Even More Bonding Time

Thursday, December 18, was Answer the Telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day.

I was all ready to when Jeremy called for family prayer that morning. However, his phone got bumped to "Do Not Disturb" so my texts never got to him saying we were ready. I eventually had to call him and he didn't think to answer the phone that way. Oh well.

The only other phone call I got that day was from the elementary school and I intentionally did NOT answer like Buddy the Elf because I knew they weren't calling for something fun. Sigh.

The kids and I did watch the movie, "Elf" (I stayed awake for the whole thing- Gasp). I even made spaghetti and got out the rest of the ingredients needed for a Buddy the Elf breakfast for dinner. Nobody was in the mood for all that sugary stuff, though. I don't blame them. What did sound good was me taking leftover homemade teriyaki sauce, cutting up veggies, adding some rotisserie chicken, and cooking them up together to have some nice teriyaki chicken to go with the spaghetti.

I was prepared, though, and throughout the next day, people did have some Buddy the Elf breakfast from time to time.

Jr. created a beautiful masterpiece. It sure "looked" pretty. 

Speaking of masterpieces, Jr. Jr. brought home a beautiful ornament he made at school... and cookies.

Hodge Podge Halloween

The last few days of October kind of became a hodge podge of Halloween and other holiday celebrating. Some things were celebrated on their day and some were celebrated "observed." So here we go.

I asked Jet a while back what he wanted to be for Halloween. He told me, "Batty." I definitely went with a joke in there but also decided I could make him bat wings so he could be "Batty." Jeremy made bat ears for him.

He loved his bat wings so much, he wore them a lot. One day when they were all finished, he asked to watch an episode of Wild Kratts about bats. He wore his wings and watched the episode then told us things he knew about bats. "They sleep upside down." He said that as he was lying on his back trying to get his feet all the way up into the air. Have I mentioned I love that kid so much?

That day was October 29, National Cat Day (not to be confused with National Black Cat Day two days earlier). I took a picture of the neighbor's cat skeleton decoration again.

It was also National Oatmeal Day but we were too busy to celebrate that day. Jeremy and Lucky volunteered to make balloon animals at the Primary Carnival the Young Women put on. Jet got to test run his bat wings and ears. He enjoyed playing games and getting prizes and treats. He also decorated a sugar cookie. 

The Young Women really put on a good event. Besides the things Jet wanted to do, they also had face painting and freeze dance contests and musical chairs and crafts. I was impressed.

We celebrated Oatmeal Day the next day, October 30, which was actually Haunted Refrigerator Night. So Lucky and I made oatmeal muffins and I fried up some eggs (from the refrigerator- Boo!) for dinner.

Lucky: It looks like a duck face.

 

Earlier that day, our friend Stephanie came over to watch a spooky movie with Nichole and me while we drank hot chocolate and ate toast. Mmmmm. The movie was Something Wicked This Way Comes. I watched that movie when I was a kid and it was creepy. It's still creepy now that I'm an adult. I won't recommend it to my sensitive child.

October 31 was Halloween, National Breadstick Day, Frankenstein Friday, and National Knock Knock Joke Day. Jet and I did knock knock jokes a few days before when we were talking about that holiday coming up.

Jeremy got us donuts as a special treat for Halloween breakfast.

Jet did a really good job going in to school that day (he doesn't always). I think he was excited about Halloween and his costume. I watched Jet and Lucky in the elementary school Halloween parade. 

At home after Nichole got back from classes, she helped me make dinner. That was really helpful because besides working on the food, I was also running around picking kids up after school. 

Jet got fangs at school (which he calls a jaw- it makes sense), so a few times he told people he was a vampire bat. 

Because of Nichole's help, we were able to eat before trick or treating. Spaghetti Monsters to celebrate Halloween, National Breadstick Day, and Frankenstein Friday. 

The three youngest went trick or treating with me around the neighborhood then the whole family loaded up in the van and went trick or treating at my sister's house then went in to visit for a little bit. It's tradition. Every year, Jet talks about trick or treating at his aunt's house.

While we were out trick or treating, Jr. Jr., dressed as a jester, showed people juggling tricks and they gave him treats.  

Jet as you know was a bat (Batty).

Lucky dressed as Quirrel from Hollow Knight, the video game. Jeremy made his costume.

Hodge Podge Halloween celebrating. It's fun.

Catching Up January 2025 part 1

We toasted in the New Year at midnight and had New Year's Nachos.

January 2 was National Buffet Day. I made dinner Fend For Yourself that night.

We also finally got out to donate to the Giving Machine right before it closed for the season. We donated "piglets," "art classes," "five visits and meals to a senior," and "empower through play."

We did not get a good family picture like we did in 2022 but that's not the point so... who cares?

 

I got out for morning walks before school started up again.

January 4 National Spaghetti Day. We ate spaghetti. It was also National Trivia Day and Utah's Birthday so we did some Utah trivia. It was also Play Outside Day (which is every first Saturday of the month). A few of us went out to see barn owls (and some other birds but we went specifically for the owls). When we got home we warmed up with hot chocolate.

We celebrated National Bird Day, January 5, a day early with the owl search, although we did eat chicken for dinner on the 5th. We watched The Big Year on Saturday as a family.

 

January 6 was Sherlock Holmes' Birthday. Lucky celebrated by going to "elementary" school the first day back after Christmas Break. I watched a TV show with a Sherlock Holmes character.

It was also National Cuddle Up Day and National Bean Day so you better believe we cuddled up while eating chocolate (which comes from beans). 

 

January 7 was Old Rock Day and National Bobblehead Day so I got out to take pictures of Jr.'s bobblehead with mountains (old rocks). I haven't done that for a few years so it was fun to do it again.

 

January 8 was Elvis' Birthday. We watched Lilo and Stitch.

We started over with "A Season of Family Meal Plans," volume 1, by Jordan Page.

That's enough catch up for now.

Kangaroos and Greasy Foods

October 24 was National Kangaroo Day. I hopped like a kangaroo in the morning when I went to wake the boys. Jet and I watched The Rescuers Down Under that night.

It was also National Food Day. For dinner, I was going to do Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Parmesan Broccoli from A Season of Family Meal Plans, volume 4. Rice would be good to go with those. I thought I could easily do another Indian food to go along so I made chana. Then I realized we had plain yogurt left from the tikka masala marinade, and I had a cucumber left over from when I made cucumber sandwiches, plus other ingredients to make a yogurt sauce to combat the heat of the food. I didn't have time to make a flatbread, though.

That Garlic Parmesan Broccoli was so good and I was able to make it from frozen broccoli. Thank you, Jordan Page and The Page Company. Yummy meal.

 

October 25 was... are you ready for this?... Pablo Picasso's Birthday, World Pasta Day, Greasy Food Day, and National Breadstick Day. We celebrated with abstract art made from Spooky Spaghetti & Meatballs (from the same cookbook) and Focaccia Breadsticks (from Shelf Cooking 101). It was also Frankenstein Friday so anything spooky counts for that.

Celebrating in January

January 4 was National Spaghetti Day. Besides eating spaghetti, we went around singing a song from the Sandra Boynton album, "Philadelphia Chickens." The Aardvarks have a part in their song where they sing, "We hope you like spaghetti." We sang that part a lot that day.

It was also National Trivia Day. I started watching a movie with characters who were good at trivia. Also that's the day I wrote the little tidbit on my blog about Ralphie from A Christmas Story being in Elf (though it wasn't posted until January 6).

 

January 5 was National Bird Day. Nichole and I thought about going birding with friends but decided not to based on the snow. Instead we had them over to play a game and eat treats. There were some bird cards in the game we played. 

Since it was National Whipped Cream Day, I made more "Fairy in a Jar Layered Gelatin Treats" from The Fablehaven Cookbook but this time I followed directions for layering it in a 9x13 pan. Those were the treats we shared with our friends. 

It was good bonding time before Nichole and the daughter both headed back to college after Christmas Break. 

Jeremy and some of the kids celebrated National Bird Day by watching The Big Year. I went to sleep because that's what I do.

We all had skillet chicken parmigiana for dinner because chickens are birds and with leftover spaghetti from Spaghetti Day.

Jr. Jr. wore his chicken legs socks he got for Christmas on National Bird Day.

 

January 8 was Elvis' birthday. It was also a relative's birthday. We asked him what kind of treats he would approve of so we could have on for FHE treat. One of the things he likes is chocolate chip cookies so that's what we had to honor him on his birthday.

Ooh, Pretty

We've had a lot of snowy weather lately.

We had a break in the weather today which gave us some beautiful looks at the mountains again. Ooh, pretty.

Then tonight for dinner we had spaghetti for National Spaghetti Day, January 4.