Two Thought Thursday

Two things consumed my day yesterday, both of which I will touch on today and then it's off for a nap.  Forty three posts yesterday wore me out!  Phew.  I love it and clearly I need more stamina if I am going to keep up with the likes of this readership.

A final update: 

• Good news and bad news.  No, we did not reach our goal of 5,000.  The good news is that we did hit the grand total of 3,682.  It makes us only 1,318 short of our new goal 5,000 by May 1. While failure on the first goal was acceptable, failure on this newly revised goal is not an option.  My good friend sent an encouraging email after reading today's blog and signed it simply... "Reaching for 5000!"  I love it as a slogan, so from now until the glorious day we reach our number, that is how I will sign off.  Thanks for your help in assuring my success.
  
• Cheryl....  Congratulations!  You are the winner with a total of 7 referrals to my site.  So, from where do you want your gift card issued?  Respond ASAP and I'll have it for you tomorrow night.

Thought #1:

Back and forth, back and forth... and finally I decided to stick with my original plan.  The thing I will keep at stake is my pride.  That means avoiding, at all costs, the idea of having to post a picture of me in a bathing suit.  I've got no strategies up my sleeve right now except a loyal group of friends who will not let this happen.

Thought #2:  

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays galore.  April 10 was my mother in-law's; April 13 was my sister's; and yesterday - of course - was Matthew's.  I have so many fond memories of birthdays as a kid, I thought it would be worth spending time talking about all the creative ways to make birthdays magical.  Some of the things I remember are:

• My mother would always hide a small birthday treat in our cereal bowl, starting our morning off just right.
  
• We always set the menu for our birthday dinners.  What's really funny... mine was corn beef and cabbage (!); my mom's was Kentucky Fried Chicken; one of my sisters requested BLT sandwiches; and I don't remember what my dad and other sister requested.
• While our school lunches were usually an apple juice, a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a shortbread cookie, on our birthdays the apple juice was replaced with a can of fruit and the shortbread cookie was replaced with a hostess cake of some sort.  Also hidden in the lunch bag was a new pen, a fun eraser head, or some other fun school supply.
  
• Mrs. Kellerman, the woman who lived across the street, always secretly invited us to her house to bake my mother a birthday cake.  I always considered that especially thoughtful. I want to be able to do the same thing for the children of a neighbor on my street.
• Finally... a sweet memory, though not really a creative idea... When I was a kid the accepted way to dress for birthday parties... dress, lace tights, and patent leather Mary Jane shoes.  For boys it was slacks and ties.

Two fun things happened to Matthew today...  

• First, Ricky his older brother, slipped a birthday note in each of Matthew's shoes.  I considered that a really thoughtful and inexpensive way to say...you're special.
  
• This evening our neighbors knocked on the door and did "Birthday Caroling" for Matthew.  I loved it.  Again, another completely free and thoughtful way to make someone feel special.  
  

How about you?  What were your favorite birthday traditions as a kid?  And, what other ideas do you have about making birthdays magical? 

 

Reaching for 5000!