NoSpace

Kind.of.a.toddler.appocolypse.around.here.Benny.broke.the.space.bar.by.pouring.coke.on.it.

I.got.food.poisoning.or.the.flu.Thursday.night.and.they.all.have.had.a.cold/flu.since.then.
We.are.up.to.our.eyeballs.in.kleenex.and.dirty.laundry.

Yestersday.Tate.decided.he.can't.walk.We.honestly.can't.tell.if.the.kid.is.faking.or.not.Not.other.symptoms.just.won't.put.weight.on.his.leg.Called.the.nurse.and.we.are.giving.him.ib.profen.but.this.morning.he's.doing.the.same.ugh.

Benny.dunked.our.house.phone.in.the.bath.tub.

As.you.can.see.this.has.put.a.damper.on.our.weekend.and.my.ability.to.blog.
Merry.Christmas.

Gingerbread "House"

and I use the term house loosely. More like gingerbread "ghetto" or perhaps once was a lovely home before the riots.

This was our first attempt as a family, and perhaps should be our last for a few years.


Fun was had though, and that's the point, right?

Let's Not Lick People and Other Lectures I Hadn't Prepared

So I pick the kids up from day care yesterday and she stops me to say "Oh I've meaning to talk to you about a behavior we are having." I immediately glare at Benny, must be hitting the girls again, or no, maybe Gracie, Miss Bossy Pants is probably at it again.

Me: "Oh ok, what is it?"
Her: "Well Tate and Gracie have been licking the furniture and I've asked them repeatedly to stop..."
Me: "Wait, what?"
Her: "Yeah, they've been licking the tables, doors and walls. I've reminded them not to till I'm blue in the face..."
Me (I interrupt a lot): "They've done this more than once?!" *putting on my best teacher face* "You guys! That is SO GROSS! WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?!"
Her: "Well I might as well tell you, today, I turned around and they were actually licking Aisha."
Me: "Her face?! The one whose been out sick with the cough and fever?!"
Her: "Yeah...so I just wanted to warn you they will probably get those germs."
Me: "Yeah, I would assume."
*HEAVY SIGH*

I assured her I would squelch the licking. On the way home I lectured, shamed, and bribed them into promising never to lick anything other than food again. Naturally, they had air tight logic. He did it because she did it. She did it because he was doing it. I wanted to tell them not to be a horrible twin cliche, but I'll save that for high school. instead I informed them they would probably get a cough and runny nose and a fever from licking the other girl. That seemed to spook them enough. Luckily, this season we also have the gift of threatening to call Santa.

At least Benny could loudly proclaim from the back seat, "I not lick the table, mama!"
Me: "Good job, Buddy"
Him: "Yeah! My a HERO!"

Still keeping those high standards around here.

Homemade Wrapping Paper

Ingredients:
3 restless on children on a freezing afternoon.
Several Large sheets of paper left over from one parent's art classes in college
3 trays of water colors and cups of water (also possible, in theory, to share)
3 or more large towels to protect carpet

This was easy to do, fun for the kids, and gives us something to do with the "priceless" artwork they create! I'm not ungrateful, I just only have so many refrigerator magnets.




Paint then let dry! Several lucky family members will receive gifts wrapped in one of a kind paper! Voila!

Meet Ernie

So far I like him. He was well received and they think his hiding spots are magical and hilarious every morning. We also have used him for behavior management, perhaps too much. Gracie cried all the way to the sitters because she didn't want Ernie to tell Santa that she wasn't listening to me. We're to new this, so we are backing off the whole "naughty list" threat unless absolutely necessary. We are trying to focus on the magic for now, because really, isn't that the best part of Christmas? That feeling of anticipation and magic on Christmas morning? Ernie gives us a little bit of that every day and I think that's fantastic!

He's got these rules though.

No touching him and he can't talk back to you. The problem is when he falls off the chandelier on which he was perched and the kids scream in horror. "DON"T TOUCH HIM MAMA! PICK HIM UP! HE FELL! BUT HE WILL LOSE HIS MAGIC!!!"

I had no choice but to stretch the rules a little and explain how grown-ups can touch him sometimes and pretend that he whispered (in a tiny elf whisper that only grown-ups can hear, naturally) that I could carry him and put him on the tree to rest.

Pretty sure they bought it.

The real magic was in finding him holding a banana in the kitchen this morning, and coming home to find it half eaten.

For my Quotable Moments

I scored these super cute journals for nearly free the other day and I decided they would be perfect for quoting all of my kids! My 2nd graders:
and my darling little monsters at home:



I am loving them already since I usually forget half of the things they say by time I go to write them down.

Just thought I'd share, such an easy thing to make!

The Morning After

Breakfast after sleeping in from a long Thanksgiving night. Christmas pj's for everyone!