17 Thanksgiving Games Your Kids Will Obsess Over…(not my title)

Okay—I must admit.  I sat down to find a simple activity for today for my kiddos.  Today, in Poland, is All Saints’ Day.  It’s a day that families spend time together at the graves of their family members and later with family.  It’s a very peaceful day.

Because Max has pneumonia, we have decided to stay quiet at home.  My husband just arrived home Monday night.  Tuesday night, Ada had half her class over for a Halloween party, and then there is today.  A beautiful day of rest.

We have played Sorry.  We have cuddled next to a fire.  We are currently coloring around the table.  We have made sugar cookies.  We are loving each moment.

But I thought—Why not start today being thankful?

I know many of you do the entire month.

I do not.  I am not that organized.

So I sat and Googled and found this:  Woman’s Day Thanksgiving Activities for Families

It really has fun and simple activities.  I can tell you—we’ll probably only do about 3.  But those that will do will be fun!

Maybe you’re more proactive and active than we — so I hope you REALLY enjoy this site!

Happy 40th birthday to my brother, Casey!  Happy All Saints’ Day in Poland.  And Happy beginning of a beautiful month of thankfulness to YOU and YOURS!

xoxo b

Boy and girl share a bedroom…How?

When we returned to Poland after having our 3rd baby in the US, we returned to a boy room and a girl room and a parent room.  Problem:  girl room belonged to girl 8 years older than infant.  Therefore, the adorable boy room had to go and become combo room.  He was only 2, and didn’t know any better—so it made my job easier.  

Over the time we’ve since been returned to Poland, I have slowly begun the transition into cute yet manly all at the same time.  

Most of the time, the combination of frills and macho overlap, but, in the end, the identities of both stand out.  

The key was going with a main theme.  I love Paris.  Hence:  Theme Paris.  I also love vintage.  So we went with the theme of vintage bikes and Paris.  Red bike for Maxwell.  Green bike for Josephine.  

When they were smaller—both in cribs, they each had a half of the room.  The half of the room that was decorated for them.  Now that they are bigger, however, they share a bunk bed —- and, although their halves are divided, life meshes everything together into one adorable whole.  As it should.  

Here are some fun photos showing how to make a bedroom for your boy and girl work as parts of a whole.  Enjoy!

First up…their names and bikes.  I should add, for their beds I went with a black (mainly) theme since there wasn’t a lot of red and green comforters I liked.  Obviously this is Josephine’s name, bike, and bed.

Here are photos of Max’s name and bike—but now that he and Josephine are out of cribs, his bed is the bottom bunk (or is it?):

Next, I chose one more decoration per room side.  Max, however, also ended up with the photo board on his side.  I’m sure you’ll be able to see which is Josephine’s and then the others are Max’s:

The door was fun, too.  When Max was born, our then 6-year-old made him a humongous poster that we have never taken down.  So front-side of door belongs to Max.  Back to Josephine.  Hers is an Elsa Anna poster (I didn’t take a photo because we all know Frozen—smile and wink).  Here is Max’s side of the door:

In the end, however, their two lives mesh into one.

Barbie and Robot stand united:

Mrs. Potato head becomes Star Wars warrior…defender of pink kitchenette:

Masked Minion and Princess Kitty guard the window:

And my favorite photo of them all…

Two hearts that still beat as one.  Even as they sleep!  

And while I know they won’t share a bed or a room forever, these precious moments and years that they do, I pray connect them as best friends for a lifetime!  

Father’s Day—all bleached out!

  
I can’t recall which site I saw this idea on, but it was so simply brilliant and beautiful, we had to do it for our daddy this Father’s Day!

Here’s what you need:

Bleach in a spray bottle

A cotton shirt for dad—dark colors work best

A hanger

Outside to spray

Contact paper

Your children — the offsprings of their daddy!

This is what you do:

You trace your child’s hand on the contact paper 

You cut it out and place it strategically on the shirt

You hang the shirt and go to a safe place to spray bleach

You spray around the hand and however much more if the shirt you want

You let hang dry for about 1 hour

You leave the contact paper on while you wash and dry the shirt in your laundry machines after it had about an hour of drying outside

You fold and give daddy the Best Present Ever!!!!

Additional information:

We cut a small heart in the handprint before we sprayed the bleach

We did a light gray shirt and it did not work well

We did our project with Daddy!  He had so much fun!  After we played a bunch of games while it all dried outside and then we gave it to him the next day one kid at a time, where he immediately stripped off the shirt he was wearing and replaced it with one of the shirts from his children. 

Happy Father’s Day Fun, Daddy! 

Best Belgian Waffles in the World. Not sure Belgium would agree?

I have to cook a lot for my son at home.

You may find it crazy. I used to. Until I had him.

Him being the cutest little 2-year-old in the entire world. Biased? Definitely YES!

He is a miracle—did you know he tried to die? So many times! Like a ridiculous amount of plenty.

In the womb. Out of the womb.

Crazy boy.

My crazy, crazy boy!

And since the womb and his coma didn’t kill him, he went and got all peanut-allergy-d on me. Making my life just so much more simple.

RIGHT?!

Never! and Not!

And, therefore, since my little stinker is so beautifully ALIVE===I work ridiculously hard each and every day (with his daddy and his big sister) to keep him amongst us!

We are rather fond of our troublemaker. Like. REALLY FOND of him.

He is our Maxie Moo—and we are his family. His earth protectors.

Therefore, we pray each day and night—basically 24/7—for our little man. “LORD, thank you for keeping him alive—help us do right by him!”

And we make him most every single item that goes into his mouth.

Last night for dinner it was WAFFLES.  Let me tell you, they were brilliant!

You should know that we have made lots and lots of waffles since we’ve returned to Poland—but this is by far the MOST SCRUMPTIOUS recipe yet (obviously it’s not mine).  So, I thought you should have a go at it, too.

The alterations I, of course, made:  Rice milk instead of real milk, and we added 1 tsp of real Vanilla.  I do believe the trick is folding in the egg whites.  It really does make them perfectly crisp and delicious.

As we say in Poland, “Smacznego!”  Enjoy your waffles and tell me what you think:

The Best Belgian Waffles (click to go to recipe)

And, because the internet is awhirl right now with the tragic recent deaths of children that have eaten food items from places outside of their homes…I am realizing just yet again and again how scary this Mommy to Max thing is.

Here’s an article so well written and speaks as if it came from my own heart, too:

What Happens When Another Child Dies From Food Allergies?

Here are also a couple articles I have written in the past in regards to my own allergy-living son:

Raising a Nutty Kid

Cooking for Max

You can also read all about his story on his Facebook page that was set up for him when he was in a coma between the throes of life and death here:  Prayers for Max.

Last but never the least—the siblings of the allergy or special children-like Max-often get overlooked.  And yet they strive so gallantly forward with brave faces.  Our daughter, however, broke one day.  Here is a story I wrote after one panic attack she had.  May we remember all in our brood===even though, sometimes, it is so easy to focus on the one that needs the most protection (or the most obvious protection–because the others seem to appear “just fine” on the outside, right?!) :  I forgot to feed my daughter.  And we sent her to a counselor.

Anyhow, as you spring into another day, I hope that you think about making these scrumptious waffles for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—there’s pretty much no bad time to indulge in them!

Here’s the proof:

The oldest, Adelyne!  She approves.  With lots and loads of whipped topping, sprinkled with chocolate milk power on top of the already sweet.  Ah, well.  At least she was fed, right?!

GoGo stuff it in your face girl—until she discovered Sissy’s whipped cream…

That’s when she really went to town on them!

And, finally, the little Moo Man himself enjoying his only Max margarine waffles.  He did not want jam or anything else I offered.  But, to be fair, they are perfect just the way they are!

Max’s glad bites are proof of that!

Try the recipe.  Have some reads.  And come on back and let me know what you think!

As always…

xoxo from here to there!

b