traditions

One of my mom's best qualities is her enthusiasm. She bubbles over with animation about small stuff and big stuff alike, and in so doing, passes her excitement on to everyone around her. It's what makes her such a fantastic teacher. Students can't help but think they are exploring the most fascinating subject matter in the world with mom as their teacher. This sense of joyful anticipation flowed over, of course, into our family life... which is probably why I remember my childhood as one great adventure. I know we didn't have much money when I was little, but my mom had a way of turning little treats into great memories.

Mom's talent for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary has been fodder for many of my late-night ponderings lately (I am six and a half months pregnant now, which translates into a couple of hours two or three times a week where I cannot sleep... leaving me with an abundance of 'thinking time' in the middle of the night). As Adam and I enter a season of student loans and stricter budgets, I have been wondering about the special traditions that make holidays and every day life memorable, and about how I can start building that into the fabric of our young family.

Incidentally, my favorite idea for a tradition-to-be that I've come up so far is "lovey bundles." This year for Valentines Day, I made Adam, the Itsy Bitsy and I bundles of felt and ribbon that will hopefully act as storehouses for little loves notes and treats in years to come. This time around, I filled Adam's with a kojo card, brownies, a Chick Fil A gift card, and a Gentry Family Cookbook with his favorite recipes. These lovey bundles are kind of like Christmas stockings... in February. And if you know how much I love stocking stuffers, you'll have a hint about how excited I am at the idea of a round two a month and a half after Christmas!

How about you??? What were the small ways that your family made holidays (or everyday!) special? How did your parents, or grandparents, or families that you babysat for, turn ordinary events into extraordinary adventures??? I can't wait to hear them (and have more to think about in the wee hours)!

***Several of you have emailed about not being able to comment becuase you don't have a google account... I changed that setting, so comment away! Or just keep emailing- I love that too! :)