Yesterday we celebrated Easter with our family at my sister’s house. Now, even though as adults we should know better, we still start the holiday digging into the kids baskets with them. Well, we actually eat some of the candy that didn’t make it into the baskets rather than taking their candy. It’s a bit of gorging of course, but we figure it’s only one time a year so why not. Then after we rest and read the morning paper, we treat ourselves to a big breakfast of French toast or pancakes with bacon and lots of syrup and juice. After Church it’s off to the big family get together, where we eat again.
So the family dinner includes ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, and more. After sitting around chatting and stuffing ourselves we usually try to get some fresh air and make room for dessert- a perfect time for the kids to do an Easter egg hunt. Why do so many holidays revolve around food? Of course along with dessert there is usually a second round of Easter candy to go around. After all of the sugar and food, it’s no wonder we all crash early for the night.
While we haven’t even had a chance to enjoy Halloween, people on the radio on mentioning how many shopping days are left until Christmas! Forget a mention of Thanksgiving - is it because there just isn’t enough money to be made marketing that particular holiday? Well I for one wish it would just slow down a bit and that the stores would stop pushing Christmas before we’ve had a chance to enjoy living in the moment and the current holiday.
Halloween is fun but Thanksgiving is probably one of my favorite food holidays and family get-togethers. I enjoy the big turkey and all of the delicious side dishes. And what’s not to love about all the yummy pies and desserts. While writing this I do realize it might sound like I love it most of all for the food, but truly it’s also fun to be with some of my favorite relatives and siblings. Especially when we cook together for the day - half the fun is messing around in the kitchen together. Cleaning it up is another story!
It happens to me every year as summer starts wind down. As the second month of summer starts to near its end I find I have had just about enough of the heat. That’s probably true for a lot of people, though maybe not those fortunate enough to live near the beach. There you can escape the hot sun with a jump in the cool waves and rest on the sand with a ocean breeze to keep you cool. I actually used to be fifteen minutes from the ocean and while I miss it most of the year, I especially miss it during the hot summer months.
Now I am more than ready for crisp fall weather, for the chance to wear a light jacket or sweater and a pair of comfortable jeans. Right now, where I live, you can’t even take a walk in the morning without breaking a sweat from the humidity. Ah, but in the autumn months it’s the perfect time for long hikes in a park or just in the neighborhood. You can comfortably enjoy outdoor fairs and flea markets and spend many enjoyable hours with your family outside in the fresh air.
Wow, the heat of the summer is upon us. Somehow I always seem to forget how hot it can get in July until the month arrives again. While I do love the summer months and the time we can get out to the beach or the pool, autumn is by far my favorite season. There’s nothing quite like the cool, crisp air and the beautiful fall colors. Plus during the fall months you can enjoy going out and about wearing a light jacket instead of the breaking into a sweat just going to your mailbox in the summer’s sweltering heat.
So what’s the trick to staying cool this month? Well for one thing, it’s a good idea to get your outdoor chores done early in the morning or later in the evening. If you’re going out during the midday, it’s important to cover up well and slather on some good sun block too. Of course there’s nothing like cooling off in the water to take the edge off of any hot summer day. Even if you don’t have a swimming pool or beach nearby, you can just turn on the hose or the sprinkler for a little fun. You can even get a kiddie pool to soak your feet in or for you favorite furry friend to cool off in.
Wow, it’s hard to believe it, but next weekend is the July 4th holiday already. Time feels like a runaway train sometimes. The news channels seem to think it won’t be as big a travel holiday as it has been in the past since gas prices have gone up a bit again and many people are still struggling in this economy. I’ve never been very big on traveling on the holidays myself. I usually try to avoid it if I can since I can’t stand to be stuck in traffic or crowded airports. I much prefer traveling on off-peak times, so much more peaceful and generally less expensive too.
So this July 4th weekend we have a big neighborhood party going on. It’s great fun for everyone - lots of fun safe play for the kids with water balloons and harmless poppers. Then we’ll bbq and do the big fireworks when it starts to get dark. It’s a great way to get to know neighbors better and for the kids to spend time hanging out with other kids in the neighborhood. All and all a fun family way to spend the holiday. And then when things quiet down in a couple of weeks, we can head to the beach when it’s not so crazy and crowded.
It seems most of us end up running around all week long- whether its spending time at work and school, or running the many errands and carting the kids off to sporting games and play dates. So when the weekend finally rolls around we simply look forward to making time for some good old-fashioned family fun and much-needed precious rest and relaxation. While some people seem to prefer to pack their weekends with things to do, a lot of us prefer to try to schedule as few things as possible and take a break from the constant feeling of being on the go.
Top on the list is skipping the alarm clock and catching up on some much-needed sleep. Then there’s making time for some family meals, from big breakfasts of pancakes, bacon, and eggs to dinners cooked outside on the grill. Or maybe as a special treat, Mom and Dad can take a break from cooking and go out to eat for a change. Another favorite is family movie night - finding a movie everyone can enjoy and popping up a batch of buttery popcorn. It doesn’t matter so much what we do for family fun, as long as we focus on turning off the cell phones and spending some great time together.
