O Christmas Tree 2016

We like to get our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving. But, Cam was working Friday and Sat. 

We did make it out on Sunday. We went straight from church to hunt for the perfect....I mean a tree that is acceptable. 

We walked around in our church clothes dodging mud puddles...and mud bogs...and lakes of rainwater. 

The children on Santa's (meaning me) good list brought a hoodie/coat and boots to wear at the tree farm. Those on Santa's naughty list got their church shoes all mucky. 

On to the just right tree. Over the years I care less and less about the perfect tree. I let the kids look and pick...and I only give a few yah/nahs. I mean c'mon...a tree with all brown needles isn't going to work for me. It's a fire hazard after all.

Oh my cute people. I love them! 

Oh look...it's a teenager and he's smiling AND got his photo with his Mama. 

Mr. Hottie Dad carried our chosen tree. And he was really happy because the amount of time it takes us (me) to approve a tree has decreased over the years from about an hour to 10 min. That's something to celebrate. 

Every Christmas is busy. Besides the holiday festivities we have REGULAR LIFE too. It's just the worst to me that on top of all the REGULAR LIFE I now have a mountain of holiday things to add. Eeeeks! 

I've tried a bunch of different strategies to calm my nerves and get things done (i.e. enjoy the holidays). We start early to pace ourselves. We've eliminated things that we used to do. We don't add anything extra. 

This year's strategy is minimize, minimize, minimize. I was craving a house that isn't too cluttered. We decided to go minimalist on the Christmas decor. 

After getting our tree we had a basketball game to attend and then bed. The next day was back to school and Cam to work so our tree sat undecorated for a bit. 

I was dreading getting out ALL THE ORNAMENTS. I have A LOT! And then I came up with a plan. I went to the basement and pulled out the box of ornaments. I called each kid one or two at a time and had them pick from the top of the bin. They each picked about 20 or so ornaments and then carried them on a tray to the tree and put them on. 

I told them to tell me when the tree looked full. And then we stopped. I put the lid back on the tub and slid it back into storage. Nobody got sad or obsessed about not putting certain ornaments on the tree since they never saw them. Yeah!

And...I didn't spend the time telling the kids where to put the ornaments. They happily put them on. And then when they were at school the next day I rearranged a few. Meaning: I took ornaments off the ends of branches that contained so many they were bowed to the ground.

The tree looks simply beautiful. 

Rocket agrees. It's his new fave spot to lay. Sneaky dog isn't suppose to be on the chair. (pic was taken before ornaments went up)

Then in my bedroom I put up a little fake tree. Instead of the ornaments I usually put on I opted for a couple boxes of gold and glittery balls. The skirt was made by my MIL for her mother and I love it. It's really fun to have this tree in our room. 

The rest of our decor consists of an advent calendar...actually two. But man does it save me from answering, "how many days until Christmas?". We opted for lights and candles to sparkle up the mantel and living room and dining rooms. I put my Ethiopian nativity in my china hutch.

Cam was a SAINT and did the lights in our yard. Tuba loves them so much and I have an injured arm so couldn't do them this year. I came home from work one day and he had them all up. Yahoooo! 

So that's it for decor simplified. And enjoying the season!

Christmas Faves

This is mostly how I feel about Christmas. The hoopla goes on for weeks and it's all a bit too much for me. I like the calm after the storm. My favorite part of Christmas is when it's over. Yep. I love it when the house is cleaned and the kids are still out of school and we can just hang out and enjoy the quiet....well, as quiet as my house ever gets. 

The above photo was my very bad cold coupled with my very bad hair. I was so sick that I forgot I had a hair appointment. Very bad. And now I'm stuck with dark roots and ugly hair until the end of January. Eeeeee-gads!

Some of my favorite things about Christmas...yes, there are some things I love. I adore the lights. I love both indoor and outdoor lights. Tuba LOVES the lights and was thrilled getting off the school bus each day as I strung lights in the yard. I love the crackly fire and candles lit along with our beautiful tree. I love the tree too. Putting it up and taking it down....not my favorite. 

Christmas books. We have a big basket of books that we love to read at night. 

Cam and I had a Christmas shopping date. I LOVED that. He was on crutches so we couldn't do too much but we were able to go out for a fun dinner and then finish up our shopping. All shopping should start with dinner and drinks!

I also had a nice shopping date with this cutie. He bought for his siblings and Cam and I this year since he's now at the middle school and they don't have the Holiday Store. He was only a little impatient when I'd stop to look at things. We had a nice treat time too! And he did a great job picking gifts for everyone! He had a $10 limit per person and he found nice things to buy. 

Lots of time off school means lots of time to stay home and snuggle. I love that.

Lots of time to hang out and be silly. The kids were putting out their stockings on Christmas Eve and found the mustache stickers from last year still in the stockings. Oh fun!

Other things I love about Christmas....

My homemade almond brittle

Watching the kids open their presents

Saying Merry Christmas

Driving around looking at lights on houses

Watching Elf with my kids

Christmas dishes, I didn't use mine this year and I miss them

Gingerbread Houses

One more Christmas thing I wanted to share. The kids and I built Gingerbread Houses one afternoon. It was really fun!

I searched Pinterest for ideas. I really liked the small little house that you make using a milk carton...like the school lunch size of milk carton. But, I didn't have any of that kind and with sick kids I couldn't go to the store. After searching I found a site that gave great tips for using graham crackers and how to cut them. Tip: Use a bread knife and gently saw back and forth to make a cut. It works great for the end pieces to create a roof pitch! I also looked up a recipe for frosting that turns to glue...really strong...Royal Icing.

We laid out the pieces on little bits of cardboard that I cut from our recycle pile.

One thing I WISH I had done before we began is to cover the table with newspaper. Ugh! Frosting Glue Galore!! Big mess.

We made two different shape houses, one long and one short. Each kid picked what they wanted to make. I helped pipe the frosting onto the seams and then stand the walls up into place. In hindsight I should have assembled all the houses ahead of time and then just had the kids decorate them. That's the part they really wanted to do.

After assembling the houses we went and watched a movie while they dried. 

Then, candy time!! Lots of fun candies to use.....and eat. 

I was surprised how long the kids worked on their creations. The had a great time!!

In case you notice Mr. P missing from the photos....it was a sick day for him. 

Ta-da!! House done! Our little village. 

Sickest Christmas Ever

I had mentioned in a previous post that we had lots of sickies over the holiday break. It was a whole lot of sickness!

It started in the 3rd week of Dec. when Cam got really sick. Fever, aches, chills, sore throat, bad cough, congestion. He was terribly sick....missed three days of work kind of sick. He never misses work. At the same time I had a bad cold but nothing like Cam had going on. 

We had to miss his work Christmas party because he was too sick and worn down. I was really bummed....ie: new red dress, new shoes, fun night out. Bah! 

Then a few days later George got sick with fever and cough. He was bummed and had to miss a Christmas gathering at Nana and Grandpa's house. 

A day or two after George got sick it was Tuba's turn to be sick. Bad! He was so ill that he laid on this window seat for 8 hours straight. He would NOT get up....he barely moved. Again, fever and cough. 

My dad and step mom were scheduled to stay with us for two nights in the midst of this. Cam advised them to skip our house and save themselves. They dropped gifts on the porch and blew kisses.

We had fun plans for Christmas Eve to spend with our dear friends. But, with sick kids we had to cancel. Bummer! We stayed home, had snacks and yummy drinks.

Next up to be sick was Moses....and shortly after was Mr. P. Now, I can't remember days or exact time frames because it was total chaos at our house. While all of this was going on we hosted Cam's sister and her family. Our youngest niece is 1yr. old and she was sick too. She arrived not feeling well and quickly progressed into pneumonia. Very scary! However, with medication she improved quickly AND she was all smiles and happy the entire time. Amazing!

We thought the fevers were behind us so we ventured out of the house on Sis's bday for an afternoon movie. During the movie I looked over at Moses and could tell his fever was back. Ugh! We came home and he went to bed. 

During all the fever sickness I had a terrible tummy ache and threw up Christmas night and then several days later Moses and George threw up too. Aunt Cinn suffered with a terrible tummy ache all night but held tough.

After our company left town the fevers were gone, nobody else had thrown up and we thought things were good. Then George woke up with a screaming bad sore throat. Off to the Dr. to find out it was strep throat.....followed the next day by Mr. P. 

At this point I burst out hysterically laughing. Seriously?! What else could I do?! We had over 3 weeks of sickness. At least one person was sick each day....some days several people were sick. 

Luckily nobody else got the strep. Amazing! The boys are done with their antibiotics and all is well.....today. 

This was the LONGEST and most unrelaxing holiday break of all time. 

If you were keeping count you might have noticed that Sis was the only one untouched. She has the most amazing immune system. It should be cloned!!

And in case you think I'm complaining....I'm not. Throughout all of the craziness and sickness I was constantly thankful it was nothing worse. Thankful that I was well and could care for the kids. Thankful we were all together. And then....I was REALLY thankful to send them all to school!

Happy New Year!!

My Idea

Okay, truth be told. My idea of a gingerbread house is much different than the one I let the kids make. I want one that looks perfect and tastes delicious. I want it to have all kinds of amazing accents. I want to wait to nibble off of it until after Christmas. I want to enjoy looking at it whole for a while. But, those things just don't go together when it's one made by kids. :) At least not if I want the experience to be stress free and fun. Those things should go together. :)

In the past I wanted everyone to wait to eat it until after Christmas. You might think that is insane....Cam certainly did. The kids were good and wouldn't eat any candy off of the house...but the husband was another story. He would "sneak" bits of candy off and think I wouldn't notice...or that the kids wouldn't notice. Hah! Mr. P is a mini me and has eagle eyes that don't miss a thing...especially missing candy off the house he built and was patiently waiting to eat! Cam just couldn't resist a munch and he could not understand me making a big deal out of it. Well, that is one of those man vs. woman or husband vs. wife things that we could go round and round and debate and explain and in the end we would just look at each other in frustration. The whole Mars/Venus thing.

So, I realize that my way was probably not the most fun way and not the Christmas spirit way either. So, this year everyone was allowed to eat it right away. Yes, it looks....hmmmm....kind of sad and like a band of mice have been in our kitchen. But, everyone is happy! I've made houses with the kids almost every year. So this year I let go of my ideal. I've decided now that if I want that perfect house I'll make it myself. I think I might host a party with a bunch of my girlfriends next year. We can make our perfect houses, chat and listen to Christmas music. Then I'll put the house under a glass dome with an alarm bell or electric fence on it. I'd threaten to spray it with shellac but I don't think it would stop anyone.

And truly...the half eaten house is growing on me. It cracks me up. Plus, I have the stress free memories of making the house and seeing my kids joy. Happy House Eating Everyone!!

Gingerbread House

I blogged about the things I like to do for the Christmas season. The Gingerbread House is one of the things the kids love. I buy this one at Costco each year. It's fabulous! It's cheap...$13.00. It's easy to assemble...and this year the house is pre-assembled! It comes with everything you need....candy, gingerbread house, frosting. It tastes terrible...that's a bonus for me so I'm not tempted to eat it! :) The kids have been begging to put it together so today was the day!

Everyone had a turn to spread the thick glue like frosting. Side Note: The Toy Story shirt Baby George is wearing has it's own story. He is obsessed with the shirt. He wears it constantly. And, when I finally peel it off of him to wash it....he cries and asks for it every two minutes. It's truly unbearable so I've taken to letting him wear it for 48 hours straight. Don't judge. The second you pull it out of the dryer and let him have it....total bliss.
Serious work spreading goo....I mean frosting.

Tuba's turn.

Time for candy. They spent the whole time saying, "can I eat it". I'm a mean mom and I made them put it all on the house first.

Ta-Da! Finished House!

They are shouting, "Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!". Time to eat it. They loved it. I think my kids have deranged taste buds. ;)

All Choked Up

Tuba's teacher invited all the parents to come for a Christmas party in the classroom today. I was unsure about going...it's my gym time, I would have the 3 little ones in tow, the parking at the high school is terrible...etc. But, I went and I'm I glad I did. What an amazing group of kids Tuba goes to school with. My heart is so touched. Watching kids who have special needs celebrate together is the most special thing I've ever seen. They had Christmas music playing, treats laid out, crafts to make and lots of visitors. The kids were all very excited to see everyone. They also danced and played music with home made instruments. Tuba jetted off to get on his bike and show us how he can ride in the hallway! Such fun.

It reminded me of when I was little and we would go see my Uncle Larry perform in his Christmas program. Uncle Larry has Down Syndrome and lived in a group home. I can remember as a kid trying to hold back my tears as I watched Larry and the other residents sing Silent Night and do all of the sign language signs for it. Precious. I realized today that my wee ones were getting the same experience in Tuba's classroom. I was proud of my kids. They don't blink twice at seeing people with special needs. They know that Tuba is special and that he has an owie in his brain but that he is also just like the rest of us.

As I drove home I was all choked up with emotion. I had such a nice time. Those kids know exactly how to celebrate the love of Christ and His birth. With joy. Joy to the world!

Peace

It's the time of year....when I get really stress out...and lose myself in the wrong things. But, this year I'm enjoying the Christmas season SO much. I've turned the corner. I am truly loving the season. I of course have had moments of stress and panic and sheer exhaustion. I keep our Nativity set front and center on our mantel and it helps keep me front and center too. I need that reminder that this season is about the birth of Jesus. All the other "stuff" isn't necessary to celebrate our Lord's birth. Yes, I do love the extra stuff too. It's a balancing act of sorts. I've learned...or am learning to pick the things that matter the most to me and to our family.

This year we've been to two Christmas concerts...free ones! Mr. P and Busy Guy's schools both had great performances. Tuba especially loves going and hearing the songs.

I've finished my Christmas cards and they are in the mail. I'm not sure I will do them again. It's so much work...and cost. I don't receive that many cards in the mail...so I'm not sure of the whole thing anymore. I don't send them out just to receive them but it is nice. I think maybe since I have the blog and we do Facebook that cards are overkill. What do you think?

I am taking the kids to see Santa for the annual photo this next week. This is something I do for me. I love the photos. I have one from each year since Tuba was born and I line them all up on a book shelf and look at them all season.

The kids are VERY excited for Christmas day...presents of course! I'm excited too. This is the first year that the kids are all old enough to really enjoy the anticipation. So fun!! Sis and Baby George are talking about presents all the time. Sis tells us she wants pretty pants and SHOES! LOL.

We are going to start a new tradition this year too. I'll write about it later. Something really fun and special.

Got It!

It's been weighing on me like a ton of bricks. I've done a Christmas card photo and letter every year for the past 13 years. This year it just wasn't happening for me. I was out of time and out of energy. I decided to go with an email card and photo. Saves me time, money and it's green for the environment too.
Once I got my act together this morning it didn't actually take much to get a good photo. A few Santa hats, basic jeans and white tees...oh yes, and candy canes for bribery. You can see Sis and Baby George slurping on them in the photo. A big taboo to have candy in the living room...but worth it:)

Santa Visit

This year's Santa visit was as chaotic as the rest. Getting 5 kids dressed in Christmas finery and out the door to meet Santa was a task. Standing in line waiting and anticipating makes for some interesting antics. Mr. P and Busy Guy were excited...with Busy Guy running back and forth in the small confines of the line...Mr. P telling on him and/or directing him. Tuba was a stinker and used the opportunity to run away and try to escape out a nearby door. Sis cranked and cried and didn't want to be in her stroller...or her fancy dress. Baby George sat nicely and watched the chaos ensue. Lucky for us the line wasn't too long...about 20 minutes. Once inside to meet Santa Busy Guy ran right up to him and was all smiles and chatted him up. Mr. P cautiously approached while Tuba got instantly shy and all smiley. Sis took one look and cried...all the more when I placed her on his lap. She wasn't really too afraid of Santa but just wanted me to hold her. Baby George sat happily on Santa's lap.
The end result is a cute and funny photo. Our favorite shots over the years are the funny ones. The look on Busy Guy's face is his "I'm so funny" and not one of fright...although that's what it looks like. Baby George looks huge...well he is huge but it's just so funny to see him next to Sis who is 6 months older than he is. After this year's chaos Cam asked if next year we could take a photo at home and have Santa "Photo Shopped" in? Ummm....NO! This photo has been added to the line of Santa photos put out each year. It brings me so much joy and is what gets me through the experience of having the photo taken.

From Here to There

Our first Christmas as parents. Man oh man...Tuba and Baby George sure look alike...except BG is chubbier.

12 years and 4 more kids later. This is at the tree farm getting our Christmas tree. I think we look even better...it must be all those kids keeping us young;)

I had a great b-day week. I even got that back rub!!! We'll be having left over cake tonight...or maybe this afternoon?

Mr. P sang ALL the words and did ALL the hand motions at his Christmas concert...what a change from last year. He's such a little "rule" follower. He kept his eyes right on his teacher and stood tall and still....meanwhile the kid behind him was picking his nose and wiggling all around and the girl next to him got down off the risers and danced in front of the group. You've got to love those pre-school shows!

Tuba's behavior has been better and he's had good days at school. His seizures have been better too. I pray they continue to improve and go away soon.

Sister is walking all over the house. She can turn and walk in a new direction now too. She's going about 10 steps at a time and can also stand up in the middle of the room on her own. The bad thing is she keeps standing up on the stairs and yesterday fell down them. She looked like a gingerbread man cartwheeling down the stairs...it sounds funny but it scared the heck out of the both of us. She was too scared to cry and just clung to me...poor Sis.

Busy Guy has been singing all the Christmas songs. He picks up a song the first time he hears it...amazing. Yesterday he was singing Away In A Manger and doing the hand motions...rocking the baby, etc. Super cute.

Baby George is still a little sweetie. He lights up when he sees me and smiles and smiles. He is making new sounds too. He's a little afraid of Sis and sort of winces as she comes near. He has had his hair pulled a few too many times:0

Cam finished his first quarter of grad school....YEAH! One down and six more to go. I don't know if that sounds good or bad? It did go by quickly...at least for me anyway. As I watched him write all those papers I just kept thinking, "I'm glad it's not me!".

The Week

It's my Birthday Week....YEAH! It's actually my Birthday Month...but I get a few eye rolls if I say that too much to my hubby;) We have a fun filled week with lots of Christmas things as well as my BIG day. I'm turning 38!!! Holy cow...I've never felt like this on a birthday...I'm feeling like I'm getting old....er! I guess the fabulous 40 is looming nearer? I told Mr. P that I'm turning 26. He believes me...and so do I...at least until Cam pointed out that I would have been 14 when I had Tuba. It's possible?

Yesterday my friend/God Mother of our kids gave me my birthday present. She came and watched the kids (minus Baby George) while Cam and I went Christmas shopping and out to The Keg for dinner. I ate the biggest steak. Yummy and so relaxing. It's a cinch to go out with two adults and only one child.

Tonight is the pre-school Christmas concert. I wonder if Mr. P will actually sing out loud this year...not just "in his head" like last year. He knows all the songs and sings them at home...so we'll see. We are getting all Christmas dressy and going to the show.

Tomorrow we are going to see Santa (getting Christmas dressy again) and have photos with him. Then...on to my Mom's house for my b-day dinner. Yum:)

Thurs. is my actual b-day and we will go to breakfast and then I'll get an hour long back rub/foot rub from Cam....hint-hint! Then Cam is going to class for his final...I know it...why does he have school on my birthday...whatever! I did order an ice cream cake to have for dinner...oh, I mean dessert. It's chocolate cake with Gold Medal Ribbon ice cream...mmmmmm.

I think the theme of my birthday must be food. Well, it does make me happy:) Cam did buy me a beautiful silver chain to wear my Ethiopian cross on...I'll post a pic later. It's beautiful. Plus, my chair is coming soon.

The photo is of me...awwwwww. I'll try to eat my cake this year a little neater...no bibs.

Merry Merry!

We got our tree today. It's kind of small...but once we were at the tree farm and all 7 of us were out of the car...we were not going to go look somewhere else. The boys had a great time running up and down the aisles. We walked around looking for the perfect (really just me) tree. As we ventured about Mr. P kept saying, "were going to get lost". What a hoot...he's so much like somebody I know...hmmmm. I could only use about 1/4 of the ornaments I own but it was fun to put them on (okay, in reality it wasn't fun...I'm a mean mom and I didn't really want little helpers digging in the boxes, touching my glass ornaments, and taking ornaments off the tree and flying them around like rockets, and...I always have a big fight with the lights:). All the while I'm cooking dinner and bouncing Baby George on my hip....AHHHHH. Anyway, now it's done and looks pretty. The kids love to turn off all the lights and look at the tree. The Santa hats came out tonight too. So cute.

Advent Giving

It's that time of year....Christmas is coming. Last year I wrote about how this time of year gets me really stressed out. I also wrote that with each passing year I enjoy the holidays more and more. My kids make it so much fun. I plan things well and start early so I don't get too stressed. I keep repeating to myself things like... "keep Christmas Christ centered and let the other things go...nobody needs all that crap (meaning endless amounts of plastic junk made in China)...spend time not money...it's the experience not the presentation...don't lose what's important...etc., etc.".

I want the kids to learn about giving to those less fortunate. We find ways to do this together as a family...the food bank, giving tree, and sponsorship program. Most of all I want my kids to know that Christmas is the birth of Christ. The gifts we receive are an added bonus to the holiday...not the main event. I will be getting my Nativity set out this week and putting it on our mantel. I enjoy having it front and center...to keep me feeling peaceful and remind me what's important. When I start to feel the holiday pressure (I put it on myself) I go sit, drink tea and look at the Nativity.

Tonight after I wrote this post I was getting the boys ready for bed and Mr. P said to me, "Mom, do you know Twinkle, Twinkle, Special Star?". I said I didn't know it so he sang it for me. OH MAN, it moved me to tears. I quickly got out my video recorder and had him sing it again. This is exactly what I want to focus on at Christmas. Don't forget to press the pause button on the song list so you can hear Mr. P singing and not the other music.

Merry Christmas!

Well, I haven't been posting much here. We have had a house of sickness. It's been the nastiest booger nose, cough fest, fever virus illness. Mr. P, Baby Guy and I were sick first. Then I got well and Mr. P got worse and ended up on antibiotics. We got well (although the little boys still have cough and boogs) just in time for Christmas Eve and then poor Tuba came down with it. He has been suffering with a high fever for 3 days. Good thing for Super Dad holding it all together for us! He grocery shopped, cleaned, did laundry, and took care of us all. He's truly the best:)

We had a nice Christmas in spite of this illness. Hubby went to the Christmas Eve service alone but still had a nice time. The boys were beyond excited for Santa to come. I should say that I mean hubby is one of the boys...as he was the most excited! He couldn't sleep all night and every hour or so woke me up by saying, "I'm too excited, I can't sleep!". Finally at 4:00 am he got up. Shortly after 5:00 am Baby Guy and Tuba were awake. Tuba's fever was burning up. Baby Guy would have gone back to sleep but hubby got him up. Then he comes in and tells me, "You better hurry and come down. Baby Guy is going in to see what Santa brought". Now, Baby Guy doesn't even know who Santa is or what he does! So, I got up and then woke up Mr. P. After gently calling his name he shot straight up and said, "Wow, that went by fast". He dashed down to see if Santa brought his requested gift (he did). When he saw his pile of Santa items he declared, "I've been good!". It was so fun to watch the boys with giant smiles on their faces opening gift (even if it was 5:20 am). We were done with gifts, had a huge Christmas breakfast, watched a movie and went down for naps just before 9:00 am. Everyone except Mr. P (no nap) slept a good 3 hours. We had a lovely day. For dinner the little boys and hubby went to his Mom's house and Tuba and I stayed home. They brought us some dinner (good thing my MIL lives so close) and Tuba and I ate in bed and snuggled. What a nice family I have and what a nice Christmas I had too even in spite of this illness.

St. Nicholas

Happy Feast Day of St. Nicholas from the Wild At Heart boys!

Although Baby Guy looks a little shell shocked he actually enjoyed seeing Santa again this year. Tuba loves Santa and really loves the candy cane. Mr. P loves Santa too and told him exactly what he wants for Christmas this year...."Star Wars Lego I"!