extended family
All about how to stay connected, strengthen ties and talk politics with your big, happy extended family.
STEPMOM
I remember it like it was yesterday, my mother telling me "Do not marry a man with a whole bunch of kids". I knew what she was trying to say, I had watched her over the years having to deal with so much. My Dad had 10 kids that called my Mom their Stepmother. It seemed like every month we had a new edition to the household. They would come and go like there was a revolving door and with opened arms she would accept them, she loved them all.
By Toni Cunningham5 years ago in Families
THE PAIR I LIKE TO HAVE
Life would not be great if it was not for having the right combination of wine and cheese. I am Italian and with every meal, we had wine served with it. My grandfather grew red grapes and made his own wine. He had wine in the cellar fomenting, It was the best wine one would ever taste. I remember eating the grapes when I was a child. One day I sat eating grapes and I was almost sick. To this day I love grapes especially the green ones. The best way to celebrate holidays is to have family and friends at the table enjoying good food and drinks. Making your own cheese is best than buying it in the supermarket. Christmas is the one holiday when I make Cheese Balls. I serve it with a nice red or white wine. Thanks to my daughter who taught me how to make the great cheese ball.
By rose m lewis5 years ago in Families
Christmas Shopping for Out of Town Relatives
Although living nearby to all of your relatives can be a wonderful experience, unfortunately this is not always the case and relatives are often separated by vast differences. Sometimes you are forced to relocate because of a job and sometimes you just move because you would like to live in and experience a new city, state or country. Likewise one or more of your relatives may opt to relocate for the same reasons. Regardless of how or why it happened many of us often find ourselves in a situation where our relatives may be spread out all over the globe. This is a sad fact of life which makes it more difficult to stay in touch and also greatly complicates the Christmas shopping process. This article will take a look at some of the dilemmas associated with Christmas shopping for out of town relatives and will provide some strategies for dealing with these dilemmas.
By Kennedy Jones5 years ago in Families
Becoming An Aunt
While becoming a parent is a new venture, many family members also take on a new role as well. From grandparents, to siblings, to godmothers and godfathers, all the way to becoming aunts and uncles. For everyone involved it is a unique experience for every individual. In some way or another you become a big part to this tiny human's life. You are a role model, a shoulder to lean on during tough times, a shoulder to cry on during hard times, a warm hug on a stressful day, a cheerleader at every milestone and event in their entire lives, and an ear to listen to any and all thoughts and worries. You may not have all of the responsibilities that the parents do, but in many ways you are the reinforcement for the parents. You are there to help guide this small being into a well mannered, amazing, unique, smart, and successful individual.
By Katelyn Doner 5 years ago in Families
The Great Aunt Loes
It was early March 2020, about one week into the CV-19 lockdown, when I heard the news of my Great Aunt's passing. She was indeed, at 104 years old, more than ready, and had lived her life to the fullest extent. She passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by those nearest and dearest. How apropos, for she was more than deserving to not suffer long. I cannot imagine a kinder, gentler spirit, which shone where ever she went. She herself had never married or had children of her own, but was a great aunt to over fifty, and a great great aunt to dozens more. For most of her life she lived with her sister, my Oma, Henriette, and brother-in-law, my Opa, Corniellius. A temporary visit to England from her native Holland at the start of the occupation, led to an unexpected, permanent stay. She was employed as a bookkeeper for Rodwell Nursery, my Opa's expansive horticulatural business. She also became a tremenoudous support for my Oma, who mothered eight children. Loes outlived both Cornelius, who passed in 1988, and Henriette, who passed in 1996. I once asked her what her secret to longevity was, and without hesitation declared "never getting married", with a smile.
By The Social Nutritionist 5 years ago in Families
The Revelations Of Gramps
I’ve got a burning question that I can’t ask my parents because it would hurt their feelings. It’s the kind of question kids shouldn’t ask their parents without a darn good reason. I’ve got lots of reasons but they’re all jumbled up in my head like a tangled ball of string, so I’m not sure if they’re darn good or just stupid. I asked my brother Dave once but he just glared at me like I was a total dork and told me to get the hell out of his room. He’s nineteen this year and going away to college in the fall . . . I’m not sure if I’m going to miss him or not.
By Jeff Countryman 5 years ago in Families
Aunts
Aunts...by definition, your mom or dad's sister, the wife of your uncle, or a particular person you give respect and affection to by dubbing her thus. They come in all shapes and sizes, attitudes and dispositions, but they are yours for a reason! I was lucky to have five special women I called "aunt."
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Families
Betrayed
This story starts with my 2nd marriage; a little background for you to understand things: I was 26 living in NM and had a 6 year old girl Michelle and a 9 month old boy Chris, I was not getting along well with Chris' dad and so we separated. We had a mutual friend, who I will call Mr. S, and he helped me move out, and at the same time he took the opportunity to ask me out on a date. Mr. S told me how he had always wanted to date me since meeting me but I was never free, and knowing that I was now he wanted to get in before he lost the chance.
By Angelina M. Daugherty5 years ago in Families
relative Insanity
My family loves to get together and play all kinds of games. Since COVID we are getting together almost once a week. Recently my 14 year old granddaughter brought out a game she had gotten for her birthday in May and we gave it a try; with unbelievably hilarious results.
By Barbara Bertino5 years ago in Families
