A Couple More March Holidays

March 18 was Forgive Mom and Dad Day. The first thing Lucky did that morning was give us both hugs and tell us he forgave us. 

We had to get forgiveness for some other things that day.

But we did not have to be forgiven for dinner. We had sloppy joes for Sloppy Joe Day and everybody in the family likes sloppy joes. The recipe we use is from The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner.

The next day, March 19, was Let's Laugh Day. There was lots of laughing. That's not surprising in our family.

It was also Chocolate Caramel Day so I made Olloch the Glutton's Caramel Biscuit Bars from The Fablehaven Cookbook. Nobody complained about that, either. 

It's May!!!

We reached May 1. You know what that means? 

Bridal Veil Falls is open! I made a quick stop that morning to check that the road really was open then three of my children went on a walk with me in the evening. We walked by the falls and all the way to Bridal Veil Park and back. I thought it would tucker out my youngest but he still had a lot of energy when we got home. Sigh.

 

May 2 was Baby Day. Lucky made "baby" pasta (small shells) and I have to share more cuteness from my youngest.

For dinner we had baby hot dogs (li'l smokies), baby muffins, baby carrots, and mini jalapeno popper egg rolls. Jet called the egg rolls "baby poppers" and decided since they were babies, to make up a lullaby to sing to them. He even cradled one in his hand to rock it while singing. He's so stinkin' adorable.

 

May 4 was International Respect for Chickens Day, World Laughter Day, National Orange Juice Day, and Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you.

You know you live in a cool ward when the bishopric member who is conducting Sacrament Meeting mentions Star Wars Day over the pulpit and the sister sitting next to you in choir is wearing tie fighter earrings.

We drank orange juice.
Jr. Jr. gave me this piece of advice on International Respect for Chickens Day: Remember, Mom. Whenever you see a dancing chicken, make sure it doesn't have any carrots.

 

Tell me, please. Do you have a child as random or as awesome? Yes. He makes me laugh.

 

I made sweet and sour sauce from Shelf Cooking 101 by Jordan Page and put it on chicken with rice and pineapple and green bell pepper. It reminded me of when I was in college and there was this eating place called Teriyaki Stix and I would sometimes get their sweet and sour bowl with rice, chicken, pineapple, and green bell pepper. Yumm.

Catching Up April 2025 part 2

April 12 was Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day and National Licorice Day. We celebrated by having both. We did have tomato soup with our sandwiches.

April 13 was National Peach Cobbler Day. Yes, I made some. I tried a different recipe that didn't use as much sugar. My peach cobbler loving child said he liked it so yay. Less sugar.

We had an at home potluck that evening. We haven't had one of those in while. Here are everyone's contributions from oldest to youngest: cookies, peach cobbler, pizza, pickles and cheese cubes, sparkling apple-grape, lemonade.

That day was also Palm Sunday. This year I tried to do a better job with celebrating Holy Week. The Church had some good resources for every day leading up to Easter. It was a good way to focus my scripture study.

 

April 14 was Look Up at the Sky Day. It was National Dolphin Day. It was International Laughter Day.

How did you celebrate?

 

April 15 was World Art Day. I went up Provo Canyon to get a look at a place that I think looks like a piece of art. When I was there on World Water Day, I got that impression so I wanted to enjoy it again.

Nichole sent me several art pieces she had to celebrate World Art Day.

I love that she uses different so many different mediums.

April 16 was Charlie Chaplin's Birthday. Who else puts rolls on their forks and makes them dance to celebrate?

P.S. It was also National Banana Day. 

 

April 17 was, in no particular order, Bat Appreciation Day, National Cheeseball Day, Blah Blah Blah Day, National Haiku Poetry Day, and National High Five Day.

This is what happens when I hand my daughter some seasoned cream cheese on these holidays.

This is what happens when I take seasoned cream cheese and ask my son what I should make.

Son: A penguin!

Me (after "sculpting"): I think it looks like a ghost.

 

Lucky was the one who let me know it was National High Five Day. I gave him a high five for that. Jeremy showed me a haiku or a few.

We had Blah Blah Blah for after school snack. Remember that? Apple slices with peanut butter and honey? Except lately we just use honey peanut butter instead of adding honey to regular peanut butter. 

 

That evening I went to a Relief Society activity and learned a new skill: embroidery. I've done a lot of counted cross-stitching in my past so some of the stitches were similar but there were definitely some things for me to learn.

 

The next morning, I had to wipe snow off my vehicle. Note the snow covered hills across the lake. Ah, that "Spring" weather.

ROFL

Jeremy told me he got a message from the school district saying that if students read a book this Summer, they could enter to win prizes. This was my response:

A book? A book? As in just one?

I could not contain my laughter. We are a family that joins Summer reading programs at two different libraries not to encourage reading but to be rewarded for what we'd do anyway.

The funny thing is one of the prizes for the school district reading challenge is a Brandon Sanderson book. Jeremy commented, if there are kids that don't like to read and are reading one book for the chance at these prizes, they wouldn't want to win a Brandon Sanderson book.

First Day of Spring

March 19 was the Vernal Equinox, Poultry Day, Chocolate Caramel Day, and Let's Laugh Day. I laughed because for the Equinox we made Fablehaven food from the Fablehaven Cookbook. It's tradition on the equinoxes and solstices. We had Ogre Stew (with chicken/poultry in it), Muriel's Pretzel Knots, and Olloch the Glutton's Caramel Biscuit Bars (which have chocolate and caramel in them).

Jet helped set the table. He's a good helper.

The weather was so warm that day, I didn't bother taking my jacket to pick up one of the kids from the bus. I just headed out to the van... while still wearing my apron. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

It was also so nice that after dinner, I went out for a drive. So beautiful.

Ah, Spring. Then a few days later we got snow and hail and it's been off and on like that for a while.

Comedy Date

Jeremy and I went on a date to support friends who were doing a show. Marcus and Dan, both of whom Jeremy goes to fair conventions with. And Marcus, of course, hosts the juggling barbecue most Summers.

Their show was "Funny Guys Who Do Tricks." Dan did comedy magic and Marcus did a comedy juggling stunt show.

It was so great. I loved it and laughed so hard.

On the way home, I told Jeremy, "I need to drink a lot of water when we get home because I'm probably dehydrated from laughing so much."

 

Since it was Granola Bar Day that day, January 21, when we got home I ate a granola bar. 

It was also National Hug Day. I got lots of hugs. I have a loving family.

Orchestra Concert

April 14 was National Dolphin Day. Jet and I made dolphin noises. It was also International Moment of Laughter Day. We laughed. Jet actually laughed a lot that day not just for a moment. His siblings are very entertaining.

That evening Nichole had an orchestra concert. It was terrific. It took place at another school so there were two orchestras from each school performing. At the end they had all four orchestras perform a piece together. It was a huge group. It was awesome. Jeremy and I were both able to be there to support Nichole. It was so nice to be at an actual concert again. We've had so much sickness in our home that I keep missing them.

Then we went home and celebrated with hot chocolate with marshmallows. It's been that kind of weather again.

Midnight Philosophy

Midnight Philosophy: That time around around midnight when you're so tired that everything is funny to you.

 

When I was younger, something like reading the phone book could set you off laughing. That's midnight philosophy.

It can happen at other times, too, sometimes even 9 o'clock at night. You just have to be that tired.

Day, Day, Day, Day

May 2 is a great day to celebrate.

The kids and I went for a nice Sunday drive up the canyon so we could all see Bridal Veil Falls. This time we just stopped at the overlook to get some quick pictures. 

Having fun like that was appropriate for World Laughter Day.

My precious!

 

For dinner that evening, we celebrated World Tuna Day and Baby Day with snowman sandwiches with tuna filling and baby carrot noses. We saved the rest of the lemonade from Paco's birthday so we could celebrate Lemonade Day on May 2.

Bonding-ish Time

I love my family. I love doing things with my family as a whole or with individual members. Hence bonding time and family activities. 

Sometimes it is absolutely amazing.

Sometimes... not so much.

Here's how bonding time sometimes goes:

Schedule it in advance. We're going to do it on a Friday afternoon. The other kids will take care of the baby and we will do something just us together. 

Mom: O.K. March 19 is Chocolate Caramel Day. Let's make hot chocolate and put caramel syrup in it then drink it while doing something. 

Child: Yeah. I'll play a video game while you're making the hot chocolate.

Mom: O.K. But you won't be able to play very long. Be aware of that.

Time passes.

Mom: The hot chocolate is done. Time to get off the game.

Time passes. 

Time passes.

Mom: You need to turn the game off now.

Time passes.

Time passes.

Other child: Mom, Jet's awake.

Mom: O.K. I'll take him since "Child" and I aren't doing bonding time anyway. You guys can all come out now. We've got to make dinner.

Child: But what about our bonding time?

Sigh. To make a long story short, that child drank his hot chocolate while I got chicken drumsticks prepared (for Poultry Day on March 19) and put in the oven then he and I finally went out for a walk/scooter ride with Jet. 

 

Other things that happened that day. Lucky read to Jet for International Read to Me Day.

Nichole and Lucky were silly and danced around for Let's Laugh Day.