Personal Notes from the Piggy - NL Comments

[kimberkatt]

ROFL Kelly... you confused the Piggy! That's not an easy thing to do, you know!! hehe...

Congrats Diane! What a great idea that freestyle challenge was, and an amazing LO for a scrap friend!

[camperchow]

Thanks so much for the LOTW! Kelly sent such great pictures. The colors in the pics were just perfect.

[catschwartz]

The stories are too funny! My granddaughter is already a master of saying "I won"t do ________ anymore!" She is only 3, so what she puts in the blank is usually very funny to us. We have to hide our face so she won't see us laughing It is usually something like "play with the dinosaur "or something like that. Something that really hurts her more than us if she doesn't do it. She is usually not in that mode, but when she is, it cracks us up!
My mom's favorite story this week is about my grandson, Brandon. He is just 2 years old. They went to lunch and he saw an older boy with a mohawk. He said" He looks like a dinosaur." I don't think the boy heard him. I have a friend that said her boys would have thought it was funny. My mom sure did

[kimberkatt]

hehehe... my daughter (who just turned 4) says similar things... her favorite right now when she gets angry/upset is "Mommy, I not play with you ever again! I just sit here!" {insert crossed arms and pouty lip} And my son, who's 5, will tell me in this matter of fact voice "Ma, you're being mean, you need to stop now!" if I tell him he can't watch TV right now, or play his video games... it is really hard not to laugh in front of them!

[michellemarie]

When my 5 yr old got in trouble yesterday (basically for not being nice to her younger siblings), she said to me "you're not being very nice!" And I said, "People are nice to you when you are nice to them." And she said "I want to be naughty and you to be nice!"

[allergy_mom]

Six year old insists that the less-than-two year old is being "mean" because he cheerfully closes the living room door again and again and again, all day long. So now my baby, ignorant of the frustration he causes big brother, jubilantly announces "mean!" every time he closes the door (just so proud of himself for learning a new word!).

[ArtElf]

My 5 years old girl was acting up the other day. She ran around and did all the stuff she knows she's not supposed to do. I sent her to her room, and told her not to come out until she knew how to behave. After a little while I heard the frontdoor shutting. I got up and out, and there she was standing in the garden. "Mommy. I want to move away now. You're mean..." I told her that if she behaved as she should, I wouldn't be mean. "I know that, but I want to move to someone else, so I can do what I want." And after a moments silence she said with tears in her eyes: "But i don't know anyone that I can move to. Everybody I know is too strickt."

[kimberkatt]

hahahahahahaha.... that's so funny!! My son is 5, too and he just came out with something similar to that! He was splashing his sister in the pool and after telling him to stop twice, I made him get out of the pool and sit on the stairs as a "time out" After about a minute, he stands up and announces "That's it! I'm leaving! I'm going to Cairo, Egypt!! Mommy! Pack me a lunch, it's a looooong trip!!" I could not contain myself, I burst out laughing!! He was just so serious!!! ROFL!! Times like those I really wish I had a video camera attached to my hand!!

See, children really are the same all over the world!

Edit: Cairo, Egypt is in one of his Dinosaur books, which is where he got it from! lol

[makeyesup]

Expecially love reading the notes in the newsletter, they often give me a good laugh, thanks Toiny.

[kimberkatt]

ROFLMBO!!! Toiny, every time I see a clown I envision you running & screaming, knocking children down in your haste .... thanks for the laughs!!


bwhahahahahahahahahahahaha........... Now I know what to send you for Christmas!!

[michellemarie]

I'm not afraid of clowns, but I have to admit there is something extremely creepy about them...

[Min]

Hmm - after the last NL I feel compelled to shed some light on the German Christmas traditions:

We start counting down the days until Christmas with an Advent Calendar, filled with chocolate, little surprises, coupons, whatever you feel like filling it with.

Typically everybody has an Advent wreath with four candles, to celebrate the last four Sundays before Christmas. It has 4 candles and every Sunday one more candle is lit. The wreath itself is usually made of fir branches and decorated to taste (traditionally it was just fir, apples and candles).

Nikolaustag (Day of St. Nicholas) is Dec. 6th. St. Nikolaus (originally a bishop of Myrna) has a list of the naughty and the nice kids and walks the streets with his wild servant Knecht Ruprecht. The kids clean their shoes and boots and put them out on the night of the 5th. If they have been good they will find Nuts, Apples, Chocolate or a little present in the morning, if they have been naughty they will find a "Rute", a couple of little branches (originally used for beating kids - long time ago).

The big German Christmas celebration is on the 24th, the Holy Night or Evening. Presents are brought by the Christkind (little Jesus) or the Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus-like). There's a little bit of a North-South division between the more catholic South with the Christkind and the more protestant North with the Weihnachtsmann. Some families with small kids will hire students to come to their house on the 24th, dressed as Weihnachtsmann or Christkind, to bring the presents.

Traditionally - although that has changed over the years - the Christmas tree wasn't decorated until Chrismas Eve and hidden in a locked room until after the Church service. When I was little our living room would be locked all day (my parents decorated the tree the night before when we were asleep), after Church a little bell would ring and we all entered, singing "Silent Night" to first see the decorated and lit tree and all the presents. Then we did sing Christmas carols and afterwards the presents were unpacked taking turns.

On Christmas Eve, dinner tends to be more simple fare - Wieners and potato salad are very traditional. The big feast - Christmas goose - is usually on the 25th.

That's how the Germans do it - how do you all celebrate Christmas?

[kimberkatt]

Wow! Min, I love this! What a great breakdown of your Christmas traditions... our American traditions seem to pale in comparison! My son just brought home his Advent Wreath from School, made out of paper, of course! LOL! I've heard of the Advent Calendars, but we've never used them, we usually just X the days off the calendar for the count down.

For my family (because every American family has different traditions depending on their heritage) it is very simple. The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually when the Christmas decorations come out and we spend the entire week decorating the house with little trinkets, tinsel & christmas lights... then the shopping frenzy begins! The tree doesn't usually go up until two weeks before Christmas because we get a real tree every year and they have to last through New Years! We decorate the tree with lights & mostly home-made ornaments with a few store-bought ones thrown in to "fill it up" We string cranberries, too, to put on the tree and the little bit of heat that comes from the lights makes them smell sooooo good! It's that mixture of Pine & Cranberry that symbolize Christmas for me! I love that smell!!

On Christmas Eve we go to my parents house. This is the night we open gifts with them, have dinner, usually Ham & Turkey, and just hang out as a family. Every year, since I can remember, we watch A Christmas Story (you know, the "you'll shoot you're eye out" one lol ) and we still laugh every time we see it! Afterwards, when we are home, the kids will put out a plate of cookies & a glass of milk for Santa with a small little gift that they picked out for him and a thank you note... last year Dom found this tiny little Rudolph trinket, so that's what we gave him!

When the kids are sleeping, we put out all of the gifts that are coming from "Santa" under the tree... no wrapping!! It has always been a tradition in both mine & hubby's family that gifts from Santa are not wrapped! So, hubby & I usually stay up way too late taking toys out of their store packaging and putting them together! This is also the night we stuff their stockings with small items like candy, pencils, small toys, etc... then we crash hard for, oh, three or four hours before Christmas Morning hits! LOL!

Christmas Morning is a whirlwind! The kids usually come running in to wake us up at the ungodly hour of about 5am Then we all rush downstairs to see the presents! At around 8am, we put on our shoes & coats and head off to Great-Gram & Great-Graps house (which is only next door! lol) for more Christmas frenzy! It has been tradition in my husbands family for everyone to come to their house to open gifts Christmas Morning! So, everyone brings all of their gifts and we stuff them all under the tree! We have breakfast there, usually just pastries/bread, eggs & bacon and around 9am is when the chaos begins! Now, you have to realize that there are about 15 of us all unwrapping gifts at the same time, crammed into this little living room, chaos is putting it mildly! Usually the cat & dog get buried underneath all the wrapping paper! After that's all done, it's time to take everything home & get ready for Christmas Dinner, which is Prime Rib!! mmmmm-mmmmm, do I love Christmas Dinner!

Then, for about a week or so, it's a whirlwind of visiting relatives or relatives coming to visit us.... it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!! It's the only time of the year we get to see some of them, so I treasure it!!

Mixed in with all of that madness is making food baskets & donating clothes & toys, which I absolutely LOVE to do! And I love that I'm teaching my kids to give back instead of just getting all the time... we even make out Christmas Cards for the elderly that live in the apartment building down the street and hand deliver them! And, now that kids are a little bit older, they even sing Jingle Bells to them! It's so cute!

[Joba2]

Thanks Min & Kimmy for sharing your Christmas traditions. You inspired me to record my own

[Min]

Great stories, Kim and Joanne, thanks for sharing - there are so many little things that form traditions for every family - I really need to follow Joanne's lead and do my own challenge this month, LOL

Joanne, did you see the December Freestyle Challenge? Your layout would fit in there perfectly!

[Joba2]

I'll check it out right now.Thanks Mim & I loved your telling of your traditions. I think you should scrap your story.It would be a wonderful keepsake

[kimberkatt]

Oh, Joba.... I need to steal...er, scraplift that page!!! It's just so perfect!!! Now, thank YOU for your inspiration!! Woot! Min, I just might do your challenge this month!! LOL!

[kimberkatt]

Oh, Toiny! I just read today's NL, and I soooooo just want to give you a hug! I am so sorry for your family's loss and everything else that is going on in your world right now! My issues around the Holiday's just pale in comparison and I want you to know, if anything, you have lifted my spirits to get over my pettiness!! Stay strong, my dear! You have a beautiful & loving family to get you through this! Thoughts & prayers are with you all!!

[Jessicasma]

Toiny, my thoughts and all my prayers are with you and your family this Christmas Season! Love and hugs to you all!

[Toiny]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the love. I'm so happy both my oldest & my FIL in here. I just wish my mom & dad would come too.

Smooches,

T