Family | Pure Sugar

Typical Wednesday

December 5, 2012 7:41 pm \ 1 Comment \ Carol B.

Do you have one day of the week that seems busier than all the others? For me it’s Wednesdays. Wednesdays really aren’t that much different from other days, except that the boys have religion after school. But somehow this completely changes the day’s dynamic. At least they are shuttled by bus from their school to the parish center, so that saves me a lot of time.

But today it was my turn to bring snack for Jake’s class (donuts and pink lemonade — per his request), so I had to hit the grocery store and then head over to the parish center before all the kids got there, then it was run home, do a few things, and then run back to pick them up. Race home to make dinner (tacos), eat, and make sure D. got out the door in time for the monthly Cub Scout leader’s meeting.

Whew.

Luckily for me, the morning and early afternoon weren’t quite so busy. I never got around to making my chicken tikka masala last night, so I decided to throw together a quick curry for lunch since I still craved Indian. When I took out my ginger, I noticed that it had sprouted!

I might try planting it and see what happens. The curry came together quick and made for a comforting lunch. Curry is one of Laura’s favorites (seriously!), so everyone was happy.

After I cleaned up the dishes, we got out the Lalaloopsies. Today they were having a sleepover. I love that she tucked an extra cushion behind her dolly’s head!

And then we topped off the afternoon with some lettuce while watching cartoons. Laura ate — no kidding — at least four lettuce leaves, and then cleaned me out of black olives.

And now I am utterly wiped out. I had to force myself to write this tonight. And tomorrow is a full morning, too… I have to be out and about bright and early by 7 a.m.

Good thing I’m a morning person

Posted in: Family, This & That \ Tagged: holidailies

String Up the Lights

December 2, 2012 4:39 pm \ Leave a Comment \ Carol B.

Do you have a Christmas tree decorating tradition? Ours is to hang up all of the ornaments while Christmas Vacation plays in the background. It’s something Drew and I have done since our pre-kid days, and every year without fail we laugh at all the same parts.

While I love the idea of a real tree, the reality is that our artificial tree just makes more sense for us. We can put it up whenever we like (in our case — last weekend, even though we didn’t decorate it until today). We can use it for years. We don’t need to water it. And honestly I love that it has glitter on it. Find that on your local tree lot

This year, the ornament hanging went much smoother than in years past. The kids all listened, and there was minimal frustration. We have some very old and very fragile ornaments that they’re not allowed to touch yet.

And yes, there was hot cocoa. (The grown-up version had a little extra “Christmas cheer” thrown in!)

Over the next few days we’ll move ornaments around until it’s just right. I had planned on making a popcorn garland this year, but I just didn’t have time last week. Our old garland is at least 30 years old. Have you ever seen 30-year-old popcorn? Yeah, and I thought the ornaments were fragile. We strung it up last year, but this year it’s staying in the box.

This early in the month, it’s still a work in progress. And I really need to find our tree skirt!

Posted in: Family, Holidays & Entertaining \ Tagged: christmas, decorating, holidalies, holidays

That Was November

November 30, 2012 2:35 pm \ Leave a Comment \ Carol B.

Well November flew by, didn’t it? Weren’t we all just doling out the candy our kids got on Halloween? And now we’ve moved on to candy canes and fudge. I didn’t take that many photos this month. I’m not sure why, but I’ll have to remedy that in December.

Today we had our chimney and wood stove cleaned, so we can burn all winter without fear I’ll tell you that not being able to light it for the 24 hours prior to our appointment was a killer. I ::big puffy heart:: our wood stove. It is cozy and toasty and beautiful and winter just wouldn’t be the same without it. So yes, I’m now happily sitting next to the stove as it warms up the house, once again.

Today is also my parents’ wedding anniversary. ♥ 38 years! ♥ Happy anniversary you two crazy kids!

Tomorrow is December 1, and Sinterklaas (a big deal around here), and Christmas gets into full swing, and for me it ushers in a busy month full of parties and last-minute doctors appointments, (and yet another dentist appointment), and baking, and cooking, and family, and decorating, and cocoa, and tea, and giving, and hopefully lots of laughing and fun!

I always find myself feeling weird about December. Simultaneously in love with the joy, but sad at the same time, thinking about people we love who are no longer with us, missing their presence, and trying to remember to savor every moment (especially at the holidays). It can be a tough month for people, and I try to keep that in mind when I meet people who aren’t exactly in the spirit. However, it’s the perfect time, the perfect opportunity to just extend a little kindness. I think we all should try to do that more often, anyway.

OK, December. I’m ready for you.

Posted in: Family

Hyundai Santa Fe: Families Who Rock!

November 29, 2012 1:29 pm \ Leave a Comment \ Carol B.

This post is brought to you by The New Santa Fe from Hyundai. Think your family rocks? Show us by uploading a photo of your family rocking out. Enter now for a chance to win great prizes.

Those of you who know how I met my husband, know that rock & roll is the whole reason behind it. And for those of you who don’t know, here is the abbreviated version… Drew was in a band in college called Rosemary Caine, and I absolutely loved them.

Years later, when I was living in Boston and looking for shows to see during the week, I checked out the Rosemary Caine website and learned that they’d broken up. I e-mailed Drew to let him know what a bummer it was because I really liked them. He wrote back, and we eventually went on a picnic for our first date, during which a random person told us he just knew we were going to get married.

And the rest, as they say, is history! That was back in May 1998. Some 14+ years later, I still think we rock Of course, our kids love to listen to Drew’s music (both old and new) and they jam together in the basement studio. Or living room. Or out on the deck. Wherever there happens to be a guitar laying around! (Or in this case, Noah’s drum set and Jake’s trumpet.)

Some of you also know about Drew’s comic Skateboard Heroes, the brainchild of our boys. As the tagline goes, “They rock, they roll, they save the world.” It’s a story about two kids (depicted by Jake & Noah), who love skateboards, ska music, and jamming in the garage when they’re not trying to save humanity from the evils of Dr. Inferno.

What about you — does your family rock? Do you love to play around and have fun together? Do you play practical jokes on each other? And most important, does your family value kindness, sharing, and hard work? Then you’ve got to enter the Families Who Rock Contest sponsored by Hyundai Santa Fe and Rolling Stone.

Just upload a photo that shows how your family rocks and write about yourselves in 500 words or less. The prizes are pretty amazing and include a photo shoot in Rolling Stone (!!!) featuring the winning family shot by an industry photographer; airfare, hotel and transportation to the 55th Grammy Awards; and a fully tricked-out Hyundai Santa Fe custom rock ‘n’ roller.

The contest ends December 14, 2012. So what are you waiting for? Rock on!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Posted in: Family \ Tagged: #MyFamilyRocks, #spon, clever girls, contest, hydundai, rock and roll, rolling stone, rosemary caine, skateboard heroes

Hard to Believe

October 30, 2012 3:28 pm \ 1 Comment \ Carol B.

I don’t even know where to start a blog post after something like Hurricane Sandy happens. Luckily, our little spot upstate-ish barely felt any effects. Yes, it rained, and yes the wind was blowing like mad, but aside from a 10-second power blip, and a whole lot more leaves down, we are no worse for the wear. My heart absolutely breaks for everyone in New York City, New Jersey, and other affected areas. My thoughts are with them.

Last year at this very same time we were hammered with that freak blizzard. If I remember correctly, we had 18 inches of snow on the deck! Here’s what our yard looked like:

Today it’s just gray and windy (still). Last year I crocheted my way through the storm working on baby elf hats. This year, I hooked away at dozens of granny trees.

Tonight I just plan on being cozy in my little home, and being grateful that I have power to cook, unspoiled food to eat, munchkins to hug, and a sound roof over our heads. Disasters like this have a tendency to remind us of what’s really important, don’t they?

Posted in: Family, Hudson Valley, This & That

A Fantastic Birthday Weekend!

October 29, 2012 10:20 am \ 1 Comment \ Carol B.

I know everyone is focussed on Hurricane Sandy right now, but I’m distracting myself with other pursuits (creamy chicken noodle soup, poached chicken, brownies… you know, the important stuff). What a way to wind up my birthday weekend. That’s right — I turned 37 on Friday! I had a great weekend filled with friends and family.

My parents came down on Friday and we always have a great time. For dinner I got my favorite veggie pizza and made a salad. I also had a ginormous chocolate mousse cake (so good!) Then Drew lit off a few fireworks in my honor, LOL…

The kids made me very sweet homemade cards and picked out thoughtful presents, including nail polish, chai tea, and prosecco. (I think that maybe Daddy helped them with that last one!)

Saturday was a trick-or-treat extravaganza! I’ll talk about that more on Halloween, though. And yesterday Drew’s mom and aunt came down for lunch. His aunt made me the coolest scarf! I want to look up how to make it before I blog about it though. But it’s lovely and I can’t wait to show it off.

And now I’m waiting to see what this storm brings! School is closed today (as is most of the Northeast in general, it seems), so I think that after lunch I’ll pull out some crafts for the munchkins and try to get in some crochet, myself. Which reminds me — I need to print off a few patterns before the power inevitably goes out!

To all in Sandy’s path, be safe! Here’s hoping for the best!

Posted in: Family, This & That \ Tagged: chitchat

A Visit to the New York Botanical Garden

October 15, 2012 2:30 pm \ 1 Comment \ Carol B.

What a weekend! I have so much to tell you about, but I thought I’d start by sharing some photos I took yesterday. While Drew and Jake were at ComicCon, my mother-in-law suggested the rest of us spend the day at the New York Botanical Gardens. I’d never been there and she certainly didn’t have to convince me — I was so excited to finally visit!

We saw the gorgeous Monet’s Garden exhibit, as well as the Haunted Pumpkin Garden (very non-spooky, very fun, and great for children). Noah had a great time planting buckwheat seeds and dissecting an owl pellet, while Laura enjoyed playing in the outdoor puppet theatre and just looking at all the incredibly creative pumpkin sculptures.

Seeing all these beautiful plants makes me wish I was a better gardener! Just gorgeous stuff. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

I could have spent the entire day wandering around. If you live in the metro New York area and you’re looking for something fun and Halloween-y to do, this exhibit was a lot of fun, plus the grounds are just so beautiful. We plan to go back for the holiday train show and I can’t wait for that!