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Posts Tagged ‘Holidays’

  1. Gifts that Give Back

    December 25, 2013 by admin

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    Educational gifts can be tremendous fun.

    Bluey and Plum share an intense love of animals.  When doing our holiday shopping, we considered their connection to critters of all kinds.  TR Dad found an owl pellet in a IMG_4458local shop and knew instantly that it was a perfect gift choice.

    An owl pellet is relatively small and rather inexpensive to purchase.  Our Bluey was incredibly excited to learn that he could find animal bones, fur, and who know’s what else as he carefully scrapped into the pellet.  The pellet gave Bluey a chance to learn more about owls eating habits and why it’s important to have predators.

    And it also lets him practice the art of patience.  An owl pellet cannot be ripped apart in two minutes.  It requires a slow and careful hand to uncover the tiny, tiny bones that belong to the owl’s last few meals.

    When it comes to gift giving, we recommend you step away from the “normal” and see what you can discover!

     

     


  2. Norad Tracks Santa?

    December 16, 2013 by admin

    norad-7Ever wonder why NORAD tracks Santa Claus?  The story involves a man who could have just told a bunch of kids that they called the wrong number back in 1955.  Instead, he decided to do a small thing to make them happy, and started a new tradition in the process.

    Colonel Harry Shoup was on duty December 24, 1955 when children started calling the CONAD Center in Colorado, asking to talk to Santa.  Why were kids calling a top secret command center on Christmas Eve?  Well, a local Sears store in Colorado Springs had placed an ad in the local newspaper telling kids they could call a particular number and talk to Santa himself.

    Instead, the children were connected to the pre-eminent command center for the United States military in the middle of the Cold War!  After a few confusing phone calls from little kids, Col. Shoup decided it wasn’t right to tell them that they had the wrong number.  With the most sophisticated tracking system of the day at his disposal, he ordered his soldiers to use the vast array of radar stations available to track Santa’s progress, and relay that info to the kids who called.

    The next year, CONAD offered the same type of information to kids calling in, and soon enough a tradition was established.  When CONAD was reconfigured into NORAD, the operation went on as before with regular reports of Santa’s activities across North America.

    The tradition grew from phone calls, to radio broadcasts, to an internet website.  So if you remember hearing of Santa’s progress on the radio or TV news, or if your kiddoes check the web on December 24th to see how he’s doing, you have Colonel Harry Shoup to thank for it.  So thank you Col. Shoup, a true Christmas hero.  Your decision that night in 1955 helps make the holidays all the more real and special for millions of kids around the world.shoup_image334-300x179

     


  3. Extend Xmas Excitement!

    December 11, 2013 by admin

    c192f95c5a3411e38f8812f348bd88bb_5Are you one of the people who waits all year for the holidays to arrive, and then finds it all slips by too quickly?  If you have found yourself standing in a pile of torn wrapping paper at 6:30 AM on December 25th, wondering where it all went, check out some of these opportunities to make the holidays more like a season of thrills, and less like a day or two of excitement .

    • Get a video from Santa Claus:  It’s the 21st century, so of course Santa has gone high tech!  Fill out a few fields for your child(ren), and Santa will respond with a personal video message.  Watching Santa’s video a dozen or more times throughout December has become a new tradition at our house.
    • Reindeer Cam:  Ever wonder what the reindeer do to get ready for the big trip?  Apparently, they eat.  A lot.  Check out what they are up to by watching the Reindeer Cam.
    • Track Santa’s progress on NORAD:  Santa’s not invisible all the time.  Follow his radar-tracked progress as he works his way around the globe.  A great Christmas Eve activity, to help build excitement for the big morning!
    • Seeing the Lights:  Need to get out of the house for a bit?  Check out the lights!  Many towns and cities have displays that you can visit, or just tour the neighborhood and see who has put up the best display.  Google “Holiday Lights” +your town or area, if you don’t know where the best lights are.

     

    Make the holidays a true season, and you’ll have even more to look forward to!


  4. Santa’s Workshop In Your Home

    December 7, 2013 by admin

    As our kids get older, and their flocks of friends grow, we increasingly hear them say they want to buy holiday presents for all of them.

    We’re touched.  Our kids love their friends and they want to prove this love via trips to Target and ToysRUs.  But we can’t afford to buy these old and new friends gifts from the store.  And we wouldn’t want to make all of those purchases, even if we could budget for it.IMG_1251

    We’re trying to help our kids to grow up to see more value in People rather than Things.  We want Bluey and Plum to value the stuff people do for each other, or experiences they have with their friends, rather than some product they might get.

    So we plan to create homemade gifts in an attempt to teach our kids that a well thought out, hand-crafted gift, is better than a new toy from some random box store.

    We start our efforts by example.  Recently, TR Dad’s friend gave us passes to get into the World Dairy Expo.   How did we thank him?  We baked him some cookies and offered to walk his adorable dog if he ever needs a favor.

    And we know that not all of our friends will follow the same guidelines for their holidays: and that’s OK.  Part of the holiday season is about learning to graciously accept all gifts: whether they are over the top, or underwhelming, or unexpected.

    It really is the thought that counts.  Love your friends.  Give them your time.  Give them a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, a hug when they need it, and perhaps a homemade gift.


  5. Holiday Walk-about

    December 3, 2013 by admin

    IMG_8486The celebration of any holiday can be stressful. There may be special meals, out-of-town guests and high expectations.  Things can get tense.  And with everyone piled into the house, the instinct might be to flip on a movie to keep the kiddoes happy.  But we find more success taking a different direction.

    We’ve discovered that the best antidote for holiday cabin-fever is to get out of the house.

    Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years- on all these holidays you’ll see our family piling into the car to head out of the house, and into nature.

    Going for a walk on a holiday allows everyone in the family a chance to relax outdoors, center themselves, and get some exercise.  We see if there are any wild animals out and about to celebrate, what plants are still thriving, and what has hunkered down for Winter.

    So few people head outdoors on the holidays, that we frequently have a whole park or nature reserve to ourselves.  The lack of human noise is impressive on these days.  You really get a chance to see why Thoreau moved to the woods, and why that still seems like a good idea.

    After an hour or so of exploring, we head back home.  There’s still plenty of time for movies, games and traditional in-home fun.  But we find our escape into nature a valued re-fueling moment that lets us enjoy our time together even more.


  6. Happy Elf!

    December 1, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1213Be the Elf!

    This is one of our mantras for the holiday season.  From the middle of October until after New Years is a very busy time for us: holidays, birthdays and travelling abound.  Kids get excited, and over-tired.  There are events to plan, and gifts to wrap, and letters to write.  All this while work, school and life go on as usual.

    It gets Busy!  Bedtimes get altered, nasty colds show up at inopportune moments- someone could easily snap!

    Be the Elf. Be the Elf. Be the Elf.

    When we start to feel the stress coming on we try to, “Be The Elf.”  Santa’s elves are joyful.  Happy.  Mirthful.  They remember that it is better to give than receive.  What better gift to give than an unexpected smile during a stressful moment?full

    Happy Elf!

    Our Elf mantra helps us pull back from the frantic fray, and remember the True Meaning of Christmas: joyful times with family and friends, generosity to family and strangers, love, Love, LOVE!

    So when the holiday season starts making things tense, we urge you to “Be The Elf!”


  7. A Piece of the Holiday

    November 25, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1088Our TR family usually waits until the second week of December to cut down our Christmas tree.  But for many families it is tradition to put up a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving.

    Since the holidays are upon us, we wanted to share one of our TR traditions with you:  saving the tree trunk shaving of each and every Christmas tree.

    In order to keep you tree as fresh as possible, it is recommended that you trim about ¼ inch off the bottom of the trunk.    And even if you cut your own tree, it is most always necessary to trim it to size or to ensure that it stands even.

    So now you have a perfect little wood shaving.  Why toss it?  We get out a sharpie and write down the date directly on the wood piece.  And we stash it away so that every new season, we can take out these bits of trunk and remember our past holidays and the tree that graced our home.IMG_2363

    Some other ideas:

    • A-fix each family holiday picture to the wood cutting.
    • Have your kids decorate the shaving with paints, glitter, etc…
    • If you want you can cut more than one sliver, and do different things with each one.

     

    Do you have a holiday tradition that you’d like to share with us?


  8. Perspective

    November 3, 2013 by admin

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    Yes, we’re a month out from Thanksgiving.  But you don’t need a traditional holiday to take a moment to sit back and reflect on why you are grateful for the life that you live.

    If we’re honest, we can probably all say that we have dreams we know won’t actualize, places we long to visit, time we wished we had more of, disappointments that still taste bitter.

    That is life.  Please don’t linger in the muck or judge yourself by your worst moments.  There is so much in the simple day-to-day that is worth celebrating.

    Here are some teensy and some huge things for which we are grateful:

    • Coffee – The smell!  And knowing that warm mug will soon be craddled in your hands.
    • Children’s laughter – It is contagious, true, and pure.
    • Frozen pizza – Seriously!  It is cheap and indulgent.
    • A paycheck – Sure, we live paycheck to paycheck.  But with a tight budget, we have just enough money to support our family.
    • A home – ‘Nough said.  Many don’t have a place to settle.
    • Playgrounds – Free access to fun, exercise, and the outdoors.
    • Libraries – Free access to education and fun.
    • Gardens – Cheap way to feed your family and support farm-to-table.
    • Love – Right?  It makes the world go ‘round.
    • Music – Inspiring, often free, and entirely enjoyable.
    • Critters – Unconditional love and mostly entertaining.
    • Health – Not to ever be taken for granted!

     

    Taking a moment to remember these things, no matter how minor they might be, helps us to focus on life worth living!  And to acknowledge that we are indeed, very lucky to be here.


  9. Pumpkins

    November 1, 2013 by admin

     

    IMG_2966Hopefully, you haven’t curbed your Halloween pumpkin or thrown out the inner “gloop.”  If you have, please consider the following to make less waste during next year’s holiday:

    • Rinse and bake the pumpkin seeds for your family to enjoy eating.
    • Scatter the pumpkin seeds for wildlife.
    • Plant a few seeds and grow next year’s pumpkin on your own.
    • Bake or boil the pumpkin flesh for other recipes, for soups, etc.
    • You can freeze cooked or pureed pumpkin for later use.
    • Chickens love pumpkin!  (Porcupines too!)  And we know that owning chickens is all the rage now.  Donate your pumpkin to your neighborhood chicken owner.
    • Compost your Jack o’lantern or find someone who’d welcome the pumpkin into their compost.
    • Break down the pumpkin and leave it out for wildlife.

     

    There are so many ways to enjoy every bit of your jack-o’-lantern!


  10. Songs Of Fall & Winter

    October 30, 2013 by admin

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    Tweet.

    Fall is upon us, bringing cold weather, crisp winds, and thoughts of winter and change.  On this chilly, damp evening, we offer a mix of some of our favorite fallish songs.

     

    So load up your playlist, perhaps with the above suggestions, and enjoy this fine, brisk weather!