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The Leaf Game

Jules10 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:17:12 -0600

We already wrapped up Canadian Thanksgiving and I tried a new game this year that ended up being a lot of fun.

Each guest got a paper leaf. (I found this beautiful autum scrap book paper to cut out, any craft or construction paper will do.) Everyone had to write 3 things on their leaf they were thankful for. Now, everyone always says things like "health, home, family" so make sure you tell them, it has to be 3 things that are specific to them, this year. And don't tell anyone what you wrote. Then I had them skewer (bamboo skewers for kabobs, dollar store) their leaves and stick them into the table centerpieces. Under each plate I left a game card with each guest's name and a blank space for a number. At suppertime each person had to draw a leaf and read it out. The object of the game is guess who said what and you'd be surprised what people say. The people with the most correct guesses at desert won the centerpieces. It was a terrific conversation starter and the kids could join in too. As it turns out, my nephew is most thankful for grapes.

Today, I signed up to

Jules10 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:47:11 -0600

Today, I signed up to blogher to meet other creative gals! Otherwise, I just picked up some design work on a couple of video games and am focusing the bulk of my time on my web comic. I'd like to make that my career...just have to figure out how to do the little things, y'know...like build websites and make them profitable...little things.

I AM IN THE FLOW, YO!

katieschwartz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:26:03 -0600

What Elisa Stein has created with FLOW is one of the most incredible, life affirming, validating and important books of our time. I am so proud of her.

I love writing about menstruation and having what I call "Menservsations". In my own experience, women are uncomfortable saying "I have my period". Rather, they say things like "I'm on the rag", or "Aunt Flo is in town: or "It's that time of the month".

In my opinion, these things perpetuate shame around menstruating, which is a beautiful, natural, normal act.

I've always had hard periods. They're a bit worse now. Still. I love menstruating. I also feel very lucky because when I was growing up, my parents never cloaked it or shamed us for menstruating. They were very open and honest with us about it.

FLOW, I think, will make women feel PROUD and confident and eliminate any shame associated with menstruating. I believe this is something we collectively need.

BRAVO, ELISA!!!

Katie-

http://katieschwartz.com

Braces and food

Qtpies7 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:11:57 -0600

My daughter is close to getting her braces removed! And then the next daughter gets them on.

The first day is tough, along with the days they get adjusted. I think it took up to a week to get used to the braces and eating because it is painful. However, soft foods are good and she shouldn't have any problem with them.

But one or two days of eating fudgesicles is not a nutritional problem. Wearing braces for 2 years is not fun, so why not baby her for a couple of days? Nutritionally speaking, it won't have an impact.

Where there is a will, there is a way! The only thing my daughter really, truly can't eat is corn on the cob. She doesn't like spinach because it sticks in her braces and she has to brush right away, but other than that, she really hasn't had a problem eating. Chips, chicken wings, soups, vegetables, anything. She just needs some time to adjust and figure things out.

Lisa~ wife to Donnie, mom to my 7qtpies: Drew, Kaytlin, Devon, Cody, Hope-Anne, Trinity and Samuel. Our Seven Qtpies

An Honorable Tradition

Heres a Gem — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:48:46 -0600

Hi Gina!

I am not surprised at your answer, given your wonderful statements earlier about your Mom. I think your relationship with your family and tradition of caring for each other is honorable and quite frankly, beautiful. You hit the nail on the head with your kids taking note: I'm trying to flush this issue out of our peers to contemplate how our kids will view these issues... ;)

WELCOME

miss_knowitall — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:40:29 -0600

Hey there! Welcome to Atlanta. I hope you are getting settled in good. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with to assist with your settle in. Take care.

Hugs, Kisses & Best Wishes,

Miss Know It All

www.ialreadyknow.com

We Have a Tradition of Caring for Our Aging Parents

Gina Carroll — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:19:31 -0600

The tradition of caring for the older members in our family runs very strong. My parents cared for my paternal grandmother through her odyssey with Alzheimer's until the end. And my maternal grandmother, who is 89, lives with my parents now. My husband and I cared for his grandmother for several years, unitl she died last year (at 101 years old). We have also had "care periods" with his mother.

I will most definitely care for my parents, if I can. It's no small proposition, but it's worth giving them the comfort of your presence in their declining years. I think it gives them great comfort knowing that we want to do that. Of course, none of us want to think we will need it. But the way we are all hanging in there these days, we probably all will. I just hope my kids are taking note!!! :-)

I know! Doesn't it sound

darbyoshea — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:42:28 -0600

I know! Doesn't it sound so good!

I know nothing about canning

Denise — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:37:58 -0600

But I keep clicking this recipe because it sounds really appealing to me. Heh.

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings

Parental Obligation

Heres a Gem — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:20 -0600

Thank you, Rita. I suspect a lot of women feel this way, I am hoping more will pop in to confirm or deny my suspicions. Whether or not we are close and how it relates to if we feel obligated to care for them is very interesting to me.

Oh, I agree.

Rita Arens — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:19:42 -0600

My daughter always takes a huge stack of books as well as a ton of coloring books and drawing materials, but it's only been in the past year (she's five) that she's developed the attention span to occupy herself that way for more than an hour straight.

Rita Arens writes at Surrender Dorothy and BlogHer and is the editor of Sleep is for the Weak.

I absolutely feel obligated.

Rita Arens — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:17:01 -0600

I feel obligated to care for both my parents and my in-laws. We helped my in-laws move to a bigger city when my father-in-law developed emphesema. I consider it my daughterly duty to do provide emotional, physical and financial support to my parents if they should need it.

Rita Arens writes at Surrender Dorothy and BlogHer and is the editor of Sleep is for the Weak.

Is 8 too young?

bonggamom — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:15:40 -0600

We have a very basic cellphone that my 8-year old daughter takes with her when she goes on overnight Girl Scout camping trips, sleepovers, etc... Parental controls are very tight on it, she can only make and receive calls to a few numbers like the home phone, my cell, husband's cell, and some relatives' cell phones. I tell her the phone belongs to all 3 of my kids, but since it's a pink phone and she has 2 brothers, it's pretty much hers :)

Right, the homesick thing

sassymonkey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:35:51 -0600

I have to admit, I get that way a bit when I read any of L.M. Montgonery's books that are set in in PEI. And I maybe just realized that I will probably never do another Christmas in PEI and that wasn't really a pleasant thought at all. (We keep saying that if we get a sudden windfall, ie. win the lottery, that we'd buy a summer house there but now I'm thinking it might have to be a winterized summer house. Oh it's fun to dream.)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Well...

Denise — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:08 -0600

On Halloween we wandered into the Treasure Island in between kid party drop offs and I grabbed a bag of ground beans. No idea why, they called to me. But you're right, the only flavored coffee I usually have is my quad grande nonfat caramel macchiato.

Spinning Forward... that's a complicated question and very much related to the setting. Wait til I blog it tomorrow... or look at my tweets from last night. Homesick. Very homesick.

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings