Special traditions

it was actually a felt tree with pockets that i bought from Avon when i was selling it. i cannot remember what was supposed to go in those pockets actually because i have been doing it my own way since my baby was about 5 or so and now she is 15.

i think you could make one or make a big box with 24 little drawers.

Advent calendars are something that my children look forward to every year, but I've actually never thought of making one of my own. Thank you for sharing that idea, it just might be something that I am going to borrow from you.

I believe that the freedom to express themselves is something that is really important for children. I remember when Kathryn was little I always let her pick out her own clothes and I would let her go out in whatever she chose, even if it didn't match. Would you believe that her old babysitter called me out on it once and told me that I really should dress her in matching clothes. It wasn't that bad either, she had on pink plaid shorts with a polka dot shirt with pink in it.

I think that it is very important for children to be able to make decisions for themselves and allowing them to do it from the time that they are really small is something that is important. I honestly believe that allowing Kathryn to make her choices when she was really small is a big part of the reason that she is as independent today as she is.

If say if the colors go then it works. Little kids need to dress themselves. I sit and watch my daughter try to put her own pants on although she is more likely to take them off. So I just leave her pant less most of the day because we are just at home and it doesn't really matter what she looks like at home. I don't care if it matches or not. I do make sure she has two of the same shoes but I couldn't care what pair she pulls out. I don't care if when we put her hair up if the hair tie goes or not. When my husband dresses her she really don't match because he is a bit color blind so some times I'll tell him the colors don't go but she is ready to go so I just say lets go because its not that huge or a deal. Little kids learn as they get old what goes together and what does. I know if I don't start letting my little do things on her own now its going to be harder to let her go and do things she likes. We let her pick things out or ask her which one out of two items of colors that we know she looks good in and likes. Anything bright and colorful she wants.

We are the kind of parents that have always taken our children out to eat and I do justify it by saying that doing that is something that does teach them how to behave in public. The first time that Paul was ever in a restaurant was actually on the day that he turned a week old. The reason for it was because of the fact that we were out of town because my grandmother had passed away, but he still behaves beautifully at restaurants now, he is five and a half years old.

While I do agree with you that some family heritage does get lost as the years go on, it isn't something that I think is really lost. Instead, I think that it is something that is put on hold. The reason that I say this is because of the fact that when I had children of my own, I brought back a lot of the traditions that we had when I was a child.

Doing crafts with the children has always been something that I've always enjoyed doing with them. Though we didn't get to do it this year, last year we got plain t-shirts and the kids and I got together and decorated the shirts for them to wear for the 4th of July.

I don't think that at the schools for younger children here they do anything to welcome the new students to the school, but we did have something similar to what you are talking about when I started college. It was a great time to bond with the fellow new students at the school.

The chocolate covered cherries thing sounds really similar to something that my mother-in-law started a couple years ago. Of course finances have been really tight for everyone so that has meant that Christmas isn't really what it used to be. Two years ago for Christmas, she simply filled our stockings and also gave us each one wrapped present (which was a canister of nuts). Of course the kids still got toys and stuff, but we got nuts. Maybe that is because we are nuts?

I honestly don't buy a lot of brand new clothes for my children, they both get some new fall/winter clothes for their birthdays and for Christmas since they both have birthdays that are later in the year. I also believe that they need some new summer clothes and that is the reason that I started that tradition with them.

I think that it would be kind of weird to share my birthday with one of my children. You see, both my husband and I were born in the spring and both of my children were born in the fall. That said, sharing a birthday, I do think that compromising on what you have for dinner is a good idea.

It is interesting, but it is also something that we all know would be true. There are really no two people in the world, including identical twins that are exactly the same in every way.

That sounds like something that would be a lot of fun. We've never had a tradition of having a specific trip every year, but as the kids get a little bit older, that is something that I would like to be able to start.

I really couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have any grandparents at all. I was lucky enough to know three of my four grandparents and also two of my great-grandparents as well. I do, however, feel like there is a certain hole in my life because of the fact that I never had the opportunity to know my father's dad.