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15 Reasons Cousins Make The Best Friends
By Kate Bailey, February 1st 2014
1. You act more like siblings than cousins, and more like best friends than siblings.
2. Family parties are infinitely more entertaining when you have a group of you who retreat from the holiday madness and just hang out and/or observe your hilarious relatives who never fail to live up to their dysfunctional reputations.
3. They understand the ins and outs of said dysfunctional family from which you all come, and you either have the exact same opinions on who is crazy and who is not or it’s your parents who are accusing one another of insanity in which case you avoid the issue altogether.
4. They know just how good your grandmother’s food is, and appreciate it with the kind of passion you expect everybody to.
5. They lost grandparents when you did, got baby cousins when you did, dealt with one family crisis after another all at the same time you did. They were the ones there celebrating with you at your highs and mourning with you at your lows. From that comes an unprecedented kind of companionship.
6. You’re distant enough that if you didn’t want to spend so much time together, you wouldn’t have to. But you choose to, and that’s what’s most important about your relationship.
7. There are ceaseless mentions of inside jokes and old memories from the vacations you took to birthday parties you attended and boyfriends/girlfriends you introduced to the family at the holidays so awkwardly for all those years.
8. Every one of you secretly believe they’re your grandparents’ favorite. That, or the favorite is undeniably obvious but everyone kind of accepts it because whatever, be the Kim Kardashian of the cousin brigade.
9. The age gap works in 10-year increments. The 20-somethings stick together, the teens stick together, the kids stick together.
10. Though there’s always that one younger kid who fits in with the older ones and everybody is somehow okay with it.
11. Because kidding aside, age couldn’t matter less.
12. You spent your childhoods with them, at their houses, with their parents as your seconds, playing comfortably in the presence of family but wildly in the company of kids who just get you. You would argue over toys and petty things like siblings because you knew at the end of the day, you weren’t going anywhere.
13. You know all about your respective parents’ drama with one another, and you usually just sit back and enjoy the show. Alternatively: you keep each other filled in on what’s going on with the aunt and uncle who are “going through a rough time right now.” Family drama is the best drama, but only when you’re the one gawking at it.
14. They were your first best friends. The rare kind of friends who remain close to you for so many years. You once would speak about your weddings and children and jobs and careers and would talk about how the girls would be each other’s bridesmaids and your kids would play together all the time, and now that the time is slowly creeping up on you, you wish you could go back to just playing in your grandparent’s basement with your new holiday gifts.
15. Because you’re more than just friends. You’re blood. The ties that bind you are deep, the pride and loyalty you have for your family fierce. A friend is someone who will be there for you when you call, a cousin is someone who will show up anyway because there’s food.
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The Peppermint children look forward to seeing their favorite animals at the Philadelphia Zoo!
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"Philpot patrolled the primates as they playfully chased one another around the rock formation"
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Mammals/Primates.aspx
"Patty tracked one otter swimming from one side of the pond to the other."
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Mammals/Carnivora/Giant-Otter.aspx
"Pete regarded the magnificent carnivores strolling right in front of him."
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Mammals/Carnivora/African-Lion.aspx
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Mammals/Carnivora/Amur-Tiger.aspx
"Excited to see the pachyderms, Peggy prodded her family toward the elephants."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/us/05elephant.html
The Peppermints threaded their way along the path and came upon the hippo's pen."
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Mammals/Hoofed-Mammals/Hippopotamus.aspx
The Peppermints featured in Kissing the Frog (lifewithefrog.com) Blog
November 12, 1014
Have a "Peppermints" Christmas (Review and Giveaway!)
I love a great children's book. I remember when I was little begging my mother at the checkout of the grocery store to buy me another Little Golden Book. It's the stories that transcend time and delight all generations that I love the best; obviously because they stay with us and can be enjoyed by everyone over and over and over.
That's why when my high school friend, Nikki Maloney, shared her new series of children's books with me, I knew I had to share them with YOU!
The Peppermints are a family created from Nikki's father's imagination and brought to life on the page by Nikki and her illustrator, Ted Layton. The stories of Mr. and Mrs. Peppermint and their children - Pete, Patty, Philpot, and Peggy - are based on Nikki and her siblings. The stories have been revived and given a classic spin. Timeless for every generation of readers from Grandparents to grandchildren, each of the intended 9 stories takes place in the 1950's and highlights a different family member and a variety of experiences.
The first book, Summer Camp Treasury, centers around Pete and his first experience at summer camp. The second, Ski Vacation, centers around the Peppermints' annual ski trip. It is Philpot's (Potty, for short) first time, and he's worried he won't be able to keep up. But HOT DOG, hilarity ensues and the trip is saved! Nikki sent my boys this book, and they gave it a very enthusiastic 8 thumbs up!! They were literally giggling the whole time I was reading the book. As a bonus, there are peppermint sticks hidden on every page, and my boys were delighted when they found each one.
The third book in the series, Thanksgiving Day Parade, is out TODAY and I can't wait to get my hands on it! From Nikki's website: "It's the holiday season! The Peppermint family travel to New York City for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Expect the unexpected, where surprise and excitement are right around the corner. It's that wonderful time of year when anything is possible."Without giving too much away (because of course there is a surprise at the end), here are samples of the delightfully vintage-feeling illustrations:
Macy's is celebrating the 88th anniversary of the parade, so this book will make the perfect gift this holiday season. Nikki is giving one of my readers a copy of their very own, along with another surprise gift. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win (open to US residents over 18). Deadline to enter is midnight 11/19. Good luck!