Emily made this Christmas Tree ornament at Girlscouts.
Apparently we're jewish now?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas Miracles!
Yup, you got it. Santa came early and repaired my vacume.
Not sure if he got more tired of me asking (whining, complaining, begging) or all the stuff on the carpet- but either way my vacume if functional now!
Friday, December 11, 2009
The big day...........
So, it has become an annual tradition for me. Like the lighting of the tree, or cookies for the big guy himself, Christmas doesn't get into full swing around here until the annual Kids Kingdom Santas Secret Workshop at our church.
Tonight marks year number 6. The workshop is an entire 2 hour period of crafting for all the little kids of our church and their friends. I set up 12 or so different crafting table stations and the kids get to shop the different crafts and select 5 or so that they would like to make to give as gifts. It's awesome. Not awesome like 'these are the best crafts every invented', but awesome to see all the little kids working so hard to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Awesome like having them all sing happy birthday to baby Jesus. Awesome like seeing 30 kids or so wrap their 150ish homemade gifts in brightly colored paper. Really, it is a fun night.
The two weeks prior to tonight- chaos. Here's a picture of my kitchen a week or so ago.
It stayed like that- if not worse- until last night when we moved it all to the church. The counters were covered with Michael's bags and crafting items, the kitchen table transformed into a drying rack for all the small pre-glued items, and the floor covered with boxes of mason jars to be washed, plastic bottles to be taken and bags of necessary 'ingredients'. And daily, scraps of felt and bags of pipe cleaners were made into parts for their projects. It has (and is always) a hectic couple of weeks. My van has run circles back and forth from Michael's, The Dollar Tree and home (only because I suck at planning out a complete list prior to making purchases- I'll put that on my resolution list). But tonight- ahhhh tonight it will all be worth it.
So- because I am a complete freak and I apparently need something else to do with my time- I have started a kids crafting blog. Nothing earth shattering, mostly shoplifted ideas from websites and magazines, but since I already put the time and such into putting together kids crafts I thought it might be useful to someone else who is searching for things for little hands to make. Plus it gives me an excuse to stay on the computer a little longer in the mornings- thus avoiding laundry and housework.
But be warned- if you are a parent of a Kids Kingdomer- you just might be receiving these items as a present come December 25 so you might want to skip taking a look.
Just sayin'.
Tonight marks year number 6. The workshop is an entire 2 hour period of crafting for all the little kids of our church and their friends. I set up 12 or so different crafting table stations and the kids get to shop the different crafts and select 5 or so that they would like to make to give as gifts. It's awesome. Not awesome like 'these are the best crafts every invented', but awesome to see all the little kids working so hard to enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Awesome like having them all sing happy birthday to baby Jesus. Awesome like seeing 30 kids or so wrap their 150ish homemade gifts in brightly colored paper. Really, it is a fun night.
The two weeks prior to tonight- chaos. Here's a picture of my kitchen a week or so ago.
It stayed like that- if not worse- until last night when we moved it all to the church. The counters were covered with Michael's bags and crafting items, the kitchen table transformed into a drying rack for all the small pre-glued items, and the floor covered with boxes of mason jars to be washed, plastic bottles to be taken and bags of necessary 'ingredients'. And daily, scraps of felt and bags of pipe cleaners were made into parts for their projects. It has (and is always) a hectic couple of weeks. My van has run circles back and forth from Michael's, The Dollar Tree and home (only because I suck at planning out a complete list prior to making purchases- I'll put that on my resolution list). But tonight- ahhhh tonight it will all be worth it.
So- because I am a complete freak and I apparently need something else to do with my time- I have started a kids crafting blog. Nothing earth shattering, mostly shoplifted ideas from websites and magazines, but since I already put the time and such into putting together kids crafts I thought it might be useful to someone else who is searching for things for little hands to make. Plus it gives me an excuse to stay on the computer a little longer in the mornings- thus avoiding laundry and housework.
But be warned- if you are a parent of a Kids Kingdomer- you just might be receiving these items as a present come December 25 so you might want to skip taking a look.
Just sayin'.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Going Green?
We live in a different world. My school plays in elementary were about santa and singing toys. Allysons are about the price of oil by the barrel (actually sung that in a catchy tune) and how to recycle christmas trees. What?
Allyson was a singing and dancing toy- she chose to be a Barbie. The song was "It's our world"- making all adults in the room want to run home and begin rinsing plastic jars for recycling.
Just imagine a bunch of 10 year olds singing "The Greenhouse Effect" and "Turn off the Pump". There was even "Recycle the Fruitcake". Catchy tune, still singing it to myself.
Although very different from anything I've ever seen produced on a school stage- very 2009ish- it was by far one of the cutest, funniest plays I've every seen.
Until I started tearing up. This is THE last time I will see this little girl perform on the elementary school stage. Probably the last Christmas Play for Allyson- next year will probably be something different at the Middle School (or Intermediate School- I can never remember which is which). Wow. Hard to believe she is wrapping up year number 5 of elementary school already. Until she starts acting like a PMSing pre-teen, then it is very real, but that's a story for another day, folks.
Even Sam got in on the action by wearing his Green shirt.
Green, it's the new black.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Snow!
Imagine my surprise to wake up yesterday and look outside and see snow! It completely catches you off guard when you, well, you know, are completely isolated from anything adult- including the news! They don't typically offer updates on nickelodeon or PBS- so I'm always in the dark!
All of the kids were excited- but I think Sam was the most. He was absolutely amazed and immediately opened the door and stuck his naked toe into the frozen white stuff.
Inside he came, ran to his room, grabbed his rain boots (yes- rain boots), his winter coat and back he came. I ran to the kitchen to grab my camera and when I got to the back door, there he was- laying in the snow making an angel........
In his pajamas.
Hello child protective services- he was only out there for a minute and I swear I wouldn't have allowed him to lay down in the snow while only wearing pj's. That would be irresponsible. Of course I brought him in immediately and wrapped him in a blankie. But not before I snapped this picture.
Who would have thought that his first inclination upon walking into the white stuff would have been to lay down in it?
All of the kids were excited- but I think Sam was the most. He was absolutely amazed and immediately opened the door and stuck his naked toe into the frozen white stuff.
Inside he came, ran to his room, grabbed his rain boots (yes- rain boots), his winter coat and back he came. I ran to the kitchen to grab my camera and when I got to the back door, there he was- laying in the snow making an angel........
In his pajamas.
Hello child protective services- he was only out there for a minute and I swear I wouldn't have allowed him to lay down in the snow while only wearing pj's. That would be irresponsible. Of course I brought him in immediately and wrapped him in a blankie. But not before I snapped this picture.
Who would have thought that his first inclination upon walking into the white stuff would have been to lay down in it?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
It is so not easy being the only boy sibling.Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Where do I clock in at?
This preparing the house to prepare the house for Christmas thing is exhausting. It's like real work.
I spent over 8 hours yesterday alone cleaning.
My first mistake was that I went upstairs. To the toy room. Holy cow.
So I spent some time putting toys back together, books back on shelves, doll house furniture back in the dollhouse, hungry hippo marbles back with the game, and on and on and on. I had to have a path to work in, after all, and in order to vacume the carpet I would have to-you know- be able to get to it.
Once completed, I began to clean the ledge over our living room. You know, the one that I haven't cleaned in like, well, ever apparently. With my vacume on the fritz, I had to hook up our secondary vacume (we'll call it the moose) and drag it up to suck up the blanket of dust.
Removed all the items on the ledge, dusted and cleaned them. Knocked a vase off, landed on the sofa, didn't break into 1000 pieces (yeah!)
Pulled the fake ficus tree down to clean. Considered throwing it away and buying a new one but bit the bullet and cleaned it instead.
Mopped and cleaned ledge.
Dusted upstairs furniture, as it was equally nasty.
Vacumed the ceiling fan, ceilings and corners (halloween is in fact over, time to remove all the cobwebs).
Polished the stairs and railing.
Drug out the christmas garland. Decorated ledge and staircase.
Brought moose downstairs, along with the other 53 things Sam had drug upstairs while we were up there.
Moved all the furniture in the living room, cleaned under them (yuck!), cleaned under sofa cusions (double yuck!), rearranged room to make room for tree.
Vacumed and mopped the entire downstairs wood floors- just for good measure.
Dusted downstairs furniture (large clumps of dusty yuck had drifted down from upstairs ledge).
Made dinner. Cleaned up dinner.
By now I am a sweaty, stinky mess. And I'm tired. And my back is sore. And I still have to run out to the store.
Get home, begin bathing children.
Dan, while youngest is in the tub, goes to the attic and brings down the tree. He and Emily sort the branches and set it up- in the space that I made room for and cleaned.
Who is the hero? Daddy, of course. Because he put up the tree.
I spent over 8 hours yesterday alone cleaning.
My first mistake was that I went upstairs. To the toy room. Holy cow.
So I spent some time putting toys back together, books back on shelves, doll house furniture back in the dollhouse, hungry hippo marbles back with the game, and on and on and on. I had to have a path to work in, after all, and in order to vacume the carpet I would have to-you know- be able to get to it.
Once completed, I began to clean the ledge over our living room. You know, the one that I haven't cleaned in like, well, ever apparently. With my vacume on the fritz, I had to hook up our secondary vacume (we'll call it the moose) and drag it up to suck up the blanket of dust.
Removed all the items on the ledge, dusted and cleaned them. Knocked a vase off, landed on the sofa, didn't break into 1000 pieces (yeah!)
Pulled the fake ficus tree down to clean. Considered throwing it away and buying a new one but bit the bullet and cleaned it instead.
Mopped and cleaned ledge.
Dusted upstairs furniture, as it was equally nasty.
Vacumed the ceiling fan, ceilings and corners (halloween is in fact over, time to remove all the cobwebs).
Polished the stairs and railing.
Drug out the christmas garland. Decorated ledge and staircase.
Brought moose downstairs, along with the other 53 things Sam had drug upstairs while we were up there.
Moved all the furniture in the living room, cleaned under them (yuck!), cleaned under sofa cusions (double yuck!), rearranged room to make room for tree.
Vacumed and mopped the entire downstairs wood floors- just for good measure.
Dusted downstairs furniture (large clumps of dusty yuck had drifted down from upstairs ledge).
Made dinner. Cleaned up dinner.
By now I am a sweaty, stinky mess. And I'm tired. And my back is sore. And I still have to run out to the store.
Get home, begin bathing children.
Dan, while youngest is in the tub, goes to the attic and brings down the tree. He and Emily sort the branches and set it up- in the space that I made room for and cleaned.
Who is the hero? Daddy, of course. Because he put up the tree.
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