Hot Cocoa at Christmastime

Recently, a very sweet friend gave our family a jar of homemade hot chocolate mix with marshmallow stirring sticks (dipped in chocolate and crushed peppermint)!!!  The rich, warm, chocolatey concoction was a perfect after-school treat as we approached the Christmas break.  

As you can see, my "littles" were delighted!

This hot cocoa brings back a recent episode in our family circus that is worth retelling (it's much funnier now than at the time : ) ....

I usually have my two little girls with me when one of the older kids has an orthodontist appt. The super-cool office has a fancy Kuerig coffee maker, and my little ones just loves to make cups & cups of hot cocoa while we wait.

THREE TIMES "we" have spilled whole cups of cocoa on the office carpet (which, thankfully, is espresso colored)!  TWICE, the actual orthodontist helped us clean up the mess...embarrassing! The last time (and probably our last time to get cocoa there), my 2 year old's almost-full cup of cocoa spilled on the tile floor by the super-snazzy, electronic dental chair (as my 12 year old was being examined), and the entire tasty beverage poured right down the electrical floor outlet! UH-OH! The examination light immediately shut off (due to the CGFI being tripped) AND the computer system went haywire!  BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!   BEEP!  There was an incessant beeping throughout the office (when the computer went down) that drove us (the hygienist, the orthodontist, and ESPECIALLY THIS MOMMY) all completely crazy until the orthodontist had to go back and flip the braker.  Fortunately, we were able to sop up most of the cocoa (while Abigail remained in the reclined, mouth-propped-open position).  Eventually, the power was restored to the examination area, and my blood pressure decreased.  Whew!  This is where I do a plug for DR. PAUL GATES, because he truly is a GREAT orthodontist, and an extremely PATIENT and FORGIVING man!

*** On a scale from 1-10 on the EMBARRASSMENT SCALE, this event rates 8.5 ***

I love a Parade! God Bless America!!!

If a picture is worth a thousand words,  I could easily compose a thousand words about this photo and my love for this country!  I get all choked up & teary-eyed as I admire the service men & women marching in my hometown 4th of July parade.  They give-up so much for our freedom, and I am in awe of their sacrifices.

Every 4th of July, I wake up all giddy about going to the parade downtown.  There's just something special about everyone donning their RED, WHITE & BLUE and showing respect for our great country.  At my kids' request, I got out my paints  & quickly applied stars & flags to their precious little cheeks before the parade.  I also painted "USA" on Ella's cheek, which she referred to as "BSA" all day.  That was pretty cute, considering she's all of 2 1/2 years old.

Since I was not blogging in January (remember, I lost my blog & could not remember how to access it *wow*), I did not get to recognize my BRAVE little brother who volunteered to to serve in Afghanistan last year.  I want to take a moment to honor him.

Jay, an Air Force fighter pilot, risked his own life to serve our country. I admire him so much!  We had the opportunity to Skype with him while he was stationed overseas, but seeing his face on our computer could not compare to seeing him in PERSON when he flew back into the good ole USA!  

Our family greeted him at the airport & then celebrated his homecoming back at our house.  I made that amazingly "magic" FLAG CAKE that I found on the internet.  What a fun project that was! Thank goodness I remembered to take a picture of the inside of the cake before it was gobbled up!!!

If you haven't made this cake before, I challenge you to try it.  It is neat to see how the rings and layers of the cake come together to make a flag when sliced.  The best part *I think* is keeping the inside of the cake a SURPRISE until it is cut for the guests! 

In case you are wondering, this is what the FLAG CAKE looks like in the assembly phase.  My kids kept asking, "How is THAT going to be a flag?"  It's either magic...or science...or art.  You decide.

I didn't bake my favorite FLAG CAKE this 4th of July, but I did make some red, white & blue Rice Krispies treats.  They were yummy and MUCH quicker to throw together!  Instead of 6 cups of Rice Krispies, I used 4 cups, and then I added 1 cup of red and 1 cup of blue cereal (which I hand-picked out of a box of Hill Country Fare Berry Crunch cereal). Since we were out by the pool, this seemed like a treat that was easier to access by hungry little patriots in the Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave!

FAMILY RULES

Let's face it, a household, like a circus, can be LOTS of fun. But without rules or guidelines, it can be unruly & dangerous.  This is why I created a FAMILY RULES canvas for our home.  I got the idea from the Keepers Ministry website. There are instructions on how to make your own FAMILY RULES canvas, which are very easy to follow.

The gist is that you tear pretty pieces of scrapbook paper into strips and glue them onto a canvas in rows.  You use Mod Podge to seal the paper, and once it's all dry (over night), personalize the canvas with your own set of family rules/guidelines with a paint pen (or vinyl letters, if you'd rather).  Most importantly, use colors & wording that expresses YOUR FAMILY.  Maybe you use funny sayings, or perhaps you only have 2 or 3 rules.  Anything goes.

The goal of our family is to put God first in our lives and in our home. This sounds a bit broad , so I have chosen the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23b) as our "rules".

Love God above all else

Be joyful - laugh & play everyday

Be a peacemaker - forgive others

Have patience with one another

Be kind to everyone - be an encourager

Do good - Let your light shine!

Be faithful - loyal, trustworthy & reliable

Use gentle words & ways

Be self-controlled - quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry

AND....Be thankful - no complaining

Our 24x30 canvas is hung by our family computer work station in our kitchen, right by the breakfast table. You can't miss it!

 OK, now, let's get real.  

Posting Family Rules does NOT insure that they are followed.  What I love about this, though, is it is a great tool for redirecting off-track behavior for EVERYONE in our home.

Did I have patience with my kids today? 

Am I thankful for what I have?  Did I complain about another mess or load of laundry?

**Ok - so maybe the rules are more for me than anyone else.**

If you are not so confident in your crafting skills, I would be happy to make one for you! You can choose 10-12 pieces of your own scrapbook paper that you love, and I will use those.

24x30     $40.00

16x20     $35.00

11x14     $30.00

8x10       $25.00

Here are my LITTLES posing with our Family Rules canvas.  Aren't they getting along nicely? HA! They were just arguing over who was going to stand on which step, so I *patiently* redirected them towards more kind behavior. After all, you can't fight while showing off the Family Rules!!!!!! : )