​​Traditions, every family has them.  Whether you realize it or not, they started when you were a child.  I never really realized, but we did have a little structure to the craziness of the holidays.  Little events throughout the month that we looked forward to and counted on. Like staying in your PJs all day to watch football on New Year’s Day or getting an orange at the bottom of your Christmas stocking.  Doesn’t Santa do that for everyone who was good?  If you were bad it would be a lump of coal.  As a kid you don’t question any of these things, you just assume this is how life is, what everyone must do.  With marriage comes a blending of traditions.  Now with our own little brood I am noticing we are starting our own, things I hope the kids will enjoy, look forward to and maybe even take with them in life one day without us.  Like making a calendar for the upcoming year for the family with photos of our year’s events.  I keep these so the kids can look back on them one day and see photos of their childhood and how they have grown.  We make Christmas cookies as a family, and also make reindeer food (muddy buddies) just so Rudolph keeps up his strength for the long journey ahead.  We did family PJs this year, as much as my hubby groaned at the silliness of it, I did notice he was one of the first in them and last out of them.  I think this would be a fun one to keep going.  We go through the neighborhood to see lights, we crank up the tunes and go see everyone’s hard work.  We always read Twas’ The Night Before Christmas before going to bed.
Now that our family is complete, I am also noticing how quickly time passes and how fast our last firsts approach.  This year marks the last creation of the Christmas ornament for our new baby, this was our third one in four years.  We are now experts at making hand molds and using a toothpick to carve the baby’s name and date.  The last time we buy a “My 1st Christmas” onesie and quite possibly the last time we have a non-walking child who’s gifts remain unopened until the next day because we didn’t have time to get to them.
Traditions are sentiments.  They may not seem like it at first, but they are sentimental and as silly as some may be (remember the oranges in the stockings?) they do make us feel at home.  My mom tirelessly needlepoints Christmas ornaments for each of her (now 5) grandchildren.  It takes her almost the entire year, but she does it so that the kids will have a special ornament each year on the tree.  These ornaments will be cherished not only by me, but hopefully also by them.  Just as like the wooden cat ornament my grandmother gave me when I was a kid with my name on it.  Every time we got the decorations out, I looked for that ornament and remembered special times with my Nana.
Trying to bottle all of these memories and moments that so quickly pass us, I am proud to be bringing fourth into the world a vehicle for parents to record these childhood memories for their children.  From: ME To: YOU is another family tradition we have created.  A letter for each year of our baby’s childhood, which they will receive when they are 18.  They will never remember this was the year that Santa brought them the Outdoor Playhouse, but we will record it for them.  A time capsule of love and memories they will have forever.
As we enter that time of year where we start fresh, we make resolutions and we have that overall feeling of hope and possibility of new accomplishment.  Remember you don’t have to be perfect, because it is in the imperfection that true memories are made.  Here is to 2017 and all that lies ahead.
MommyOfThree

​It’s the most wonderful time of the year....and the busiest if you are a parent with little ones.  It baffles me how we find time to get it all done.  A sample of my list is as follows:

• Holiday shopping - kudos to my parents who did this BEFORE the internet....I could not imagine going store to store with three kids
• Wrapping gifts – no fancy bows and tied packages here…scotch tape and reused bows from last year will do
• Christmas Cards - addressing, stamping, sealing.  I think this took me a week just because of the increased difficulty of holding a newborn…not to mention what was involved with taking the photos for the cards
• Decorating the inside AND outside of the house - resulting in more mommy monitoring as we have just increased the potential toddler hazards ten-fold…pulling off one stocking could result in a concussion if the paperweight holder comes with it, right?
• Getting photos with Santa – having everyone fed and dressed and timing it between naps so that there is a possibility of a smile during our 30 seconds of fame
• Cooking – hoping to master those family recipes everyone loves
• Cleaning - ugh
• Playing Elf and building the toys on the list - wait, the toy reviews said it would take 8 hours to build an outdoor playhouse!!!  Why didn't we look at that before we bought it?!?

 
This time of year is exhausting!  And to think, we are only in Phase One.  We don’t have any kids in school yet.  With that comes holiday parties, recitals, plays, concerts and so many other things I have no idea about yet….but I am sure I will find a way to get those done one day too.  That’s what parents do.   We do it because of the sparkle in the eyes of our kids when they wake up and find their elf on the shelf each morning.  We do it because there is nothing sweeter than the sound of jingle bells from a three year old while they brush their teeth.  We do it because we hope our kids will grow up and love the holidays as much as we do.  In all of this craziness I am trying to remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect…because it is in the imperfection that the best memories are made.  Fellow parents, I hope you are enjoying the holidays.  The work, the spirit and the love.
 
Until Next Time,
MommyOfThree

Pregnant!  Wait, what...we are pregnant?!?  That was my husband and I about one year ago when our youngest daughter was only 4 months old.  Couple that with our 2 year old daughter and we were staring three kids 3 and under in the face.  Fast forward to today, Our son is 8 weeks old tomorrow and quitely sleeping on me as I write this, my first Blog.  As a working mother, life is very busy.  Deciding to start a business on top of it may make me slightly crazy, but the fact that my company is all about kids and giving them an amazing one of a kind gift, how could I not?  I love my babies, and my husband more than anything.  It isn't always easy, in fact sometimes its hard to find joy when I seem to be repeating myself a million times a day to a three year old with a mind of her own, trying to understand the incomprehendable babbles of a one year old desprately trying to talk and holding a newborn with two hands because his neck is not quite strong enough to do it on his own.  It's easy to get frustrated, but I really try to stop and laugh and be ok when things spill, or get loud or things don't go as I planned in my head.  I am starting this blog as a mom, as a wife and as a business woman.  I hope some of what I have to say connects with you along the way.  

MommyOfThree