Paging Animal Control

Over at My Hottie Friend Jules blog (Hi Jules!) She blogs a lot about the critters that invade her home. She has live critters like woodpeckers, squirrels and lots of snakes around her house. We have critters of the stuffed variety like bears, dogs, bears, hippos, bears...you get the picture. All cute, all cuddly..just a lot of them. A lot. I spent a good part of last night and today trying to organize the bonus room and the girls room a little bit. Oh my! I don't think you realize how much you have until you take it all out to organize it. Thankfully last night I got to throw out a lot since the kids were sleeping. I reorganized the play room and put some toys they don't play with often into tubs for the attic. I think we might try a toy rotation. In a few months when we're tired of our Christmas toys I'll bring down the ones from the attic. We got the girls room cleaned up today. Sadly we're giving away a bunch of stuffed animals..we just have too many to keep them all and not enough space..hopefully they'll find a good home. The girls are actually pretty good about giving things away..they think "goodwill" is a person and they are happy to give "him" some things they don't play with anymore. I'm very grateful for that.

Anyway as I was doing this massive cleaning today I kept thinking about gift giving tips I'd like to pass on. First, let me say, I am very grateful for all the gifts that we receive (Ok..most of the them)..I just want to pass on a few tips that may help you with your upcoming gift giving to any children (not just mine) as I'm sure some other moms would agree with me. Also, I am so not singling out any particular gift giver..I can't even remember who gives us a lot of gifts...Just things that came to mind while cleaning today....

1. If there are children under 18 mos living in the gift recipient home please do not give any of the following: my littlest pet shop (there is a reason it has "littlest" in the title), polly pockets or those polly pocket princess things. The pieces are too little and end up every where especially in your toddlers mouth. And your 4 year olds can not put the clothes on themselves. And they get very upset when the little shoes get vacuumed...
2. Yes, stuffed animals are cute and very cuddly but think about how many a child may have before giving them new ones...I know this one is rough for some of you to hear but we just get overwhelmed with them and space is an issue.
3. Please remember batteries.
4. Please be mindful that toys that cost $1 are that price for a reason...they are cheap..anything that has parts will break (i.e. cars with wheels) and those pieces will end up in a toddlers mouth or under a grown ups bare foot...
5. Books are always welcome gifts
6. Candy...not so much...

A Very Merry Christmas

So I realize I'm pretty late on my Christmas blog..hard to believe it's already a week past. Actually isn't just hard to believe it's already a new year...wow 2008 went fast! Anyways..this post is about our Christmas..which was really nice. Paul got home decently early on Christmas Eve..we opened our annual early gift of new jammies to wear that night. We've been doing that since Emma was born and she has yet to remember that's what the gift is that we open on Christmas Eve. Needless to say she was not that excited when she opened the gift. I think she actually pouted a little...whatever..she got over it..We went to church that night with my mother in law and sister in law. We came back to our house for a nice dinner and gifts. Emma got her Easy Bake Oven from Nana and Lily got a mystifying cool bake princess oven (it uses ice cubes to "cook" the food??). There were also some High School Musical and Hannah Montana gifts to be had. Very Exciting..

Christmas morning we woke up and Santa had indeed come. Emma got her Kit Kitteredge typewriter and Lily got her gumball machine (pink no less!)! The girls were very excited. They were also excited that Santa wrote them a note thanking them for the cookies. They seemed to like all their gifts..nothing too exciting but a fair amount. Lily, I think, just liked opening gifts..didn't care who they were too or what they were she just wanted to help open them. Paul and I exchanged gifts for the first time in several years. I scored big time with a fancy new purple phone...it has a slide out keyboard for texting (a must have since you know I think I'm a teenager..so text me if you text) and he upgraded our plan so I can access the Internet on my phone..you know I might miss an important Facebook status while in the carpool line...I also got the Jillian Michaels fitness wii game that I wanted and a few other things..very surprising and very fun! Paul had picked himself out a fancy gps so that was his big gift.

Later that morning my dad came over and brought a super yummy breakfast that his wife had prepared (sadly his wife was sick and didn't make it). He visited a while and we even got to go outside and play for a little while. My mom, step dad, aunt and 2 cousins came over later in the afternoon. We had a nice gift exchange with them and a nice dinner. We were blessed with many nice gifts and the kids were completely spoiled. All in all a very merry Christmas! Here is just a small sampling of the pictures from the holiday:

Watch Out Paula Deen

Emma really, really wanted an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas this year. Thankfully Nana was paying attention and got her one. I thought it was a great gift..I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven and though my mother says I had one..I have no recollection of owning one. Emma LOVES it..I mean LOVES it...she is on a baking frenzy..she wants to bake all the time. She wants to bake the cakes and cookies for other people which I think is super sweet. This morning she made a cookie for her grandfather and tonight she made one for her small group leader at church. We've almost gone through all the mixes that came with the oven and the refill pack Nana bought. I must figure out how to make homemade easy bake oven mixes or she's going to break the bank with this thing...In case you get or give one know that it does not come with lightbulb..thankfully my dad happened to have a 100 watt lightbulb in his desk lamp and rescued us on Christmas Day.

Who Needs Starbucks..

when you have a Year of Crockpotting (crockpot365.blogspot.com). She posted a recipe on Christmas Eve for a Gingerbread Latte. Which is one of my favorite Christmas treats that I usually only get at Starbucks and really can't afford very often at almost $5 for one. So, when I saw that recipe I knew I had to try it. I had intentions to make it on Christmas Day but totally forgot so I made it yesterday and let me say..yum, yum, yum! Tastes as good, if not better, than Starbucks. So, now I can keep my $5 and have Gingerbread Lattes whenever I want! By the way, the Year of Crockpotting only has a few days left..I will miss those recipes..she makes some good stuff and all in the crockpot..one of my favorite cooking tools...

I will post about our very wonderful Christmas later this weekend! Hope your holiday was great!

Melting My Heart

Every time Jacob smiles my heart just melts...that boy has me so wrapped around his finger it's not even funny! There is something about baby boys...I am so blessed to have one!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I just read the funniest blog about a mom who is "breaking up" with Target. Here's the link if you want to read it: http://www.trianglemom2mom.com/content/break . I understand this writer all too well as I've had to break up a with Target this year too. Now I'm consistently shopping at Walmart and not just because it's my husband's employer..it's just cheaper. And at Walmart I can pretty much stick to my list where at Target that's nearly impossible for me. For some reason at Target lots of extras seem to sneak in my cart where at Walmart I'm trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. I haven't gone cold turkey..I will still shop at Target it's just not as frequently as before. They are too good for me resist completely but my visa is very thankful I've found a new place to do business...very thankful.

A Very Merry Hayride

I'm always on the lookout for fun seasonal activities we can do as a family. I came across this in the paper on Saturday: www.lightsontheneuse.com and thought it would be a fun thing to do. I wanted to go on Saturday but it rained so we decided to go last night. I hadn't heard anyone I know mention this so I was a little apprehensive to go spend $26 (plus the drive to Clayton) to go see the lights but in the spirit of the holidays we decided to go. On the way our friend Frances happened to call..she lives in Garner and happens to have 3 adorable little girls about the same ages of my kids so she piled everyone in the car and came to meet us. And we're so glad she did. Turns out they don't take credit cards (a major detail they should really put on their webpage) and thankfully she happened to have one check so she paid for us to get in.

Turns out a lot of people had the same idea as us..as Paul said "what did you expect..it's the Sunday before Christmas..did you expect it to be empty?" umm..yes..did they not know we were coming?? Anyway we finally get the tickets for the 11 of us (we're a scary party - there are 7 kids between our 2 families...we come and people run) and get in line for the hayride - the main attraction. Again, so thankful Frances came with us as we had to wait so the girls kept each other occupied and we all actually pretty good.

Finally we get to the hayride and it was really cute..there is a stop at Santa's workshop where it snows and lots of places where the tractor triggers the lights and they do a "show." The music is pretty good and everyone on the hayride was singing along. Though it was cold (well cold for here) we had everyone bundled up pretty well and no one complained. After the 30 min ride we went into the Sweet Shoppe for some hot chocolate. They also have Santa (in a cool sleigh) available for pictures. We let all the girls visit with him but we cheaped out on the pictures. All in all a fun family activity! Oh..a quick tip if you go: sit on the left side as you walk on the trailer - you have a much better view of the lights...luckily the girls sat on that side so they got to see the most...

"Star" of the Show

Lily had her Christmas program at preschool on Wednesday. There are few things funnier than watching 3 and 4 year olds sing in a program. The 3 year olds went first and they sang a variety of Christmas tunes. There were a few children who sang (shouted) very loudly, a few who didn't open their mouths, one who wouldn't even be up on stage and one who kept pulling up their sweater. It was very cute. Then the 4 year olds got to go and this year they put on a little show. They sung some songs then acted out a version of Jesus' Birthday. Lily had a part as she was the Star which meant she had to carry a star for approximately 30 seconds. She was very proud and did a good job. She actually sang all the songs this year and did the hand motions...it was very sweet. All in all it was a great show and all the kids did great. Sadly I didn't get a picture of her carrying the star - no flash photography was allowed as to not disrupt the actors (as if cameras were the only thing that would distract them) and I couldn't figure out how to do video on my camera. Anyway here she is after the show:

New Member of the Family

Meet Elfie...

he's the newest addition to our family. Elfie joined us on Wednesday when my mom bought us the "Elf on the Shelf" as an early Christmas gift. The girls are wildly fascinated by him..especially Julia. If you don't know about the Elf on the Shelf it's a cute story about an Elf who comes from the North Pole to watch over the kids. Each night after the kids go to bed the Elf magically flies back to the North Pole to give Santa a report. Each morning he returns in a new spot to keep watch again. Every morning the girls look for Elfie (that's what Lily named him). Today he's sitting in the Christmas tree where he can see everything. The hardest part is remembering to move him each night! But I must say he's doing a good job of keeping the kids behavior in line...

Random Acts of Kindness

Apparently I have been better than I thought this year as I've had 2 random acts of kindness bestowed on me in the last week. Seriously I feel so blessed and thankful this holiday season!

You may recall I blogged about Emma wanting the American Girl typewriter a couple weeks ago. Well.. my blogs go to my Facebook page and my high school friend Amy read my note about it. Turns out she lives in Atlanta where there is an American Girl Place..she happened to be going out near there so she popped into the store and found the typewriter for me! They had just gotten a shipment in that morning! I found out just as I was about to bid for one on ebay for more than 2x the price (thankfully Paul had already lost one auction). So, she shipped the typewriter to me and I got it today!! And, Amy just wants me to donate money to the food bank to repay her. How nice is that?? I'm so excited..Emma has told everyone she knows that she wants that darn typewriter..she'll be SO happy Christmas morning! So, my friend Amy is a rockstar and I hope lots and lots of good karma comes her way.

As if that wasn't enough I was at the mall today (Cary Town Center) doing some last minute shopping. I got an idea and decided to pop into Kirklands to grab a throw. As I was checking out the mall manager came up to me, said they were doing Random Acts of Kindness and paid for my throw! Seriously! How lucky am I? She even asked me if we were going to the food court because she was headed there to buy lunch for shoppers. How nice! We didn't get the free lunch as we had to get Lily but seriously..how kind!

So, now I am compelled and challenged to do 2 Random Acts of Kindness..pay it forward you know! I am reminded that though the holidays can be crazy, busy and stressful there are really kind people out there who are doing good for others. I want to be one of those people...

3rd Time's the Charm

Yesterday marks the 3rd time I've been locked out of my house. Seriously how do I keep doing this? Once I locked the keys inside then over the summer we'd gone to the pool and I took just the garage door opener and for some reason it didn't work when we got home. Same thing happened yesterday. We walked down to our neighbors' for a brunch and I grabbed the garage door opener...it worked to close the garage so who would think it wouldn't work to open it. Yet, that's what happened.

We had an appointment at Portrait Innovations to get the kids Christmas picture done so we rushed from the brunch to go home and get the kids changed to get to the store. We got home and the door wouldn't open. So frustrating!! Anyway 20 minutes later we try our neighbor's battery and low and behold the door opened. So we rush in, grab the clothes and race to the store.

Except when we got to the store and checked in they told us they were 30 minutes behind. However, they were an hour behind. I'm sure you can guess how fun it is to wait with 4 kids for an hour to get pictures. By the time we got to go Paul and I were super grouchy and we actually didn't have time to view our pictures. So, we get to go back today to view them. Lucky us....I learned some lessons though yesterday:
1. Always take keys
2. Ensure at least one neighbor has your key (we did this but when my purse got stolen and we re-cored the house I hadn't updated our keys)
3. Don't go to Portrait Innovations on the weekend during the holiday season
4. Even though you think it's a good idea don't take your husband with you to PI on the weekend during the holidays...his grumpiness will rub off on you and the whole experience will be one you want to forget....

The Weekend

Whew...I'm glad to be through the weekend! It was super busy starting with an adults only Christmas party on Friday night. My cousin and her boyfriend came over the keep the kids (all 4! Thanks Em!!)..they seemed to have survived and even offered their services again! The party was for my neighborhood Bunco group and it was tons of fun..we played a new to me dice game called left, right, center..sadly Paul and I both lost but it was fun.

Saturday I got to sleep in a little bit..it was SO nice to have Paul home to help with breakfast and getting everyone dressed. We then went to Rocky Mount to celebrate Christmas with my dad's wife's family. Natalie's parents have 3 grandsons so my girls had a big time playing with their boys. Saturday night we had another neighborhood family Christmas party. Which was lots of fun until Jacob decided he was sick of parties and lost his mind...

Sunday we saw the Christmas production at church, which was outstanding! Sunday afternoon we had a lovely brunch at our neighbors..then pictures for the kids (a whole other post). Then Paul needed to go to a Wake for a friend's grandfather and I took Emma caroling at a retirement community with her Daisy troop. Needless to say everyone slept very well last night!

Paul's Home!

Paul got home yesterday afternoon and we're SO glad to have him safe and sound at home! We all missed him a lot. I was starting to have some big behavior issues with Lily and I think it was in part due to Paul being gone. It was so nice to be able to "sleep in" this morning..read: he got up with the girls and got them breakfast. We have a pretty busy weekend with Christmas parties and I'm so glad Paul will be around. I am over going to parties/events with all 4 kids by myself..the Breakfast with Santa on Thursday morning at Lily's school nearly pushed me over the edge. I seriously do not know how single parents do it!!

It's so NOT just a Virus..

So yesterday I woke up miserable...my throat was so swollen it was hard to talk..I gargled salt water like mad, took advil round the clock and tried to rest..nothing helped. Then I got the call...turns out I do have strep. And actually I couldn't be happier..because now I'm on an antibiotic and I feel TONS better than I did yesterday. My throat is not as swollen or sore..I can't open my mouth very wide so it's hard to eat but I really don't have an appetite anyway. And I've lost about 4lbs on the strep throat diet so that is actually good. I have been disinfecting the house like crazy and washing my hands a ton in hopes that none of my kids get it..of course they are probably the ones who passed it one to me anyway but I really don't want anyone to get sick so pray with me, 'k...

And to anyone I've been around the past 2 days..I am SO sorry I really didn't know until yesterday afternoon that it was strep..really I didn't know...

It's "just" a virus...

I hate hearing those words from the doctor. Basically what they are telling you is that no medicine is going to make you feel better and you are going to continue to feel like crap until the virus "runs its course." Ugh!

I've been battling a horrible sore throat since Thursday night so today I decided to go the doctor. The doctors office only had a time at 2:30 and Lord help me I wasn't going to mess up naptime so I decided to go the CVS Minute Clinic. Though she told me I just had a virus it was overall a good experience. It was fast..read: no waiting..and I saw a nurse practicioner which is probably what I would have seen at the dr anyway. So if you're ever sick and don't feel like waiting at the dr office I would recommend the minute clinic...

I'm off to take a nap..this sore throat is kicking my booty.....

The Great Typewriter Hunt

Do you remember when Cabbage Patch Kids came out and people were lining up at stores and fighting over them to get one? I wanted one that Christmas but my mother was never, ever going to stand in line to get something so she had my grandmother make me a doll that year (which, btw, is not a substitute for a Cabbage Patch Kid..not at all). Me, however, I like to shop and I enjoy the hunt of looking for an item so I would be that person who stood in line to try to get my child their favorite thing on their wish list. That said I'm in a quandary this holiday season.

You see, my precious Emma made a wish book with all sorts of things she wanted for Christmas a few weeks ago. Among those items were an Easy Bake Oven and various things for her American Girl doll including Kit Kittredges Typewriter. Apparently the doll typewriter has now made it's way to the top of the list and is the ONLY thing she really wants for Christmas. Well..that's what she said last night when she was crying because she was too scared to talk to Santa at our neighborhood Christmas party...I think her words were "I didn't get to tell Santa that the only thing I want for Christmas is Kit Kittredge's typewriter"..well, I think that's what she said..it was hard to understand through the tears. And there were a lot of tears.

I had not bought the typewriter for her but instead had gotten her something else for her doll that she had wanted. So I thought last night I'd just go on the American Girl website and order one and take back what I had gotten her..since the "only" thing she wants in the darn typewriter...However..the darn typewriter in on backorder until April 3, 2009!! Are you kidding me American Girl?? April 3!! What the heck is that all about? What's so special about this $22 doll typewriter???

So, now I'm all into the hunt..I'm on ebay and craigslist searching for the typewriter. I even emailed my brother's girlfriend to see if she'd go to the store in NYC to see if by chance they still had them stock. The item is on ebay but the problem is the ones on ebay are selling for twice as much as they are worth..literally selling for $35-$50..it's a $22 item in the catalog. And, if you know my husband you would know he would strangle me for paying 2x as much for something than it's worth. His response when I told him the item was backordered was "she'll get over it" and "she'll forget about it anyway." But what if she doesn't. We don't really do a huge Christmas so I really want to get them at least one thing they really, really want. I just don't want her to be disappointed on Christmas morning....so wish me luck that I can find this darn typewriter (at a reasonable price)....I'm sure if I don't get the typewriter she will be fine and I'm sure she'll get over it and have fun with all the other stuff she's getting but I don't want her to remember in 30 years how her mom didn't get her the darn typewriter she really, really wanted...

Walmart's Not ALL Bad

So Paul was telling me today about these homemade Amish noodles they sell in their stores. Apparently they are really so good that Walmart got this itty bitty Amish noodle factory that used to make like 400 bags of noodles a day to supply all their stores with these noodles. So now the factory (which is apparently just several Amish women) make about 400,000 bags of noodles a day. I guess Walmart has done a lot of good for this community by giving them so much business. So, I guess they aren't all bad.

Oh and just so you know there is a "new" (well new to me) return policy at Walmart..you have to take your return to the greeter at the door and get a sticker on the item before you go to the service desk. If you don't get your sticker you have to wait in line at the service desk and then they will make you walk all the way back to the front doors with all your kids to get said stickers before they will do your return..then you will have to walk back to the service desk with the item and said stickers and wait in line again to do your return.

Dreaded Words or Why I won't be going to Chickfila anytime soon...

Last night we had Chickfila for dinner...I had told the girls we'd have milkshakes for dinner one night while Paul was away and I've been dying to try their peppermint chocolate chip milkshake. So after gymnastics we go through the drive thru and get our food and milkshakes. The girls ate a few nuggets, fries and some of their cookies and cream milkshakes. We watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 and headed up for bed. Before going to bed Lily said her tummy hurt. I didn't make much of it..thinking she was full.

Well about 11:30pm she came in my room and I heard those dreaded words: "Mommy, I think I need to throw up". I told her to go bathroom, lay on the floor and I'd be there in a minute (I was feeding Jacob). I'm thinking she's fine but the next thing I know I hear her getting sick. I put Jacob down and run in the bathroom thankfully to find it all in the potty. Good girl...VERY good girl. She said she felt better but we decided she should sleep on the floor in our room in her sleeping bag in case she got sick again. Which she did. Six more times. Really..6!! I gave her a bucket to keep with her and she made it in the bucket every time. Thank God.

Needless to say it was a long night..between being up with her for 2 1/2 hours and then up with the baby I didn't get much sleep. Lily seems to be better though she's taking a nap which is very un-Lily. I think she's just tired from the ordeal. She hasn't eaten much today but she's not running a fever. Pray this is contained just to her..I really don't know if I could handle everyone getting the stomach bug while Paul is gone. I'm off to disinfect...

A Little Surprise

When Paul and I lived in New England the first time we had a favorite breakfast place - Parker's Maple Barn. They have the BEST pancakes and this super yummy maple coffee. We didn't go there often but we really enjoyed it when we did. When we moved back to NC we used to occasionally order their maple coffee since it's one of my favorite things. We haven't done that in years and in fact I had forgotten all about it until the other week. Paul and I were out shopping and I casually remarked that we should order some maple coffee again.

So today UPS left me a little package from Parker's Maple Barn..inside were 2 bags of maple coffee! Paul not only remembered my comment and went home and surprisingly ordered me coffee! Isn't that so sweet and thoughtful! A wonderful little surprise!

I can hardly wait to wake up tomorrow to the smell of maple coffee brewing...might just make it tad easier to tolerate the next 10 days with him gone.

Thanks honey! I love you!

Paul's Away Day 1

Paul left this morning to start his training for his new job...for 12 days..yes 12 days..in nowhere Indiana. Walmart is the cheapest company (which is why they are doing well and sell crap so cheap) so he had to drive..really. He's on the road now..hopefully almost there..he's been on the road all day through the snow..it sucks. I'm in denial that he's really going to be gone for that long. I don't know if I can make it 12 days by myself..it's going to require a lot of wine and chocolate.

The kids were actually pretty good today..I put Santa's email address and phone number on the fridge so remind them to be good. I'm thinking we might invite an "elf on the shelf" to come later this week. I need all the help I can get.

This is Emma's last week of school before her next track out so they started talking about the winter holidays and what people celebrate. She said 2 people celebrate Diwali and that everyone else celebrates Christmas and no one celebrates Harmonica...umm you mean Hanukkah?...right or is there another holiday I don't know about?