always hang up some sort of “Happy Birthday” banner. Last summer Evan and I made a pretty cool birthday banner that had lots of construction paper and glitter. We are still using this one for some of the birthday celebrations. Once in a while we get some funky birthday hats to wear. This is mostly for the girls in the family. Lots of fun to wear a crown and be the queen for the day. Oh wait that’s right I’m the queen of my house everyday!!!

Once our theme is in place then it’s just a matter of planning the menu. The birthday person gets to pick their favorite dinner, and what kind of cake they like. A few years ago we had quite a few “Taco Bar” birthdays right in a row. Everyone wanted tacos and nachos for their birthday dinner!!

For my own kids, I have always had some fun traditions. On your birthday morning we wake everyone up early to rush into the birthday boy or girls bedroom for a rousing wake you up rendition of “Happy Birthday to you”, sung as loud as we possibly can.

For a few years Travel Man and I would take all of our kids out on the birthday persons’ actual birthday, and then we came to our senses because it was getting way too expensive. After that we started taking out just the birthday honoree by themselves. That was a fun thing to do. It was great to get some alone time with just the birthday boy or girl.

On my kids’ sixteenth birthdays I gave each of them a journal, and in the first few pages of the journal I wrote my memories to them of the day they were born. I think this tradition started because the kids would always ask about the day they were born, either on or around their birthdays every year. I wanted them to have the memories to last a lifetime.

For the 21st birthdays I make a picture collage for the kids. This is a birth to adulthood collage, a wonderful walk down memory lane. And this year will mark my last collage, as Zach will be turning 21 in July. Oh boo!

We have so much fun when the whole family is together singing happy birthday at the Party House. First we sing a chorus of happy birthday, and there’s always some sort of harmonizing going on. Then we do a second verse where we sing like this;

Happy Birthday to you cha, cha, ca (with synchronized clapping)”, “Happy Birthday to you cha,cha, cha. Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you, cha, cha, cha! The cha, cha’s are always accompanied by hand clapping.

I have to check with my mom or my brother and find out how we started singing this way as I just don’t remember. We’ve been doing it this way since my kids were very young. It’s just so much fun. If you’re a newbie at one of our family birthday parties, when we start on the second chorus it’s definitely a surprise!!

Lot and lots of fun traditions can always be expected at the Party House. I have always loved starting up traditions new and old, and look forward to keeping them going strong. The traditions are a great thing to be able to share with your kids, and now the grandson too. And as any Mom would, I hope that the traditions that I have started with my kids are handed down for generations to come.

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Finishing out the Holidays with our Family Calendar

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Renee Spindle

There is nothing finer than being able to record the pictorial history of your family and friends. Around 1997, my Mom had the idea to put together a family calendar using pictures from any and all family events during the year. The actual calendar pages also showed everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries for the year. It’s really amazing. I actually had to consult with my Mom to get some history on how my parents have put the calendars over the years. Thanks Mom!

The first generations of calendars had just one picture per page, something like this:

These are the actual calendar pages from 1997. I’m pretty sure one of my girls put the colorful stickers on the page on the left. Maybe Hilary?

Then in 1999, we graduated to a few pictures on a page and the kids in the family were so funny. The first thing they would do when they got to see the calendar, which for the most part has been on Christmas Day, is count how many pictures they were in. Then they would have some sort of meeting and compare notes to see who made the most appearances!

According to my Mom for the first 3-4 years of the calendar process she put it together “manual” style. Good old cutting out the actual pictures, creating a collage, and then off to the printers. For the calendar portion with dates, birthday’s and anniversary’s she uses Microsoft Publisher.

Then in 2000 or 200, she went digital and used Photoshop for the pictures. At that time my parents were printing the entire calendar, with all of the copies for the family on their own. That ink must have cost a pretty penny. My Mom would create the picture portion of the calendar, and then Dad (the engineer) was responsible for the printing, getting everything double-sided in order,etc., and getting them done on time.

In 2006 or 2007, my Mom started using Picasa collages which makes the process so much easier, and allows for tons of creativity. At this time, my parents were still doing the entire calendar on their own. My Dad would announce around Thanksgiving time that they were collecting pictures from everyone, and give us a due date. Yikes a deadline from Dad – don’t be late.

Then in 2008, my Mom decided to get help from all of us, because the Picasa collages are so easy to put together. So, now my Mom puts out an announcement on our family page on Facebook, so everyone who wants to can take a month and create a collage from the pictures they have on hand. And then she also selects someone to design the cover for the calendar. A prestigious appointment.

Here’s a sample of one of the collage pages from this year’s calendar:

To view the entire calendar from this year just click on this link- 2012 Family Calendar.

The calendars are great conversation pieces when you are visiting with long distance relatives, and want to show off your family. Over the past few years the photos that we are able to jam pack into each calendar page are tremendous. For myself, I have all of the calendars from the past years put together in binders. It’s such a treat to sit down and go through almost 15 years worth of calendars now, and reminisce.

Hats off to my Mom and Dad for keeping this tradition going over the years. It’s a tremendous effort, and we all appreciate having the pictorial memories that will last a lifetime.