All posts in category Holidays

Stuck in the Middle

If you are a middle child, please stand up. Be careful when you do, though, because your older sister or younger brother is likely waiting to take your seat. They will claim you got up and everyone knows there is no seat saving. Mom will give the seat to the baby of the family to keep peace and the oldest will take the next best one. You might as well sit on the floor. Such is life for the middle child.

This should cheer you up, child in the middle. You have a national holiday, Middle Child Day! It’s unofficial, but you have to take what you get, like your sister’s jeans with the hole in the pocket and green paint on the leg. Or your brother’s jacket with his name embroidered on it. I digress, which is something we middle children tend to do.

The special day was August 12. Sadly, it came and went without any fanfare, but because I am a middle child (number three of four and the middle of three girls), I cannot ignore this day. (I can’t ignore it, but I can manage to be late to blog about it.)

My middle-child experiences include my dad referring to me as his Number Two Daughter, which is appropriate because, like Avis, I try harder. The good thing about being Daughter #2 is I’m better than Daughter #3. (Yes, I realize that his ranking is by birth order. At least that’s what I tell myself as I pour him a drink and rub his feet while repeating how much I love him.)

I’m also a mother of four children; therefore, I have two middle children. My daughter’s status is not as distinctive because she is the only girl. My son, Joe, is like me – number three in line and the middle son. I have determined not to call him my #2 Son, but that’s all the headway I’ve made in keeping him from having Middle Child Syndrome (MCS).

I thought I was being creative (that’s the middle child in me) when I wrote MCS. Wanting to be thorough, I googled it. It’s real! Isn’t that something a middle child would do – make up something that she thought was funny only to find out that somebody else already made it up, probably someone’s older sister?

I’ve looked at middle-child life from both sides now (to quote Joni Mitchell). From being in the middle to observing it. My conclusion – it’s not bad. In fact, it’s quite comfortable.

As a kid I admired my older sister. I wanted to be like her, so getting her hand-me-downs was great. When I wanted to play with dolls and my peers made me feel like I was too old for that, I could play with my little sister. As long as she promised not to tell anyone, I could stay in a child’s world longer and also make Mom happy. I was never lonely.

There are down sides. Middle children have probably shared a room most of their life. Then there’s the baby book – mine is practically empty. But since I’ve been on both sides I declare, “I forgive you, Mom! To make you feel better I have left large portions of my third and fourth children’s baby books empty, too.” (See, I’m still trying to please!)

9 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on August 20, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Current Events, Family, Holidays

Tagged baby books, Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell, middle child day, middle child syndrome

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on August 20, 2013

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2013/08/20/stuck-in-the-middle/

Hanging with My Peeps

Before Easter my daughter was wandering around Pinterest and came up with a picture of an Easter version of deviled eggs. I’m not very creative in the cooking department, but I can devil an egg, so I thought to myself – Challenge Accepted!

The eyes are capers and the beaks are carrot. I think they’re pretty cute, but they were not eaten as readily as usual. I guess it was awkward to bite the head off of a chicken as part of the Easter celebration. Although, nobody has a problem biting the ears off of a chocolate bunny. As long as the real meaning of Easter – Christ is Risen from the Dead – is not lost, it’s all okay with me.

My Peeps

16 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on April 7, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Family, Holidays

Tagged deviled eggs that look like chicks

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on April 7, 2013

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2013/04/07/hanging-with-my-peeps/

Valentine’s Day – It’s Not for the Faint of Heart

Did I tell you about Bob and me getting cussed out by popular British singer/songwriter Adele? It was the culmination of a typical Valentine’s Day. First we went out to dinner where we were forced to eat inside a loud, crowded restaurant due to our plans for alfresco dining being washed out by heavy rain. After eating we headed to the parking lot only to witness somebody back into our car and drive off totally oblivious. (There was no damage, so we just chalked it up to Reason #14 of Why We Don’t Like Going Out on Valentine’s Day.)

Earlier we considered going to see the movie Identity Thief, but on discovering that it has about 50 f-words in it, we decided against it. So, Bob surprised me with Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall, thinking we could enjoy a DVD concert at home. Now, there is a bit of a language barrier between citizens of the U.S. and those of Great Britain, so it took me a few minutes to realize that Adele cusses like a sailor. We likely would have been less verbally assaulted by going to see Identity Thief. (This is an example of Reason #48 of Why Valentine’s Day Never Turns Out Like You Plan.)

So, here is a summary of our Valentine’s Day:

We ate dinner in a crowded restaurant at a folding table.
We couldn’t hear each other talk.
Somebody backed into our car.
We were cussed out by Adele.

Not the worst Valentine’s Day we ever had! Next year I think we’ll stay home, order pizza and watch a movie. Maybe by then Identity Thief will be on TBS.

4 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on March 21, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Holidays, marriage

Tagged Adele, Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall, Identity Thief, Valentine's Day

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on March 21, 2013

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2013/03/21/valentines-day-its-not-for-the-faint-of-heart/

Let Your Imagination Go Wild on Valentine’s Day

Ella’s Valentine Note to GW

I remember when my kids were young what a pain in the neck Valentine’s Day was – all those cards, all that candy! It was worse than Halloween or Easter because you added to it the notion of romantic love, which really should not be pushed on any seven-year old. I always preferred to introduce that concept to my kids when they were well into their twenties.

And, speaking of seven-year-olds, our granddaughter Ella has been preparing her Valentine cards. She is a very loving little girl and made sure not to forget anyone. She went down her list – parents, sisters, her brother Jett, Jett’s imaginary friend. Yes, she included them all.

Jett is four. He is badly outnumbered in his house by his three sisters. Thankfully, he has a very special, though imaginary, friend who is a boy. Jett’s friend is a bit different from most of the imaginary friends that I have heard about. Jett’s friend is a blankee; actually he’s more of a persona. His name is Green Wee. We don’t know why.

Green Wee, or GW for short, is so life-like to Jett that he talks about him as if he were real. He told me one day that Green Wee had his cousin visiting him. Jett was happy for him to have company and wasn’t threatened at all by another imaginary friend in the life of GW.
Sometimes GW disappears. (I guess we all need some alone time.) When that happens the entire household is enlisted on a search and rescue. Usually he hasn’t gone too far (after all, he is a blanket). GW closes himself in the bathroom cabinet when he has to “go.” I suppose his waste is akin to lint – he never puddles on the floor.

Bedtime, of course, is when GW is most needed, and he is the only one that can make Jett feel better if he gets a boo-boo. He is one compassionate blankee so I think it is entirely appropriate that Ella sent him a Valentine. It is extra special when you notice that she took the time to make sure that Green Wee knows that Jett loves him.

When I look at Green Wee, I see a well-used blanket or lint in the dryer. In Jett’s imagination he sees a friend. This challenges me to make sure that I’m not treating my loved ones like dryer lint. And I especially don’t want to be a wet blanket to them.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

12 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on February 13, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Family, Holidays

Tagged imaginary friends, Valentine's Day

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on February 13, 2013

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2013/02/13/let-your-imagination-go-wild-on-valentines-day/

The Not Too Funny but All Too True Story of How I Spent Christmas Vacation

What do Betty Crocker, Costco and my family have in common? I wouldn’t have made it through the holidays without them.

My last post was on December 11. I usually post on Tuesdays, but decided to push my Tuesday the 18th post to the 20^th to time it closer to Christmas. (This was influenced greatly by the fact that I had not written that post.) I also figured that, if you are like me, you wouldn’t be reading as many blogs over the week of Christmas, so I planned on skipping that week altogether.

Plans are made to be changed, tweaked and invaded. On the morning of the 19^th of December my plans were invaded in the form of four of my grandchildren coming to stay with us while my daughter, their mommy, was rushed to the hospital with a major gall bladder attack. If that wasn’t bad enough, she also had pancreatitis, which had to be resolved before the gall bladder could be removed.

So needless to say, life got serious. Very serious. Dena was in bad shape. Her husband stayed by her side, as my husband and I, along with our sons and daughters-in-law prayed and watched the kids. The kids, who are 9, 7, 4 and 8 months old, were wonderful, especially in light of being slightly traumatized as I picked them up and brought them to our house while they watched their mommy be rushed to the hospital.

It was a very different Christmas season. Thankfully, Dena was released from the hospital on Christmas Day and she came right to our house to nestle in our Lazy Boy and celebrate Christmas with us all. We are grateful to God. We are also amazed at the wonderful family that we have been blessed with. Our son, Scott, took off of work that first afternoon to stay with the kids so I could go to the hospital and then watched the little two the next night so Bob and I could surprise Mia and Ella (the oldest two) with a night at the theater watching The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which we had arranged weeks beforehand. My son Joe and his wife Aubyron arrived on Friday afternoon for Christmas only to jump in with all four feet with the kids, chasing them around the yard, taking them to a movie along with Uncle Scott and helping in every way possible. My son Jesse and his wife Dacia took Bob’s dad to the hospital to see Dena as he was so worried about her, and then carted the three oldest kids to their house for an afternoon giving us a much-needed break. And that doesn’t even count the friends who prayed.

I am amazed at God’s provision. Here it was the busiest time of year and because of that very fact, my family was around. Bob had even previously scheduled vacation days the week of Christmas.

In light of all of this, our Christmas Eve dinner was a bit different. We decided to let Dena off the hook regarding preparing any dishes. After all, she was in the hospital and on a liquid diet. It just wouldn’t have been right to put that kind of pressure on her.

Between my mom, my daughters-in-law and me, not to mention a strong showing by Costco and Betty Crocker, we had it covered. Dinner consisted of a Costco spiral-cut ham, frozen yeast rolls, Betty Crocker Au Gratin potatoes (yes, right from the box), and green beans and pan roasted red onions (the one and only home-made dish). Dessert was apple pie, fresh from Costco’s bakery. We ate it all on fancy paper plates. It was delicious.

After dinner we sat around a fire and sang Christmas carols, drove around looking at lights and then returned home to put the kids to bed. We used our iPhones to face-time with Dena and her husband Derek so they could see their kids in their new Christmas pajamas. I cried. Dena cried. But we all knew she would be home soon.

As I mentioned, our prayers were answered when Dena came home on Christmas. She was still pretty weak, so she recovered at our house for the next four days. Most of that time was without her kids as they were home with their daddy allowing Dena more effective and undisturbed rest.

So this is a portion of what I’ve been up to lately. There has been no time for writing, at least no time that I have opted to use for writing. Sleeping and being with the family took priority. I hope to be back on a regular Tuesday schedule, but I can see that my life is not my own and that’s good. I make the plans; God has his way. It is very good.

Now I’m working on getting my funny bone back in shape. Maybe Costco has something that would help with that. I know my family always comes through, especially the grandkids. All I need is a little energy to write things down, and I’ll be back in the swing of things in no time. Meanwhile, I think I’ll pull out my Betty Crocker Cookbook and look for a chicken soup recipe. That’s always good for the soul.

8 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on January 11, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Faith, Family, Holidays

Tagged Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes, Costco, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on January 11, 2013

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2013/01/11/the-not-too-funny-but-all-too-true-story-of-how-i-spent-christmas-vacation/

He’s Making a List (on an Excel Spreadsheet) and Checking It Twice

It’s Christmastime again and there is no better season to be married to an engineer. He comes in so handy. This will be Bob’s and my 38^th Christmas together as husband and wife, so I know what I’m talking about.

Each year, Bob and I sit down together to form our gift giving list. In the early days of our marriage we would do this on paper. In those pre-computer days Bob wrote down everything on graph paper. This drove me crazy and may be the root of some of my problems with confined spaces. I don’t like writing in tiny boxes, and I’m a little claustrophobic. But my main problem was how do you use cursive handwriting on graph paper? The answer is – you don’t. Engineers don’t use cursive handwriting. They print everything, which is good because when they do have to write something in cursive, for example their signature, you can’t read it. Give them a piece of graph paper though and order and legibility return.

In order to keep me from having a bad attitude and possibly being placed on the Naughty List, we developed a system where I wrote everything down on regular paper. At Bob’s suggestion, we used columns – person, gift, cost, etc. I would check things off as we bought a gift and line through items after wrapping them.

This brings me to the present day. Bob now creates the bones of our gift giving list. He no longer uses graph paper. He is much more current than that. He uses an Excel Spreadsheet. The first time he attempted this new-fangled way of keeping track of things, I balked at it. I pulled out my yellow pad and begged him to let me use these things called paper and pen that had been my faithful friends since I was six years old. He relented, sort of. He kept his spread sheet and I kept my pad of paper. I was stubborn, as I am with most things that relate to learning/using the computer.

But, I discovered, this was not building unity in our marriage. It was not healthy for me to continue to resist his advances (technological or otherwise). He waited patiently until I finally caved. Now we happily use the spread sheet exclusively. I look at it as a way to spread (sheet) peace on earth and bless Bob. And, please don’t tell Bob this, it is very efficient. In case you are thinking about trying to find our list, it is disguised in his computer files under a phony name. You’ll never find it. Trust me, I can’t even find it. I know it’s there, because the computer has better memory function than I do. Again, it’s a good thing I have Bob around.

There are other ways that having an engineer around comes in handy. He easily calculates how many strings of Christmas lights we need for the outside of the house and hangs them most efficiently. This year when he put out our lighted Christmas moose with the head that goes back and forth, we were sad to discover that there were lights burned out around his mouth. All it took for them to work again was Bob taking one step toward the moose. Things fix themselves in his presence. He’s that intimidating!

My fiber optic winter scene had a tiny ice-skating figure broken off at the base. Bob went into his lab/office and concocted a bonding agent (glue) to put him back on his feet. My kids always marveled at how they would put broken toys on Bob’s desk and they would miraculously appear back in their rooms as good as new.

As a matter of fact, my granddaughters are now picking up on this. I suppose their mom has taught them well. We finished our last day of Grandmom School for the semester and for a treat I told the girls we were going to plan a surprise for Bumpa (Bob). Being the simple, non-flashy guy that he is, he had mentioned to me that he really likes the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. The girls and I headed to CVS and bought him one and surprised him with it at his office. They wanted a tour so he took them down in the lab and showed them around. On seeing firsthand what he does, Mia exclaimed how this was the perfect job for him, seeing how he loves to make and fix things. It was so sweet.

The one thing I have on him when it comes to lists at Christmas is that I used to be a secretary and I know shorthand. So I write myself notes and ideas about what to get Bob for Christmas in that form and he can’t read it. And, even though I have a smart phone, I still pull out my trusty paper and pen to make my list for him. I’ve looked it over recently, but with two weeks to go before Christmas, I guess it’s time for me to check that one twice, too.

Musical Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

6 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on December 11, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Family, Holidays, marriage

Tagged Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, Excel Spreadsheet, making a Christmas list, married to an engineer

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on December 11, 2012

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2012/12/11/hes-making-a-list-on-an-excel-spreadsheet-and-checking-it-twice/

CVS, Where You Can Get a Prescription, Pick Up Some Milk, Be Stalked by Zombies

CVS just might stand for Customers are Very Scary. I offer you proof with this frightening but true story that happened at my local CVS. (Note: I have changed the name of the girl in this story, at least I think I changed it. This was not to protect her privacy, but because I couldn’t remember her name by the time I got home.)

Once upon a time there was a little girl of seven. She was a happy, friendly child who roamed the aisles of the store alone without a care. Or so it seemed.

She approached me and asked me my name. “Bonnie,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“Melissa.”

“Hi, Melissa. How are you?”

“I’m fine except a scary thing is following me around the store,” she replied.

I saw a boy walking towards us. He resembled her so strongly that he had to be her brother. “Do you mean him? He does look a little scary.”

“No, he’s my brother. He’s eight,” she replied and pointed to a zombie Halloween decoration, which was in fact scarier looking than her brother. “That. That’s following me.”

I quickly learned a lot about seven-year-old Melissa. She loves Halloween and is going to be a fairy when she goes trick or treating. Her brother joined us. She tried to convince him that a spooky creature was following her, but he was uninterested. Soon they were totally absorbed in the many choices of candy on display.

I then became a ghost to Melissa, who diverted her attention fully to the candy. At this point I seized the moment and sneaked one of the zombies from where it was perched on a shelf, placed it behind Melissa and her brother and ran down the aisle to hide. She turned around and jumped and said to her brother, “See, it’s following me.”

They headed farther down the aisle and I was able to use my powers of stealth and move Mr. Zombie right down to the spot where they were about to round a corner. She gave a little scream and again insisted to her brother that she was being followed. At that point I walked up and she recounted the entire story to me.

I got into the story with her and asked lots of questions. She was obviously having a great time. I was able to add zombies to her path about four times before I had to make my purchase and return to the land of the living. At the check-out I came across the kids again, this time with their mother. Melissa was going on and on to the cashier about how zombies had been following her around the store. Then she looked at me and said, “You wouldn’t have moved them around, would you?”

“Now why would I do that?” I replied with a wink.

Hands down, this was the best time I ever had in CVS. The Very Scary part does concern me, though. I was a harmless stranger who really enjoys playing with kids on their level. I’m glad I’m the one she befriended as it scares me to death to think about this little girl and her brother unsupervised for so long in the store. I hope this serves as a gentle reminder to people to keep an eye on their kids and grandkids.

It also reminds me of the story of my daughter trying to impress on her kids not to be taken in by a stranger. You want your kids to be friendly, but they need to keep their distance. Every time she asked her three-year old if he would go with a stranger who offered him candy, his answer was the same. “Yes! I like candy.” It’s a hard lesson. Even at my age if you offer me peanut M&Ms, I still will be tempted to go with you. I probably won’t, but I’ll be tempted.

2 Comments

by Bonnie Anderson on October 31, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Holidays

Tagged CVS, Halloween, M&Ms, zombie mannequins

Posted by Bonnie Anderson on October 31, 2012

https://lifeonthelighterside.com/2012/10/31/cvs-where-you-can-get-a-prescription-pick-up-some-milk-be-stalked-by-zombies/

Ten Scary Things

Since Halloween is quickly approaching, I have a list of some of the scary things in my life that I’d like to share with you.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

I tried to set up to record “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” only to discover that it doesn’t come on until Halloween night at 8:30. That means no pre-Halloween encouragement to sit in the pumpkin patch all night awaiting the Great Pumpkin! I’m a little disappointed, it’s like somebody just gave me a rock.
Add to the above the fact that the stores already look more like Christmas than Halloween or fall. That means that by November 1, the only thing left from Halloween is sugared up kids and cavities. Who wants to watch the Great Pumpkin when it’s time to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?”
I saw a man walking down my street the other day carrying something by his side that was long and ominous looking. Yes, it appeared to be a shotgun. I didn’t recognize the guy so I felt slightly threatened until I got a closer look and realized he was carrying an umbrella. I guess the only threat that day was one of rain.
Recently I was horrified when I realized the glow coming from the trashcan in the bathroom was from a candle that I had thrown away because I thought it was burnt out. This is another reason I’m thankful that I switched to battery operated candles.
My granddaughter, Mia, commented that she thought it strange that Bumpa (Bob) has gray hair and I don’t. I had to confess that if I don’t go see my friend Diana every six to eight weeks, that mystery will be solved.
I remembered something the other day and I was so proud of myself. The scary thing is that now I don’t remember what it was that I remembered, but I know I was very excited about it.
Bob and I went to the movies the other night. I asked the guy at the ticket booth how old you have to be to be a senior there. He said 60. Then I made him guess if we were old enough for the senior discount. I think this will be my new movie theater game. It’s fun to make them squirm. Let’s see – discount ticket vs. being thought older than I am. It’s a bit of a toss-up. Once after we got into the theater I noticed on our credit card slip that we had received the senior discount. I was so offended that I tried to get Bob to go give them some more money.
And on this same subject, I am learning to type on my i-Phone without my glasses on. I am far-sighted so in the theater I don’t need them. For some reason I seem to get blogging ideas when the previews are running and don’t want to fumble around trying to find my glasses so I just make a stab at it. The interesting part is later on when I try to read what I wrote. For example, according to my i-Phone notes, #7 above was about trying to make the guy at the ticket booth guess if I’m an armoire.
After listening to a British gentleman repeatedly use the word “organization,” the other day, I decided that from now on I will pronounce that word the British way. Since then I have come to the realization that I never find an occasion to use that word. Now I need to go out and join an organ-I-zation so I have opportunity to use my new pronunciation. This is a little scary for me as I don’t have an abundance of extra time right now. Maybe I’ll form my own organ-I-zation and meet in my car when I’m out running errands.
I have two bird baths – one for birds and one for bees. (Too bad they weren’t around when we were explaining the facts of life to our kids.) No matter what I do to the second one, the bees keep coming back. This was not my intent for that birdbath. Today I watched three bees perched on the edge of their birdbath drinking. It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen. I would have taken a picture except on impulse I got brave and pushed the whole thing over, bees and all. They didn’t care for that and let me know by swarming so I ran in the house. Now that’s scary.