Two Sisters: A Study in Contrasts

One question, asked of two sisters.

The question:
Grandma is spending the night. Can she stay in your room?

The answers:
Kay: NO. SHE. CAN. NOT.

Magpie : Sure! How long? Does she want the bed? I can sleep on the floor. Or in another room, whatever's best. Maybe she'd like my special pillow? She can have it! And my special blanket. Oh, and Snuffles the Dog. He makes everything seem better when you're in a strange place.

Five Ways to Have a Swell Snow Day

Clearly I do not live in Hawaii.

This year, if you live just about anywhere except Hawaii, you've had a lot of snow days A lot. Even our southern friends who don't usually get to spend one of these charming surprise vacation days with their kids have gotten one - and sometimes even more - this year.
With it looking more likely than not that another super-fun snow day will be happening this week for folks all over the East Coast, I'm sharing five super-fun ways to have a swell snow day... just in case you're running a little short on ways to entertain the kids.


1. Have a Yes Day. This is a day where you say yes to all of your children's outrageous demands, which luckily can't be too outrageous because you're housebound. We did this on a snow day last week, and while it did force me to live tweet my descent into madness, fighting amongst the offspring was at an all-time low due to their easy agreement that the day should follow this pattern: TV-candy-TV-candy-Wii-candy-TV.


2. Have a Backwards Day. Start the day with books in bed reading the back page first, then have dinner for breakfast, with dessert first of course! When you get dressed, put on your clothes backwards, walk backwards, write backwards, maybe even play some backwards games like seeing how many tries it takes to recite the alphabet Z to A. End with breakfast for dinner, and let the kids sleep in their clothes if they want to keep the game going until the last possible moment.


3. Have a "Perfect Mother" Day. This is one of my favorite strategies for surviving a snow day. I make a schedule for everything for the whole entire day, which includes games, crafts and snacks, and then stick to it as best I can. My kids usually love following a list if I make a big show of writing it all down and having them cross the items off one-by-one as we go along. For my "Perfect Mother" Day, I have projects planned (and supplies sourced the night before), a few good books that aren't overly-familiar ready for reading, and maybe a surprise or two I actually think-up beforehand. (A scavenger hunt outdoors in the snow or an obstacle course indoors are usual favorites.) I actually set the table for breakfast before the kids wake-up in the morning, and I pre-plan what we’ll eat for all three meals and the two snacks throughout the day so I don’t have to rush around figuring this out like I usually do when I'm having a normal "Regular Mother at Best" day. I even make the kids put away one toy before they take out another, all the while using the schedule as the reason why we need to finish one activity and cross it off so we can move on to the next one.


4. Have a Guest Mom Day. I have this day all the time. For this day, I beg my mother/best friend/distant cousin/neighbor to come over and help me out. If the roads are passable, I hire a babysitter. And if all else fails, I plead with my husband to take the day off, please.


5. Have a Be Yourself Day. Another favorite at our house, this day is not as easy as it sounds, but it’s a great option. Be yourself, even if that person is cranky, tired, and maybe even just a teensy bit impatient with her beloved children. Let your kid be himself, even if that person is whiny, fighty, or prone to saying repeatedly “I’m bored.” Just be glad there is no school to be on time for, no homework to do, no ballet class to go to, and my personal favorite, no lunches to pack.


And remember what people tell you all the time and you know deep down must be true, or why would people say it all the time… they’re only young once. Enjoy it. 


Even on the *$@* snow day this season.


Need a few more ideas for keeping kids entertained on the snow day? Check out:

• Lazy Mom's Guide to Snow Day Activities
• Snow Day Ice Cube Scavenger Hunt
• How to Make Snow Ice Cream
• How to Make Q-Tip Snowflakes

Sweetest Valentine Ever

Last year, my essay A Pinterest Perfect Mom, I am Not was included in the humor anthology I Just Want to Pee Alone. The essay was about how the year before I saw this idea on Pinterest about decorating your kids' bedroom doors with hearts filled with sweet saying for Valentine's Day.

I thought it sounded like a fun idea, so late into the night I wrote "You're so good at singing loudly all of Taylor Swift's songs!" and "I love it when you wake-up at 5am! More time to spend together!"

Then even later into the night I taped those hearts all over their doors. And then re-taped them when they fell down, all the time reminding myself that it was going to be worth it - so worth it - when they saw them Valentine's Day morning!

On Valentine's Day morning the children not only did not appreciate my "heart attack," they mocked it. Relentlessly. And then they made fun of all the stupid heart stuff I made them for breakfast.
So last year, when Valentine's Day rolled around, of course I didn't do it again. For breakfast there were no heart shaped potatoes, no eggs in heart shaped bread with a side of heart-shaped strawberries. Sure, there were waffles with red and pink sprinkles - I don't hate happiness, but it wasn't all over the top like the previous year's celebration.

So you can imagine my surprise when the kids asked me "Where are the hearts on our bedroom doors? Where are the heart pancakes?"

"What?" I replied, shocked. "You hated all that! So I didn't do it again... wait, you mean you didn't hate it?'

"No!" The kids screamed, "We loved it!"

Huh. I honestly had no idea.

Then, this year, the greatest thing happened. When I woke-up Valentine's Day morning, the kids had decorated my room with hearts! And Kay even made a scavenger hunt with a different gift waiting for each of us when we reached the end. It was absolutely the best Valentine's Day ever.
Sadly, Dad was away and didn't get to be part of the fun. So Kay made this perfect card for him.

In case you're worried Kay's father is stationed overseas or on an extended archeological dig, he is neither. He is away on a 56 hour business trip, but to Kay, his absence must have seemed much longer.

Next year, I'll have to head back to Pinterest to find something really good for those kids....

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Thanksgivukah!

Full cooking preparations are ON at the Random Handprints household as I prepare both Hanukkah dinner for tonight and a Thanksgivukah meal for tomorrow.

Luckily, my littlest decided he didn't feel well enough (read: feel like going) to school this morning, so I have an extra helper at home. Yay!

Even more luckily, my mom is in charge of dessert so that's one thing I can check off the to do list.

 Unluckily, those cookies make me feel a little bit of pressure to have the dinner live up to the dessert.

 

I'm also done with all my Thanksgivukkah and Hanukkah gift wrapping. If you're looking for some inspiration I'm sharing at BaristaKids.com my ideas for 5 Fun Ways to Wrap and Give Hanukkah Gifts.

 

 

 

Now, off to make my brisket stuffed turkey, challah stuffing, cranberry filled doughnuts, and pumpkin and gefilite fish appetizer!*

 

* Note: If you are coming to my house, don't be surprised, I'm not actually making any of that - I just like the idea of making all of that.

The Truth of the Pumpkin Patch

A few years ago, I posted these adorable photos of my son enjoying his very first pumpkin patch.

I basked in the glory of knowing that even though he was the third born and there is nary a page of his baby book filled-out, let alone even a baby book with pages to neglect, he will always be able to cherish these photos of himself cavorting in the pumpkin patch. In a pumpkin outfit!

Mom for the win.

But the truth of that day has haunted me ever since.

THIS photo represents that day and that trip to the pumpkin patch.

 

The truth of the pumpkin patch that day is that it was raining. And he was sick. And he did not want to be in a pumpkin patch at all, let alone in a stupid fucking pumpkin outfit.

But we were there, because I wanted that photo. (The first set of photos that is, not the one above.)

So I'm sharing this for all of you also get tears in the pumpkin patch when you just want smiles.

And I'm also sharing this so next time you visit Pinterest and see a gorgeous pumpkin pie cooling on a rustic wood table you'll remember there's a pretty good chance it's not all as perfect as it seems, either.

Happy Rosh Hashanah

For the Jews reading this: L'Shana Tova!

For the non-Jewish audience: today is Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the new year on the Jewish calendar. In case you're wondering, we're ringing in 5774, and we're doing so earlier than usual which means this year Hanukkah falls over Thanksgiving which should mean some fun holiday blending to look forward to in a couple months.

A few years back I made a Rosh Hashanah video, and I'm sharing it for the third year in a row.

'Cause listening to the sounds of a young child repeatedly blowing on a plastic shofar never grows old.

Wishing all celebrating a sweet year of health and happiness!

I may lack Internet, but I have spa night and cicadas

My Internet has been down since Thursday.

It's been terrible for my deadlines, but otherwise I'm doing OK with this sudden break from my constant and beloved companion.

And it's given me time to have Spa Night with my daughters:

and to help the kids build a cicada zoo, a cicada circus, and my favorite: the cicada farm.

Note: by "help" I mean telling them, "Do not come near me with those things!"

We've also had the usual 873 end-of-year school activities, here's my fourth-grader on her way to the chorus performance:

What have you been doing? And more importantly, what have I missed online?!

June Declared "Being a Grown-Up Month" at Random Handprints {Day 1}

That's right everyone, I have declared the entire month of June "Being a Grown-Up Month" in honor of all of the undone things on my to do lists, and all of the appointments that have not been gone to, or in fact, even made yet.

So what does Being a Grown-Up Month mean here at the Random Handprints corporate offices?

I think, unfortunately, my Being a Grown-Up lifestyle for the month of June might be at odds with "Blog in Any and All Spare Moments," which is what has led to the need for Being a Grown-Up Month in the first place.

I'm going to go blogging light for the month, with hopes that it only takes one month of being a respectable grown-up to make it possible to then take the rest of the summer off from doing what feels like every single boring things in the entire world.

Today, the first day of Being a Grown-Up Month, I did a pile of things that have been on the to do list for-evah:

- Took the kids to get Passport photos.
- Filled-out all the stupid paperwork that has to be completed to get a passport.
- Made all the photocopies that had to be done in triplicate, one for each kid, and came to the conclusion that Passport procurement is a very good reason not to have a large family. Or, not to travel internationally if you do decide to have a large family.
- Took all of this to the post office and then waited in the longest line in the history of the whole entire world to turn-in all of this stuff.

And as if the Passport getting was not enough, I also went and got the tire replaced on my car. (To be completely accurate, I got my husband to go and get the tire replaced, but still, it sorta counts on my list because it's my car and I did have to be the one to bug him to go, which is no easy task, let me tell you.)

This being an adult stuff is exhausting, and did I mention boring? But despite fully admitting its boring-ness, I'll totally be updating throughout the month the rest of the things I complete in my quest to be caught-up on the life maintenance by July 1.

What's the state of your to do list? Anyone want to join me in Being a Grown-Up Month?

The endless looming of things to do is apparently not only a problem for me. Read this hilarious take on responsibilities on The Onion.

Chag Sameach! Happy Passover!

Two-fisting the matzoh.

We celebrated Passover last night with our traditional abbreviated Seder, which my kids still think is too long. I can't wait for their first visit to a friend's house during college when they finally experience what a real Seder is like.
And while I will always be a fan of our shortened style, I do feel a little badly that we skipped all of the songs this year. And that for the first time in as long as I can remember my matzoh balls didn't turn out quite right. Oh well.

Minor technical difficulties aside, it was a wonderful night. The kids loved helping with the Seder plate which we always fashion a homemade shank bone for, and add an orange for girl power. Only one of our guests could correctly identify why the orange was on the Seder plate, which honestly was one more than I had guessed would know.

We had a festival meal, delicious wine, and the annual teasing of my nine-year-old about if she would be going to the ER this year (she made a Passover trip to the hospital when she was two to sew up a busted lip, and we predicted correctly then she would now hear about this for every Passover forever).

Afikomen was hidden, and found.

And then dessert: Marshmallow twists, which were dubbed Passover Mallomars:

Now, eight days of Passover cereal and matzoh sandwiches, and next year in Jerusalem. Or in Jersey, but with more singing and better matzoh balls.

Chag Sameach!

Mother-Daughter "Matzoh Manicure" Fun with Sally Hansen!

Sunday nights at our house I'm all about getting ready for the week ahead. Kids rooms picked-up at least a little bit, backpacks emptied of papers, important or otherwise, and clothes washed by me but put away by the smaller set.

Then, once the chores part of our evening is over, my daughters and I - and my three-year-old son if he wants to join the fun - have our weekly manicures. My girls love to pick fun, bright colors and when possible have their nails match what's happening that week.

Last week, of course, had to be sparkly green for St. Patrick's Day.

So when I had an opportunity from Collective Bias to try out Sally Hansen nail products, I knew this was something that would be perfect for my daughters and me to try out our latest nail art ideas.

For this week, we have a couple of good choices. One idea was frosty white, because even though it's officially spring, we've got a forecast for snow. Another was to do a Passover theme, since we'll be celebrating this holiday for eight nights starting Monday night.

My girls liked the idea of painting the ten plagues, but that was a little complicated for my limited nail art abilities.

We finally decided on a brown and white pattern for a fun holiday matzoh manicure!

We thought we would do it using a brown base coat (the exact shade is Forbidden Fudge) and a white crackle top coat (named perfectly given the weather, Snow Blast),

but as it turned out the crackle effect wasn't as matzoh-y as we thought it would be, so we went back and did our nails instead with a white base coat topped with brown flecks added by hand for a fun, more modern matzoh-y look. We all loved it, and our nails are ready for Passover celebrations.


We purchased the items we used for this I Heart Nail Art project from Walgreens.com, as well as from my local Walgreens store. Shopping at Walgreens online is so easy, and there's even free shipping for purchases of $25 or more.

And until March 30, 2013, all Sally Hansen Insta Dri products are buy one get one free. Sally Hansen also has lots of Runway-inspired ideas like I Heart Nail Art - Animal Instinct on Walgreens.com.

Do you paint your nails for holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Passover? Please share your nail art ideas, my daughters and I are always looking for something fun to try next!

To connect with Sally Hansen like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @SallyHansen.
To connect with Walgreens like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @Walgreens.

For more photos from my shop, check out my Google+ Album. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter and Instagram at #IHeartMyNailArt.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®and COTY. #CBias #SocialFabric.

All opinions are my own.

Lemon-Lime Pudding Recipe from my Irish Grandma

My Irish grandma was as my mom so nicely put it "a dreadful cook," but she did make delicious Lemon-Lime Pudding. And even though it's not green, or Irish, I'm making it in her honor for St. Patrick's Day.

Here's my family recipe, which if you like this version, is similar to Lori Longbotham's My Favorite Lemon Pudding.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 cups whole milk

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled to room temperature

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar and cornstarch.

2. Add the milk slowly, mixing until smooth.

3. Add the egg yolks and the lemon and lime zest, and continue to stir over medium heat. As the pudding warms, it will thicken.

4. When it is no longer liquid and has become pudding consistency, remove the pan from heat and quickly mix in the lemon and lime juice and the cooled butter.

5. Pour it all through a strainer and let it cool until it is room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours until it sets.

 

Pudding will stay good for up to three days in the refrigerator, but let's be honest: this is an eat-it-all-in-one-sitting kind of dessert. Enjoy!

What's your favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe?

Future Blogger

My daughter, age 7, clearly on the path to being a future blogger.

Already almost there, taking selfies in the bathroom mirror with my iPhone.

 

 

Also, for one of the funniest reads ever (even more so if you are a blogger, and even more, more so if you are mommy blogger) read Adult Children of Mom Bloggers' Support Group by Momma Be Thy Name.

Saturday afternoon

Other Stuff I Wrote Last Week: Back to School Shoes, Books and a Last Hurrah of Summer

This week I'm shifting from summer to fall. The kids are back to school on Thursday, and while I'll miss the sun and the fun, I feel like it's time.

I wrote about our trip to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor for BaristaKids.com, and while it wasn't the best day out ever, it was pretty fun.

For back to school, I covered See Kai Run, maker of great kids shoes. Here's my son modeling his pair from (gasp!) last season:

And here are some of the hipster styles from See Kai Run for this fall:

I also shared three of my favorite books about the first day of school. 

Marco Goes to School, by the hilarious Roz Chas, has particularly grown on me over the last 1,816 times I've read it to my enthralled son:

Next up, getting my own three kids back to school.

What are you doing this week?

Happy Old Photo Friday to Me

It's my birthday today, and it was the reflective/nostalgic mood this particular "milestone" birthday put me in that got me started on Old Photo Friday in the first place.

So of course for today, I'm got old photos from my birthdays. I'm still finding more, so next week I will probably be back with Part II of the birthday collection.

Here, in order, my birthdays from ages zero to eight.

I also love this photo of my brother, who I believed was forced to pose as a party decoration one year.

And from the same year, there's also this photo of me admiring my 1970s loot of a jump rope, hula hoop and my second dog (I got the first one for my birthday the year before) that barked when you clapped, which was the greatest technology ever... in 1978.

So I'm off to enjoy another year ahead, convincing myself that growing older is fine, and trying to embrace another Anna's outlook that it's all good with lots of candles, plenty of cake.

And the kids and I did in fact have plenty of cake, Jacques Torres Chocolate Cake made by my mother, for breakfast this morning. A perfect way to start my birthday. *

* I am going to maintain this lovely memory, and not mention that one of the children may (or may not) have immediately vomited all over me after we finished our perfect cake breakfast.

Oops! I Forgot to Post an Old Photo Friday!

It's true, Friday came and went and I forgot it was old photo day on my blog.

In my defense, I was on vacation. And everyone knows on any good vacation you forget what day it is.

So here on a back-to-reality Monday, a retroactive Old Photo Friday of our family beach vacation in 1970-something:

And our family beach vacation last week. More or less the same location and same people, though our generational position has shifted:

And yes, that is my six-year-old so engrossed in reading her first issue ever of Us Weekly that she can't be bothered to put it down for family photos.

Old Photo Friday: Down the Shore on July Fourth

Every year for July Fourth, we head to our family house down the shore as I call it since moving to Jersey. I think prior to moving to New Jersey I just said we were going to the beach.

I went through the photos from three and four years ago, and here are a few favorites from summer's past.

And here's are photos from last year, so Ziggy isn't left out of any old photo fun.



There are some photos I think we must recreate this year, assuming I can get willing participation.

I would so love a re-do of the pillow on Magpie's head, the Uncle and Kelly leg lift, and Ziggy and his tie-wearing, stroller pushing walk on the boardwalk.

And of course, we'll be taking old timey photos like this one of Ziggy from last year.

Happy July Fourth!!

If you're looking for craft and cooking ideas for celebrating the Fourth of July, or random photos of my family celebrating the holiday, check out the July Fourth archive.

This is my weekly installment of Old Photo Friday. If you have an old photo of your own to share, leave a comment below and I'll come by and visit!

Jersey City Family Fun

We spent Father's Day in Jersey City. I have a lot to share about our day, but the post is still working its way towards being done.

In the meantime, here's some photos of us hanging out on the Jersey City waterfront.

A good time for all.

Looks like the tween is here to stay.

My last post compared my kids on the last day of school last year, and the last day of school this year.

I thought they looked pretty much the same, though Kay is wearing the shorts in this year's photo that her big sister Magpie was wearing last year, so clearly they've grown.

And the year-to-year comparison also revealed their little brother has traded pajamas for regular clothes, but evidently in the transformation forgotten his pants.

But what is most striking is that this is the year my 8-year-old daughter Magpie has decided she is over my photographing ways.

While six-year-old Kay is still clearly happy to pose, Magpie looks like this on the last day of school:

I thought maybe the grumpy barely-tolerating-this-whole-photo-taking-thing was just a reflection of her mood on that particular day and at that particular time.

But a quick look back to the first day of school picture reveals that yeah, that's just her new tween expression, all days, all times.

Thankfully, I've well-documented her pre-tween youth so I'll still have these school photos to enjoy.

And maybe next year, my beloved, dear child, you can crack a tiny smile for the camera?

Or, lemme know tween parents, maybe not?

I'm linking up to Finding the Funny at Kelley's Break Room and My Life and Kids, because semi-surly tweens are funny, right?

Last Lunch of the School Year Means... Nutel-fluff!

Friday was the last day my kids had lunch at school - there's still two more days of school, but they're lunch-free half-days.

So, for the last day of lunch of the school year I let my kids make this: Nutel-fluff.

They've been talking about getting to make this for the last day of lunch all year long, and I'm glad to be able to say Nutel-fluff was just as good as they had hoped it would be.

And I'm guessing Nutel-fluff is going to be sticking around as the annual tradition for the last day of lunch for every school year until the end of time.