Insta Friday- first week of December

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!








We Had to wear hats to decorate our tree...
















This is what happens when a three year old decorates your tree. We counted fifteen balls shoved in that one spot- most on the same limb.



December 1st! Time for the advent calendar I made with the bestie





Monkey hats :)
Waiting for the Christmas parade.










Writing her letter to Santa.









Idk if I like better in color or not





She asked for a Barbie camper and "also a Barbie" .
Crap I have to buy a barbie camper.





She asked for a Fijit and plush snake. Apparently I am not done shopping! Next year no Santa letters past august! I hate late additions. Santa has a deadline folks you can't just be adding and adding junk up until the eleventh hour! The elves are unionized!






Mailing her letter





I wonder if this is the last letter she will mail to Santa ... :(







Voting for her favorite elf "glisten"




She and Bitty Baby dressed to match to go to Penn Alps artisan village Christmas.









Listening to Miss Teen Historic Md read a Christmas story in a one room school house.




Spinning wheel in historic yoder house.





The elf and reindeer made snow angels in confectioners sugar...




She insisted on mascara


And then lip gloss




Toddlers and tiaras?...





Look at those lashes!

She then went and got a hair brush and hair spray and nail polish. I'm not kidding




Mickey confetti from Disney world. I love that I find this little bit of magic from Time to time. Makes me smile.






The elf decorated the play room tree- with the girls undies!




Finally some snow! She screamed when laci opened the door to let the dog out and saw it . She kept yelling "oh oh" and ran out in her diaper. We had to get boots on and go out! She loves it!








Christmas <3

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dragontales

Ella is quirky. Unique.

Those are the euphemisms I use when trying to sound nice about her off beat personality. This kid is just odd- In a funny endearing way. I love it about her. She is Ella- unapologetically and full force.

I never know what she is going to do. Her mind does not work the ways ours do. She floats about in her world of pink where anything can happen. She makes the pretend come to life. She believes that just because she imagines something it is so. In any given moment she will tell me her stomach is now names pinky and in the next breath ask me why moose like to kick people in the knees and then refuse to get out of the car for fear a knee kicking moose is lurking under our deck just waiting for her to walk by.

I love it. She's unruly and uninhibited. At times, many many times it makes life difficult because this means she melts down from the smallest of slights. She screams she cries she can't control herself.

But it also means her joy is exuberant and equally uninhibited. She will dance in any location at the first sound of music. She will be talking and suddenly be taken over by even elevator music, hopping and shimmying as though no one else is around. She will leap and run and skip and squeal over even the smallest turn of good fortune.

She is authentically herself at all times and she helps me see life through pink happiness and joy.

Not long ago we went for a walk on an unusually warm December day. Laci was walking the dog and a small hand reached up into mine. We walked a few paces when I realized I wasn't holding a hand, but some sort of cloth. I look down wondering why she was wearing gloves only to see this:



She was wearing a dragon sock puppet on our venture.
I smiled while my mind took a snapshot of these irreplaceable childhood moments that fly by too quickly while we go about our mundane tasks ignoring the simple beauty packed into each day.

I love that she doesn't care that it's very strange To coordinate outfits with sock puppets. Or that it's a little weird to put on the other hand a fuzzy red sock and call it Elmo. She just does it because she wants to. I hope she keeps that part of her through life .

My heart warmed with the outward expression of her imagination and belief in all things magical especially as Laci is questioning all of these very things.

For a brief moment ella and I were taking a walk hand in dragon hand through the magical kingdom of her mind.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Paypal - we hate poor kids- save the cats

Grinch: They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming.
They're just waking up, I know just what they'll do.
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry, "Boo Hoo!"
That's a noise, (the Grinch said,) that I simply must hear.."

That's basically what paypal said this week when they froze the account of regretsy. Regretsy is a site that makes fun of re sellers and creeper crafters that sell stuff on etsy. In their non mocking time they raise money for various causes.



The latest was low income families and Christmas presents. The toys had been bought and ready to ship and the evil regretsians had even raised enough to send sizable cash donations along with the toys to each family. Then April Winchell - miss regretsy herself (also the voice of Clarabelle cow, cruella deville and countless other Disney characters- her dad was tigger) got notice that Paypal deemed her a fraud because she was using the donation button but was not listed as a non profit entity.

Nevermind that all kinds of blogs and sites use the donate button for anything but non profit activities (buy new me boobs got some now well endowed turd enough for not one but two sets of ta tas) or that this WAS a non profit cause - paypal not only refused to allow the money to be released they :
1 forced her to return all monies one small donation at a time.
2 took not only their initial fee but a SECOND fee during her refund process

3 froze her account so no poor child money may get into the hands of... Poor children.
4 also froze all her monies in the accept that have nothing to do with this such as money from her book and dazzle.

5 and the kicker- responded to her like this:
Actual transcript . "me" refers to April Winchell.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:


YOU CAN ONLY HELP CATS

PAYPAL: Only a nonprofit can use the Donate button.
ME: That’s false. It says right in the PDF of instructions for the Donate button that it can be used for “worthy causes.”
PAYPAL: I haven’t seen that PDF. And what you’re doing is not a worthy cause, it’s charity.
ME: What’s the difference?
PAYPAL: You can use the donate button to raise money for a sick cat, but not poor people.


YOU HAVE TO START A NEW WEBSITE

ME: The problem is I’ve already bought all of these toys, so now I’m really in a position like any other merchant – which is to say, I have inventory I need to sell. Why can’t I sell them as gifts, like any other retailer?
PAYPAL: Don’t you think it would look suspicious if the same people bought them again?
ME: Why? These are my customers!
PAYPAL: If you wanted to do that, you’d have to start a new website.
ME: What? Why would I start a new website?
PAYPAL: I’m not going to argue with you.

WE WILL TRACK YOUR SHIPMENTS

PAYPAL: The only way you’d be allowed to sell these as gifts is if you sent them directly to the person who bought them. And we will track your shipments and make sure it goes to the buyer.
ME: That’s discriminatory! You don’t make other retailers send purchases to the buyer only, especially not at Christmas.
PAYPAL: No one but a nonprofit would send gifts to someone else on buyer’s behalf.
ME: What about Amazon?
PAYPAL: We know what you’re doing and we’re through playing games with you.


YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS

PAYPAL: You say you’re selling these as gifts but there is no information as to what the gift is.
ME: People sell mystery gifts and grab bags all the time. What about sites where they say, let us choose for you?”
PAYPAL: It doesn’t say that on your site.
ME: Is that the problem? If I say it’s a mystery gift would that be sufficient?
PAYPAL: You aren’t going to be able to get around this. It’s too late, we know what you’re trying to do and we’re not going to let you do it.
ME: But there are hundreds of toys! Do you think it’s reasonable to create a drop down menu for hundreds of gifts, all of them different, and create an inventory for each as “one?” So that every time one sells, it’s sold out, and the customer has to keep choosng options and going through check out to see if they can find a gift that’s still available?
PAYPAL: Yes, I think it’s reasonable.

Then my brain exploded.

At this point, I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that “No one above me will talk to you. No one at my level ever makes phone calls. We’re only doing this to help you.”

When I asked how to close my account, he said I had to “refund everything, write a letter saying you understood what you did WAS WRONG AND YOU WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, and then request permission to close your account.”

Then, for good measure, they froze my personal account, which has revenue from my book sales, e-books and all the other Finnish Folktales Swag. They’ll be holding that money for 6 months."
Found on Regretsy
So if you've been following along you have learned that poor kids at Christmas are NOT a worthy cause but sick cats are. I mean we all knew that right? I see how the kids totally violated paypals non existent guidelines on who you can use the donate button to benefit but cat is perfectly legit.

They effectively ruined Christmas for I believe 200 families over - well I'm not sure the issue since Many people not labelled non profit use the donate button... Which was regretsys supposed offense.
What if the poor kids had sick cats... Does that make it legit?


Feel free to post on the pay pal fb page and let them know you don't like companies with hearts three sizes too small.


Edited to add that paypal says they've remedied the situation but April has yet to hear from them...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Animals talk, darn it!!

And the saga continues....

On the way to church tonight it was just Laci, Layla and myself. Ella had disappeared into the trunk of her besties suv this afternoon- as usual- so it was just my oldest and baby with me.

In our car DVD players, Hunchback has played non stop for about two months. Laci had recently said to me about Frollo (bad guy) was not real at Disney. He had a "weird" face .(rubber type mask) she brought that up again tonight and asked why he wouldn't be real . I said "well they probably needed a lot of villains for Mickeys's Not So Scary Halloween Party and the real one wasn't available.... You know what he probably is in Euro Disney because it's in France and Hunchback takes place in France."

I know I know I'm so good on the fly...

She pauses then says "no I don't think so because on the movie...."

I'm already posturing in my mind how I will respond to "he dies" or whatever in the movie makes it impossible he will be walking about an amusement park when she says
"there is a thing at the end where it shows the guy who does how voice so he's not real. He looks nothing like Frollo in the movie. They all have people that Do their voices. None of them look like the characters."

"um well maybe it's just like a re telling of their lives - actors play other people all the time"

She's quiet for a small moment and I think these excruciating conversations of me dodging her increasing disbelief in the fantastical have taken a sweet reprieve. Then she goes in for the kill.

"when we came out of the bathroom we saw Pooh going on his break or whatever as he walked by... I saw a zipper."

*eek*

"he's not real"

"yes he is"

"no he has a zipper"

"he wears a shirt. It has a zipper. Did you not notice his bright red shirt it's like his signature look."

"no. The zipper goes all the way up and all the way down"

"I think you're remembering wrong. "

"he's a talking bear . You really expect me to believe he's real"

"yes I do because he is. "

"mom. Talking. Bear."

"Laci, it's like Pip on whatever the movie is with Giselle. in Andalasia he talks all the time but the minute he pops up in NYC in our wold he looks different (not animated) and can't talk because squirrels don't talk here. In the cartoon world bears talk here they don't."

"talking. Bear."

" he's real and just don't go saying all this to your sister and make her think he's not real"

"I won't."



Thank God we are parked and getting out of the car before she asks about the princesses.

I noticed her lack of enthusiasm at the beginning of the trip with laci and the characters. It made me so sad and ruined part of my first day. I have a trip report to post where I go into it but I'm waiting on my photos taken by the Disney photographers to post it.

It made me notice the well hidden zippers running up the animal characters spines. I am quite sure last trip I did not notice them but seeing her disbelief this year they were painfully obvious. I even winced at pooh at crystal palace.

She still lit up at the princesses though. I have to keep her holding on to at least that for one more trip.

Excuse me while I go Hide all the pictures of us with princesses on our trips before she runs them through facial recognition software and details the differences in facial structure on different days....


(pictures are all from her first trip... The magical one"

Where are you Christmas?

A few days after the Scouty McWinkerbean fiasco (if you don't know what I'm referencing read the previous post)

the girls had sleep overs. Apparently Laci watched the Jim Carrey version of The Grinch while away.

I was standing in the kitchen and heard her singing softly in the next room:

"Where are you Christmas

Why can't I find you

Why have you gone away

Where is the laughter

You used to bring me

Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing

I'm rearranging

Does that mean Christmas changes too"

Sobbing. I was, that is.

That song has always Made me tear up but it was exactly how I was feeling about her after the whole elf disbelief. I've dreaded this moment since she was a baby ( I have) and here it was and she was providing the soundtrack.

I'm fairly certain she was just singing a song she liked from a movie and not having the profound moment I was having but it just seemed to be final song for this chapter of her childhood. Too much to bear, too soon.

I think she still believes in Santa. She's playing along at least , hedging her bets so that in the event she's wrong and he is real- she doesn't lose out on any presents. But it's coming soon... It may very well be her last magical Christmas.

"Where are you Christmas

Do you remember

The one you used to know

I'm not the same one

See what the time's done

Is that why you have let me go"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Is that a tag on your butt or is that a north pole GPS

I had a minor crisis Thanksgiving week when I got out Christmas decorations and realized Buddy McWinkerbean - our Elf on the Shelf- was missing; nowhere to be found.

Crisis was soon averted when a few days later my husband thought maybe we shoved him in with the Santa suit. Yes, Virginia, we have a Santa suit- Tony dresses up as st nick every Christmas eve and rings sleigh bells. I wake the girls to creep down and spy on Santa as he puts out our gifts.

So I grab Scouty with plans to finally get him out - three days late. We had already planned to go for a walk with the puppy and I thought putting him on the porch somewhere would make it seem less likely that I in fact was placing him in our house instead of Christmas magic.

So I did what any self respecting mom would do- I shoved him in my bra to whip out when kids weren't looking.

While they were busy with the dog I wedged him high on the porch on an old horse shoe that was in the house before we renovated it that the contractor affixed to the side of a porch column.



I was so excited for us to go back in and for Scouty to be found. Laci walked by him but Ella spied him saying "there's something up there!"



My excitement wore off a few minutes later when Ella asked Laci "why is he up so high" and Laci responded "because he feels like a toy and mom doesn't want us to know that"

Heart sink :(

I enjoy doing silly little magical things for my kids and the dumb elf was one of those. Not only is Laci expressing the cynical disbelief of a teen but she's ruining it for her little sister. Ella, is in her own world and left to her own devices will probably believe in the elf until she gets married and asks her husband on their first Christmas why Scouty McWinkerbean never showed up. Shes just.... Unique.

I was sad and angry and way bummed out. So I snapped a Laci that if she doesn't want to believe in Christmas magic then she needs to keep it to herself because if she convinces Ella he's not real he's going to leave for the North Pole and then who is going to make sure they are on the nice list.
Well she's says some snotty Laci-isms and Soon Ella is repeating that it feels like a toy.
"hey mom look where Laci said he has a tag"
"it's not a tag don't listen to Laci.... It's a gps type of thing that allows Santa to track the elves in case of emergency and helps him find his way to the north pole every night"
"but it looks like a tag"
... Why didn't I cut the tag off his felt butt last year!?

I sent everyone inside because I was going to put decorations on the porch and really just wanted them away from the elf... And me.

I cried . I can't bear the thought of Laci not believing in things like Santa and that Mickey mouse is a real giant mouse who invites us to Halloween parties and that Cinderella really does live in that forced perspective castle...

Those beliefs are what make her still little.

My little girl...

She's always been precocious and seemed older than she was. Much older.

Often times, we expected more out of her- forgetting she was only five not ten like she acted. She grew up too fast and we helped push her there.

I'd give anything for those times back.

So I cried and got no lights up. I didn't even feel like it at that point. I didn't even care about Christmas.

Once I pulled myself together I went into damage control mode. I pleaded for them to believe so the elf wouldnt leave. As Ella repeated Lacis lies that Scouty McWinkerbean was a toy, I texted Tony to get rid of the elf.

Later I had them discover he was gone. Laci doesnt always show what she's thinking especially when she thinks I'm going go be upset, so when she looked out the blinds and then out the door and saw there was no elf I could not read her. I don't know if she cared, if she thought he flew back to the north pole or to another family with belief like I said. I don't know. Ella was a lite bewildered but not upset.

Desperate to make all these Christmas creations real I turned to a trusted friend- my iPhone. I down loaded a Santa magic phone app. Santa will call your kid or text message them a personalized message. An elf named Milo fills him in on your kids name (your voice at an alvin chipmunk speed/pitch) and any other custom details.

Soon Ella had a ca from Santa. She screamed and scrambled behind me. Especially when Santa had heard she was saying unkind words to scouty (you have a limited selection of naughty deeds to choose from ) . She cried and sobbed and totally freaked to the point everytime my phone had a call or text she would go in panic mode. It was traumatizing for her - a tad funny/ stress reliever for me.

Laci got a text message soon after (again sending ella in a tail spin) her text basically said the same as santas call to Ella , I just wasn't sure she would buy the phone call and couldn't risk derailing the Christmas belief train anymore that night.

So now I'm stuck with a $30 elf that looks like a creeper and I can't even use it. I have a girl elf from amazon (much cuter plush) on her way from the amazon warehouse North Pole.

Sad :(



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Insta Friday!

Puppy kisses!


Our new lawn guy lol


This is a toddlers power wheels car that doesn't run anymore. We spent the day running to the top of the hill and letting it go. They flew and loved it! Getting a new one for Christmas that will work in the correct way!


-so sweet


Ella and her bestie


Kanani arrived! Can't wait for the girls to get their dolls at Christmas! If you want kanani get her now all her junk is selling out.


She discovered a love for babu bananas!


Got a little decorating done




Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

All of the above, Santa

Ella and her bestie spent the evening service at church conniving a plan that would end in her staying the night with said bestie.

It worked .

I couldn't find her anywhere and then our pastor shouted that she was going home with them.

The little turds waited until the mommies were busy and told unsuspecting Daddy, who was already busy trying to get our guest speaker back to his hotel that there was a sleep over-Knowing he wouldn't question it , just buckle up and drive off!

I found out from my older daughter that she had over heard the plot and it consisted of much tip toeing about and shoving Ella in the trunk. (they have already shoved Ella in the trunk, under the car seat benches, under coats...on previous missions)

Shortly after they drove away, victorious in sleep-over plotting victory, I got a text.

Ella was asked what she wants for Christmas. Her enthusiastic answer-
"All of the above!!!"
Where does she even learn that?

Asked to clarify "above what?" she answers -

" It means I want everything!"

Cue Veruca Salt...
"I want the world, I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my Pocket..."

Anyone need Christmas portraits? I could use the cash. Apparently I have more shopping to do...




The co-conspirators

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Insta Friday

So excited to link up to my first InstaFriday. I love using my iPhone for pictures so handy and between hipstamatic and instagram- I get great effects no hassle!



Santa came early bringing a bundle of fluff that the girls named Peppermint in keeping with the Christmas season. Runner up- Beyonce. For reals.




Trying to sneak into Santas workshop. She did this repeatedly while waiting For his arrival in the Christmas parade. Sadly we didn't see this because an Ali Ghan shrine little old guy fell right in front of us having a heart attack! Shuffled my kids away as people started CPR! My friend is a nurse and had to help as they got the AED and shocked him, thankfully my girls were whisked away before they saw that on the mall floor. He made it though, thank God.




Making fall trees (last minute) and Layla decides to paint the table.... This is why sensible people think to put down paper or something over the table before uncapping paint around children.




Hand turkeys. And maybe a confused flamingo?! My three year old loves PINK!





Needs no caption <3





Sisters <3




Scouty mcwinkerbeans arrival (elf on the shelf) he's in the upper left corner on our old farm house porch columns... Still can't decide whether to renovate those or leave the farm house charm... Elf post to follow....

Linked here

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Make Something Monday

I'm starting a new segment in the vein of my "Here's What Wednesday" (I know I haven't done them lately but not much is irritating me to go off and say here's what )

I'm going to start Make Something Monday.
I'm hoping it will help me be productive or creative reminding me to do something that is not a daily task. That may be baking something special (today is pioneer woman cinnamon rolls) , crafts with the kids, my own craft project- just something extra.

I'm currently waiting for the bestie To arrive with the goods. Somehow her stockpile of little round baking pans disappeared since last time so shes on the hunt.

Ok so we are doing square pans. Probably having a major holiday this week = lack of supplies in grocery stores. They'll turn out the same right?

Aside from me over loading on the butter and her making tiny gnome sized rolls the prep part went well.


And this is after considerable rising haha.

They turned out super yummy except I drowned the first two batches in icing so they're kind of a bread pudding. But a very good bread pudding.

Even the dog got a taste when I dumped half the icing on the floor... And her. Why do I ever clean?


And if these picky eaters approve....






They must be good.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It was all yellow

Ever since I became a mommy traditions have become important to me. For Thanksgiving I always have had the kids make handprint turkeys. (except last year- a two year old and newborn making turkeys became too daunting a thought).

Im behind so we just got around to it today- along with handprint trees that I like to make with them in the fall. Since I plan on starting Christmas decorating
this week, the turkey/fall prints are going to have a short run. But I must do it for my mommy archives!

It was obvious from the outset that it was going to be challenging. Not only did Ella have a very abstract idea of what a fall handprint tree should look like - she added a purple rendition of her bff riding a unicorn in the sky ( or so she says) but Layla wouldn't keep her hand open long enough to paint and smash it on the paper leading to 15 minutes of creative maneuvering and painting.


While I started Ella on turkey I foolishly turned my back on Layla only to hear laci exclaim , in coldplay fashion,
"it's all YELLOW"

I turn to see Layla, delighted with herself, spreading yellow paint all over the table.





After three kids- I don't care anymore. My life is not counted in minutes- it's counted in messes. I can't stress over them or I'd have had many strokes by now and sucked all joy from our lives. For some currently mysterious reason God decided to bless me with two destructive beings in a row. I clean one thing up only to turn and see the wake of disaster that went in the opposite direction while I was otherwise engaged. Why should craft time be any different?

We moved on to turkeys and luckily Tony came down to help by this time (he was showering after work , if I have my mind set on doing something I can't wait for him- he takes so stinkin long) and we tag teamed laylas closing claw and made the cutest little hand print ever. Ella decided her turkey needed to be pink.

This is something else I've let go of. I wanted traditional turkeys but traditional is not Ella. Ella is her own person in a world colored pink and purple where bffs are transported via striped unicorns. I want to go there.

So to accurately represent Ella her handprint HAD to pink I realized. It is so representative or her because ellas nickname should and would be Pinky- but shes already named her stomach Pinky and will noy allow us to call her that...
And so we have the most fabulous turkey ever. And I have to say- I love it.

Laci smelling the freedom (being used to being the first child who falls in line with mommy's wishes) doesn't stray too far, having a brown turkey but adds some turquoise and purple feathers.

Basically we have one baby turkey, a flamingo with an identity crisis and a peacock. And I'm okay with that.






Oh yeah, and this happened



These are the messes of my life...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The little things

Tonight Tony and I went to a play at our church. The two oldest girls were staying at my best friends house having a sleep over with her daughter, who is conveniently Laci's best friend. That left us with Layla and fortunately my mother in law was able to watch her because miss busy pants would not have sat still enough and quiet enough to endure a play. She is also not known for her affinity of nursery workers at the church.

Tony and I do not get much time at all sans children. It takes a toll and I forget what we are like as "just Tony and Mandy" not mommy and daddy. I was looking forward to kidless time- even just two hours of it.

Of course the days when you're going to pawn off your kid always ends up being a day when they're sweet and oh so cute. Does anyone else notice that? Im not sure if it's just a rule of nature that they save the best behavior for those types of days or if it's just the light at the end of the tunnel aspect of knowing you get a reprieve from parent hood - no matter how brief- that makes your heart grow fonder those days and almost not want to leave the darlings . Almost.

In any case leave them I did. It's hard having kids around 24/7. I often feel (and say) " I can't do this . I can't do it today" . The crushing weight of always having someone depend on you can be too much for me sometimes as having three children means someone always needs something. Sometimes it's overwhelming.

Then there are moments in life that make it all worth it.

When we came from the play we stopped to pick Layla up . As the door to my mother in laws house opened I could hear Layla making this squeal sound of excitement that I had never heard before. As soon as she saw us she let out a big scream bounced up and down on my mother in laws lap then catapulted herself off of her, running towards us shrieking with the biggest smile on her face, eyes wide and hands in the air like it was the best moment in her life. She gave each of us hugs and kept squealing and kissing me . ( she's does not freely give those )

All that joy just seeing mommy and daddy walk in.

So worth it.





And then she came home and tore up the house and dumped a can of pepsi on her head...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Princess of communication

My Ella has two little besties now and has suddenly taken an interest in texting. It's an interesting venture considering she only recognizes the first several letters of the alphabet and can only spell her name. Also her friends do not have cellphones, Being 4 and all. But txt she does.

It took me a good 9 months to relinquish my iPhone 4 into the grubby hands of my children but now daily Ella wants to text. I apologize to all the recipients of these texts.

Today she was sitting on my lap "texting" and came up with this little gem.

"this is how you sit when you're a princess and this is how you sit when you're a texting princess"

I love her and her view of the world. I'll be sure to have her model the appropriate texting position for princesses and forward it to the new Duchess Kate. I'm not sure that was part of her royal protocol training.



Ps if you have a texting prince or princess here are two inexpensive toys you can buy to regain control of your phone. They let them type to their hearts content on a blackberry looking device ( sorry kids you're not cool enough for iPhone) and it's educational too!
Leapfrog

And a barbie one because a texting princess needs a pink one!


Barbie text and learn


Here you go duchess:



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dude where's my car

Obviously I need more sleep. We pulled into the driveway tonight , Tony said "crap "and pointed to the empty space where his car should be.

I on the phone with the bestie say "*gasp* Tonys car was stolen or something."
he gives me a look and says "it's at the park and ride - I met you there before we took the kids to dance".
He forgot to pick it up which was what I was supposed to garner from his "crap" not" oh no! Grand theft auto."

This sadly came minutes after I said to him

"I had to distant myself"
- just like the stupidest housewife of all bravo housewives.
(I'm sorry for making endless fun of you Teresa giudice. I apparently have no room to talk.)

Once upon a time I was a smart girl. Sadly with each child a part of my brain died and apparently is still Dying. Please be kind to me in my senility. I'm hoping to recover over the next year or two as Layla learns to sleep without being physically attached to me.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Everybody's got a water buffalo

Home schooling is hard. Most parents send their darlings away for 8 hours or so five days a week. I keep mine at home - with ME !

Oftentimes I question the sanity in doing this. I could have free babysitting five days a week or some of my kids and eventually all. I'd have hours to clean , get my nails done and accomplish all the hobbies I've wanted to master but have been only able to try out finding no time to delve further. I could even work out!

But no we decided to home school, so not only are my darlings here- I have to teach these beasts!

I probably question the sanity of this three times a week- on a good week. Then I have days like today while teaching Ella letter recognition andetter sounds.

"Ella this is a 'B' it says "buh." what do you see in this room that starts with a B"

Ella ( with gusto):
"BUFFALO!!!"

We were in my non Midwestern decor living room. No buffalo in sight. But it does start with a B.

Had I sent her to school some teacher who would likely not be as amused in her ditsy personality and the existence of invisible buffalo in the room would have gotten to share this experience, and soon forgotten about it.

For me it's little moments of silliness that make the stress and lack of me time worth it .

Excuse me I have to go feed our buffalo.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gingers Be Gone

I'm starting to worry about Ella and middle child syndrome.
Not only does she want to be considered a baby at times she also prefers to yell and cry to express nearly any emotion for pretty much any situation.

Most alarming are her "sister extermination" plans.

A few months ago she sat beside me on the couch watching tv quietly, when out of nowhere she says very quietly
"We're getting rid of the red heads"
(my oldest and youngest have red hair)

Yesterday between churn services she had crawled in bed with the baby and me for an afternoon nap. While I was stroking her hair trying to get her fidgety limbs to relax and stop flailing so I could rest as well, after a long silence she turns and says
"can we email Layla to Egyptians"



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone