The week between Christmas and New Year's

Once Christmas is over, all the new games have been played and the toys have been tried, the excitement winds down. The question is asked, when do the decorations and tree come down? Due to the new puppy chewing on the tree lights, legos and other new toys, we had to barricade an area around the tree.
Due to the barricade, we decided to take the tree down sooner rather than later. So Monday, the tree and all other inside decorations came down, were packed away in storage containers, and stored in the basement until next December (or at least until after Thanksgiving). The living room is back to normal, for now.
Tuesday brought a neighbor's children to play. They are moving out of state and the kids needed somewhere to play while the packers did their thing and boxed up the contents of the neighboring house. So from 9-ish am until 4-ish pm there were double the number of usual children in our living space. All four kids got along well most of the time, but anytime you double the number of little people in a house things will get a hectic. My wonderful husband had to go out and run some errands and asked if I needed anything. I requested my favorite bubbly beverage which he sought out and brought home.

Wednesday, knowing I needed a little fresh air after Monday and Tuesday, my wonderful honey worked from home and watched our oldest son and a friend, while my youngest went to a friends house to play. I headed out to run some errands of my own. My fabulous husband told me to take my time, so I did, getting home ten minutes before the friend had to be taxied back to his own home. While I was out, my honey requested his favorite bubbly beverage. I tracked down the elusive bottle, and brought it home.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. My wonderful husband's team is in a good bowl game and select foods are required for the event. I will make sure all food is ready for kick-off. Later in the evening, our boys will get to stay up to watch the ball drop. They have not witnessed this spectical before. I am sure Dick Clark will make the evening memorable.

Friday brings my team playing in a bowl game and more selected foods will have to be prepped. We may also have to have more of those favored bubbly beverages.
Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas

This is my living room Christmas morning. (Do I need to add, my boys have not been allowed to come downstairs yet?) I am fixing my cup of hot tea and my wonderful honey is getting the cameras ready to capture the great moments of the morning. (I have already taken Jedi out for her morning "duties".)

Then my two wonderful boys are called down the steps. The youngest was "floored" at the pile of gifts (Okay, maybe we spoil our kids a little).



Then the paper flew! Batting helmets, toys, games, and other favored, requested items. The guys had a great morning and so did my honey and I. When the paper landed, I had acquired a new cast iron skillet and a wonderful game from my childhood. My man had new slippers to warm his feet and a new game to exercise his brain. (I really like the game "Bananagrams" think "Scrabble" with out the board.)

My guys (all three) checked out their new loot, and I sat back to admire the scene.
Please note: one full garbage bag of wrapping paper has already been removed from the scene.

Where is Jedi some of you might ask. Have no fear she was not left out of the celebration. She got this cool new soccer ball and other toys. She played with this ball for most of the morning.



Merry Christmas Everyone!

Jedi

We have entered a new phase of life in our house. Not everyone chooses to go through this phase. Some will miss out, although not everyone should take this tough road.

We got a puppy on Saturday. Her name is Jedi. She is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. She is 8 weeks old. And right now is it 5:45 in the morning and I have already taken her outside on this cold winter morning to do her business.

Don't get me wrong. I really wanted a dog. My boys have been begging for a dog all year. We just should have gotten here in the spring or summer - it's just warmer outside then.

"...And the Stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

When my sisters and I were growing up, my mom started a tradition. Each day from December 1 until December 24, we would find a small gift in our stockings. I have now come to realize that this started because she just could not wait until Christmas to give us the small things she had stockpiled for our stockings. Sometimes it would appear in the mornings, sometimes not until after school, and occasionally not until right before bed. It was not something large, just a small token. Knee highs, makeup brushes, fun socks or gloves. The three of us all loved it, but I soon got the (probably deserved) reputation of being a little over zealous in my stocking checks.

So now, I carry on the tradition in my home. My two guys know that they cannot check the stocking until they are dressed for school. Again the rules of the stocking gifts: small, inexpensive, fit in the stocking. That last one is very flexible. I have seen yarn tied to a stocking leading the way to the gift du jour.

I love seeing the glee on my guys faces in the morning as they discover the prize by the fireplace. I even try to fill my wonderful honey's sock a few times as well.

As for my stocking, it is not left out of the fun. My honey gives it something to hold on occasion as well.

And I try really hard to only check it a few times a day.