Moran Family Fun

November 28 - I saw an idea on Pinterest (where else do ideas come from anymore?) for helping children remember to use good manners at the table.  The basic idea is that you take a little pig figurine and place it on the dining room table and then during the meal if someone does something bad (burps, reaches across the table, talks with their mouth full) they get the pig.  At the end of the meal whoever has the pig has to help clear the table.  I don't know what we'll do if no one gets the pig; that means everyone used perfect manners and that has yet to happen at our house. Our kids aren't terrible at the table, but there were some bad habits that I wanted to change without being a mean, nagging mom so I thought we'd give the pig idea a try.  I mean we had all the stuff you need - a little wooden pig toy, food, a dining room table, and kids who needed to remember their manners.  The first night I introduced our little piggy, Porkley, the kids were alright wit...

November 27 - Our family loves to play games and we recently started playing a new one that even our youngest kids can play.  It’s different from the types of games we usually play because it’s not a card game or a board game.  Instead we’ve been playing a game that we made up ourselves that we can play in the car as we drive all over Germany - to and from soccer, play practice, church, school, and everywhere else in between.  It’s called the Opel Game and it all started, as so many things in our family do, with Natalie. Jared drives a sweet 1994 Opel hatchback that we affectionately call the dragon because of the amazing seat covers which are embroidered with red dragons.  Natalie loves that car more than I thought it was possible for a five-year-old girl to love a car.  Part of what she loves about it is the Opel logo which is a lightning bolt inside a circle. Before she knew that our car was an Opel she called it the lightning bolt car.  Any...

November 26 - We made it to an actual Christmas Market for our Family Home Evening this week and guess who forgot to bring a camera?  So, the only picture I have today wasn't taken by me but was copied from the base newspaper's article advertising the upcoming market. We wanted to start out the year in Kaiserslautern because we like their Kindergluhwein best and because it's an easy market close to home.  We can park at the church (free parking!) and take a short walk to the pedestrian area of town where the Christmas Market is held. We spent most of our time at the market last night looking for waffles.  We found crepes right away and some of the girls were fine with crepes, but about half wanted a waffle.  Right next to the crepes stand was a kiddie ride that the kids wanted to go on, but I said no because it was creepy.  There were cars going around on an oval shaped track and in the middle of the track were a bunch of robotic Christmas figures.  Th...

November 25 - I know I shouldn't have a favorite, but I totally do.   A few times a year there are bazaars on base where vendors from all over Europe come and sell all kinds of treasures.  If you're looking for a European gift, an antique, or just some cute shoes you can find it at the bazaar.  After four years here, and three years in Bitburg, we've been to more than a few bazaars and I have to say that overall the things for sale at each one are really similar.  At a bazaar this spring I found something I'd never seen before that I had to have and am finally getting to enjoy - a set of four hand painted Russian Christmas ornaments.  There's a snowman, a Christmas tree, a little church, and this babushka, which is my favorite of the set.  She makes me happy hanging there on our tree; I smile every time I see her.

November 24 - It's officially Christmas Market season and we were excited to go to our first Market today.  However, for the second year in a row someone was sick and our plans had to change.  Last year Madison and Abigail had pneumonia and this year Natalie had a stomach bug.  So we stayed home and once again made our own Christmas Market.  It's not quite the same experience, but it's still fun and we didn't even have to drive anywhere. Emily helped out and made food booths by stacking up boxes and covering them with blankets.  Then she recruited her sisters to man them and "sell" all of the food.  I was assigned to work in the Kinderbackerei and help the kids make sugar cookies.  Once we were all set up - Christmas music blasting and all the candles lit - we were ready to open the market. Emily also made signs pointing the way to our market and labeling each of the food stands she'd built.  We wouldn't want anyone to get lost between the ...

November 23 - Each year on the day after Thanksgiving we pull out the boxes of Christmas decorations and make our house ready for the holiday season.  It's a tradition we all look forward to and enjoy.  And each year there a lengthy discussion (really just a discussion, not fighting) about who should put the star on top of the Christmas tree.  This year Jared said that whoever was chosen to put the star on the tree would also get to write on the blog about our day.  The girls voted and Abigail was the lucky one this year, so I'm going to turn the rest of this post over to her: One of our traditions for Christmas is going to Christmas Markets. I just love the Kindergluhwein and the trees and just everything about them. Another tradition is finding the pickle. The pickle is a Christmas ornament that we hang up and try to find on Christmas morning.  Whoever finds it first gets to start with the opening of the presents. Now here are some pictures of us decorating...

November 22 - We invited some friends over the share the big Thanksgiving meal with us this year.  When the day began I thought my daily picture would be of the table all set and looking lovely, or of the perfectly roasted bird, or even of the pile of dishes left when the feast was done.  Instead I took a picture of something not really related to the typical Thanksgiving things. While I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner I glanced out the window and saw Abigail, Samantha, and their friend Cole lying on the sidewalk looking up at the night sky.  They were looking for pictures in the stars.  I quickly grabbed the camera and went outside to snap a picture.  Besides all the obvious things we are always thankful for on Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for the wonderful way children look at the world and for the reminder it gives me to slow down and enjoy the beauty all around me.

November 21 - I love being warm and cozy and I love having a day with nothing to do but be at home.  Even if I'm busy at home working on one thing or another, I much prefer staying home to going out.  After a couple of really busy days I finally had a day that was relatively calm - just a few things to do around the house and one errand to run. As soon as I knew that I was home for the day and it wasn't likely that anyone I wasn't related to would be stopping by, I changed into my new favorite pajamas. On one of his recent trips back to the States Jared picked up some amazing sock monkey footed pajamas for me.  They're warm, they're soft, they're fun, they have POCKETS.  Yeah, they're pretty much the best pajamas of all time.  The one thing they aren't is especially flattering; definitely not when I pair them with Jared's flannel and fur plaid trapper hat.  Cute or not, I love my warm comfortable pajamas and the slow days that allow me to wear t...

November 20 - Natalie is crazy.  That's all I have to say really, except that she loved this outfit and just had  to wear it to school today.  I didn't feel like fighting so off to school she went.  In a purple sparkly top.  And purple tights.  With purple gloves.  The End.

November 19 - I spent the majority of today at the local Fisher Houses (we have two, one on each side of the street) helping to prepare an early Thanksgiving meal for the families that are staying there while their loved ones receive care at the hospital.  Emily's National Junior Honor Society Group wanted to do something at the Fisher House for the holidays but their faculty adviser was out of town and they needed a parent to supervise and coordinate things.  So Emily kindly said, "My mom can do that."  Thanks Emily! Last week we planned the menu and shopped for the food and this Monday was the big day.  I loaded up the back of the van with a turkey, a ham, and all the other things you have to eat on Thanksgiving and headed to Landstuhl.  Each house has a large kitchen with everything one would ever need to prepare a meal.  It was nice to work in such a big space for a change.  I got the turkey and ham roasting away early in the afternoon, spent so...

November 18 - I remember my mom quoting Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 often when I was a kid, mostly the very end part that states "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."  I first remember her saying this when we lived in Florida - I must have been four or five - and I continued to hear her repeat those words throughout my years growing up.  When I was younger I wondered what my mom was trying so hard not to be afraid of that she needed to be preparing all the time.  Now I can see that Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 is applicable in so many aspects of my life.  When I have to teach a lesson, give a talk, or perform in public I feel nervous, but nearly as nervous as I would if I hadn't been prepared. We move a lot with the military and while a move is never fun, it is so much easier and not nearly as stressful when we're prepared. Lately I've  felt this pressing need to be more prepared in the food storage and emergency preparedness departments.  I ...

November 17 - Today I am thankful for my sweet husband and for fun date ideas which can be found on Pinterest.  My sister Becca pinned a great idea for a Spouse Sleepover the other day and I immediately knew I had to have a sleepover with Jared.  He's really good about taking the lead and planning all of our date nights.  If it wasn't for Jared we'd probably never go out and do anything fun because I'm perfectly happy staying at home every night.  However, I know it would mean a lot to Jared if I stepped up and planned a date every once in a while.  With this idea we both were happy - Jared didn't have to plan the date and I could stay at home in my pajamas. I printed out the a cute invitation for Jared, made a quick trip to the market for sleepover snacks, and set up a comfy bed for us in the family room.  Since we're both kind of old, I knew we wouldn't want to sleep on the floor or on our very uncomfortable sofa bed.  Instead I pulled the mattress...

November 16 - Natalie is a strange little thing.  She's messy but at the same time organized.  I walked into our bathroom to find everything from the bathtub and the counter all lined up along the end of the tub.  Things like this happen often with Natalie, usually when she's supposed to be doing something else. In this case, she should have been brushing her teeth and washing her face before bedtime.  I've left everything there where she lined them up for a whole day because it makes me smile every time I see it - rubber duckies, a foot massager, an empty hand soap container that she filled with water and toothpaste, boggle timers, a toothbrush, and every nail clipper and pair of tweezers in the house along with a few other things. I don't remember our other girls being quite so quirky and fun, but I think they probably were and I was just too busy to notice or didn't take the time to remember.  I'm grateful for this time in Natalie's life and for the ...

November 15 - Emily turned thirteen a few days ago, but she's really a teenager now because now she finally has braces. In March she started going to the orthodontist and we've been working since then to get her teeth ready for braces. She's had an appliance in her mouth since May that's been moving things around and making space for all those teeth in her tiny little mouth.  At her last appointment there was finally enough space to move forward with the plan for braces.  She's been so excited for this day but now that it's happened I think she might be wondering what she was so excited about.  Her mouth not only looks funny, her teeth hurt, and she's still figuring out how to talk around all that metal. I and grateful for Jared's job, for dental insurance, and for doctors who go to school for years to learn how to do things like fix crooked teeth.

November 14 - If you ever need care in the military health care system it's a really good bet that you'll be prescribed Vitamin M, better known as Motrin or ibuprofen.  It's kind of a joke really. Any level of pain is prescribed 800 mg Motrin.  Oh, your arm was gnawed off by an alligator? Have some Motrin. You're recovering from childbirth?  Here's your Motrin.  Whenever I go to the doctor I'm asked if I have any Motrin at home or if I need a refill.  I think the DOD and whoever manufactures that drug must have made a deal.  Usually, I can skip the medicine and just deal with whatever pain comes my way.  This week though, I've been grateful for military medicine and all the Motrin we've been given. Jared and I have some sort of mystery illness.  For the last four days everything just hurts.  Every joint is achy and I hurt deep in my bones.  My arm muscles feel as if I've been benching small cars and my legs as if I did a wall...

November 13 - We had a birthday at our house!  Emily turned 13 on the 13th - that made it a doubly special birthday.  We now have two teenagers in the house.  Even though Emily can be full of attitude and eye rolling, Jared informed her that now that she's an official teenager she's going to need to step things up and bring her A game attitude wise.  I'm glad she knows that he's just kidding and hope that she never becomes any more snarky than she sometimes is already. It was just a regular birthday - no big party with friends or anything.  Just dinner with the family and then presents followed by birthday cake.  Here's some pictures of the newest teenager in the Moran family!  Abigail spent a lot of time trying to decide what to get for Emily.  She kept going back and forth between ideas, but finally settled on an iTunes gift card, so Emily can get the new Taylor Swift album, and some nail polish, because Emily always has her nails done. ...

November 12 - Jared has been feeling very, very sick this week and on Monday during Family Home Evening he was doing all he could to stay awake during the lesson.  Natalie was sitting next to him and at one point I looked over and saw Natalie taking advantage of her poor, sick, sleepy father and doing a little styling on his nonexistent hair.  Really though, even if he wasn't asleep he would have let Natalie fix his hair.  She's so cute we just can't say no. \ As the ultimate Boy Scout, Jared probably never thought he'd be a father to five girls.  He loves sports, video games, and camping and our girls love crafts, books, and barbies.  Many aspects of parenting girls (clothes, hair, drama) are outside of my comfort zone and they are totally foreign to Jared.  I have to say though, he's really grown into his role as a father of girls and is such a great dad.   When people learn we have five girls they often say, "Your poor husband" or somethi...

November 11 - I know that the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest, but sometimes it feels like the most busy day of our week.  This Sunday evening we had a Bishop's Youth Discussion, also known as a BYD, at our house.  This is not at all related, but I liked it a lot better when they were called Firesides.  BYD sounds like some sort of disease like IBS or PCOS.  Anyway, besides wanting to make sure our house was clean enough for company, there were enough chairs for all the youth, and our younger three girls had something to keep them quietly occupied during the BYD, I needed to make some refreshments for after the discussion. Listening to Jared talk must make all the youth really hungry - or maybe they are always hungry? I'm grateful that my mom let me bake when I was younger so that when I had a kitchen of my own I wasn't totally lost.  I probably made huge messes and I'm sure what I attempted didn't always turn out, but she let me experiment in the ki...

November 10 - Since we moved here four years ago I've started sewing much more than I ever did before. It helps that for the first time I have space for my sewing machine and other supplies to be out all the time instead of having to share space on the dining room table.  It's easier to get started on a project when I don't first have to get everything out and then clear it up again so we can eat dinner.   In the past I sewed when I had to and mostly did things like sewing patches onto uniforms for Jared, hemming pants, or making simple curtains to fit the windows in yet another new house.  Now I sew whenever I can because I enjoy it and I love making something that is both beautiful and functional. Unfortunately, life gets busy and I find it hard to make the time to sit down and sew as often as I would like.  I've started using sewing as an incentive to get other things that are less enjoyable (like schoolwork, mopping floors, and laundry) finished and of my to do...

November 9 - At the beginning of the school year Madison auditioned for the fall drama production at her school and was cast as a member of the ensemble.  I think ensemble is one of the best parts to be in any production because there are no lines to memorize and all you have to do is sing and dance.  Jared thinks it's not a "real part" but that's only because he was always the lead  in his high school productions.  It's been a big time commitment for Madison, and I'm not sure how she managed to fit everything in her life over the last two months.  She had practice for three hours every day after school.  We barely see her anymore and there have been times when Madison hasn't seen Natalie or Samantha for days at a time because she would leave for seminary before they woke up and get back from play practice after they were in bed. This past weekend it was finally time for the show to open and we were all excited to go and see Madison perform. ...

November 8 - Chances are that if you live in the States and you're someone we love and care about, you've received a package or two full of German candies or chocolates from us.  I love German candy and think everyone should be able to experience all the many types of Haribo gummies, Ritter Sports, and Kinder Schokolade.  If I'm counting correctly, there are six November birthdays in our family and there is no easier present than a flat-rate Priority Mail box full of sweets.  Here's a little preview of what my brother John (per his request) is getting from us this year: Also hidden in there is one yummy, non-German sweet that will be making it's way to my mom.  Should we have a little contest?  The first person to tell me what I'm sending to my mom will get a box of German candy  from us.  Happy hunting!

November 7 - Every November Germans celebrate Saint Martin's Day.  It's a religious holiday that commemorates Saint Martin, a Roman soldier who later became a monk.  The most well-known story surrounding St. Martin is of how he met a beggar during a snowstorm and cut his cloak in half to share with the beggar which saved the beggar from dying of cold.  Later that night St. Martin dreamed that Jesus was wearing his half cloak and said to the angels, "Here is Martin, who has clothed me."  There's more to the story, so Google it if you're interested, but basically every year on or around November 11 there is a little celebration.  There's signing, a man on horseback, and lots of kids carrying lanterns as they parade through the streets. This year our local celebration started out with a little St. Martin's play to retell the legend.  Natalie was the Bishop - I think that St. Martin later became a bishop, but he didn't want to be a bishop so he...

November 6 - Are low-carb diets still a big thing?  They will never work for me because it LOOOOVE carbs - bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, just plain sugar - I love it all.  So naturally, another thing I love about living in Germany is the delicious bread.  We don't have a bakery in our little town, but we do have a bread lady.  There is a great bakery just one town away and three times a week they load up their van with fresh baked deliciousness and drive to our town and sell it all.   One of our favorite German breads is Brötchen, which is just a catch-all word for rolls.  But Brötchen are more than just average rolls.  They have a crusty, crispy outside and a soft, chewy inside and there are more varieties than I even know about.  Every bakery I go into has different kinds of Brötchen , but our favorite is this one made by our local bakery - Milchweck.  It's basically  two rolls smooshed together before being baked. ...

November 5 - Germany is a beautiful place to live.  I love the hills and valleys all around where we live, especially in the morning because of the way the hilltops are bright and glorious in the sun and the valleys are filled with beautiful white fog.  Spring and fall are my favorite seasons around here.  I love the drive to and from our house; the trees and fields are so amazing they sometimes distract me from driving and I have to remind myself to keep my eyes on the road.  In springtime the trees are covered with blossoms and there are fields and fields of bright yellow flowers.  In autumn when the leaves start to change everything is a mix of bright colors.  It rains a lot in Germany and many people don't love that, but I like the rain and I like how green it is here because of the rain.   In the autumn, we also start to see lots of mushrooms and toadstools growing all around.  Natalie keeps talking about seeing Fliegenpilz on the walks ...

November 4 - Matching mother-daughter outfits used to happen all the time way back when the kids were little and I picked out everyone's clothes each day.  It wasn't done on purpose back then and I can only hope it wasn't as awkward as these examples of extreme matching.  Usually I'd get about halfway though our day before I even realized I'd done it, but I must have been in a certain type of mood or we all wouldn't have been wearing stripes or red or whatever.  Those days are mostly gone now and any coordination is just a happy coincidence. This Sunday Abigail and I must have been on the same wavelength because we were both rocking black and royal blue outfits.

November 3 - Sometimes I think that I am just not cut out to be a mother to five girls.  I know that Heavenly Father knows me and knows what I need and there's a reason for all the girls in our family, but I don't always feel up to the challenge of raising girls. I can't do hair unless you want a ponytail or a headband.  Okay, maybe I can stretch myself and pull off a french braid now and again but my favorite days are when the girls want nothing done to their hair besides having it brushed.  I don't like playing with dolls and barbies and I don't even remember liking those things when I was a little kid.  I rarely wear makeup myself and am not sure how to teach someone else how to use makeup or what colors to wear. I mean really, I don't even know how to put on eyeliner!  Probably most importantly, I have very little patience for girly drama and tears but it seems as if the older our girls get the more drama and tears we have around our house.  My p...

November 2 - I love finding a good deal.  Here is where my mother would probably remind me that if I'm buying something I didn't need anyway I haven't really saved any money - I've just spent money I didn't need to.  Nevertheless, I like to feel as if I "saved" a little bit even if it was on something I didn't really need.  Like this wooden chest I bought at the thrift store, one of my favorite places to look for treasures.  Do you love it as much as I do?  I don't know where it will live in our house, I just know that I like it a lot.   This summer while my parents were visiting I felt as if every time one of my parents would comment on something in the house, or on an outfit one of the girls was wearing, or my shoes, etc.  I would respond with, "Isn't it great?  I got it at the thrift store."  If my parents think everything in our house is from the thrift store they wouldn't be too far off the mark.  A few weeks ago while...

Last November I took a picture each day for the entire month and blogged about it here.  I liked that it made me step back and notice both the big and little things in our life that would otherwise be forgotten.  November is a prefect time to really stop and be thankful; lots of my friends are posting something they're grateful for each day on facebook.  So this November I've been taking a picture or two a day that I'll be sharing on here.  Ready for Day One? November 1 - No, I'm not grateful for ties, I'm grateful for the fun I have with my kids and I'm grateful that they still like to spend time with each other and with me.  Wondering how ties fit in with that?   The girls had a long weekend off of school last week and we were looking for something to do to fill our time.  I needed something fun, easy, and free that we could do on a Thursday night.  As I was turning ideas over in my head, one in particular kept popping back up- scave...

So Halloween is not my favorite holiday.  I like it, but I'm not crazy about Halloween like some people seem to be.  I do love the candy, but I don't like spooky or scary stuff, dressing up, and having to walk around in the cold to get the candy I love so much.  However, I have kids and Halloween is a holiday they all enjoy very much.  So we get dressed up, go out in the cold, and collect as much candy as we can. This year, like all the other years we've lived here, we participated in our ward's trunk or treat.  Halloween is a very American holiday so trick or treating in our neighborhood doesn't work out very well.  We can trick or treat on base, but it's a crazy experience.  Imagine a community of 50,000 people all converging on one neighborhood to trick or treat and you'll get some idea of what it's like on Halloween on base.  The church trunk or treat is a good middle option - just enough people participating to have fun but not so many that...