Celebrating

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

egg nog… with ice

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? 

one unwrapped under the tree with stockings

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

both. In the past I’ve been one of ‘those’ houses. This year, I just didn’t have time and had to let the idea go. There’s always next year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

no point. and really, why leave a constant reminder as to why there is no point?

5. When do you put your decorations up?

November 1st? Ok, black friday. I really try to hold off until then.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?

roasted goose. so traditional and so yummy.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

shopping with my mother and grandmother. we always had lunch at the department store restaurant (back when they had those) and it was very, very fancy.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I’m not really sure. I do remember going to sleep in my brother’s room as we were very excited about Santa coming… but I can’t remember for sure if that was the same year I had to put the presents out myself before they got up.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

We open all of the gifts on Christmas Eve. It’s a family tradition. Christmas day is for visiting and playing.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

This year with lights and paper ornaments. I have boxes of ornaments that all have some special meaning – I don’t do theme trees or matchy-matchy ones. I find them a bit boring.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it! very disappointed that there currently is none.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yes. Not as well as I’d like to, but I can skate forwards and backwards. Stopping is sometimes an issue.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Barbie’s airplane. It had a passenger compartment and kitchenette. No cockpit. It was the early 70’s and Barbie was a stewardess.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?

family. even though they are crazy and make me crazy, it still wouldn’t be Christmas without them.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

cookies – all kinds

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

christmas lights

17. What tops your tree?

a lighted star, 1950’s retro

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

if they visited my wish list, receiving. Otherwise giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

This year it’s ‘Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella’ The old carols are always in the top 10 of favorites

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?

yum!

21 Favorite Christmas Show?

any version of A Christmas Carol. I love the ending where Scrooge is running around making everyone happy and having the most fun doing it. Also, Fezziwig’s party sounds like da’ bomb, yo.

Too True

Illness Continues...

Or, Wherein I praise God for the writers of Finding Nemo.

Of course, the cuddler gave me his stomach virus, just in time for the annual preparations for the trip to the ol' homestead. I spent much of the weekend sanitizing myself so that Lala wouldn't be the next victim just in time for Santa's visit. Or rather, our visit to my parents house.

We're leaving tomorrow morning. That should have meant me packing, doing laundry and cleaning in preparation for the long trip. Instead I napped most of the day. As usual, I'll be rushing around in a panic tomorrow morning, leaving the house in a state of disaster and probably forgetting something important - not be realized until at least 100 miles away - like my wallet.

So far, the presents have been wrapped or packed. Snacks have been purchased. The kids have clothes to pack, although I do not. And they still need socks. We never have enough socks. No cuppies or food additives have been packed and the car hasn't been cleaned out for the trip. I also need to install the DVD player, get dog food and some how give the dog sitter the keys. And someone gave the cuddler a frosted sugar cookie, so he'll need a bath. All done before 10 am tomorrow.

Vomitous

I'm one of those lucky moms... illnesses never show up around here until after 5 pm on Friday.

Yesterday it started with diarrhea yesterday, although not bad. Then, after a lunch of toast and applesauce, the cuddler awoke from his nap covered in vomit. Oh, yes... let the fun begin. I went to bed praying that this would just be a 24 hour bug. The cuddler was vomit free this morning until he has milk. And it started all over again. He's gone through about 5 shirts, 2 pairs of pjs and three sheets. Plus half of a jumbo sized lysol wipe container and I think I might just be on a Lysol high. Oh, and at least one melt down because Lala got to eat snack and he didn't.

Watching the first snowfall

I hate cleaning up vomit. It's so.... gelatinous. And smelly. Other than the vomit, he's acting like his normal self. Into everything, demanding that someone play with him, opening the gate, climbing the furniture.

Holiday Fun

When you are two, a gingerbread house may be a bit intimidating. Ok, when you are 40, a gingerbread house IS intimidating. All that precarious stacking and royal icing. Pastry bags! They never work like they do on TV!

A stackable tree shape on the other hand is eminently doable. Just plop down the cookie and some icing. No pastry bag required.

If you buy the kit, no cooking required. You do get tons of childhood memories and when you are two or 40, that is what’s really important.

What memories are you making this year?

Kids Play Kitchen Hack

Saturday I bit the bullet and headed up to Ikea. It’s about an hour and half drive – more if you miss your exit… twice.

I did however get some good stuff. I picked up some kids kitchen ware, new plates and bowls for the kids, silverware for the house, new curtains and a rug for the cuddler’s room, some stocking stuffers for the cuddler, some toddler safe tree decoration (at 25% off… they were so cheap that I saved a whopping $1.25!) and two new sheet sets for me. I also looked at the play kitchens. They did not have the cheaper one from the catalog and the one they did have was very short. The perfect size for the cuddler who is a normal 18 month old height. Lala, however, is about the size of your average 3 year old. She would have towered over it.

Just behind the play area I found this! The Trofast system of storage. It was the right height for Lala and with a sink placed on the and some burners, it would be a great kitchen. Plus all the food and dishes could be stored in the bins underneath.

When she grows out of it, we can return it to it’s natural storage system state for clothes or shoes or something. Kids always need more storage. It’s a twoferone buy.

This is recently played with end result. The sink was purchased online from somewhere I don’t remember. In fact, I purchased it last year… it’s one of the gifts that I was never able to give Lala and has been sitting in the closet forgotten. The burners are wooden plaques I got at JoAnns. I used a sharpie to color on the rings. Right now, they’re duct taped to the top of the cabinet. I told Lala, that they had to stay on the top. We’ll see how long it takes for the cuddler to rip them off. The cabinet was about $50, bins included. (Ikea sale item). The sink was $5, plus shipping and the ‘burners’ were $1.79 ea.

So far, it’s been a bit hit. I decided to give it to her, since A. I probably wouldn’t have time later this month to put the cabinet together and B. I’m sure as heck not driving it across the state and back while we are on our holiday pilgrimage.

We just have to find a place to put it. There will have to be some furniture shift tonight to find a new home.

Contests

Have you entered one those blog give aways? Have you ever won?

I, seriously, almost never win any raffles. In fact, my luck is so bad that I taint those around me. I did have someone tell me a trick to winning ticket raffles, but it only ever worked the days she told me… so perhaps her luck countermanded mine.

I do enter them. All the time. I’m usually commenter number 8,976 by the time I can get around to it, but I still do. It’s supposed to random right?

Today, I entered a contest win a Dyson D25. To enter, you comment why you would need this super expensive piece of household equipment. I wrote, “have two babies and a dog.” I think that pretty much explains how often I vacuum, sweep, mop and swiffer. Oh, yeah. That dog hair is insidious. I honestly believe my dog sheds an entire dog a day. I need super sucking vacuum!

I annoy myself!

Several months ago, there was a blog post by someone(?!?!?) about someone who did interior design consults using photos of your existing furniture and decor... it was way cooler than I'm describing it. The problem is that I don't remember who it was and cannot figure out where it was or even how to search for it.

I want to find it again but can't! Annoying!