our present ball tradition

A friend asked me about this funny tradition of ours the other day. After telling her all about our present ball she decided to try it this year. And I thought it would be a great thing to blog about, just in case anyone else wants to give this nutty, chaos-inducing tradition a shot.

So, here's the general idea. We save all the wrapping paper from holidays and birthdays all year long, wrapping and wrapping it all around a present. And then on New Year's Day we make a game of it and tear it open.

Now for more of a detailed explanation. 

On Christmas we save all the paper and ribbon. We stuff it in bags or boxes and then it gets shoved to a corner in the food storage room in the basement. Then I forget about it for awhile. But when I run downstaris for a can of corn or black beans I see the bags and remember. At some point I actually think to pick up prizes for the middle of our new ball. (Obviously this may not be the best way to go about doing this.)

Finally I take some time and get wrapping! And our new present ball is begun.

Then throughout the year I continue to add to it. After someone's opened all their birthday presents, we stuff the used paper into a bag. Sometimes I ask the kids to add the next layers. They quite like it!

Finally, on New Year's Day we play a crazy game.

You'll need:

Pair of dice
Two cooking spoons or oven mitts
A massive present ball


Gather your posse in a circle. The first person rolls the dice, hoping for doubles. If they don't get them then they pass the dice to the next person. The first person to get doubles gets to start opening the present ball. But, of course, if they used just their hands it would be waaaaaaay too easy. No, this needs to be a challenge. We've been saving that paper ALL YEAR! We're going to make this game take a bit more time.

So, they must either don oven mitts or use spoons (or maybe even both!) to unwrap the present. While they're going to town, tearing paper and throwing it willy nilly through the air, the rest of the eager participants continue to roll the dice, hoping for doubles and then passing them onto the next person.

Whoever gets the next doubles gets to take over the fun task of relieving the ball of its paper. This continues until, finally, someone manages to get to the middle. Then...Eureka! Whoever gets their first, wins the contents.

Now, a word about that center. It wouldn't be too much fun for all the participants if just one person won, right? So, we like to put some suprises in the center for everyone and then one fun thing for the winner. This last year I put punching balloons, chocolates (this would not normally be the case....but I didn't get the present ball wrapped until...THE DAY WE DID IT! Yes. That whole having-a-baby-thing put me a bit behind last year.) and a package of scented markers.

So, who won this last year? (well...it was New Year's Day....so, this year!)

It was Molly.

And there just might have been a bit of help from her cute brothers in that matter.

5 Things Friday: Valentine's Day Fun, Recipe Failure & a Question About Chores

#1: We had such a fun Valentine's Day!

It started out with the kids finding their doorways decorated with streamers and notes telling them things we love about them. We've been doing this since the kids were very small. It's a really fun tradition!

The boys had already gone off to school though, so I only have pictures of my girls.

(You can find the tutorial for making the girls' shirts here.)

For breakfast we had waffles with strawberries and whip cream. Yummo! 

I had to make sugar cookies for Zoe's class at school. Luckily, my little helper was on hand to give me a hand with the stirring...

And check out that mess up there on our table from the mad scramble to get the valentines done the night before!

Here's Zoe working on her Valentines for her family members.

I got to go in and help out with Zoe's party at school. The kids were so cute. And it was really fun seeing all the different kinds of valentines they brought.

We had a special candlelit dinner as a family with grilled marinated steaks, mashed potatoes, salad and rolls. Oh, and red punch, of course. There's something about candlelight that makes dinner so exciting. The kids love it!

But the best part was exchanging valentines after dinner. On Monday evening we talked about showing more love in our home. I gave each of them a sweet letter I'd written to them telling them things I love about them. Then we talked about how that made them feel.

So, then I told them of my plan for everyone to take the time to make loving valentines for each other and we'd exchange them at our special dinner. And boy did those kids deliver! I'm so proud of the notes and cards they came up with!

This one is to Zoe. Her and Sam share a room.

This one made me smile. Emmett is always trying to
get Molly to hug him more. Sometimes she's just too moody
and won't do it. 

Zoe made this one for Sam. She did such a great job and did her
Valentines pretty much all by herself. 

Since I already wrote the kids sweet notes on Monday, I
just put together little goodie bags with this stuff in them.
They were super excited to get those mechanical pencils!

Ryan wrote everyone's notes in a heart shape. So cute, right?

Ryan also gave his girls each a rose. They were so happy! And I got a big pretty bouquet as well. He's a very very sweet husband and daddy.

Another fun thing we did was the Monday before last. I found the idea over at 71 Toes. We gave our house a heart attack. Each family member wrote something they liked about their family members on different hearts. I love seeing all the sweet notes everyone wrote everyday. It's great.

#2: People ask me how I'm feeling a lot, which is so kind. My answer is usually, "Round." But I really love being pregnant. It's such a great and exciting time! Even if I'm starting to waddle.

#3: I'm a pretty strict mom. But I mean that as a good thing-! I think you can still be strict and firm and have fun, too.

But I'm curious about the responsibilities other families give their kids. Our kids have to do their homework, reading time, a chore, tidy their rooms, practice piano and write or type in their journals everyday. But they only have to finish homework and reading time before they can play with friends or spend some time on the computer, wii or watch the tube. And then they just haveto make time for the other stuff later.

So, what about you? What do your kids have to do everyday?

#4: I made a new recipe for dinner the other night. And, let me just tell you, rice vinegar is not a good substitution for balsamic vinegar. Also, I might have added too much. I was doubling the recipe and...maybe, just maybe I got a bit mixed up.

Needless to say, it was absolutely disgusting. I haven't made something that horrible tasting for a long time. Of course, as soon as I mentioned that, family members began trotting out stories of some very failed recipes. Like the crockpot oatmeal from a few years ago. OY! That's disgusting.

#5: I'm trying to post more on my writing blog...at least, here and there. Today I shared 9 reasons why being pregnant is like being an aspiring writer.

An Evening with Ella Enchanted

We started reading Ella Enchanted as a family last fall on a car trip up north (I think that was when it was....)  And we finally finished it last Saturday! It was fun sharing a story together, especially this story. I love this book!

For the most part, everyone enjoyed it (even my rough & tough handsome cowboy) although Zoe didn't pay too much attention....she did the best she could for being 4. And Molly....well, she was merely a distraction when we tried to read it!

To mark the occasion, we had an Ella Enchanted Dinner Party Saturday night.

I put up a royal invitation (on the fridge) to let the Shakespear kingdom know of the upcoming festivities. This was met with much anticipation throughout the land. Each of the invitees were encouraged to arrive in fancy party attire.

And they did not disappoint.

Ryan arrived in a lovely suit coat two sizes too small and a ruffly pink boutonniere. And you have to give him props. The poor man had the flu, but he still wouldn't miss the royal party!

 Zoe was a beautiful fairy.

 Emmett was an elf in a blue hat (can you tell that was a last minute costume?)

Sam and Weston wore their Dad's clothes and said they were sleepy giants!

On the menu we had....

Torlin Kerru (Garlic & Butter sauteed mushrooms)
Areida's Rolls
Giant Potatoes from Uaaxee's farm (with chili, cheese, ranch and ham )
Quail Eggs (Deviled eggs)
Tonic (The BEST Party Punch)
Roly Poly Pudding (Oreo Pudding Poke Cake)

Before we sat down to dine on our luxurious feast, we had a rousing game of Ella Says (instead of Simon Says). Since Ella is cursed to do as she's told I thought it was a fitting game.  The kids loved it. And I kept getting out! Ack! Need to pay attention better....

At dinner I asked some Ella Enchanted trivia questions....they got almost all of them right!

We had the kids try No Thank You bites of the Torlin Kerru. They gagged on it. But at least they tried the mushrooms! Needless to say, we didn't get any mushroom converts.

And then we got into our jammies, grabbed some blankets and pillows and snuggled up to watch the movie Ella Enchanted.

And I know, I know, people. The movie is NOTHING like the book.  Just about the only thing they have in common is that they're both about a girl named Ella who is cursed with obedience. It's crazy how much the stories differ.

But it was still fun to watch. And the kids hadn't seen it before. I wonder why the producers, writers, the powers that be, decided to change the story so much. If you haven't read the book and you've only seen the movie, you're doing yourself a serious disservice. Read the book! It's grand.

Now we're reading Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George. It stars a castle that grows new rooms when it gets bored....so fun, right? I read the first chapter to the family tonight. Weston said, "Can you please read one more chapter?" Don't you just love that question?

Alright, now what are you reading?