12/23/12 Xmas: A home tour

So it stinks to pack away Christmas things for approximately 11 months and then only enjoy them in brief glances throughout the hustle/bustle of the holiday. So here are a few of my favorite things! What's your favorite decorations?

12/22/12 Xmas Question: trees!!

Christmas question of the day!!
Christmas trees: live or fake?
One or many?

I have a lot of trees. Every year I seem to add one. This year there is the main tree with eclectic mix of ornaments in the living room.
Dining room tree is natural with berries and pine cones.
Family room has homemade country primitive decorations.
Aiden and Amelia each have a tree in their bedrooms.
The hall tree is silver with pink and blue, which reminds me of my kids.
The bathroom is snowmen.
The kitchen only has a small tree on the windowsill.
Enjoy the photos, better yet come see them in person!
Share your tree!!

12/21/12 Xmas Question: hardest person to buy for

So I'm running a bit behind on the Christmas question of the day! The question is: who is the hardest person to buy for on your list?

Mine is always guys in general. They tend to like things that shoot and it's just not in the price range I'm trying to meet!

Rich is always hard too because he wants expensive stuff or electronics, which just confuse me!

So who is your most difficult purchase?

Weekly reflections 12/23/12

12/23/12

1. Nothing sounds sweeter than the honking and squeaking of your own child playing an instrument.
2. Check the vanilla before you add it to cookies to make sure it's not worcestershire sauce. Yuck!
3. Tis the season for reruns.
4. It's completely normal to want to kick kittens and puppies every. Single. Time. I. Open. The Tupperware. Cabinet!
5. The elf is getting very lazy and forgetting to move some nights. Good thing Christmas is almost here.
6. When you get a mysterious email from. 'Mr. Tan Wong' you can be pretty sure it's spam.
7. I'm totally offering to do free counseling to any persons whose grandma got ran over by a reindeer.
8. I totally forgot yesterday was Sunday so my reflections are a day late! Oops!

Share some of your reflections.

12/20/12 Xmas question: teacher/classroom gifts

The question of the day is: Do you give out teacher Christmas gifts and classroom treats?

This year we lucked out with treats by ordering small Scottie dog pins from my friend Nicci Bard. Find her art in
Etsy and on FB.

Teachers gifts are a given. I try to honor them with small tokens of appreciation. Aiden has a male teacher this years and it's a little harder. He is getting a mug with lottery tickets.
Both kids give their speech teachers a gift, as well as their bus driver. Do you do this? Share your ideas.

12/19/12 What not to buy....never....ever, ever!!!

What not to EVER, EVER buy children for Christmas

2012 edition

 

 

1.  Furby. Creepy before, even more creepy at $50.00 a pop.

 

2.  Squinkies. Please, it's a fancy pencil top eraser.

3. Bratz dolls: Little sluts. Never buy your child a doll that looks like a hooker and wears sexier underwear than you. It sends a bad message.

 

4.  Every classic board game in a princess, sponge bob, etc. addition. Buy the original, it will last longer.

 

5. Make up for kids...you know that crap is being snuck out from under the tree, hidden in their room, and then just when you are in a rush to leave the house, your daughter will appear looking like a street walker.

 

6. Ditto on the nail polish...the color doesn't look as nice on bedroom carpet.

 

7. Legos--listen, if I wanted to put together 2000 pieces I would have gotten an assembly job.  Then you know they are dismembering it as soon as it's built, only to have you step on pieces at 3am when you have to pee.

8. Monster High dolls...seriously, somewhere in my house is a burial of missing heads, hands, legs....creepy!

 

9. Any microphone anything....my kids are loud enough, they do not need amplified.

 

10. A Toys 'R Us gift card...you know whatever amount that it is, you the parent, are adding to it to buy the toy they have to have.

 

11.  Any baby doll that pees, poops, needs to eat...or generally involves any type of behavior that I would be better off having a real baby.

 

12. A drum set...seriously, is an explanation even necessary?!

 

13.  A skate board or Ripstik caster board...my child will break their leg and then I'm calling you to carry them up and down our stairs.

14.  Zhu-zhu pets. I don't need a toy that will require me to cut off half my kid's hair when she gets it stuck in it.

 

15.  A Fijit. Gross. The bottom is made of rubbery stuff which gets super dirty and every single dog hair will stick to it. Also the kid will scream demands at it and it will never comply.

16. Tranformer anything. Yeah, I am way too stupid to get that thing back to it's original set up.

17.  Nerf anything. Because nothing says "I love you Mom" like being pinged in the head with some Nerf bullet. Plus, the lawnmower just loves them. It makes the yard so colorful with little Styrofoam pieces everywhere.

 

18.  Movies...they never get watched and they take up too much room. Then the DVD never gets back into it's case and gets cracked and then Mommy gets cranky and needs to drink. Moral of story...movies lead to alcohol abuse.

 

19.  Music CD's.....no one should have to listen to an entire musical collection of Taylor Swift. The radio repeats that crap enough.

 

20.  And the top gift never, never, never, ever to give.....a new pet. Nothing says love like cleaning up tinsel colored poop in the living room, then paying to take the thing to the vet when it eats said tinsel. Just don't do it...it's not a gift that keeps on giving in a good way!

 

That's all for this year! Can you add anything?

 

.....With love and empty spots under the tree,

Carla @ Mommy in the 'Dale

 

 





12/18/12 Xmas Question: Children's concerts

Well, tonight was the 5th and 6th grade Chorus and Band concert for the boy child. It brought a tear to my eye watching those innocent kids up on stage singing and playing their hearts out. Just seems like yesterday that was me on that stage. I am so blessed to have musical child. Aiden plays the trumpet! Hopefully he will follow in my footsteps and continue on. I can't tell you the fun I had as a 'band geek!' I loved it!

So the question today is....Have you attended a children's Christmas concert of any sort this holiday?

 

Waiting to get get it.....yes the boy child's lips are super chapped. I have no idea what he does to cause this!

It only took him 3 tries to actually find the band room. He also told me moments before we were leaving he should wear a white shirt---what???

Momma didn't buy a white shirt! So that's why it's a little too big on him and more causal then I would prefer....whatev....it worked!

The girl child...you can dress her up....but she will still be miserable waiting!

Pappy and Aiden....Pap thought he was done with these types of concerts when I graduated!

5th and 6th grade chorus.

Chorus

Chorus

chorus

Chorus

5th grade band....Can't see Aiden though...grrr!

See that flute and that brown haired boy...look in the middle of them and there's Aiden's head!

These are videos...hit the triangle to hear!

So proud of my Aid!

 

Nothing's better than brand new 5th grade musicians pounding out notes together to make a song! Adorable!

 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's super special post....what not to buy my children EVER!!!!

 

Enjoy your last week before Christmas!

.......Carla @ Mommy in the 'Dale