holiday Archives - Page 4 of 6 - The Ten Thousand Hour Mama

St. Patrick’s Day preschool activities: Rainbow curriculum

March 16, 2016May 25, 2016catherinemryan

True story: Along with Radiohead’s Creep and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Around the World, Kermit’s Rainbow Connection is one of my go-to karaoke jams.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F44HRvn8tiA]

So naturally, when it was my turn to host our co-op homeschool preschool this week, I wanted our St. Patrick’s Day lesson to include lots of activities with rainbows!

If you’re looking to infuse your fun with some St. Patrick’s Day luck, or get all rainbow-y on a regular day, here are some activities from me as well as links to additional ideas. Happy St. Patty’s Day! Read more →

North Pole, Oregon

January 4, 2016catherinemryan

In the days leading up to Christmas, Peeper kept sneaking glances out the window. “It’s going to snow soon,” she said.

Yet the rain continued, and snow refused to accumulate.

The lack of powder was even more cruel considering a huge snowstorm stopped her Aunt Amy and Uncle Luke from driving down for the holiday. At least Peeper got to see all the snow on FaceTime when we talked with my sister.

Then finally, finally, over the weekend it snowed!

Snow storm in Portland Read more →

Ups, downs and change: Our weekend recap

July 6, 2015catherinemryan

When I worked at College Possible Portland, a nonprofit that helped low-income high schoolers get into and graduate from college, we often ended the week reviewing the ups, downs and what we’d change. Allow me to steal the format for today’s blog!

Ups

Swimming It’s still blazing-hot hereabouts, so we went swimming in the Clackamas River at Milo McIver State Park (yes, still one of our favorite places to be!). Peeper is her happiest in water, and I’m carrying a 38-week-old furnace, so splashing in the river was pretty much the best.

Peeper’s birthday party We didn’t throw a party for Peeper’s first birthday and I knew I wanted to do a little something this year. I considered canceling it (see the downs below) but am so glad I didn’t. Peeper and her friends had a wonderful time painting and playing in the water, and we got to properly break in our newly fenced front yard! More about the party in a later post.

Seeing family Much of my side of the family came in for Peeper’s birthday party, and I’m always grateful when the Ryans are around! After the party we watched the U.S. women’s soccer team beat Japan (in style!), eat pizza and play video games. As we drove away from my brother’s house, I was overwhelmed with the wish that we’d all live near each other permanently. My brother recently moved to Portland, so that leaves only two more siblings to get down here!

This up was a little bittersweet, though, because Eric’s parents were meant to have arrived this weekend, too. They had to delay their trip out to deal with some health stuff (good thoughts/prayers/internet love to my mother-in-law much appreciated!), which is important and necessary, but we still missed them. In fact we re-sang Happy Birthday to Peeper so we could record it and send it to them! Peeper didn’t mind. 😉

Downs

Uncle Sean asks for Peeper’s help to win Cornhole at a 4th of July BBQ.

Fireworks Ah, the holiday my noise-phobic toddler and high-anxiety dog love the most! Happy 4th of July! Call me a grump, but I hoped every single boom was the last. We will not be spending Independence Day in town next year. You can find us running away to the mountains somewhere fireworks are illegal.

No sleep Ironically, Peeper slept a few hours through the fireworks and woke up shortly they were finished—and wouldn’t go back to sleep. It was horrible. She hasn’t had a night like that in… oh, a year and a half? We finally left her to cry herself to sleep and she passed out around 5:30, a half-hour before I’d set my alarm to prepare for her party.

Eating struggles I should apologize to all my friends who have to hear the latest tale about how Peeper just doesn’t eat. Not that she’s picky in a I’ll-only-eat-chicken-nuggets kind of way, but in the sense she’s completely uninterested in food. It was worse than usual on Saturday, which led to my redefinition of a meal on Sunday because hey, at least Ritz peanut butter sandwiches and ice cream are calories!

Change

Here’s where I mess up the format. I wouldn’t change anything (except maybe the fact I got 2 hours of sleep on Saturday). Every experience, both good and bad, shapes me as a person and a mother. I learn from some of it (leaving town on the 4th!) and revel in the rest (treasuring the memory of Peeper “getting the baby wet” in the river).

How about you? How was your holiday weekend?

Father’s Day: 10 reasons why my husband is an amazing dad

June 18, 2015catherinemryan

About a month ago, I ~~tooted my own horn~~ spoke the truth about how I am a really, really good mother. Well, the same goes for Eric, my forever person and father to our wonderful Peeper and Kiwi.

I know him well enough to be fairly certain that he’ll feel all embarrassed by this post (just as he was extremely awkward when I shared with the world that he’d been awarded the educator of the week—something especially noteworthy, I think, because he teaches special ed and this is his first year as full-time teacher. Heck yeah, I’m proud!). But he can just deal, because I’m going to sing his praises anyway!

Ten ways Eric is a wonderful father barely scratches the surface, but these reasons give a glimpse into how lucky our family is to have him. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in the crazy and rewarding whirlwind of parenthood.

Happy Father’s Day, my love. Read more →

10 Ways I’m an Awesome Mom

May 8, 2015February 28, 2018catherinemryan

Take a sample of parenting blogs out there and you’ll read a lot of bloopers. But I’m going to own it: I’m an awesome mom.

We mothers, especially, are quick to point out our failings and our foibles. Perhaps it’s easier (or more cathartic) to confess the time you melted a Tupperware lid in the dishwasher, causing poisonous fumes to fill the apartment, than it is to reflect on the millions of other times you scrubbed plates clean without incident. After all, washing the dishes without a hitch—or, for that matter, the millions of unremarkable moments of motherhood—aren’t particularly newsy.

But in anticipation of Mother’s Day (coming up this Sunday for anyone who’s forgotten!), I’m stepping out of the self-deprecating, self-questioning rut I sometimes fall into.

I’m celebrating what a wonderful mother I am. Read more →

Cookie Painting: No-frosting sugar cookies

April 17, 2015February 28, 2018catherinemryan

A few times a year when I was growing up, my mom would break out the cookie cutters and we’d decorate sugar cookies. But we never had icing bags or tubs of frosting—no, no, no. Instead, we were the only family I knew that specialized in no-frosting sugar cookies. How did we do it? (And how did the kids not complain about the lack of the crazy-sugary icing?) Two words: Painting cookies.

Yessssss.

Painting cookies always seemed like a big event. We’d sort through the mountain of semi-misshapen airplanes, giraffes, gingerbread men and stars, picking out the ones for my mom to use. (There was never any question whether we’d select the Mystery Cookie Cutter, which looked kind of like California and kind of like a stretched-out stocking, of course.) She would lay out the raw dough on cookie sheets, and we kids would go at ’em.

Fluorescent sprinkles, those silver balls that I’m pretty sure were supposed to be inedible, and red hots—which everyone liked to use but no one except my older sister liked to actually eat—were all fair game. And under it all was painting cookies, a Ryan family technique that involves just egg wash and food coloring for no-frosting sugar cookies. They were delicious and fun to make.

We’d sweep up silver balls and wipe up sprinkles for weeks to come, but the mess was always worth the fun. (Isn’t it always?) Read more →

Happy Easter!

April 8, 2015catherinemryan

We’re not churchgoing folks in our family, but we spent Easter celebrating in our own way.

Most weekends, Eric and I have to tag team care of Peeper: One of us will take her on an outing while the other gets work done at home. On Sunday, though, we both walked to the nearby park and Peeper played to her heart’s content. Later, I gifted them both their Easter baskets, and the Easter Bunny was practical this year: He filled them with things like socks and a belt—oh, and cheddar bunny-filled plastic eggs for the little one, which was a big hit.

The best part of the holiday was that family and friends visited. Peeper planted some lilies outside with Grandpa Shempy, and Peeper read countless books with her aunt and uncle who visited from Seattle. I guess the holiday made a big impression on our toddler. She was wound up from all the company and festivities so took a long time to settle down for bed. After I set her in the crib, we overheard her saying something through the monitor.

I turned up the receiver’s volume and we listened intently.

“Happppppy Easter! Happppppy Easter!” she was repeating to herself.

However you celebrated—if you celebrated—I hope you and yours had a wonderful Easter!

Toddler Valentine’s Day cards: Sending love from little hands

February 13, 2015catherinemryan

Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap—It’s a Hallmark holiday, it makes singles feel like crap, etc.—but at its most pure, the day is all about telling those you adore how they light up your life. What’s not to love about that?

But as many of us know (you haters included, I’d bet), it can feel downright awful when your mailbox is empty of heart-shaped doilies and amorous puns.

At a recent playdate Peeper and I attended, we did our best to alleviate some of the pink blues for a few folks.

We helped the toddlers craft handmade Valentine’s Day cards that our friend delivered to seniors in a memory care facility. Peeper’s friends really got into the craft, too!

We did a similar play date to make Christmas cards for Meals on Wheels, and we had so much fun that it’ll have to turn into a regular holiday get-together!

We simply cut heart shapes out of painter’s tape, stuck them to cards let the kiddos at ’em. One piece of advice: Wait until the paint is fully dry before peeling off the tape; otherwise, the tape doesn’t come up clean.

Our friend later told us that the seniors loved the cards: They showed them to each other at dinner, smiling. Some of the memory care patients might not remember what year it is, but pretty much everyone likes feeling remembered.

Has there ever been a time when a valentine—or any other thoughtful gesture—surprised you and made you feel special?

Toddler good deeds: Handmade cards for Meals on Wheels

January 22, 2015catherinemryan

Volunteering has always been a part of my adult life. I have played with orphaned cats, peddled veggies at farmer’s markets, taught kids to read, helped build a house, assisted at a veterinary office for homeless people’s pets and planted a garden.

I haven’t pitched in as much lately, but the holiday season made me want to make volunteering a regular part of Peeper’s life, too.

When I looked up volunteering opportunities on The United Way, I found only one event that was appropriate for toddlers, but unfortunately it was right during Peeper’s nap time. And no one wants an overtired toddler at a volunteer party, no matter how lofty your intentions.

We ended up recreating the do-gooder moment at a recent play date. All the kiddos made holiday cards to deliver to homebound seniors through Meals on Wheels. (We used this tutorial to make reindeer handprint cards.) I was thrilled with the activity because it’s something you can do on your own timetable, kids can participate at whatever level they want, and—most importantly—it makes the world a better place, if only by a little bit.

Zoo lights with a toddler

December 16, 2014catherinemryan

Last weekend we hit up the Zoo Lights at Portland’s Oregon Zoo, an attraction that attracts thousands of families every year. It was our first time going, and I’d looked forward to it since we became zoo members in the summer.

Going with a toddler presented its own challenges, though. Peeper hasn’t cultivated the Christmas spirit and wonder yet, and she’s more interested in pushing her stroller than gazing at million-watt displays.

Despite the tears and the frustrations, I’m glad we went, and we’ll for sure go again next year—when Peeper will probably appreciate it more. If you’re still planning a trip to Zoo Lights with your toddler (and the event runs until January 4, so you have plenty of time), here are a few tidbits of advice to make the process a little smoother. Enjoy!

Go early. The zoo’s web site says the festivities don’t start til 5, but most lights are turned on closer to 4. It’ll take you a while to get through the lines anyway, and you’ll want to make it home before your tot has a too-close-to-bedtime meltdown in front of the penguin lights.

Do the train first. If you do get train tickets, get in line immediately. The queue soon becomes never-ending, and I wish you all the luck in the world if you try to get a squirmy toddler to be patient in those conditions.

Beware the train. Peeper is extremely sensitive to noise—the blender, the vacuum, even an electric razor. We didn’t scoot past the train quickly enough and when it blasted its choo-choo (no doubt delighting 99% of the other children), Peeper lost it. So if your little isn’t a fan of loud sounds, either, dart past the train as fast as you possibly can.

Reconsider your group plans. We had originally invited a few other families to join us at Zoo Lights, but in retrospect I’m glad they couldn’t make it. Peeper wandered in little circles in the middle of the pathway, and it would have been stressful to shepherd her to what everyone else wanted to see.

Find the Fragile Forest. There’s only so many lights a toddler’s attention span can handle. When you’ve passed that threshold, go to the Fragile Forest. When we went, we saw monkeys, giant fish, turtles and even a huge snake.

Bundle up. This is a tad obvious, but dress your toddler in lots of layers. Peeper wore fleece leggings beneath her pants and legwarmers; she wore a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater and a coat; and a hat and mittens. She stayed pretty toasty under all that and didn’t even look like Randy from A Christmas Story. Well, not too much, anyway.

Abandon all your expectations. My Facebook and Instagram feeds have been sparkly with friends’ family photos at Zoo Lights. I had my sights set on a Ryan Gregory family picture in the lights tunnel (wouldn’t that make a great Christmas card photo?). Yet when we got there, Peeper was in no mood to tolerate standing still, let alone smiling at a stranger. After a few attempts by a well-meaning gentleman, I gave up. We moved on, and despite not getting any decent photos of all of us together, we were all happier for it.

Of course this last piece of advice could be my parenting advice tattoo (or a bumper sticker that makes me millions!), it holds up especially well with toddlers at Zoo Lights. You don’t really know what they’ll be into and what they’ll completely ignore, so just roll with it.

Did you go to Zoo Lights? Any advice you’d share?