Wordful Wednesday: The joy, the anticipation, the complete and utter deliciousness

To my dear Kaylee,

As your mother, there are so many things I'm responsible for teaching you. Look both ways before you cross the street. Don't cut in line. Be nice. Don't bite. Don't pinch. Don't throw a fit. Boys are disgusting. 2 + 2 = 4. Take your vitamins.

But, out of all the things I feel the need to teach you, I cannot even begin to describe the level of joy I felt when I realized I didn't need to teach you about how nothing else in the world matters when you've got a Christmas sugar cookie in your face. I feel like doing this very same thing with my own hands and opening my mouth as wide as it will go when I feast my eyes upon one of Grandma's sugar cookies, too. And I didn't even have to teach you. You figured it out all on your own. That's my girl, sweetie pie.

That's my girl.

Love, Mama

This post is a part of Wordful Wednesday, hosted by Angie at 7 Clown Circus.

Holiday How-To #5: Decorate for Christmas if you've got a rambunctious toddler (or a cat)

Decorating for Christmas presented a whole new set of challenges this year. Kaylee is a climber, a daredevil, and loves to put things around her neck, so the thought of having a Christmas tree up this year was starting to give me heartburn.

I figured she'd do one of four things:

1. Climb the tree
2. Pull the tree over on herself
3. Try to make the lights into a necklace
4. Remove all ornaments from the tree and hide them wherever it is she is currently hiding 22 of her 24 crayons and all but one of her pacifiers.

I hate heartburn, so we opted to do things differently this year.

First order of business?

We downgraded from last year's tree...

...to this year's tree...


We're pretty partial to our Christmas tree ornaments, some of which were our very first Christmas ornaments on our first Christmases. We don't have a Martha Stewart matching tree and we never will (although I will admit part of me would love to have an elegantly decorated color coordinated tree - I think I'd go with pink and silver). We love our collection of ornaments that commemorate special events that happened each year, and Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without them.

So...we came up with this idea for our entryway, which - believe it or not - was not inspired by anything in Better Homes and Gardens or the Martha Stewart magazine.


And, for the part of me that loves decorations that are beautiful and color coordinated, we have this, which Kaylee cannot destroy - I hope.


Now, I realize that it's a bit late in the game to be giving you tips for Christmas decorating. I mean - shoot - it's just a couple days away. But, hopefully this will give you some inspiration for next year.

And, I'd just like to throw it out there that I got all my Christmas decorations for 90% off at Target and Michael's during their after Christmas sales last year, so get in on that bit of shopping heaven a couple weeks after Christmas and you'll be set for next year.

Also - for you cat lovers out there, my totally rockin' and not the least bit cheesy wall display of ornaments will work wonderfully if for some reason you decide to opt out of a Christmas tree as a result of an adventurous cat (my dear friend Deb got to experience this first hand this year).

This post is my 5th Holiday How-To post, inspired by Summer's Holiday How-To Blog Carnival at Le Musings of Moi.

Holiday How-To #2: Mr. Potato Head like you've never seen him before... *Edited with new info!*

***EDITED INFO...

Ok, so after posting this, I went to Wal-Mart - totally excited to score 2 Mr. Potato Heads for a buck, and the crankypants old lady at the checkout informs me they do NOT price match for Dollar General. Stupid radio ad says, "We will match any competitor's price." So, sorry if any of you tried this at Wal-Mart and it didn't work. But, if you've got a Dollar General - then hop to because the deal will still work there!

So, ever since Summer from Le Musings of Moi announced her Holiday How-To blogging carnival that's going on through the whole month of December, I've got ideas for holiday how-to posts just coming out my ears!

Coming up in the next few days you'll find these holiday how-to's on my blog...

*How to make a fun, inexpensive gift for your child or a child you know
*How to prioritize your week so you don't get overwhelmed with all the holiday hullabaloo
*How to let Healthy Choice take away some holiday stress (this one includes Healthy Choice coupons for one lucky reader)
*How to make some of my favorite holiday foods.
*How to put your Christmas ornaments up without putting up a tree to hang them on because your child will climb to the top of it, get tangled in the lights because they look like a "pitty neckick" (translation - "pretty necklace"), or choke herself with garland.

Today's idea is all about how you can get your child (or a child you know) a Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head doll for just 50 cents, and at the same time, you can get another Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head to donate to a child this Christmas.

This really takes care of two things for us this holiday season:

1. You're getting a fun, brand-new, not annoying or loud toy for your kiddo, or for some little munchkin on your Christmas list for a whopping 50 pennies. I don't even know if Goodwill would sell you Mr. Potato Head for that cheap. Even if they do sell them for 50 cents, this way you're guaranteed to get one that won't have snot from someone else's kid on it.

2. It allows you to give this holiday season without breaking your bank. So many of us are not in a place where we can just bust out the checkbook and give to charity right now, but what a great opportunity this would be to help out a little cutie pie in your town this Christmas.

I think most communities have toy drives going on this time of year, and they usually want new, unwrapped toys. If you're unaware of any, contact your local Salvation Army, shelters, children's hospitals, or your local Child Protective Services office - they're always in need of toys this time of year.

Ok, so how do you make this magic happen? It's easy.

First of all, go to www.coupons.com and print out 2 of the $2 off Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head coupons. The site allows you to print just two.

Next, head on over to your local Dollar General store where these toys are currently on sale for $2.50. So...$2.50 minus a $2.00 coupon = 50 cents.

Now, if your Dollar General store is out of them (like mine was), go to www.dollargeneral.com and print out the ad (or, pick up one of the actual ads if you're in the store) - the Mr. Potato head sale price is on page 7. Take the ad to Wal-Mart, where they match any competitor's prices from a print ad.

Now grab 4 quarters and a few pennies for tax and go get you some Mr. Potato Heads! I would also recommend getting yourself a chocolate bar while you wait in line. You deserve a tasty reward, you frugal woman, you!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

And I wish the fire inside was delightful, but we don't have a fireplace, so I'll settle for the heat brought to us by our lovely and oh-so-attractive propane tank. Ahhh...Sweet Lady Propane (that's for all you King of the Hill fans...)

Today is one of those ideal days that I usually only dream about.

Dennis decided to take a personal day to spend with Kaylee and I - what a guy, right?

It has been SO lovely.

We had planned on going into town so Kaylee and I could go to our exercise class, but then we realized we were in the middle of a winter storm warning that lasts until noon tomorrow. So, it took us about - oh, 5 seconds to decide we'd park our little booties at home for the day.

I looked outside and the ground was wet from rain, and the skies were nothing but gray.

I sat and hoped for lots of snow.

And then it came.

We've been sitting at home, relaxing, watching these big huge FAT snowflakes fall outside our window, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a day with my family.

No plans. No agendas. Just being together. Being warm and cozy in our little house while the snow falls outside. (Kaylee keeps looking outside at the snow falling and yelling, "Noisy! Noisy!" Not quite sure what that's all about...)

It's days like this when simplicity reigns. I feel at peace. I feel content, and I am oh-so-thankful for all that we've been given.

Now, time to bust out some Frank Sinatra and Beyonce Christmas tunes while I dig out the Christmas decorations and toss back a mug of chai. Mmmmm...

A post-holiday update from my chaotic little corner of the world...

Hello bloggy friends!

You'll have to forgive me for being so absent during the past couple weeks. I've been enjoying time with family, way too many fattening goodies and trying not to use my brain as much as possible.

My hubby is a school teacher, so he's been on a 2-week break (that was much deserved). So, in turn, I've been limiting my time on the computer and spending as much time as possible with my little family.

So, here's an update on us...

Christmas was a success. We all survived just fine, and hubby and I realized we made the right choice by buying Kaylee one book for Christmas. I put it in her stocking, stuffed the rest full of toys she already had, and she promptly took the stuffed bear out of the top, dropped it on the floor and set off to play with a roll of wrapping paper.

Kaylee is crawling. She alternates between actual crawling and army crawling (army crawling is much faster), and is fascinated by all things non-toy. For example, she lives to crawl to the heater vent in her room and bang on it like a drum, she also likes to scrape the wall and she's enjoying a delectable new snack known as PIECES OF CARPET. She was chomping away on something a couple days ago, so I stuck my finger in her mouth and pulled out a piece of carpet. Lovely.

We're working on tooth #2, which resulted in Kaylee staying with her grandparents for 2 nights in row so as to prevent hubby and I from losing every single last marble we possess. It was fabulous.

We have implemented a strict budget that includes saving, trying to pay toward the principle on our car and house, and not overspending on such things as eating out or frivolous purchases. Such budget has made me realize that unless I want to stress out about money every waking moment of my life, I need to work 4 days a week instead of 3. More about that to come in future posts, I'm sure...

I am also trying a new concept related to housekeeping, which is a piece of advice a co-worker gave me. She said when she was raising her son, she had a rule that there was one room in her house that was her clean zone. It got picked up every day before bed, and no one was allowed to leave junk in that room.

I've chosen my clean room to be my kitchen, and so far, it's going well. No dirty dishes in the sink at night, no crap piling up on the counter, none of that. So, if the rest of my house is in shambles, at least my humble little kitchen looks decent. It really does make me feel better. And it's not hard to keep it up on a daily basis.

Oh, and my last update is that my hubby started his very own blog! It's called Destined for 1337ness, which in computer speak means "leetness" which in computer speak means "coolness" or something like that. I don't understand it completely, but it's something like that. Anyway, his blog is about computer stuff, gaming, things of that nature. Click here to check it out.

It's good to be back.

He Sees You When You're Sleeping...

So, this year we're starting a new Christmas tradition at our house.

For the first time ever, Dennis and I get to be Santa. Or, I guess he'll be Santa and I'll be Mrs. Clause. Or do we both get to be Santa? Growing up I was pretty sure Mrs. Clause kept her butt at the North Pole and that she wasn't exactly involved in the magic of The Night Before Christmas. I don't think I want to be Mrs. Clause because I want to have fun, too, dammit! Screw sitting at the top of the globe knitting a sweater and making peanut brittle!

Anyway, it seems crazy that I have the ability and privilege to be Santa already! It seems like just yesterday that one of my grade school teachers ruined my day by bluntly stating, "You know it's just your Mom and Dad pretending to be Santa, right?" Stupid bizatch of a dream crusher - what was she thinking? Breaking the news about Santa to such gullable and trusting children. They shoulda fired her ass over that one. But, it was a church school, so they probably paid her to say it. Heh heh.

So, back to what I was saying. I know that Kaylee won't be able to realize that Christmas is anything different than every other day of her life. She'll just carry on and do her thing. She'll eat, fill diapers, open presents, bang her doll's heads against the floor and probably say some variaton of da-da, ta-ta, teh-teh, ga, ba, and ya all the live long day. So, maybe this year Christmas will be a little bit more special for Dennis and I than it will be for Kaylee because we realize how every Christmas will always be a little brighter from now on (I know, pass me a tissue - I'm getting all sentimental here).

We get to stay up late stuffing her stocking, wrapping presents (that are things she is currently using but needed before Christmas), and enjoying some cookies and milk by the twinkling of our Christmas tree before we drift off to la-la land and dream of sugar plum fairies and the like.

No other Christmas will be like this one because we'll never have another "first" Christmas with Kaylee. I can hardly wait to see her reaction to everything. Although I'm 99% sure that she won't give a rip about anything but the boxes and the paper. Oh well.

Before Christmas actually hits, I'm sure we'll talk about other traditions we want to add. One idea I've got is to read the Christmas story out of the Bible before bed.

I'm sure that we'll change and add new traditions as Kaylee gets older, but I want her to have memories of favorite Christmas traditions just like I do. Two traditions that I grew up with are going to church on Christmas Eve and opening one gift that night as well. Although many of my childhood memories of church aren't the greatest, I always loved the Christmas Eve service (even if I hated memorizing my lines for the program). I loved hearing the Christmas story, singing the Christmas hymns, the paper bag full of candy and an apple that all the kids got when we got to the door after the service ended, and most recently, I love the candlelight service at the church we go to now.

After we've sung the Christmas songs and heard the Christmas story, the service ends as we each light a small candle, the lights are dimmed, and "Silent Night" is sung a capella. That's one of my favorite moments of the whole Christmas season.

And every year I'm afraid that someone is going to accidentally light something on fire and ruin my moment of tranquility and peace. Good thing there's a fire sprinkler system. Just in case.

This post is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop Thursday. Do yourself a favor and head on over there to check out the rest of the Writer's Workshop Thursday posts.

It Ain't Easy Bein' a Diva

I attempted to have a photo shoot with Kaylee yesterday so we could get our photo greeting cards ordered and printed at Costco. (Yep, I know Christmas is next week - it's just the way I roll this year). We spent a long time taking pictures, and I got some great ones, but our session was cut short when she began to attempt shredding the froofy layer of her dress with her single razor sharp tooth. We promptly ended our time trying to get the "perfect" shot for the Christmas card and high tailed it to the kitchen to fill up on Tylenol, teething tablets and a teething ring from the fridge.

This photo totally captures the essence of Kaylee's diva side. I love it.


Head on over to 7 Clown Circus for more Wordful Wednesday posts from other bloggers. And, while you're bopping all over the blog world, check out one of my favorite bloggers, Jenners, over at Life With a Little One and More. She's giving away at Target gift card. Hello! Who doesn't want a Target gift card right now?

(For any of you out there that regularly follow my blog, this last week has been insane with trips out of town, holiday parties, a stomach bug, and work. I miss my blog and all the happenings of the blog world. I'm back in action, so watch out!)