I've been putting a lot of thought into the way different cultures celebrate or honor various life events, such as: new arrivals, birthdays, marriage, and death, justto name a few.
If you would, please share what YOUR family traditions are and/or how you observe these things...
We always eat Cockeyed Camel nachos for New Year's and Superbowl! *Giggle*
Care to expound? 8)
Yeah, I gotta "hear" this. LOL
One of the things my kids miss the most about the East Coast is snow days. School here is on a year round modified schedule, which means that they go 4 more weeks than traditional schools. There's never a suprise "day off" as a treat. So, I created one. Last year, I took a day off w/out telling the kids. I woke them up and instead of getting dressed for school...they got dressed to go play in the snow. We drove to the snow with some people who know the area and they were able to take us to a spot where the kids could sled and snowboard w/out paying and we made a day of it.
We haven't been this year, but I can SO feel a "snow day" coming on. :biggrin:
HOW AWESOME!!!! geez, that's cool.
Some more detailed examination:
How about births? Does your family have a shower for the mom-to-be? Or a gathering after the baby arrives? Other?
What about deaths? Does your family have a funeral? A wake? Is it a mournful time or a time of enlightment?
Weddings...do the parents still pay for the wedding, solely the bride & groom, or a combination?
Birthdays...are they a big celebration or something quiet & simple or barely observed? Do you have cake/ice cream? Presents? Any special aspects you care to share?
Quote from: SunnyInFL on January 20, 2007, 06:25:29 PM
Care to expound? 8)
Ummm--let's see....There was this bar in Nashville called the Cockeyed Camel that we all used to frequent during the college daze.
Anyway, they were famous for their nachos which were individually hand-made.
They consisted of a layer of beans, meat, tomatoes, green onions, then a single jalapeno slice, then topped with cheese and broiled. They only used round tortilla chips so they were one-bite-nachos. No nasty mound of chips with plastic cheese melted on top--each bite was crisp and tasty!
Absolutely delish and now a family tradition!
Quote from: tallulahdahling on January 20, 2007, 08:54:49 PM
Ummm--let's see....There was this bar in Nashville called the Cockeyed Camel that we all used to frequent during the college daze.
Anyway, they were famous for their nachos which were individually hand-made.
They consisted of a layer of beans, meat, tomatoes, green onions, then a single jalapeno slice, then topped with cheese and broiled. They only used round tortilla chips so they were one-bite-nachos. No nasty mound of chips with plastic cheese melted on top--each bite was crisp and tasty!
Absolutely delish and now a family tradition!
You realize, of course, that your description has now sent me on a frantic search in the kitchen and pantry for those ingredients.
I am now ravenous for nachos made that way.
Thanks.
:biggrin: :biggrin:
Yum yum. Sounds dalish.
I'm tell you nacho fans...gotta find the Kraft Signature Salsa Sour Cream Dip.
Would be great on those camel crunchers!!
Yeah, the whole point is making sure everyone gets a bite of all the stuff they like on one single nacho round.
We make cookie sheets filled with the camel crunchies to order. Some don't like beans, they don't get beans; some don't like jalepenoes, they don't get the peppers, etc. etc.
Toppings are served on the side with fav toppins such as sour creame, guacamole, salsa, and my fav--green salsa. Sometimes cilantro or a sprinkle of adobo. It's your nacho dream. And it's fun having folks help with the assembly during the party,
We do the same with french bread pizzas. Keep it nice and tidy but tasty!!
Lemme know if you need anymore ideas cuz i got 'em along with this huge Superbowl party I will be hosting next month--whew!
That sounds so wonderful. I love the green salsa too. The spicer the better.
I have a drinking game idea. Don't know if that's something you'd want to do. LOL But one year we put all of the players names/numbers in a hat and the guest drew one when you came in. Everytime that player was mentioned by the announcer, that person has to take a drink. If they do a profile...it's a shot. It's nice if the non-drinkers get the benchwarmers. LOL
Oh--that's good now, dont get me wrong but these guys are simply existing for the fourth quarter while they drink and munch their way to victory--or my commode, whichever comes first! LOL
No more ideas needed. Just send a map to your house & we'll bring the margarita's (for nacho night) OR beer for the super bowl party!!!! :wink:
But...if you'd like...please feel free to provide any & all suggestions for a "Hawaiian" themed party. (minus the Roasted Pig Pit -- no room for that) :smile:
So, I am kinda speechless this afternoon.
Received a call from a friend. Her 19 year-old son was killed last night.
What do you say?
What do you do?
:'(
I never know what to say.
I just try to be around if someone needs a hug.
Yes...that's probably the best thing you can do in that situation.
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 31, 2007, 12:54:13 PM
I never know what to say.
I just try to be around if someone needs a hug.
DITTO!.. :(
Thanks, Henry.
Just thought I'd share this here....
We had our first, very SUCCESSFUL (but tiring) playdate at our new house this weekend. :smitten:
Only 3 moms and 4 little ones -- but it was perfect.
My youngest daughter (26 months), a little boy (25 months), another little girl (22 months), and my 4.5 year-old.
We then took the kiddos to the adjacent park & went on the swings...the slides...the merry-go-round (blech)...
Had a little snacky lunch and ended with ice cream at DQ.
It was perfect, if I may say so myself. :smile:
Quote from: Sunny on May 07, 2007, 07:21:16 AM
Just thought I'd share this here....
We had our first, very SUCCESSFUL (but tiring) playdate at our new house this weekend. :smitten:
Only 3 moms and 4 little ones -- but it was perfect.
My youngest daughter (26 months), a little boy (25 months), another little girl (22 months), and my 4.5 year-old.
We then took the kiddos to the adjacent park & went on the swings...the slides...the merry-go-round (blech)...
Had a little snacky lunch and ended with ice cream at DQ.
It was perfect, if I may say so myself. :smile:
Wow...the time sure flies. Many play dates later -- it's hard to believe it's been 3 years. :-\
/sentimental these days.
So, does anyone have a fun family tradition you'd like to share? The Easter holiday is in a week...does your family have any special celebrations?
We started a new family tradition two years ago...it's really more of an activity, but it consumes several hours/days/weeks of the year. Our little family of four has participated in the local cancer walk in 2011 and 2012 -- my children have volunteered and walked, helped with logistics, decorated our little town, and helped gather donations. We raised $2500 this year. :)
Our favorite part of the Relay For Life weekend is the "Luminaria Ceremony". It's a time when everyone quietly walks around the track with a single candle...the silence is deafening...and pays tribute to those who've lost their battle to cancer, have won their battle with cancer, or are currently fighting back. It's a time when we remember Mom and Sister, both gone from the world too soon.
It's a tragic reality that 1 in 3 individuals will be diagnosed with cancer today.
That's awesome Sunny! I've been down the cancer road with both my mom and my brother-in-law. It ain't pretty.
Quote from: Locutus on June 30, 2012, 01:22:17 AM
That's awesome Sunny! I've been down the cancer road with both my mom and my brother-in-law. It ain't pretty.
Sorry to hear, Loc. Cancer sucks! And it doesn't discriminate. There were several children at the Relay this year all currently battling the beast. One of these children is my high school best friend's son. Diagnosed with Leukemia in January and it breaks my heart to hear all of the procedures, treatments, surgeries, medical tests, and ailments he has already endured.
There are critics about entities such as the American Cancer Society, but it's a cause that my family believes in...with enough research, hopefully we will see a cure in our lifetime. (I'm a realist, so I know this most likely won't happen...but, we can dream).
Quote from: Sunny on June 30, 2012, 08:56:54 AM
Sorry to hear, Loc. Cancer sucks! And it doesn't discriminate. There were several children at the Relay this year all currently battling the beast. One of these children is my high school best friend's son. Diagnosed with Leukemia in January and it breaks my heart to hear all of the procedures, treatments, surgeries, medical tests, and ailments he has already endured.
There are critics about entities such as the American Cancer Society, but it's a cause that my family believes in...with enough research, hopefully we will see a cure in our lifetime. (I'm a realist, so I know this most likely won't happen...but, we can dream).
I am sorry too. More research needs to be done. My sister worked for the American Cancer Society in the office as one of the real workers. She quite because the upper crust of the cancer fund ran around attending party that they threw for each other in expensive resort settings. She was upset at all of the partying. She thought that money should go to research. But as we all know there are the workers and the gadflies taking advantage of the money. :mad:
It's sad, but true, Troll.
Even in small non-profits you have extreme unbalances and misappropriations of monies.
The people who work in the trenches (and see the injustices of the system) get paid the least and most likely believe in the mission of the organization the most...
The people at the top reap the benefits, but do they truly believe in the mission?
Such a perplexing quandry. :icon_evil:
In our family, when someone dies we have a dinner after the funeral. Usually at someone's house, sometimes put on by friends or a church. It is generally not a sad gathering. When someone dies not in our family, everyone takes food or something to the house. Sometimes we take paper plates, cups, silverware, etc. or even paper towels, napkins, kleenex, or even toilet paper. With a lot of people around you can run out of stuff and sure as heck aren't in the mood to go shopping. Another thing we do a lot for close family we go to their house and clean, change sheets, wash up dishes, whatever needs to be done.
We have baby showers for first babies and wedding showers for weddings.
We have a family reunion every summer, I think this will be number 73, at a park with lots of food and games for the kids.
There really isn't anything to say when someone loses a loved one except to say you are sorry. I know that when we have had a death that it was so comforting all the people who would come to the funeral home and realizing that our loved one would be remembered by so many people.
Thank you for sharing your family traditions, Anne. It sounds like we have a lot of similar ones....unfortunately, as an adult, we have experienced an attrition of family. I look forward to the day that our children have children and hope to revisit some of these traditions (e.g. Family Reunions). For now, the extended family we have is scattered all over the country.
My dh's family sees death as a "graduation" to the next chapter, so they don't spend a lot of time mourning...it's more of a celebration. With that being said, I struggle with the physical loss of family. My sister-in-law was just 43 when she died from Inflammatory Breast Cancer and I miss her very much.
I'm sure you do miss your sister-in-law. I lost two cousins who were like sisters to me and it was very hard. After my mother died, it was really strange to think I was the matriarch of our family, and isn't it strange to be an adult orphan?
Quote from: Anne on July 01, 2012, 02:32:11 PM
I'm sure you do miss your sister-in-law. I lost two cousins who were like sisters to me and it was very hard. After my mother died, it was really strange to think I was the matriarch of our family, and isn't it strange to be an adult orphan?
Yes, Anne...it is a bit strange being an adult orphan. Funny, I've referred to myself as that a few times....my father has been gone for 13 years (I was only 27 at the time), mother died 6 years ago.
I feel the worst for my children. They only have 1 grandparent and she lives 5 states away. *shrug* We make the best of it.
I was 23 when my dad died, but I was fortunate that my mother lived until I was 42. One of my biggest regrets was that I never really had a chance to have real adult conversations with my dad and my son never had the benefit of his attention.
Quote from: Sunny on July 03, 2012, 06:11:26 AM
Yes, Anne...it is a bit strange being an adult orphan. Funny, I've referred to myself as that a few times....my father has been gone for 13 years (I was only 27 at the time), mother died 6 years ago.
I feel the worst for my children. They only have 1 grandparent and she lives 5 states away. *shrug* We make the best of it.
I know what you mean. When I grew up, we had gatherings at my house every Sunday. The "local" family was always here, but then sometimes we'd get a treat and some extended family or visiting family would show up. They never called to see if mom was cooking - it was understood.
My children don't have that. We have family around, but family get togethers are failures. It doesn't seem to be a priority for anyone.
Something kind of interesting though is that I've established a tradition and didn't really mean to. I LOVE picnics. I have a "picnic" kit in the trunk of my car which basically consists of paper and plastic products a couple folding chairs (that double for sports and or beach) and an old blanket. At the drop of a hat, if I see a cool spot, I'll grab some food and we'll throw the blanket out and have a picnic.
When my son's relationship became serious and he wanted me to meet his girlfriend, he insisted that it be at a picnic. That's what he wanted to do more than anything. My daughter has a boyfriend now and I suggested an outting with his family. She wanted a picnic.
So I had to ask, because honestly I was getting the feeling they were humoring me and she said, "our best memories are picnics and there's no reason to change". :smitten:
What a great story Sandy! That's awesome!
Quote from: Sandy Eggo on July 06, 2012, 10:11:50 PM
I know what you mean. When I grew up, we had gatherings at my house every Sunday. The "local" family was always here, but then sometimes we'd get a treat and some extended family or visiting family would show up. They never called to see if mom was cooking - it was understood.
My children don't have that. We have family around, but family get togethers are failures. It doesn't seem to be a priority for anyone.
Something kind of interesting though is that I've established a tradition and didn't really mean to. I LOVE picnics. I have a "picnic" kit in the trunk of my car which basically consists of paper and plastic products a couple folding chairs (that double for sports and or beach) and an old blanket. At the drop of a hat, if I see a cool spot, I'll grab some food and we'll throw the blanket out and have a picnic.
When my son's relationship became serious and he wanted me to meet his girlfriend, he insisted that it be at a picnic. That's what he wanted to do more than anything. My daughter has a boyfriend now and I suggested an outting with his family. She wanted a picnic.
So I had to ask, because honestly I was getting the feeling they were humoring me and she said, "our best memories are picnics and there's no reason to change". :smitten:
That is an awesome story, and it brings back memories for me as well. . . Growing up in Chicago we didn't have a whole lot of family around, and most of them lived out of state. So mom and dad would often load all of us up in the car and we'd go for a "ride" out into the country. (Which was a long ride from Chicago even back then).
They'd always pack blankets and a cooler into the trunk, and somewhere along the back roads they'd decide it was time for a picnic and we'd upload and spread out the blankets and have a great time. Frequently the spots they chose were near a river, lake, or pond, and dad always had the fishing poles in the car.
Some great memories there and thanks for shaking them loose! :yes: :smitten:
Great traditions indeed. As a child, my grandparents hosted the family picnics in their backyard. Always loved Grandma's macaroni salad, deviled eggs, and orange jello salad. :razz:
My mom and her boyfriend were much more spontaneous...we'd often jump in the car and drive wherever the road took us. Sometimes we'd randomly stop at little diners to eat, but often we'd stop at little convenience stores to pick up deli foods. Anyone remember "WonderRoast Chickens"? If a little planning went into the roadside picnics, the Coleman stove would be toted along and they'd fry up potatoes.
I really need to start taking my children on more picnics! :smitten:
When my kids were growing up in the Chicagoland area, we'd frequently pack up the cooler and some chairs and head to the lakefront. There, or one of the many forest preserves that are in the suburban areas.
Some great times, and we'd almost always run into other families we knew and make a party out of it.
:smile:
Quote from: Palehorse on July 07, 2012, 02:23:52 PM
When my kids were growing up in the Chicagoland area, we'd frequently pack up the cooler and some chairs and head to the lakefront. There, or one of the many forest preserves that are in the suburban areas.
Some great times, and we'd almost always run into other families we knew and make a party out of it.
:smile:
When I was young and my grandmother was living. All of the families would gather at grandmother's house. She was the matriarch. When she passed away it all went away. So sad, but the memories are still great. :flower3: :smitten: