Small Traditions

Women's World Magazine interviewed me the other day on tips for bringing families closer together and deepening bonds. I started naming ideas from my new book 52 Activities for Family Fun, and some other ideas I've come up with recently, drawn from my new-grandma status. After the interview was over, I realized almost all the ideas I felt had meaning had something to do with tradition. None of the things were big and expensive; on the contrary, they were small, sometimes silly, things.

This hit home again yesterday, when I woke up on my birthday morning anticipating the expected joys of the day: A well-chosen card from my husband (he is the master of card-choosing), Cadbury creme eggs (which I was going to buy for myself, but my daughter Brennyn beat me to the punch by sending me some through the mail), enchiladas for dinner, flowers, and a card mocking my age from my teenage son (along with a very sweet note). These are the things that cause me to look forward to the day, because they are, well, expected. Chevy's Fresh Mex and the scratch-and-sniff-better-with-age-stinky-cheese card, are, by themselves, not the stuff dreams are made of, but they are the fabric of birthdays past, present, and future.

I used to think I failed my children in the tradition area, because we moved around so much when they were small, and their lives were radically changed when I became a single mother and we eventually blended with another family, but it turns out it was a few simple traditions that I kept in tact that seemed to matter. When my husband and I traveled to Idaho to visit my daughter and her husband this Christmas, they made tortilla soup on Christmas Eve and planned cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, the two things I had always made. I was also excited that they also followed the tradition of present-opening on Christmas Eve. It was a surreal feeling, a manifestation of what she carried with her from her childhood.

Things inevitably evolve and change over the years, and that's OK. I went on a ten-mile run in the morning (which I wouldn't have dreamed of doing, ever, when I was younger) so I could afford the indulgences of the day, and also as a kick in the pants to Father Time, and I plan to do something similar every year until I can't do it any more. There's always room for new traditions, but I'll probably always look forward to those silly cards and enchiladas.

Crochet Balls Baby Toy

 

Lily's first birthday required something handmade, of course. She lives in another state, so I wanted to make something that was light and easy to mail. I decided on crochet balls, but couldn't find a good pattern. They were either too small (lots of cute arigumi patterns, but too small for a one-year-old), or weirdly misshapen. After much trial and error, I found the perfect pattern here. The only modification I made was using multi-colored yarn and leaving out the middle stripe (just use the same yarn instead of switching colors where indicated in the instructions).

 

First, crochet the halves of the ball according to the pattern. Do this while you are not distracted, because you have to count stitches carefully. My poor husband got a dirty look when he said something funny and made me lose my place!

 

Sew the halves together with a big darning needle. Stop about an inch and a half from the finish.

 Stuff with polyester stuffing and finish sewing shut. Tie a couple of good knots and weave in the end of the yarn. Happy Birthday Lily!