8 Things I Learned Over the Holidays

1.  A remake of the movie Annie can be a great thing.

We took the kids to see the new Annie the weekend before Christmas and I was a little worried because the original Annie was one of my favorite movies from my childhood and remakes are never as good as originals.  But, this movie was different enough, that it was lovely in it's own way.  The main actress is amazing and she really makes the movie!  For other adoptive parents, be warned, there are a few hard scenes, ones that portray some of the heartache our kids go through when they don't have families, thankfully I'd been forewarned and we had a few conversations with Little Girl before and after the movie.  I think those conversations, although never easy, bringing up that dialogue, stopping from the busyness of life to acknowledge the pain in our child's past, is ultimately a really good thing.

Now, as a bonus, my kids are singing the song "It's a Hard-Knock Life for Us" when we have family chore time!


2.  I really need to capitalize more on the before Christmas clean-out.

As it turns out, the statement, "We don't have room for anything new, so nobody is opening any gifts until we get rid of some things," is a really motivational mantra to encourage my kids to actually part with some of their things!  Unfortunately I didn't have time to figure this out until Dec. 23rd, so the cleaning out that we could do was limited, but we did fill a few bags.  I just love our playroom game shelves all organized by size of the game boxes!  Notice there is no before picture with them all just crammed wherever there was space!

3.  Taking a Christmas Eve picture of 4 kids plus 1 dog in front of the Christmas tree will not produce a picture where everybody is smiling at the same time, but oh how cuddly they all look!

4.  Christmas morning is definitely a time to just ignore the mess.

I think I already knew this, but I love our Christmas mornings at home, no stress, nowhere to be, time to reflect on the BEST gift of Jesus, seeing the delight in our kids as they open gifts from us, and enjoying time together as a family.

5.  Getting the 11 year old a camera for Christmas was a really good idea!

It's so hard to buy for kids as they get older and we are still resisting the iPhone thing for my middle school son, although he'd still really like one.  His Christmas wishlist was pretty pathetic and no help, with things like new shoelaces on it! Honestly, poor deprived child!  When I saw the list in November I was like, "If you need new shoelaces, I think we can probably get you some before Christmas!"  I was at a loss for what to get him, but then I thought of the idea of his own camera, a DSLR (which my husband and I don't even have), because he's gotten very interested in photography and he's taking a photography class at school this spring semester.  Well, he loved it, and I love that he is learning a real skill as he plays around with lighting and lenses and shutter speed.

6.  With all the racial issues going on in our country right now, this happy scene I discovered in my foyer brought me great joy.

My 6 year old daughter wanted a doll bed for Christmas and after she opened it, she promptly set it up and snuggled two of her dollies in it.  I just think this is what the world needs more of, people of dark skin and light coming together as family.










 


7.  I'm so glad we started the Christmas morning tradition of homemade doughnuts years ago!

Because, yummy!  

 
And the doughnut holes?  Even better, because you can justify eating several they're so small!

8. Hilda the Hippo, although tested on lions and bears at the zoo, is not actually an indestructible dog toy!

This year I researched to find a stuffed toy to buy Madeline, our goldendoodle, one she wouldn't be able to de-stuff in just a couple days.  I had high hopes for Hilda the Hippo after watching the view about how the toy was even tested on zoo animals and even paid more that I typically pay for a dog toy, but sadly Christmas night, Madeline was able to rip both ears off the hippo and soon got all the stuffing out of Hilda's leg! If I can ever get it uploaded, I have a funny video of Madeline wildly pulling stuffing out of the hippo.  I'm thinking I should send that video to the company that made the toy!!

Baking with 4 Kids and a 1 Crazy Dog

My 4 kids made Christmas cookies today.  For the first year, it wasn't total chaos; they were actually really good at the rolling and cutting out of cookies!

Do not fear I'll have to change the name of this blog, there was still chaos in the kitchen due to the dog desperately trying to help make cookies (she is in all 4 of the pictures below, although very hard to spot in the 2nd one):

Would anyone like a 4 year old goldendoodle for Christmas?  I can drop her on your doorstep complete with a large red bow!

My Christmas Elves

My Christmas elves have been hard at work.  

Getting cards ready to mail (we got 250 out this past Monday - yay!):

Smashing candy canes to make peppermint bark for teachers:

 Drizzling the chocolate on top:

And leaving me little notes like this one.

Notice my answer at the bottom to the, "What do you want for Christmas?" question?  "A clean house!"  Do you think I'll get what I'm asking for?

Now to get the elves wrapping presents . . .
 

Only 3 Weeks Until Christmas!!

We decorated our Christmas tree last weekend, and I can say for the first time in years my kids helped decorate the tree and I did not rearrange a single ornament after they went to bed!  Not because they have become amazing tree-decorators or even learned to observe the rule that more than one ornament should not hang on the same branch, but because I do not care/do not have the energy or time to redecorate.  I'm not sure if this is a positive step forward, but I'm counting it as one!

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I was vacuuming recently (hence the hose in the picture) and this hilarious sight showed up in my kitchen:

My youngest son wearing a purple tutu and purple hair bow!

When you are sandwiched between sisters, one big and one little, these things happen!

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We took our Kapla Blocks on our roadtrip to relatives' for Thanksgiving and they were the perfect thing for cousins to join in on and to entertain the kids (and adults, too!) at grandparents house!  

The kids having a tower building contest:

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Happy Friday, can you believe it's only 3 weeks until Christmas?!!!  If it makes you feel any better I have yet to order my Christmas cards, wrap a single present, or bake a cookie, but I DID get my car inspected only one day after the sticker expired, so I'm patting myself on the back none the less!

100% Authentic Re-Enactments of The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not even officially here yet, and I've already enjoyed all manner of festivities!

The kindergarten Thanksgiving lunch I attended today with over 100 pilgrims and Indians:

Now, I was not there at the very first Thanksgiving feast but I feel certain there were not Chick-Fil-A nuggets nor Capri Suns, however, I'm sure a nugget tray and a little fruit punch would have been a welcomed addition to their Thanksgiving bounty!

And then tonight, from the comfort of the couch in my living room, there was a Thanksgiving play put on by my three youngest children who played the parts of a pilgrim, the turkey, and an Indian.

My favorite part was when the pilgrim caught the turkey!

But, the conversation at dinner when my 9 year old daughter was assigning parts, and the 7 year old, upon being given the part of "The Turkey", lamented that he always got the bad parts, was pretty priceless, too!  But, he rallied and put on an Oscar-worthy performance as The Turkey, complete with lots of "Gobble!  Gobble!"s. 

Wishing you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

One Week of Winter Was More Than Enough!

Well, winter came and went here for us in the South.  It was rough week of temps dipping into the mid 30s which is super cold for us in November!  Of course it's nothing like many of you have experienced around the country from this cold snap.  But, keep in mind that we Southerners who live at sea level just are not made for the cold, not to mention we do not own proper coats or gloves or really even know what winter gear is.  So, there was a lot of whining during our week of cold.  And also 2 different outside school field trips that I chaperoned on 30 & 40 degree days.  For the 2nd grade field trip to the Arboretum I had 11 kids in my group and I can say that at the end of the day I loaded 11 kids back on the bus, but I cannot say the same for the gloves of all those 11 kids, we definitely lost some along the way!

The only way my kids and I got through the cold snap was this:

Every day!

I'll have you know that is HOMEMADE whipped cream on that hot chocolate.  Not because I am such a chef, but out of pure desperation because we ran out of the canned spray kind!  I had a half-used carton of whipping cream in the fridge and was able to demonstrate to the kids that it does in fact turn into whipped cream with enough beating!

Now we are back to 70 degrees so all is right in my world again!  Really, I'm doing well to get my 4 kids out the door on time for school each day, throw in 4 pairs of gloves and hats and y'all I need a serious nap by 8am!

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In other news, one Saturday morning recently (after swim practice, hence the 11 year old sporting the swimsuit and sweatshirt look) my husband and oldest son realized we'd never taught Little Girl how to play baseball, so they set to the task:

She learned quickly as she seems to learn everything involving physical ability

My husband and son soon announced that she was "really pretty good" and wouldreally do well on a softball team.  To which I asked, "So who has time to get her to and from practice?"  Nobody, that's who.  So, for now she'll just have to show off her stuff in the backyard!

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The girls made this book together with some really cute illustrations:

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And then there was a costume contest.  The boys were the judges, like literally scored their sister's costume creations for several different criteria, including creativity!  Here my younger daughter is a cupcake and my older daughter is a marshmallow!

I'm not sure what this was; it was in the "fantasy" category, but I think her serious pout face makes the outfit!

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I'm feeling a bit proud of myself that I've already bought some Christmas gifts, but really still in denial that next week is Thanksgiving already!!!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Broken Teeth, Rainy Day Fun, and Reading Books to Dogs

Well, I don't know about how the time change is playing out in your house, but my kids have been up a full 45 minutes earlier than usual each morning and yet not able to fall asleep early which has contributed to some melt downs and general crankiness this week.

The positive is that I've recruited them to help pack their lunches with all the extra morning time!

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I've said before, if there is one thing I have learned in this season of life we are in right now with 4 kids ages 11, 9, 7, and 6 years old, it is that TEETH WILL FALL OUT.

That fact I was used to.  Rummaging through my purse to find my lip gloss and instead finding a plastic baggie containing someone else's tooth is no longer even strange, but you know what is?  When your kid only loses half of a tooth!

My husband and our 11 year old son went to our professional football team game last Sunday afternoon and when they came home after the initial update on the game experience, my husband told me I needed to look in the 11 year old's mouth because he lost a tooth at the game, but only part of it came out.

"What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? (my childhood of watching Different Strokes still haunts me!)

I looked in my son's mouth and sure enough, he had lost just part of his first molar.  I then consulted the medical expertise that is Google to figure out if this was an emergency situation or something not to worry about.  I really didn't find a satisfying answer, so I was forced to use my own common sense.  The tooth was a baby tooth, the boy was not in pain, and he was able to eat normally = not an emergency and I would call the dentist Monday morning.  And in the mean time try not to look at the tooth because man did it look gross!

When I called the dentist office, they assured me that it was quite common, but that the other half of the tooth did need to come out so the permanent tooth could grow in properly.  She said we could try to work it out ourselves but if we couldn't get it, we'd need to come in to have it pulled.

My husband and I both put in our best efforts that evening, but as it turns out, it is hard to get a good grip on half a molar!  So, the dentist used a little numbing cream and pulled it out.

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In other news, it rained this week:

Little Girl is happy there, but remember the melt-downs I mentioned at the beginning?  Well, there was an umbrella fit on the walk to the car after school when Little Girl didn't want to use the umbrella she had but wanted the one her sister had instead.  "It's not FAIR!!  But I want THAT one!!!  She ALWAYS gets that one!!!"  My suggestion of "How about being happy you have an umbrella at all?" went over about as well as you'd expect in that situation!

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And the only other picture on my camera from the week is this one of my 9 year old daughter reading to the dog.  If Madeline the dog's face looks as if she's being held hostage against her will, it's because she was.  The 9 year old was determined that the dog should hear this book that was about a dog and she kept making Madeline lay "down" and listen to the story.  At least Madeline got a treat for her listening efforts!

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Ultimate 1st World Problem -- My Dog Groomer is Booked Until January!

The week has flown by, and Saturday is November, which is all kinds of crazy!

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One evening this week while working at my volunteer job as a court appointed special advocate for children in state protective custody, I sat next to a 13 year old girl on the couch in her foster home and she told me in a tone of voice I don't think I'll ever forget, "I just want to be adopted."

It broke my heart into a million pieces!  I am now working to change the situation for this sweet girl and her younger brother, to find them a home where they will be loved, treasured, a place where they can heal from the pain of their past.

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I drove home sadly reflecting on how much children need a family and how the foster home where these two children are placed was meeting their basic needs, but not loving them as a family would. Then I walked into my house to the scene of my husband carving a pumpkin with our 4 pajama-clad children.

There was mess and pumpkin guts and squealing and one brother wiping pumpkin goo on a sister's arm and arguing over the name for the newly created jack-o-lantern, but it was FAMILY!  We were all known and loved and messy and loud, and that's what I want for these 2 children on my case.

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In happier news than children without parents, Madeline the dog got a much needed grooming this week.  You can thank me for forgetting to snap a photo before she went in and thus sparing you the vision of the "before" and allowing just the "after":

Because we let the grooming wait too long this time, when I picked up the dog I took the proactive step of scheduling her next grooming appointment and was surprised to find that even on October 29th, they are booked all the way through the first of the new year!  So we have an appointment the 2nd week in January.  Here's a truth that likely reveals something rather pathetic about the state of my life: I can call my hairstylist and get an appointment within a week, yet my dog's hair stylist books up over 2 months in advance!!  

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I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Just imagine all the possibilities of what you can do with that extra hour "Fall Back" provides!!  My plan for that hour is lofty, indeed -- sleep!  

Elephant Pumpkins and Doll Discrimination, It's All Here!

There are some weeks that go by and I am so busy but at the end of it there is nothing tangible to show for all the work.

But, not this week, folks!  This week I have this:

 

Yes, I helped my 7 year old turn a pumpkin into an elephant for his school project where they were to decorate a pumpkin to look like a book character.  He chose Horton from Horton Hatches the Egg as his character. Let it be known that I typically do not assist quite so much with my children's school projects, but seriously, for this one?  What 7 year old can turn a pumpkin into a book character by themselves??  And my little guy and I did have fun doing this project together.

Grab a glue gun, some grey spray paint, an old grey sock stuffed with stuffing and a wire coat hangar, some construction paper ears, googly eyes, and a felt cut out mouth and you too could have a pumpkin elephant!  What better thing to add to your Halloween decor?!!

This is another item I've added to my arsenal of Mommy-skills, the ability to turn a pumpkin into an elephant!  Cinderella's fairy godmother's got nothing on me!

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We have every other year friend birthday parties for our kids and on the off years they can choose a special activity with a parent or our family, like attending a professional sports event, visiting an amusement park, or the hotel overnight I recently did with my older daughter.  To celebrate Little Girl's birthday this past week, I took her and my 9 year old daughter to the American Girl store.  

We had lunch with their dolls, the dolls are given their own seat and dishes!  

Then we had the dolls hair done, which Little Girl's doll REALLY needed as she had done her own "styles" on her poor doll and it was looking really ratted and messy.  For a bargain $10 (and hear me on this, NOTHING else is a bargain at that store, but getting her old doll's hair fixed back to nice for only $10 was a steal!) Daisy the doll even got to sit in a salon chair with a cape and get her hair styled.  Little Girl loved watching her doll's hair get fixed.  (The look on the stylist's face is hilarious, the doll's hair really was that bad!)

But, that sweet lady was able to work wonders and Daisy the doll is back to cute curly pigtails!

We had such a fun afternoon, I really should have just ended it there, but I'd told Little Girl that as part of her birthday gift from us she could pick out a new doll from the store.  Oh sweet mercy, I cannot tell you how many times my older daughter and I walked around that store with Little Girl looking at all the choices!  Little Girl would enthusiastically fall in love with a doll, settle on it, only to change her mind to a different doll one display over!  Then she'd pick a doll because she liked the outfit it was dressed in and we had a time explaining that the doll was not dressed in the outfit she came in, so she should not pick the doll based on the dress the doll was wearing, that dress was sold separately for $40!!

And don't even get me started on the little episode where my 9 year old daughter tried to convince her little sister to get "Addie", the doll with "brown skin, like yours".  We broke down all kinds of cultural and racial barriers right there in the American Girl store and Little Girl left with a fair skinned, blonde-haired doll, proving to the world that you don't have to look like your doll to love her!

Here she is with her old and new dolls:

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Happy Friday, Friends!!