7 Quick Takes about Remembering Our Ancestors, Fixing My Mistakes, and Pant Sizes I Didn't Know Existed

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

—1—

We have 0% Mexican heritage, but that did not stop us from creating a Day of the Dead ofrenda in our front hallway.

Día de los Muertos was on November 1st and 2nd, but we had to set up our ofrenda on the 3rd because that's the only day we were all home at the same time. 

That's how we do most everything in our family, celebrating birthdays and holidays whenever we can make it work for our family. Bonus points if it's in the same general calendar vicinity of the actual event.

The kids liked hearing stories about their great-grandparents as we put this together.

It was also because I was late to the game printing out pictures and ordering fake flowers from Amazon. Which, by the way, SMELLED LIKE ROTTEN FISH. I was warned about this; some of the reviews mentioned it but it was way more putrid than I imagined. 

I set the flowers outside for two days, sprinkled them with baking soda, spritzed them with vinegar and Febreze... and eventually the smell faded. Or maybe I'm just nose-blind now and it's a good thing we never have people over.

—2—

My 8-year-old usually brings lunch to elementary school, and I told him he could get milk from the cafeteria to go with it if he wanted. He wasn't sure how to do that, so his middle-school sister came over to explain it to him.

She was describing where to go and where to find the milk, and he interrupted her saying, "They moved things around and the cafeteria isn't set up like that anymore."

"Well, how is it set up now?"

He tried to describe it and answer her followup questions, but I could tell they weren't really getting anywhere. Eventually, she got frustrated and exclaimed, "Well, I don't know how anything works anymore, I'm officially old."

Is it bad that I think these are some of the most gratifying moments of parenting older children??

—3—

After a year, we finally fixed the massive crack I put in our kitchen countertop by stupidly leaving a hot griddle on and forgetting about it. 

We tried a DIY solution but it didn't work, so we knew it was time to call in the pros. The guy used a lot of tools and special equipment and was in the house for about 4 hours working on it (including drying time between coats) and it was totally worth it, in my opinion.

Slightly different lighting due to the time of day, slightly different angle because I'm a lazy before-and-after photographer.

Here's a close-up, and you can really only see where the crack was if you (1) look this close and (2) are purposely searching for it:

The view with your nose 2 inches away from the surface of the countertop.

—4—

This week I've gone over to help a friend clean out a stuffed-to-the-gills desk and closet, and I think I missed my true calling in life to be a professional organizer. I've been super-excited to go over there and help her make more progress, and I come home on a high after doing so. 

When we finished the closet, she was ready to go do something else and I had to pull her back to admire her handiwork, which is my favorite part of the organizing process. "Look at that! Look at that beautiful, organized space you made!" I cried, throwing the closet doors open wide and gesticulating at it wildly. 

I think I got way more satisfaction and enjoyment out of it than my friend did, and it's her closet.

—5—

My 16-year-old son is growing too fast, and I just bought him a pair of 29x34 dress pants. I didn't even know they made that size. Here's where we bought them:

Product image from Amazon.

They're actually a little roomy in the waist but he's just going to have to wear a belt. There's no way I would ever be able to find a 28x34.

My husband, in the meantime, is having a hard time digesting the fact that he may not be the tallest person in the family for much longer. He's still 3" taller than the 16-year-old, but they have the exact same inseam. (I guess he's just growing from the bottom up.)

—6—

The 8-year-old was packing his own bag before we headed to gymnastics practice the other day, and I told him I appreciated that he was doing it without being reminded or asked.

He smiled and told me, "I'm rizz-ponsible." 

I don't know if I can handle Gen Alpha.

—7—

At the gym, they were giving out free pumpkins left over from a Halloween activity, so we took a few home.

My 8-year-old claims that he's never carved a pumpkin (that he remembers, anyway), and I feel bad about that. We didn't get around to it this year, and for that matter, we didn't get around to dying Easter eggs, either. As the youngest of 6 kids, his main memories of childhood will be driving around to all his older siblings' practices and games, not doing fun seasonal activities.

So we won't carve jack-o-lanterns until a week or two after Halloween, but again, see Take #1. That's just how we do things around here, or they don't get done at all.

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