"The Events"

I have had several people ask when are you going to blog about your events? I didn't understand what they meant because to me my "events" are just what we do. I have never given it a name. Tonight I have a lot of pictures because to me it is hard to put in to words "the events".

Birthday weeks include theme lunches, birthday napkins with every meal, and a small gift in the lunch box everyday. I don't buy a lot of new clothes for the boys when school starts because their birthdays are in October and they get a new outfit to wear everyday of their birthday week. Payce gets summer clothes during her birthday week (the clothes are things they need but don't know it). This year Thomas turned 16. He didn't want a party so everyday in October he got his favorite dessert Oreos made into different recipes for each day. Oh yeah, we changed the name of the month to Oreotober. The kids only have over the top, big parties every year till they are 5. After that they have big parties at 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, and so on. This year none of the kids are hitting one of the BIG birthdays so no one has any over the top birthdays. Our celebrations this year include just immediate family with a cake and a few gifts. Today is Payce's birthday celebration and we are also celebrating mine and Matt's anniversary. Did I mention Payce was born on our anniversary. This year because it is my 40 day count down I had the cake made to celebrate both our anniversary and her birthday. I have never made her share her day and some years I deserved to celebrate mine!!

Every holiday we celebrate different at our house so let's start with Christmas. I put up a six foot tree in every room and they each have a theme. I want my house to be magical for all ages. We have opened gifts at Christmas all different ways, but this year we bought the kids 6 presents, they picked out their wrapping paper, and I numbered them one thru six. On Christmas morning we told them the rules of the game. I yelled out ONE and they had to run all over the house looking under the trees for their present. London's one might have been in the game room while Thomas' was in the kitchen and Payce's was in the boys room. They raced back to the living room and opened them. We also do a Christmas activity almost everyday in December. Christmas cards, coloring, baking cookies, and participating in all different kinds of holiday festivities are how we spend the month of December. We have special Christmas themed breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. This year we planted peppermint seeds and over the month of December watched them grow into peppermint candy canes. Fun fact, Matt and I have never put our name on a gift under our tree it all comes from Santa. Some years the kids pick out the paper and some they don't. I guess I know when the kids get older they will know who bought the gifts. For now I want them to think Santa is magical and can do it all.

Easter this year was fun. We went to the Baptist church here in town and The Catholic Church in Mexia. We also had a Glow in the dark Easter egg hunt at 2 am. This year I didn't do baskets. Instead I did huge eggs and put their goodies in there. I have never dyed eggs with my kids. Darla either does it at my house or she picks them up and they do it at her house.



For every holiday we do theme lunches for the week and clothes that match for each day to wear to school.

People always ask me about our family meeting. Sometimes I post pictures of the theme on Facebook and sometimes I don't. Once a month we have a themed family dinner and we sit and talk about what is bothering us and we come up with a solution and/or punishment. Here's just a few examples.  When Thomas got out of the shower he would throw his wet towel on Landon's bed. The boys had been fighting about it for weeks with Matt and I saying over and over and over again, Thomas stop, Thomas really, THOMAS. When Landon brought it up at the family meeting the solution was a hook in the bedroom on the door and the punishment was if Thomas put his towel on Landon's bed he lost his phone for a day. Anything said at the family meeting stays at the table. We don't talk about it to anyone. I did get their permission to tell these stories.

A few years ago someone was going around Jewett tagging everything T.M. (Thomas' initials). The kids at school were picking on him telling him that Matt would do anything about it because he was the Public Works Director and wasn't going to get Thomas in trouble. For weeks we kept telling Thomas to stop worrying about it. We knew it wasn't him. So the family meeting came and Thomas' hammer was cocked. He looked right in Matt's face, man to man, and said "Dad, it is beyond me how you still have a job, you have to catch these people."

We had a emergency family meeting the early part of this week because one of my children wants me to respect his privacy more on Facebook and on my blog. So now I have to read my posts and blogs to them. At least the parts where I mention their name and see if it is ok. These family meetings are important for my family. It is our safe zone and through them we are able to see what is really bothering each of us. Some months would really shock you.



Every six weeks we pull out our fine china and fancy clothes to celebrate A and AB honor roll. We have a gourmet meal by candlelight, of course. I guess the theory is always dress for success and it this case we eat for success as well.

We do a movie premier night if the majority of the family is really excited about it. Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill got season premiers and season finales.

At this point you must be thinking it costs too much to do all that. Nope, not at all!! You always know when Christmas is and I layaway everything. You know when their birthdays are and some years I have to save for 12 months, no joke. For theme dinners I have a cabinet and I buy party stuff on sale all year and decorations at garage sales. Right now Hobby Lobby had St. Patrick's day stuff 90% off. That is how I make it work.

I also want to wish everyone a Happy Mothers day. I'm blessed to have three mom's My mom, my step mom, Darla, and Matt's mom.