LilSugar

Start Giving Thanks Early This Year

babysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:55 -0800

The turkey is cooked, the gravy is steaming and the cranberries are waiting to pop. Just before families dig into their fruitful feast, they sit down to give thanks for the past year's blessings. Instead of waiting until the end of the month, start a new family tradition and have everyone start writing down things they are thankful for at the dinner table every night leading up to the festivities. Hand out a pen and piece of paper to each person. After they write (or in wee cases - dictate) have them toss the papers into one bucket to be read at the holiday family gathering. It is sure to provide a warm and fuzzy moment for everyone when weeks full of thanksgivings are read aloud at the table. Take it a step further and save the scraps in a book that can be cherished every year.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar Community and share your tips! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

What Are Your Family Halloween Traditions?

babysugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:03 -0700

Whether you're visiting the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, or trick-or-treating, most every family has some sort of Halloween tradition they follow year after year. Some do all or none of the above. As my children grow older, it is apparent that our once simple night of staying in and greeting neighborhood goblins is over and a long list of parties and candy collecting is ahead. What family traditions do you celebrate for the spooky holiday?

Do you want to dish on your family's holiday traditions? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar Community and share them! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Do You Have a First-Day-of-School Ritual?

babysugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:00:20 -0700

It may be hard bidding camp adieu or putting all of that pool paraphernalia away, but like all good things - Summer must come to an end. In anticipation for the big first day back to school, mother may buy her child a new outfit, polish an apple for the teacher, or bake a celebratory cake for the inaugural day.

At my house, every last night of Summer ended with my sister and I laying out our outfits for the first day of school on our beds. Every detail was tended to so all we had to do was wake up, shower, and get dressed. Before we got in the car, my mother took a picture of us marking the start of each school year. I hope to keep the tradition going for my own wee ones. Do you have any first day of school rituals?

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Will You Hunt For Easter Eggs?

babysugar — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:00:00 -0700

It is an Easter tradition for my mother to host an egg hunt for my family. She always invites cousins, uncles, aunts, her sister, our grandmother, nieces, nephews and close friends over for quiche, ham and sweets, but the kids only have one thing on their mind - eggs. I, on the other hand, always enjoy sitting back and relaxing during the festivities while my relatives fight over holding my children.

Will you participate in an Easter egg hunt today?
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Mommy Dearest: I Don't Want My Son to Be "The IV"

LilSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:00:23 -0800

Mommy Dearest,

I'm seven months pregnant with a baby boy and so looking forward to meeting the little guy. But, I am also dreading the birth because my husband's family just assumes that my child will be the fourth in a long line of family members named John Patrick. I want to pick a unique name for my son. My husband goes by Trip and his father goes by Jack and his grandfather is John, but everyone still knows they all have the same name. How do I break the news to my extended family without breaking their hearts?

- A Name of His Own

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

A Name of His Own,

I think the best way to break the news is to be honest. You and your husband should simply tell his parents and grandparents that although you appreciate their family's tradition, you plan on naming your child something unique. They made an assumption and this is your child - you owe no apologies. It's better to risk the possibility of upsetting a few relatives than not liking your youngster's name.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar.

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Tell Mommy: Thanksgiving Traditions

babysugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:23 -0800

Most everyone has memories of their turkey days growing up. Every one of mine was spent surrounded by family - sometimes in Georgia, but most times In Texas. Post chowing down on broccoli and rice casserole followed up by a sampler plate of pies, we all fell asleep in front of the college football games and waited for the Dallas Cowboys to take on the Houston Oilers. Afterwards, a heated game of tag ensued with my cousins in the backyard.

As people grow their own families, old traditions sometimes fall by the wayside and new ones are often started. Tell mommy about your family traditions in the comments below.
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Do You Take Your Kids to the Pumpkin Patch?

babysugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:00:44 -0700

'Tis the season to be hunting for pumpkins. Families all over the country are flocking to the fields of festive orange gourds to pick out the perfect pumpkin. While you may see imperfections in size, discoloration or what have you, chances are your wee one will finger the one that fits the family.

Pumpkin patches offer a ripe opportunity for holiday card photo ops. Not to mention, you'll get the goods to make yummy pumpkin pie, roasted seeds, and of course, spooky jack-o-lanterns.

Flynet

Did You Follow Any Customs or Rituals?

babysugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:00:55 -0700

Different cultures celebrate births in various ways. In China, it is common practice for elders to cook chicken and rub the tongue of the bird over the child's lips in hopes of a good talker on her first birthday. Some Indian newborns are dropped off a tower 15 meters high onto a white sheet in hopes of a healthy and strong future. Down under in New Zealand and Australia, parents often take the placenta and bury it by a tree's roots to nourish and fertilize future blossoms.

Parents Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves are planning on following the Aboriginal tradition and planting Levi's placenta in an orchard. According the actor, Matthew told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta that the custom is to bury the placenta of every member of a clan under a giant tree. The tree will become a "huge behemoth of just health and strength."

We baptized our daughter in our backyard and took her to our annual tamale making party, but that seems underwhelming when compared to some of the intricate traditions I have discovered. Did you institute any traditions or customs with your offspring?
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Family Ties: Family Road Trips

babysugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:00:02 -0700

The Summer months always seemed to go by so quickly when I was little. Maybe those hot sweaty months flew because my rock star mom made the most of our classroom free days with road trips across the country. Starting out at the crack of dawn, my mother, sister and I would pull out of our driveway with the car filled to the brim with suitcases, dolls and refreshments to keep us chipper. My sister, the navigator at 11–years–old, would flip through the AAA TripTik getting us from city to city over a few days period. Starting in Texas, we would make stops in New Orleans, Nashville, Washington DC, Monticello, Myrtle Beach all the way up to NYC. A trooper to boot, my sublime mommy carted her two young daughters on sight–seeing tours that would make even Clark Griswold jealous.

This morning I longed for those road trips when my mom and sister called me from South Carolina. They are finishing up their East Coast adventure with my two nieces. Carrying on a family tradition, I miss out as my life is now out here in California with my own family. I look forward to packing up my offspring someday and showing them the sites just like my mama used to do, and still does, for us.
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Lil Tip: Picture It

babysugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:00:57 -0800

Choose a time of the year (birthday, Christmas, New Year's, or another day that has some significance to you) and take a picture of your tot in the same spot year after year. Maybe you have a favorite chair or an antique piece of furniture that you know will be around for a lifetime that can serve as your marker.

I put my daughter in front of her rocking giraffe before she could even sit up and took her photo. A year later, I took it of her standing next to her long necked friend. For as long as I can remember to do it, I plan on taking that picture and enjoy watching her grow like a weed.

Do you already do something like this?
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