Last year I did a “Days of Thanks” blog posts during the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed finding something new each day to be thankful for. I wanted to participate again this year, but come Nov 1 I felt stressed about the idea.
I shouldn’t feel stressed about being thankful, that seems counterproductive. I was stressing about having to remember to write something and post it everyday. What if I don’t have time (I was at home on maternity leave this time last year, and now I am back at work) to write about it before the day is done and I am crashed out, asleep, exhausted? What about the days that a “thankful” post will interfere with another post I want to write? Will I end up doing a post about my kids everyday? or maybe about my coffee?
Those thoughts, and more, were going through my head as I was up with a sick baby at 4 o’clock in the morning.
So I decided it would be better to do a recap of the things I was regretful for during the week.
7 Days of Thanks Nov 1-7
Nov. 1
Our humidifier. When Sid woke up in the middle of night having a hard time breathing, I was thankful that I already owned a humidifier. His breathing was back to normal by the time the sun came up.
Nov. 2
Pinterest. I am thankful to be able to share creative ideas with millions of strangers. I found the idea for these Mummy Juice Boxes on there. Ian took them to his school Halloween party, and all the kids loved them.
Nov. 3
Brothers. These two are amazing.
Nov. 4
Ian’s love for LEGOs. It is no surprise our family loves LEGOs. I love being able to pass on my childhood favorites to my kids.
Nov. 5
That second cup of coffee. Yep, I did it. I posted about my morning coffee. But it is so necessary and everyday I am thankful for that cup.
Nov. 6
Preschool. I am so thankful that someone else is teaching my kid. I could never be a parent that home-schools their kids. Way too hard for me. How do I teach this left-handed kid how to write from left to right.
Nov. 7
Face Time. I don’t have an iPhone, but my mom does. My baby cousin is away at college, a freshman, and we all miss her terribly. It is so great to be able to see her face when we talk to her. Baby Sid get’s so excited he tried to eat the phone. OK, so maybe he was giving her kisses.
Ian’s school is having a Halloween party this week. They are going to do a little trick-or-treat event, so us parents are charged with bringing treats in from our student.
Of course, I couldn’t just bring in some candy.
I made these cute little candy envelopes. They fit one Fun Size pack of M&M’s, or similar candy.
These are perfect for giving to friends or neighbors.
If you would like to download this printable, you can here.
To assemble: cut out each envelope. Fold along lines, four sections.
Have child write their name, or other sentiment in the white space on the back.
Tape the candy inside, use a dollop of glue under the pumpkin/skull to secure.
Happy Halloween
This Halloween printable was made using graphics from Just So Scrappy and was prepared by Mama Sonshine.
This printable is for personal use only. You may print the items as many times as needed for your own personal use. Please do not forward, share, sell or distribute the files for any commercial purposes or claim as your own design. Please do not post this printable to your website or blog. You may link to this website, https://mamasonshine.com/, if you would like share this download.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I cry when I am happy. I cry when I am mad. I cry when I am scared or hurt. I cry when I laugh. I cry when I watch movies, TV, or commercials. I cry when I read. I cry when I am frustrated. I, of course, cry when I am sad. I cry [insert emotion here].
I cry. I cry. I cry.
I don’t cry, however, when I cut onions.
The other day I was reading a blog post a woman wrote and I started crying. While at work. Earlier the same day I dropped off a very tired three-year-old boy at preschool and there was an incident at the hand-washing sink that made him cry. Mostly because he was so exhausted he didn’t know how to deal with his emotions.
As I was leaving I felt bad because I knew he was going to have a particularly rough day, and predicted there would be quite a few tears shed that day. So that day really got me thinking about crying. And boys crying.
I have two boys. And I HATE that phrase “boys don’t cry”.
My husband sometimes cry and he is a boy. (But don’t tell him I told you…About the crying part.)
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
I understand the need for men to be men and all that garbage. But who decided that showing you emotions are not manly? Some other man probably.
Ahh…but I digress.
I have never wanted my son to think he couldn’t cry about something, when his emotional response was to cry. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a child, be it boy or girl, who cries about EVERYTHING. But I don’t want my child to be so embarrassed about crying that he doesn’t learn to share his emotions. And he is three, he is gonna cry about things.
So when he gets upset about something and starts crying, I have never told him to stop. My response is that I need him to calm down. He often gets more emotional when he is tired, come on, we all do. When this is the case I tell him “I know you are tired but I need you to calm down so we can talk about it.”
I know, sounds like a lot of “new age” (is that even a term now?) mumbojumbo. A little too ‘get in touch with your sensitive side.’
However, it works. If he is throwing a fit or got hurt or is just so upset about something and doesn’t know how to express it, these words helps him. Sometimes I say “slow down, breathe slowly and try to calm down.” Cause you know how kids can get when they are crying so much they start to hyperventilate.
Of course sometimes he says “I canna calm down, I cryin’ too hard” which is just adorable! After someone else has stopped crying he will ask me “did dey calm down now?” Isn’t he just the cutest?
I still have to get mad at my husband sometimes when he tells Ian to ‘stop crying’ because that is not the road I want us to travel. We should all be able to cry when we want to. When he is just throwing a temper-tantrum I just tell him we can talk or do whatever, when he calms down. It is hard not to say “when you stop crying” but I really don’t want to use those words.
I try to validate his feelings and let him know it’s OK to have them, but eventually he needs to stop the tears so the day can go on.
So I say, let it out. Cry. Cry often and cry hard, if that is what is called for. Be you man, woman or child. Don’t be ashamed to let others see you cry. Carry your hankie embroidered with your initial on it, and cry.
“…you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.”
― Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning
When Ian was born during spring break, which is in March, I was sad he couldn’t ever have a pool party at my mom’s house. Well unless everyone has wet suits.
Then Sid was due in mid-Sept. and I thought for sure he would be early and was excited cause we could have a pool party/BBQ for his first birthday.
I was wrong and he wasn’t early, but right on time, he was born on his namesake’s birthday. So when his first birthday was approaching I decided to have his party on the first Saturday after the Labor Day holiday. In hopes that the weather would still be nice that early in Sept.
I decided on a beach theme; melding a luau, surfer and underwater theme.
As usual I spent a lot of time on Pinterest finding inspiration. I can’t believe how creative people are with food!
I got one of my hubby’s old surfboards down and sat Baby Sid on it for some pictures for his invitations.
The picture for Sid’s invitation
For the decorations I used five digital scrapbook kits from Just So Scrappy.
I of course had to make a “Happy Birthday Baby Sid” banner for the gazebo on my mom’s deck. I also made some triangle and circle bunting banners.
“Happy Birthday Sid”
Bunting
I also made an “I am 1” banner for Sid’s high chair.
Highchair bunting and The Birthday Boy
I saw these Jelly Fish made out of paper lanterns and thought they would be perfect for hanging in the gazebo.
Jelly Fish
My mom collects mugs, and has a wall of mugs in her dinning room. Yes a WALL of mugs, which holds the ones she doesn’t want used that often. Cause there are more in her kitchen. This is only a problem when I am trying to take pictures of our food table and/or cake.
This time I decided to make a back drop to hide the mugs. I made the “Surf’s Up” banner and glued it to cardboard taping the crape paper behind it along with some circles taped to ribbon and the blue “Happy Birthday” garland.
Backdrop and Cake
Let’s talk about THIS cake. Not only was it adorable, with the little fondant boy to match the invitations, but it was DELICIOUS!!! My Auntie made the cake, she does all our cakes. It was vanilla with an orange cream filling. Yes it tasted like a dreamsicle ice cream bar. And yes it was dreamlike and I probably could have eaten the whole cake. By. My. Self.
The Cake table
The Cake!
We made some fun beach themed food. My mom hand dipped the Bugles in white chocolate to make sweet/salty shark teeth. I bought the white powdered sugar doughnuts and pipped on frosting to make life preservers. Using frosting we turned Nutter Butter Cookies into flip-flops. The oyster pearls are Sixlets and Bubble Gum that I bought at the craft store in the wedding section.
Shark Teeth, Life Preservers, Flip Flop Cookies, Oyster Pearls
My nieces decorated Jello cups with Teddy Graham, Swedish Fish and Gummy Life Savers. My sister and nieces then made a beach scene on a platter for more fun edible decorations. Brown Sugar was used for all the beaches and sand.
Of course I had to have food tag tents, how else would people know what they are eating? My sister came up with some witty little names for the dishes.
Food Tags
The menu included
Puffer Fish Pizza Puffs; Three Cheese or Pepperoni
I made this sign to hang on the front of my mom’s house.
Beach Access Sign
I also made this photo collage of pictures from Baby Sid’s first year.
A year of photos collage
Baby Sid woke up from his nap right before the party and came down to see the house decorated. He was so excited! I wish I had my camera at hand, but I didn’t know his whole face would light up! He was wonderful and such a little trooper with all the excitement and people.
The weather was great so the kids got to swim and use the slip ‘n slide.
As always I couldn’t have pulled it off with out the help of my mom, sister and the rest of my family.
I Tri and Craft 