©Noah Fine Art

The past few months have taught me a lot about what’s truly important in life. Values are important. Character is important. Teaching my children those things is important. All the other stuff? Just fluff. Don’t get me wrong, fluff is great. I love fluff.  But without a strong core inside, everything will fall apart. I formed two very close friendships over the summer and these friends continue to inspire me to be a better person, each day. I am definitely a believer in everything happening for a reason and I am so very grateful for these people being sent into my life. I’m also thankful for getting closer to old friends and meeting new ones.  I will make it a priority to maintain these current and new connections.

Without gushing too much, I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on my blessings. I am so happy in our new home in Celebration, I think it was a wonderful decision to move back to the Orlando area and I’ve loved every aspect of living in this amazing community. I am grateful for my wonderful family, who continue to support me non-stop in my endeavors here on the blog and the events I attend as a result. I couldn’t ask for more a more understanding husband, 3 kids, and of course my mom as well. I’m thankful that I get to do what I love each day here on Zannaland; share my thoughts, stories, and news with all of my wonderful readers. I love connecting with people on twitter especially and reminiscing, being excited, and learning new things, together. I’m certainly not the best blog or blogger, but I deeply appreciate each and every reader and the support and encouragement I’ve received over the years. The thought that I’ve made even one person smile, or remember a happy memory, makes it all worthwhile. Who knows where the future will lead, but I am so appreciative of the “right now” and look at each morning as a chance to grow.

So thank you all for reading this, for being such a constant source of support and encouragent in everything I endeavor, and for just being you. Thank you to my wonderful friends and family, for the lessons I have learned and the chance to learn more each day. May your Thanksgiving (or Thursday, depending on your location!) bring you peace, blessings, and love that last throughout the coming year.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite little songs of thanks, a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett and one which I sang way back in the third grade when the world was full of possibility and hope. I like to think it still is. Take a moment to actually read the words, and reflect on how true they ring, even today.

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right

photo ©Disney

Therein lies the magic of Disney in one of its many forms – holding your baby in your lap as your 11 and 9 year-olds sit next to you, to watch a parade you saw at their age…and haven’t seen since they were both your baby’s age. After you’ve wrapped your head around that math, pause for a moment to think about the layers of memories there. I can write about sitting on the warm concrete with the smell of smoked turkey legs wafting around me in the thick, humid air. I can try to pinpoint the moment when the music first hits the area you’re sitting in and you crane your neck to spy the first twinkling light. I can share with you the look of wonder and joy on all of my childrens’ faces as they witnessed the Main Street Electrical Parade for the very first time. But I cannot do it justice. It is simply something you must experience. Like most things at Disney, it is a multi-sensory adventure that is truly felt as much as it is seen.

Truly, to be a fan of Disney Parks, is to be a time-traveler. You can rewind the magic and experience it again and again. There is not a single time I visit Epcot or Magic Kingdom that prior visits and memories don’t come flooding back. In a world that’s ever-changing, it’s nice to have a place that has figured out how to keep time in a bottle. Sure, there are some things we loved about Walt Disney World that we’ll never again see…but it was just as important a memory for me to explain what was once there to my 11 year-old son as we stood in front of the old Fantasyland Skyway station. I’d give anything to ride on the Skyway just one more time with my children in tow, but at least now they know the history and what used to be. With the Main Street Electrical Parade, we are able to get ‘what once was’ back again.

So I urge you to get to the Magic Kingdom this summer. Whether it’s your first time seeing the parade or your 40th, how often do we get to rewind the magic and relive our childhood – or experience a whole new one? Even every 10 years is a long time to wait. Come on down and give your old memories some new friends.

Easy Bake Oven

Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine

Anyway, that is not the point of this post. I wanted to talk a bit about my parents, and how I was raised. Of course, my reflections and memories of my childhood are just that, MY memories, and my mom may have a completely different account as to how things happened. These are the things that stuck with me and formed me into the kind of parent I am today – some as a direct result of what I rebelled against as a child, others because I appreciated the lessons I learned from my parents.

My dad grew up in the South, in the then-small town of Ocala, Florida. He may not have had a Southern accent but his manners and personality were definitely that of a Southern gentleman. I distinctly remember him telling me one time all the things a Lady should do and be. Cross your legs at the ankles, do not wear makeup or high-heels before a certain age, gum-chewing was extremely frowned upon by him, but if I did chew it, my mouth better have been closed, I could not get my ears pierced until I was sixteen. The joke was always that I could not marry until he was sixty. I’m sure there are more ‘rules’ I am forgetting. I put rules in quotes because it’s not like he was a tyrant about these things. It was just the way it was and there wasn’t really any negotiating about it. However, he softened on his own and let me get my ears pierced when I was ten. I was shocked and almost chickened out when we walked by the Claire’s in our local mall and he offered to let me get them done. The rule then became ONE set of pierced ears, and no dangle earrings. (I believe my sister had about four holes in each ear so I always wanted to catch up.)

My mom, on the other hand was raised in a very strict Irish Catholic family. She broke through so many barriers on her own because of her extreme talent for ballet. She was teaching ballet classes on her own at age 16 in downtown Boston, and went away to New York City to dance at Radio City Music Hall in the Corps de Ballet by the next year. Of course, her mother insisted she live in a convent at the time, but still, her talent paved the way for some freedom and rebellion of her strict upbringing. Her mother still ruled the roost, however, and I think that, in addition to my being such a blessing after trying so hard to have another baby, led my mom to relax any strictness she had.

Me, lost in the 80's

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I was running around like a wild child with no consequences. I had issues in second grade where I was branded a “social butterfly” and lost some privileges for a while as I learned to button my mouth in school. There were times when I lost tv or being able to go out with friends. But I can count on two fingers the amount of times I was spanked as a child (and one time doesn’t count because I’m pretty sure both my mom and I were laughing when it happened). Mostly, as far as I can recall, and my mom can correct me if I am wrong – I was a good kid. I wasn’t really getting into anything I shouldn’t (oh, except for that one time I wanted to light a kleenex on fire in my dad’s ashtray because I liked the way paper burning smelled-hey, I was or pushing the boundaries at all. I was big on not disappointing either of my parents. My mom knew that was how to get me if I did act up – telling me she was not mad at me, she was disappointed.

So how did my upbringing affect me as an adult? Well, my way of rebelling was to, after my dad had left us (that’s another post entirely for much further down the line), get a second cat (he vowed we could only have one) and get my ears pierced for the second time. That was my little way of saying “Ha! Look at what I did now!” I know, pretty embarrassing as far as rebellion goes. I guess I just always had that disappointment guilt looming over me. There were times when I first started dating J. that my relationship with my mom was a bit rocky. We had been so close and only had each other for so long, that my gaining more independence and sharing my life with someone else was a bit of a challenge for her to get used to. Of course, she ended up loving him and treats him like her son now, so that all worked out.

I grew up having formal Sunday dinners with white linens and dining in 5-star restaurants with my parents usually before or after a Broadway show. I grew up with culture and I guess to an extent the ‘finer things’ as far as certain experiences go (it’s not like we were the Trumps by any means!) and I wanted to be sure to pass some of those experiences on to my children. They both love music and the arts and sing along to my favorite Broadway musicals, so I think I’ve done okay there too. Mostly what I wanted was for them to be open to any positive new experience and accepting of other cultures, lifestyles and people – and respectful in the process.

Before I became a parent, I had certain ideals I knew I would subscribe to. I knew I didn’t believe in spanking. I knew I didn’t want to say “bad boy!” but focus on the action instead of the child committing it. I had every intention of praising the positive and not resorting to negativity, yelling, or guilt. I can’t say I’ve been 100% successful in all of my aspirations, but I have tried.

Having two children under the age of two within the first year of becoming a mom, was a bit of a challenge. One child enters the terrible twos and the other follows suit, even if it’s before she’s supposed to hit that ‘milestone’. My oldest two being so close in age has led to sibling rivalry, but mostly in the sense of them fighting amongst themselves. We never have said “why can’t you be more like your brother/sister” and they both have very defined personalities and characteristics that let them stand on their own merit without constant comparison. The years leading up to school really did put my parenting choices to the test as it was really hard to keep my cool all of the time.

I think of the three things I did not want to focus on (negativity, yelling, guilt) the only one I’m really troubled with is the guilt. I don’t really yell ever, unless as a last, last resort, and I really never label the kids themselves as being bad, I just focus on the actions and the better choice they could’ve made. However, guilt is just a part of who I am I think. You don’t realize when you grow up in it, that it becomes your go-to emotion. I try to do my best not to put guilt onto my kids, but I’m not going to lie, it happens. If I cook an amazing dinner for the whole family and it gets pushed around on the plate, it’s hard not to take it personally and throw a little guilt back at the kids. Of course it doesn’t work in getting my message across to them, so you’d think I’d get it by now.

In addition, I think I allow my kids perhaps a bit too much freedom based on that same guilt. I had such a wonderful childhood where I really wanted for nothing (except that Easy Bake Oven and Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine ) that when my kids ask to do something or for something, I fully admit to giving in more times than not because I don’t want to feel the guilt of depriving them of something. My husband came from a very different background and is perfectly fine with saying “NO.” nine times out of ten. I guess in that way we balance each other out, which is good…but I know we both have created our own reputations of Mommy being the lenient one and Daddy being the strict one. When my kids ask me something and I say “Go ask Daddy” I get groans in response. It’s something I’m aware of, admitting to, and working on.

Friends forever...

As far as those rules I had growing up, I wouldn’t ever go back and change them in my life, but I am much less “this is the way it is” with my kids. If something seems to have no real consequences or negative implications, I’m prepared to break tradition and let it happen. My daughter got her ears pierced at 6, and when she freaked out and couldn’t take them out and put new ones in, she let them close up and got them done again at 7, much more prepared for the responsibility. I have no problem with my kids chewing gum, but do find myself reminding them to close their mouths and remember my dad each time I do. I want them both to be able to express themselves and their creativity and try to foster that whenever I can. Sometimes I fear I am a bit too undisciplined with them but then we get a compliment while out telling us how well-behaved our children are and I breathe a sigh of relief that we are doing something right. Though we may struggle with the issues every other parent does: respect, listening, responsibility, I hope we’ve given them the basis to be good, compassionate, respectful people that give their best every day. And I have to hope that some of that is due to how we grew up, and those same lessons will get passed on to future generations.

Oh, and eventually did get a Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine and an Easy Bake Oven…well, my daughter got the oven…my husband and I got the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine
about 8 years ago…for the kids…yeah. That’s it.

I loved this room, so, so much. Hand-painted by my amazing husband.

We were prepared at home. My husband had painstakingly painted a beautiful 100 Acre Wood mural complete with two scenes of Pooh, Christopher Robin and my favorite, Piglet, in the baby’s nursery. The baby shower had been held, all the essentials accounted for. I was definitely not ready to go in to labor that day, however. My bag was not packed. I thought I had at least 3 weeks to go, maybe more since first time moms traditionally went over their due dates. My doctor had different plans. I had almost all of the symptoms of preeclampsia and my blood pressure during that visit was enough to convince him to admit me and get me induced, so the baby would be safely delivered.

Of course fear and anxiety swept over me. Labor was my biggest worry and I feared it would lead to a C-section if things didn’t go well. Part of me was relieved, however. I didn’t have to worry about “Oh, is this really labor or a false start?” “Are they going to send me home because I’m not dilated enough?” I knew I was getting admitted and I wasn’t getting sent home until I delivered. I knew a little bit about what to expect since I’d been admitted before when the morning sickness had dehydrated me. (And I’d been addicted to A Baby Story for the last 9 months!) After about 5 failed attempts to find a proper vein for my IV, a new nurse came in and took over…however the IV was actually in my forearm which was to say the least, a bit uncomfy. Of course, I was in for much more in the ‘uncomfy’ department

Because I was being induced, the contractions kicked in fast and furiously with the Pitocin. No one can really prepare you for the sensation of labor. Saying “it’s like really bad cramps” just doesn’t do it justice. The thing about cramps is, you can usually move around or do something to ease the pain just a bit. For me, this was unlike anything I’d ever experienced because I couldn’t make it stop. I wanted so much to go all natural with no epidural…but after 4 hours, I knew that wasn’t possible. First they gave me a ‘walking epidural’ which for me did absolutely nothing. So I got an epidural and once it kicked in…oh my. Happy Juice is an understatement. I could’ve stayed there all week with that in place.

Labor went on for about 6 hours, and finally it was time to push. As is often the case with epidurals, you are so nice and numb, you don’t really notice when it’s time to push through a contraction. It took a while…2 hours of pushing before little C made his appearance at 2:45am, the day before the Super Bowl was taking place 3 hours away in Miami. I wish I could gush about the details after that, but really it’s all a blur of elation. I remember my mom coming in at 3am to see him and both of us crying at how perfect he was. I remember getting moved to the tiny recovery room and just wanting to SLEEP – and never let him go either.

I’m not going to recount the full details of his first couple of weeks at home, because they were a bit scary with some jaundice issues, lots of doctor and hospital visits and a full 24 hours under bili lights at home. What I did learn that first week was what a wonderful husband I had – fully committed to being a Daddy and doing whatever it took to take care of his little boy.

C and his sister S, age 2 and almost 1. Those faces. *sigh*

What I originally wanted to talk about was what an amazing son we were blessed with, and what a joy it’s been watching him grow up. He kept us smiling and laughing all the time with every new milestone and discovery. And when his sister was born when he was 19 months old, we knew it would change things forever. I distinctly remember a nurse telling me, “pretty soon, he won’t remember life before his sister was here.”. I wasn’t really sure what to think of that bit of knowledge. It was almost bittersweet. Had we somehow compromised his childhood by giving him no choice but to share it with another little person? Would he get lost in the shuffle and become withdrawn? Would we be able to give him all the attention he deserved?

Of course all those fears were unwarranted. He and his sister became the very best of friends…after a while. He was a bit put out at first and I smile thinking back to him pointing to the new baby and pointing to the floor, saying “Baby. Down!” Once she was crawling and then walking he realized having a built in playmate was pretty fun. They shared everything from toys to mischief to meltdowns. It was (and is) never a dull moment when they are together. So many wonderful memories of their childhood together. He doesn’t remember life before her, and though I’m sure there are times when he wishes in anger that she’d disappear, the love he has for her is evident every day.

He loves making his sister (and all of us) laugh...

Still today, 11 years later, his biggest joy is making his sister (or me, or his dad) laugh. He loves to make people happy and has definitely inherited my husband’s and my sarcastic and dry sense of humor. Along with his love of Xbox and Wii and the games he plays, he has a gift for music and art and definitely leans toward all things creative. One of the traits I love best about him is his determination and sense of self. He isn’t concerned with what other people think and doesn’t let that rule his life. He will give something his all just to have fun, not to win. I wish some of that would rub off on me, I really do!

Bottom line, from birth to today, I…we, are blessed to know this boy that has been gifted into our lives. It is not very often you find a combination of a creative, funny, loving personality all wrapped up into one. I know that as we venture closer to the teen years, any or all of this could change at any time. I can only hope and pray that we’ve given him the foundation of love and family that he can rely and fall back on no matter how independent he chooses to be. Seeing how he’s warmed up to his new little brother has been a delight as well. Just as we watched him grow up idolizing his dad, it’s been fun seeing him realize that now he has a little person that idolizes him too. Thank you, C, for being who you are. I can’t wait to see who you become. Happy Birthday.

I thought I’d share how this all started. I’ve always loved baking but have never taken a cake decorating class and have gone through many hit or miss experiments along the way. (I’m still looking for a fool-proof white cake and cupcake recipe!!) I guess it first started when I made a Lego cake for C’s 6th birthday. I wish I had pictures of that but they are stuck on a non-working hard drive. It looked like a rectangular Lego brick with a square one on top, achieved by putting cupcake bottoms on top of the cake and then frosting the two bricks in different colors. It was a little more stressful than enjoyable at that time because I was in a tiny apartment kitchen trying to make a masterpiece, so I relied on store-bought cakes for a few years after that.

A few years later, S. wanted a puppy theme for her 7th birthday. I checked every grocery store in our area and could not find a puppy-themed cake. So I thought, why not, I’ll make one. She picked the colors of green and orange. She was on a green and orange kick that year. I used Scooby Snacks graham crackers for decorating (which everyone avoided thinking they were actual dog biscuits!). I also used a pound cake with almond flavoring like I’d had from a bakery once, which was good, but resulted in the cake weighing about 25lbs. Everyone loved it though and then it seemed that I’d started a trend.

Next up was C’s 9th birthday. He was really into Guitar Hero
that year. I had the vision for a perfect cake. Of course getting what was in my mind to translate into cake was another task altogether, but I tried. He loved it and all the kids (and moms) at the party were impressed, so I guess it wasn’t too bad. I had a LOT of fun making that one and though I’m sure my skills could’ve used polishing, I worked with what I had and thought it was a hit.

Two years ago S. decided on a luau theme for her 8th birthday. We had the party at the house and thanks to years of visiting Disney’s Polynesian Resort, I had free party favors in the form of silk flower leis. It was a fun party full of silly games, limbo contests and a Pinata. Don’t ask. We aren’t strict adherers to party theme rules around these parts.

Anyway, I had a vision to have a volcano themed cake. After not wanting to press my luck with lava cakes like you find in restaurants, I decided on a mini volcano with candied ‘lava’ set on top of a beach/ocean themed cake. I got a bit Martha Stewart-ish about it and spent way too much time using a hot glue gun and tons of toothpicks and popsicle sticks to make a tiki hut, but I think it was worth it. It was another really fun cake to do. I had a white layer and a chocolate layer, and the sand was crushed Nilla Wafers with a couple of Oreos mixed in for color. The lava was candy I made and colored myself, and splashed out on tin foil to dry in splattered-looking shapes.

As I said, I took a bit of time off while caring for baby G during C’s last party, but got back on track with S’s 9th party, which I’ve blogged about already – the Spaghetti and Meatballs cake. No matter what the reaction, this cake got the most response of any I’ve done. People either loved it or were grossed out thinking we were eating spaghetti and meatballs on top of cake. I loved trying something different and succeeding in making it look like dinner rather than dessert!

So that leaves me with my problem today. What to do for C’s 11th birthday this year?! With his extreme interest in video games, I might have to go that route, but I’m really not relishing the thought of making zombie hands or army men. Anyone seen any good cakes lately? Is it time for me to venture into layers? Fondant? Actually I did try my hand at fondant about a year ago, just for fun (on top of a pink cake!). My friend helped out, but I discovered it was easier than I thought to actually make marshmallow fondant. She came up with the decorating idea in theme with my love for all things black and white.

What are your thoughts, suggestions or crazy ideas for his cake this year? I’m all ears!! And Duff, Mary Alice, Geoff & gang, if you’re reading this, I’ll happily accept any help you have to offer!

Ever since first hearing about the famous little Virginia and her letter in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun, it’s become a part of my annual holiday heart string-pulling. I cling to it more closely this year, when my 9 year-old daughter is at the age where she questions the veracity of Jolly Old Saint Nick. It’s hard in this day and age to keep that particular bit of magic alive, in a time when commercials are touting “Christmas for less!” and blatantly showing parents relieved to get presents for their children at discount prices. “Why do you have to go shopping?” she asks smugly. “How does he get to every house in one night anyway??” and “People at school say he’s not real and there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.” Telling her I still believe doesn’t seem to work as well.

I don’t blame her, school is the place most rumors are either dispelled or born. Many families have other beliefs that directly contradict the celebration of Santa. Other families don’t believe in “lying” to their children at all. There is nothing wrong with those beliefs or practices of course, but as with all things, tolerance of differences is always a nice lesson that sometimes gets forgotten. It’s hard for children to understand that because something may be fact in your family, it may be fiction in others, and vice versa. I know I never doubted until people questioned it at school. I was about the same age too.

Oddly, I don’t remember ever questioning why all the presents came from Santa and not my mom and dad, or how they had a present all ready for me on Christmas Eve when our tradition was to open one present that night. I do distinctly remember going to my mom one year and asking her if Santa was real. “What do you think?” she asked me back. I told her I thought Santa was real a long time ago, but that maybe he died and parents eventually took over doing his job for him and all the Santas in the mall and everywhere were just Santa’s helpers too. She seemed to like that description. And that was that. If you want to get technical, the story of Saint Nicholas isn’t too far from that anyway!

The magic didn’t really dissipate too much, outside of losing a teeny bit of that excitement as you walk down the stairs to see that yes, Santa did indeed come to your house as you slept. However, to this day, presents from my mom are still a surprise. We were never a ‘presents under the tree’ family. Nothing appeared until Christmas morning, when a beautiful magical stack of presents was awaiting you. That still happened after my revelation, so Christmas was and still is an exciting moment full of wonder for me.

My oldest son is about to turn 11 and I think he’s inherited a bit of my sensitivity, because he has never once questioned or asked the existence of Santa. It’s as if he doesn’t want to disappoint me by letting me in on whatever he really thinks. Even at his young age, he has seen how excited I get by the little things; how walking into Magic Kingdom makes me cry, as do certain commercials and other heartfelt moments. I don’t ever want to get to the point where hearing the bell ring in The Polar Express doesn’t make me cry. I’m tearing up just thinking about these things! He gets how I work and doesn’t want to spoil any of that.

And now of course, we have little G and we all get to experience Christmas through his eyes, which I think is a very valuable lesson for his older brother and sister. Part of what keeps the magic of Christmas alive is finding the innocence and excitement that lives in others throughout the season. Religious discussions aside, the secular side of Christmas still provides countless opportunities to learn about giving, sharing and believing in something, even if you don’t spend a dime.

So now more than ever – when the “skepticism of a skeptical age” has increased at least ten-fold since 1897, the beautiful, eloquent response to little Virginia O’Hanlon matters even more and means even more. No matter what your reason for the season, faith, belief in unseen magic, wonder and goodwill is something we can all agree upon. Mr. Francis Pharcellus Church said it more articulately than I ever could - Yes, Virginia. Yes.

***

8 year-old Virginia O'Hanlon

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.

“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ “Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

“VIRGINIA O’HANLON.

“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Francis Pharcellus Church

Thanksgiving Table Crafts

Inspired by some of my fellow bloggers as well as my favorite, Family Fun magazine, I thought I’d share my family’s top Turkey Day crafts! I have to admit, almost all of the crafts my children have done over the years are thanks to their amazing grandmother, my mom. She has an agenda when it comes to the holidays and always makes sure the kids get to create something new each year and feel like a big part of the festivities. I have come up with a few of my own over the years though, so this list combines both.

Turkey Cut-out Napkin Rings

Personalized Turkey Cut-out Napkin Rings

This was one of my mom’s crafts last year. The kids just cut out card stock turkey shapes, rectangles to write everyone’s name on the front, then made rings out of the card stock, using cut cardboard tubes as reinforcement. They came out really cute and of course depending on the age and skill level of your artists, you could have some really unique turkeys! Another option we’ve done in the past is one I found instructions for on Family Fun – Turkey Napkin Rings from flat wooden craft spoons. I have another similar project using the craft spoons below.

Cornucopia Nut Cups

Cornucopia Nut Cups

This was another from last year. Growing up, my grandmother always had painted scallop shells filled with mixed nuts at everyone’s place setting for the holidays. I may or may not have gone around picking all the cashews out of those shells, as a child. (whistles innocently…) Anyway, while we don’t use the shells anymore, we do still enjoy having mixed nuts out for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays. My mom found this craft to make a fun, reusable decoration. The kids just drew out their own cornucopia pictures on the front of some construction paper. My daughter wanted to color hers in, while my son chose to leave his just plain (and really I was quite impressed with their creations!!) then they attached the paper to a ring using glue sticks, so they stood up on their own. Next she just put some mini cup cake liners in the ring and you fill them with nuts of your choice. You can then remove the liners and put new ones in for the next event. Of course you can fill them with whatever you like: candies, mints, anything! You could also make bigger rings to fit larger liners if you’d like the cups to hold more items.

Wooden Craft Spoon Turkeys

Wooden Spoon Turkeys

Another fun craft item to decorate your Thanksgiving table are these wooden craft spoon turkeys. Gather about 5 of the craft spoons and glue together with wood glue. Next glue another stick to act as the holder for the turkeys. Cut out felt for the head and the beak/waddle parts. Attach those parts and googly eyes with glue. We cut out pilgrim hats with construction paper and glued those on as well. You can then color in the ‘feathers’ any color you like with markers or even paint. The possibilities for creativity are endless! We just placed them around the table and on plates for decoration, but you could probably put them in tall cups full of nuts or candy, or even flower pots.

Pine Cone Turkey Place Cards

My mom made this one with the kids a few years back but unfortunately I do not have pictures of their creations, so I found a similar craft with instructions on Family Fun’s site.  We just added little cards with guest’s names on them to turn them into place cards for the table. These are especially fun to make because you get to go on a nature walk to collect the pine cones first!

Oreo Turkeys

I saw this on a baking group last year and had to make them. They are so simple to do, yet involved so the kids loved making them. For each turkey you make, you’ll need 2 Oreos, a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup, a Whopper, some candy corn, white frosting for ‘glue’ and yellow frosting/gel for the feet. You can also use some blue or other color frosting for the eyes.

Oreo Turkey - edible crafty fun!

Stand one Oreo up on top of a flat Oreo, and use some of the white frosting to attach them. Add 5 or 6 candy corn white part down, into the top Oreo’s filling to make the ‘feathers’ of the turkey. Be VERY careful with this because if you push too hard you will split open the Oreo. We went through quite a few, but no one complained. Cut the Reese’s mini cup in half, and attach with a bit of frosting so the cut part is facing down onto the Oreo. Attach the Whopper on top of the Reese’s cup as the head, with a bit more frosting. Next add 2 candy corns, with the white tips facing up, to the Reese’s cup, as wings – this is optional if you’d rather have a turkey without wings, it looks cute without too. Cut off the tip of another candy corn and attach with frosting to the Whopper as the beak. Next use the white frosting to make eyes, using a colored gel if you’d like for pupils. Use the yellow frosting for feet on the bottom Oreo. You can also get red frosting or gel to make a waddle, but we forgot that step last year! This year we might experiment with chocolate-filled Oreos, or maybe even save some Halloween orange-filled ones next year! The best part about this table decor is everyone gets to eat their creation!

Just re-made these for an appearance on iVillage.com so I thought I'd add the new photo!

Mr. Turkey-O!

Laminated Thanksgiving Artwork Place Mats

Our Thanksgiving Place Mats

A few years back a neighbor of mine invited a bunch of us over to have the kids create Thanksgiving place mats. The kids decorated large sheets of construction paper using markers, crayons, glitter and leaves they’d collected from outside. (Keep in mind we live in Florida, you can probably find much prettier leaves in the northern regions!) I may have helped a bit with some of the drawing. Then they colored their names in with stencils and the moms printed out Happy Thanksgiving with the year on them. Our neighbor then took them down to the local print shop and got them laminated for just a few dollars. This will be the 6th Thanksgiving that we’ve used these place mats, they are a treasured keepsake! I can’t wait till the baby is old enough to make his own place mat to add to the table.

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I hope you try out some of our family’s Thanksgiving crafts, I know my children enjoy the traditions they created so much and love showing off their handi-work each year. So many of these can take on a personal twist and embellishments from your own family will make these one-of-a-kind decorations something to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

©Disney/Pixar

So I guess it should have come as no surprise to me when, in the midst of hoping my own dreams of being on the Disney Moms Panel came true, my husband had a setback and lost his job last week, that my friends (old and new) came rallying to our sides with love, support and offers to help. I couldn’t help but still be awed by what was unfolding before me. I received countless private messages of prayers, good thoughts and wishes via Twitter, Facebook and email. Offers to network J.’s resume around, websites to check, people to call. Unbelievable. All for someone most of them had never met. It really moved me to tears!

With all of that support and help, we had no time to mope or think of the negatives to the situation – we were both instantly pumped up and ready to find that next amazing opportunity that awaited him around the corner. If there’s something I’ve always had, it’s belief in my husband’s abilities. When I met him he was a bag boy at a grocery store (hey, he was 16!) and he turned himself into a successful IT network engineer, followed by software and .Net web developing AND is currently working on his 8th technical book to be published. So I have no doubt something will appear on the horizon that will make use of his wonderful talents. The help and networking from my friends has just been the added bit of pixie dust encouraging us to keep moving forward.

I wanted to thank everyone again for their words, prayers and thoughts for J. and our family. I cannot put into words myself (shocking I know!) how much it means to me to have all of you in our corner, lifting us up in both our times of triumph and need. I am forever grateful to know you and that you thought enough of us to help us succeed like this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I will keep everyone posted about when (not if!) J. secures a new position. He is meeting with people today which will hopefully lead to interviews and new job offers very soon. Of course, I am still hoping there’s some pixie dust waiting for me this week, in the form of a phone call from the Disney Moms Panel (a happy call I hope!) – and I’ll let you know about that this week as well. In these tough economic times, few are safe from life changes like this, whether in a large corporation or a smaller business. One thing is certain, friends and family will pull you through…and I have some of the best. Thank you all…♥

…Your cadaverous parlour, betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis.”

With these famous lines from one of Walt Disney’s greatest attractions, the Haunted Mansion, I thought I’d celebrate Halloween in ZannaLand by sharing some photos of our family during our visit to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Don’t forget to check out my other Halloween posts showcasing the Headless Horseman ride, part one of the Boo to You Parade, part two featuring the Villains, and the Halloween Castle!

Our darling Cereal Killer, Coraline, my 'Scare-ista' costume, and Spider-Mickey!

This was the sign I made to go with my costume, hope some Disney fanatics get the references!

Spider-Mickey eating his ears...

My scary trio...

It's hard work being that cute!!

Baby G in June of this year

I honestly think he didn’t realize he was doing it to begin with, so he isn’t trying to do something he forgot he already did! I’m not worried of course. Our first son (now 10) walked 2 weeks before his 1st birthday, and our daughter (now 9) walked at 13 months. So while he was technically the early bird, it’s okay if he takes some time to do it full-time. With the amount of trouble he gets into NOT walking, I’m totally fine with him waiting a bit!

He’s been pulling up to stand and cruising around for months now and he can crawl at bionic speed. His first birthday is less than a month away and I cannot believe how the time has flown. As the lucky witness to a lifetime of ‘firsts’ for 3 different amazing little humans, I’m savoring each second and not rushing a bit. Whenever you’re ready, Baby G…just let me get the video camera ready this time.

Not sure we should try to get the birthday cake off this way

I know parents usually joke that with the first child you do everything by the book: sterilize, keep away from hazards, and record every breath as a milestone…then by child #2 you are a bit more relaxed, you don’t have to wash that binky off every time it falls on the floor…and child #3 ends up eating dog poop off the floor. Well, I’ve always considered myself a pretty laid back mom (and I’ve got the lack of baby memory books and scrapbooking skills to prove it) but what’s different here is that baby #3 is 8 and 9 years younger than his sister and brother respectively. What that translates into is yes, I’m WAY less anal about hovering over him 24/7 but I also know he is the last baby until I have grandchildren, so I want each milestone to be that much more celebrated and treasured.

It is with that thought that the dilemma of the First Birthday Party presented itself. Do I want to do a HUGE party that he of course will not remember and invite every family member and acquaintance? Or do I keep it low-key and just do immediate family and a cake for him to destroy and wear like gloves? The additional issue is that his birthday is 3 days before Halloween, so that time of the month is littered with costume parties and other functions I’m sure. Of course, who doesn’t want to come hang out and eat cake with one of the cutest kids in Florida?

I’m currently leaning toward small-but-mighty party inviting close friends and family…but my husband thinks it should just be us and a cake, so the debate rages on. My eldest son’s was similar to this, close friends, family and co-workers, while my daughter’s was much bigger with a party at Davis Farmland in Massachusetts. Since most of both of our families were up there and we were living in a teeny tiny apartment, it made more sense to do something bigger up there. Of course we’ll end up bringing him to Disney for his birthday too, but that’s not something you can invite the entire neighborhood to given the cost of admission.

How have you celebrated first birthdays in the past? Have any thoughts for what we should do? Any theme ideas or suggestions? And most importantly, how on earth am I going to top a Spaghetti & Meatballs cake?! I know no matter what we decide, it will be memorable (for us) and tons of pictures, frosting and a bath involved! I’ll be sure to share it all here when all’s said and done!

As with most things of a fantastical nature, I avoided Harry Potter and all its hype for years. That sounds pretty confusing coming from someone that identifies as a small, stubborn, flying pixie. With the notable exception of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien in general, I’m just not a sci-fi/fantasy kind of girl. After reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I especially wanted nothing to do with this obvious attempt to cash in on a similar story line that was Harry Potter. And then, the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came on tv, back in 2003 or 2004 I believe. Wouldn’t you know I got sucked in by The Boy That Lived? I was pretty annoyed at myself, actually. Then we saw Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I didn’t care for that one as much, but it led to me wanting to actually read the books. The ironic thing was, we already had all the books that had been released up to that point, thanks to my mother-in-law that had been sending them down for the kids to read when they got older. So I cracked open Sorcerer’s Stone, and not only proved my earlier impressions wrong, I promptly fell in love.

When I had finally caught up with all the books, I had also found a new friend in my Starbuck’s barista at the local SuperTarget, who had read all the books several times. Our Harry Potter kinship led to us getting together with our kids, who were close in age, and eventually my getting a job alongside her. So when July 21st, 2007 rolled around, we were there with our two eldest children (both of whom dressed as Harry) for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. My friend wanted to stay up all night and read the whole book, but I couldn’t last much past 5am. When I did read it, of course I cried like a baby, as I had with certain parts of The Order of the Phoenix, as well as The Half Blood Prince. It was exciting to be a part of something that was taking place all across the country that night, and I’m glad my son got to experience it as well. Like it or not, the books got kids eager to read; connecting with their parents in some cases was an added bonus.

As our children have grown, so of course have Harry and friends within the books and movies. Honestly, the past two years since the release of The Order of the Phoenix film have been chock full of growth for both my older children. No longer interested in primarily toys, they now favor video games or just hanging out with friends. So I was surprised when they both exclaimed with great interest that of course they wanted to see the new movie at midnight when it was released. More than willingly, I purchased tickets online for the 12:05 showing in our local movie theatre.

It has been a while since I read The Half Blood Prince, so I won’t get into how “true the movie was to the book” or “this or that was missing and how dare they!” All I know is on its own merits, the movie was beautifully shot, and the story told was wonderful. It definitely set the scene for how Harry is growing up and must bear the burden of responsibility in the troubled world in which he lives. I loved the various camera angles and the different sets used this time around; visually it was just gorgeous. Not to mention Snape.

But quasi-movie review aside, what I loved the most about last night was the realization of the tradition and memories JK Rowling has unknowingly created within her series. This was the second time we’d seen a midnight release of a Harry Potter movie, and the kids were no less enamored of the event. When they are my age, they’ll remember these times and hopefully create some of those same wonderful memories with their own families.

It is quite a unique feat to fashion such constant yet ever-changing characters that serendipitously grow along with your very own children. While mine are not quite at the “snogging” phase yet (thank Merlin!) they are getting there, so they can still relate to this whole tale as opposed to quickly outgrowing a movie as being “kid stuff”. I love that about this series. It truly is something we can all share, get excited about and discuss for years to come.

So I am happy to proudly say that I am a Potter fan. While I may not own a Gryffindor scarf myself, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at one, nor anyone wearing one. In fact, it would be a great way to get to know them better, knowing we already share a love for something that has brought such joy to so many – hopefully my kids share that same realization. So thanks again, Jo. Well done.