Snider Rule #2 - What is your job?

Gina and I spotted Gus the van last week.  Most of you know, Gina drove a 12 passenger Ford Club Wagon for many years.  We bought the van the Spring of 1997 and sold it Winter 2012.  A family just a few blocks away bought the van but we haven't seen it driving around much and wondered if it broke down or had some problem.  Well, we were at Hanni's basketball game and the van was in the parking lot. When I entered the gym I spotted the couple that purchased the van and it turned out their daughter was on the team we were playing against.  So Gus lives on.

Here is a picture of Gus.  He was also called Megacooper - but only after I hand painted the roof white to cover up some rust spots.

Here is a blurry picture of Gus.

Seeing the van got me to reminiscing about driving the entire family around town.  That led to me thinking about another quirky thing our family did.  Gina would say the same thing to everyone  each time we embarked on a trip to visit friends or really anyone.  She would turn to the back and say ----

WHAT IS YOUR JOB WHEN WE GET THERE????

Everybody responded enthusiastically (we had to work at that sometimes) ----

MAKE SURE EVERYONE ELSE HAS A GOOD TIME!

We all benefited from this encouragement.  It is a good thing to be reminded the world doesn't revolve around us and that one way to love our neighbor is to make sure they have a good time.

The big surprise is discovering that when we stop focusing on ourselves and think of others first we end up having a better time too!

Gina is a wise woman. 

Link to Rule #1 - Best Rule Ever!

Paperman - Short Animation from Disney

There are three things that make this film Paperman special for me.

1. The film introduces a "groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques."
2. The consuming nature of Paperman's attempt to get the young ladies attention. He forgets everything else as he tries the impossible. Oh, to be young and in love.  A young man will move mountains to be with the woman he loves.
3. It takes an outside force to bring them together.  This is the story of every happily married couple I know.  They are brought together in way that they would never have dreamed up themselves.  Looking back they can see God providentially working to bring them together.

Well worth the 6 minutes of time it takes to watch this one.

Bonus: Salvador Dali and Walt Disney Collaboration.

Cool Map Puzzle (and Educational)

I ran across this on Google+ and think it is a good demonstration of difficulty we have depicting the world which is three dimensional in a two dimension format.

This is a fun exercise to do with you kids and an opportunity to explain a question all of us have - "Why is Greenland SO BIG?"

How long does it take you to solve this puzzle?

One piece in particular took me awhile. 

Click on this link to get to the puzzle - Mercator Puzzle

Kings of Israel - Nice Poster

I thought this poster was nice.  It would sure help me remember all those pesky Kings of Israel.  Every time I see the list, I think.... why all the "J" names???  "S" is a way better letter.

Link:

Nice Poster showing the Kings of Israel

Hanni turns 10 - She is Wonderful

We have a wonderful 10 year old daughter.  

Hanni - The Wonder Girl

Johannah Grace is her given name but everyone knows her as Hanni.  She turned 10 a couple days ago and it was a fun day.

A couple things we do to celebrate birthdays:

• Go out to lunch or breakfast
• Birthday person get the dinner of their choice

Hanni chose Chipotle for lunch, so we (Gina, Scott and Hanni) headed over to the neighborhood eatery at noon.

Here is Hanni getting ready to dig into the monster burrito.

We paused for a moment to catch our breath and let Gina snap a quick picture.

 One of the cool things about Hanni is her burrito eating technique. She likes to eat from the middle out.  This time she munched in the middle and then ate the innards with a spoon.

Right after lunch we drove home and opened the presents.  The picture does not do justice to the paper bag wrapping that Peter did for Hanni.  Everyone thought the wrapping paper was cute.

 Hanni loves opening gifts.

Here is Autumn finishing the Hanni's burrito. (I add this photo becuase Autumn loves when I put these kind of photos out for the world to see.) Hanni brought home soda and the leftover burrito to share.  For some reason Gina and I did not have any leftovers.  Of course we had vegetarian bowls instead of burritos.  The leftovers don't seem to be in much demand, while the meat burritos are always quickly consumed.  

Dinner consisted of the world famous (ok - they should be world famous) Cheesy Potatoes.  Trust you would have trouble not eating at least two helpings.

Peter and Abe were at basketball practice while we eating.  I had to restrain people so there would a token portion for each of them.  We aren't very sympathetic to family members that miss dinner.

For dessert - Pie. Now I always pick cake but we have a cadre of pie lovers in the house.  Hanni is one of those. She is like her mother in many ways.

These two young ladies made the pie.  

Gina rolled out the crust and Autumn and Emily made the delicious pies. Here they are baking away.  They smelled soooo goooooood..... 

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

The birthday girl digging into the pie and ice cream.  Another bonus for the birthday person - They are the owner of all desert that is leftover.  They get to decide who and how much of the leftover ice cream and pie/cake to share.

This picture is evidence of why Gina is thin and I am a little on the round side of life.  She is eating salad instead of all the other stuff.  The salad was delicious but...

 More pictures of people eating.  Seems that there is always at least one pregnant Snider.

Another day at our house.  

Seattle Trip - 24 hours of Moving Si and Elisabeth

Leaving for Seattle, early in the morning.

This past weekend we went up to Seattle to help Silas and Elisabeth move into their new home. Autumn, Abe, Peter and I left Eugene Friday morning arriving at the Seattle Snider’s doorstep at 1:00 PM.  We immediately set to work and I mean lifting, carrying and sliding.  The old place had two sets of narrow stairs to navigate, while the new place had only a single set of stairs.

It ended up taking us at least 5 trips in a rented U-Haul van and it was after 9 when we called it a night.  I can’t remember the last time I worked to exhaustion but Abe, Peter and I could not have picked up another box by the end of the night.

The next morning we were up early and out the door for the drive back to Eugene.  Peter needed to get back for a basketball game at 3:20.  We made with plenty of time to spare.  That evening we were ready to get to bed early!

Here is a picture of the front of the house.  I didn't take any more pictures because I’m certain Elisabeth will be posting pictures as soon as she has time.  We all think the new place is much better than the old.  There is plenty of outside room for Gideon and Zeke.  They will love this place.

Gloog - Recipe

A Wonderful Recipe for Christmas Time

Recipe: A Simple Glogg

Ingredients:

Aquavit (or brandy or vodka)

Burgundy or pinot noir wine

Port wine

Raisins

White sugar

Cinnamon sticks

Cloves

Cardamom seeds

One orange

One piece of ginger

Blanched almonds

Step 1: Soak 1/2 cup of raisins in one cup of aquavit (a Norwegian spirit made with potatoes); Brandy or vodka can be used instead. Soak for 30 minutes before Step 2.

Step 2: Put a large pot on the stove, over high heat. Add one cup of water and 1/2 cup sugar to the pot, and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 3: Lower the heat to medium and add your spices - two sticks of cinnamon (each broken in half); four whole cloves; six whole cardamom seeds, crushed by hand; a thinly shaved orange peel; and one small piece of ginger, peeled and cut in half. Stir again with wooden spoon. Do not allow the mix to come to a boil from this point on.

Step 4: Add the aquavit-raisin mixture, two cups of burgundy or pinot noir wine and two cups of port wine.

Step 5: Sweeten and spice to taste.

Step 6: Strain, garnish with raisins and slices of blanched almond — and serve hot off the stove.

Note: The drink can be made a day ahead and kept covered, on the stove, at room temperature. Just reheat before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Todd and Urd Milbury.

Sunday Morning = Eggs Cooked to Order

Sunday morning at the Snider House means -  eggs for breakfast. I love getting up before church and cooking eggs to order for anybody in the house.  

See how happy Hanni is as she gets ready to dig into breakfast!

I'm not much of a cook.  Gina has to be really sick before even considering me as an option to pinch hit. Breakfast is the one meal I have confidence cooking. I suggest all Dads master breakfast for a couple reasons:

1. Create a memory for you kids that will last way beyond their childhood. 
2. Give your wife a break from the routine.  She can sleep in a little and also take extra time to get ready for church.  Trust me, she will appreciate it.

My breakfast repertoire consists of easy to master items:

• Eggs - Any Style
• French Toast
• Pancakes
• Waffles

Sunday morning is dedicated to eggs.  I'll cook as many eggs and in any style for those who are up in time to squeeze in breakfast before we drive off to church. 

When all the kids were still at home I would easily cook up 2 dozen eggs.  Now, I'm down to just two kids regularly feasting on eggs with me.  For some reason everyone above the age of 13 would rather sleep until the last minute. 

Another suggestion for Dads - Buy a cast iron skillet and claim it as your own.  Of course anybody can use it but since I am the predominate user it is referred to as Dad's skillet.  The cast iron holds heat and cooks more evenly than other types.  I've had the one in the picture as long as we have had kids. 

Here is a picture of two eggs cooking.  You can see three in a bowl because I always crack them in a bowl first to make sure there are not bad eggs. 

The last picture is included as a special bonus.  Some of the older kids get up late and even need a little pick me up in the morning.  Sometimes I make coffee for them.  Autumn likes a hot Americano in the morning. So here is a picture of Autumn and the Americano.  Autumn is on the left completely covered by a blanket. She can't believe I would take a picture of her before she is fully dressed.

Checklist for a Dad Recipe

Every guy should have a few go to meals or side dishes.  For a dish to make the "DAD LIST" a few critical criteria must be met:

• Taste Amazing - I rarely cook and when I do it needs to be impressive.  
• It has your signature - I want everyone in the family to say  - "We love when Dad makes ________". I want to make a memory as much as I want to make a meal.

Involves fire or the grill - It is way more fun to cook with fire and the kids love it.  The grill is a good backup because it is still outside

Your kids can help and they will actually enjoy helping.

• Your wife likes when you cook it and would prefer not to go to the hassle of making it.  I add this because once my wife starts making a dish it is always better than when I make it.
• Breakfast items are really good choices because your wife can get some extra sleep or spend the morning getting some time to herself.
• Use a piece of special equipment for example - waffle iron.  I also have a cast iron skillet that everyone calls "Dad's Skillet.

A Tip for Husbands

Blogger Erik Raymond makes a great suggestion to improve any marriage - Get A Second Job
He writes:

"So husbands, let me challenge you to come home from work like you are going to work at a job you love in a place you love. Come alongside your wife to talk, listen, and learn her. Play with the kids. Do some chores. Make some jokes. Read the Bible. Pray together. Play a game. Make some dessert. Fix something that broke. Flirt with your wife. Sit and talk. Whatever you do, do it heartily and intentionally like a guy who is there, engaged with his family not escaping from his family."

You won't regret reading the whole thing.  Link - Husbands Need A Second Job

Best Snider Rule Ever! - According to the kids

Wouldn't it be great to have a serious conversation with your kids about rules.  One where you could ask them what rules do they think are effective, fair and realistic.

About a year ago we had just such a conversation.  During Christmas everyone was at the house and the kids had a discussion where they came to the unanimous agreement on the very best Snider Family Rule.  Did I mention it was UNANIMOUS - believe it or not everyone agreed.  This doesn't happen often! 

Now at that point our kids were 25, 23, 21, 20. 17, 16, 14, 11 and 8 years old.  Some married, some with children of their own, some single living on their own, and others living at home.  So it comes from those still living under our rules and those just looking back in the rear view mirror of our family life.

"WHAT WAS THE BEST SNIDER RULE?"

The answer: 

PLEASE STOP!!

Any person in the family could say these simple words and everyone - parents included had to stop.

Why would we ever have a rule like that and why was regarded so highly?

This picture helps put things in perspective:

This was taken when we only had 5 children and Gina was 2 weeks from delivering number 6.  Everybody looks happy but any parent taking a look at that crew can see that things could get out of hand pretty quickly if there was no rule of law.

The simple - Please Stop Rule helped our family respect and look out for each other.  Some of the reasons it is a good rule:

• The youngest and weakest always had an outlet when they felt overwhelmed, picked on, or backed into a corner.
• All the children knew the day would come where they would benefit from this simple rule. So it was rigorously enforced by everyone.
• We (Scott & Gina) benefited because it created a pause where we could sort out what was going on and deal appropriately with the situation.
• The children could use it with us. For example if Scott was wrestling or tickling one of the kids they might be squirming around or even running away.  Now you can't be sure if they want to keep playing or really want to stop.  We all knew just say "Please Stop" and it would. Many times one of the younger kids would be wrestling with an older sibling and might start to whimper.  The other kids would say - "say please stop and they have to stop".

What do you think?

Christmas Pictures - 2012

A Few Christmas Pictures - Random No Words