Must-Don’t Holiday Traditions
11 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Babble.com, holiday season, holiday traditions, Sidetracked Sarah
I came across this article on Babble.com about 5 Must-Do Holiday Traditions (And 5 I’m Skipping). Well after reading it I’m pretty much skipping a lot of things. I’m not sending out holiday cards. Come to think of it I don’t think I ever have. I’m not standing in line for the $30 Santa picture…. even though I could change my mind on this one. The only holiday party we’re attending is the one for my son’s classroom. We didn’t decorate the outside of the house. Our neighbors behind us and two doors down have enough lights for us and the whole neighborhood put together.
The reality is this time of year can be draining and my theory is it’s okay to just say “NO!” But there are some things I am saying yes to. I’ve been doing the Advent calendar with my son, so he doesn’t ask me every day if it’s Christmas yet. We are making a few simple holiday crafts thanks to Sidetracked Sarah’s blog. We are watching every holiday special ever made for TV. Christmas dinner is a party of three (my husband, my son and myself) so there’s not much to do there. We’ll make a few holiday cookies as well. I can only hope ours look remotely as good as the ones pictured below!
Giving to others I think is a must-do during the holidays or just anytime of the year (by the way, it’s a very tough concept to explain to a 4-1/2 year old). So that will always remain on the must-do list.
It’s just so easy to caught up in all the holiday madness and I just refuse to do it. For one, I don’t have to the time or the energy. I just like to just keep it simple. No matter what… enjoy your holiday with or without traditions or maybe create some new ones!
The Coolest Model Train Exhibit Ever….
02 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Germany, Hamburg, Miniatur Wunderland, model trains
There’s something about model trains that brings out the kid in all us. And video of this exhibit in Hamburg, Germany is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. It’s the largest model railroad in the world. This is pretty incredible! Check it out.
Treat Yourself!
02 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: kate spade, mom finds, mommy, parks and recreation, purse, shopping for mom
For the most part I rarely ever buy myself something. Even if I do have intentions of buying myself something I always end up buying something for my son or for my husband or for the house… never myself. Well, luckily I came across a post on Mom Finds about a Kate Spade sample sale. As they said on my favorite episode of “Parks and Recreation,” three very important words… treat yo’ self! Well, that’s exactly what I did. I got the cutest black purse and wallet for a steal. I ordered it on Sunday and then the delivery guy came to the door Wednesday and just like that momma now has a new purse.
In theory, I know this is really no big deal, but the point is it feels good to think about myself for once… something I need to do more often! Talk to me ladies do you make it a priority to treat yourself?
Can’t Get Enough of Rudolph!
30 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Atlanta, Center for Puppetry Arts, holiday season, puppet show, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
It’s an all time holiday classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It’s definitely one of our favorites and we look forward to it coming on every year. Heck we decorated our tree while watching the DVD. Well recently I bought tickets for Myles and I to see the puppet show version at the Center For Puppetry Arts. It was awesome!
The puppet show is identical to the TV show… even down to the little raccoons and bunnies that sing and dance in the background. Same storyline… songs…Yukon Cornelius…everything! It’s just really well produced and the puppeteers did a phenomenal job bringing the show to life.
At the end we all sang the famous song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Then the puppeteers introduced themselves to the audience and talked about their puppets. It was really cool. I can totally see why these performances sell out. When it was over we went downstairs and had a chance to make our own paper Rudolph puppet. Ours did not look as good as the one seen here…not even close. Let’s just put it this way… Myles put his own original touches on his!
So, if you’re in Atlanta during the holidays try to checkout Rudolph I highly recommend it. My son wants to see it again and so do I. It’s just good family fun!
The Great Christmas Tree… The Not So Great Decorating!
29 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: christmas, Christmas decorating, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, HGTV, ornaments
We got our Christmas tree thanks to Myles. He was bound and determined to get a tree right after Thanksgiving. So, we went and Myles picked one out, which he called “The Great Christmas Tree”. Yes, like the Great Pumpkin! Well, that was the easy part. Decorating it is another story! I love seeing beautifully decorated trees in store windows, online, in magazines or at someone’s home. I’m always left thinking why can’t our tree look like this? The right amount of lights and decorations…just lovely!
My husband and I have come to the conclusion we are terrible at tree decorating. But our lights were not tangled and all worked so yay us! As for our trees they always look pitiful…not enough lights or cheesy ornaments. We have no theme…nothing. It’s just always something. This year I even looked online to see how to put the lights on properly. That still didn’t help because I put them on haphazardly then had like three plugs of lights going. My husband was like that’s a fire hazard and took off all the lights and started over again. Then there was a debate over if we could put a strand of twinkle lights on with non-twinkle lights. Yes, this is totally pathetic. This is when I wish someone from HGTV would ring the doorbell and come in and save the day! Hint hint… there’s still enough time just in case someone from HGTV does read this by chance lol!
Now, Myles on the hand doesn’t care about all this. As long as he has his Santa hat on and can put ornaments on the tree he’s good to go. So, we finally got the lights on including the twinkle ones. Then we put on the ornaments and it turned out better than previous years, which probably doesn’t say much.
All I keep thinking is how is it possible after all these years that we don’t know how to decorate a tree properly? Lol! Maybe we should consider this our practice tree and get another and try again! Or maybe there’s a class on this or something we can take next year. I guess really all that matters is Myles is happy with it. When we were finished he said now Santa can come and fill it with presents. See kids always know how to bring you back to reality… ya’ gotta love that!
Turkey Dinner Victory!
29 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: holiday meal, kids dinner, kids eat turkey, Thanksgiving dinner, turkey dinner
Well the holiday season is in full swing right now, but I’m still on cloud nine from Thanksgiving. Why you may ask? Well after three years my son who’s now four-and-a-half finally ate his first Thanksgiving dinner. May not be a big deal to everyone, but it is to me. This is a meal I prepare days in advance. This is a meal that I put blood, sweat, tears and a whole lot of love into making. This is like the super bowl of cooking for me! Can you guess it’s my favorite meal of the year to make!
When Myles was one… I made him a little plate with a little turkey and sweet potato casserole and he respectfully declined. When he was two he asked for Stouffers mac ‘n cheese instead of my homemade mac ‘n cheese or any of the trimmings. Then when he was three he wanted Annie’s canned ravioli…yes, ravioli! So, I told him each time that one day he would appreciate this meal especially when he’s in college and missing home cooking! But finally this year victory was mine!!!! Myles watched me cook Thanksgiving morning, so who knows if that made a difference. However, there was a moment where he busted out the pasta and asked me to make him some because he was getting antsy waiting for dinner. I started to sweat…thinking here we go again.
Once dinner was ready Myles was eager to eat turkey, sweet potatoes, mac ‘n cheese and lots of rolls. I couldn’t believe it! We said what we were thankful for before we ate. Myles was grateful that his mom and dad played video games with him. I was grateful for many things including my son finally enjoying what I consider his first official Thanksgiving meal. Yes, for me it’s the little things like this that go a long way.
Please share your holiday meal stories with your kids. Is it a struggle to get your kids to eat special meals let alone dinner every night?
No More Workout Excuses…NONE!
10 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
So in recent months I have abandoned working out. Just can’t seem to do it. I do it in my head, but can’t seem to physically get into the gym. As a result, I can feel the pounds rapidly growing around my waistline. So now I just want to put a picture of my head on any picture of Halle Berry strolling on the beach in a bikini.
But then I saw this story today that quickly changed my attitude. A woman 39 weeks pregnant with her second child ran the Chicago Marathon Sunday. I was like REALLY!!! This woman is tough as nails in my book. She ran half and walked half while having contractions. YES contractions! And if you’ve had a kid you know contractions are no joke. She got a few stares along the way but she made it across that finish line man! Then… she got some food and went to the hospital and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Amber Miller I salute you!!! There’s no way I could run a marathon now, much less pregnant. So I hope you’re getting some well-deserved rest and pampering right now because I’m exhausted just thinking about what you just accomplished.
Anyway, after seeing that story I took my lazy butt right to the gym. SO NO MORE EXCUSES!!! NONE!!! If that doesn’t motivate me to want to workout I don’t know what will!
Lessons From a Pre-K Field Trip
09 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
Do you ever wonder what your child is like at school? You drop your kid off every day and you hope everything is okay during those 6-7 hours they are in the care of someone else. I always wonder what’s going on? Is my child behaving? Is he happy there? Is he listening? Well the only way to answer these questions are to investigate and go see for yourself.
Most teachers will tell you your kids act differently at school than at home. Yes, it is true. I had this picture in my head of my four-and-a-half year son being quiet and shy in school. Recently, I went on a field trip with part of my son’s pre-K class and found out he’s quite the opposite. We went to the botanical gardens and the bus ride with nine 4-and-5 year-olds was an adventure in itself. All I heard was… I see McDonald’s, I see a bus, I see a gas station and on and on and on like these kids had never ridden in a car before. It’s amazing how riding on a bus makes things you’ve seen a thousand times seem new through a child’s eyes.
Anyway, what was so awesome for me during those four hours was I got see another side of my son’s personality. He’s more outgoing than I thought. It was so cute to see him making his field trip partner laugh. I saw him being a good listener in and out of the classroom. I saw him excited to learn. I saw him leading the group in a song while the bus was being parked. I heard him and his friends singing all sorts of fun songs including Justin Beiber on the bus ride back. I didn’t even know my son knew who Justin Beiber was!! I was like is this my child? I sat and watched in amazement. It was so refreshing to get a chance to see him in a different light. And the icing on the cake…there were no meltdowns, no one fell in the fountain or killed any flowers. All the kids behaved really well at the gardens and had a great time!
So, if you have a day off or just a little time during your day… spend some of it in your child’s classroom or on a field trip. You might be pretty amazed and proud of what you see. I know I definitely was.
The Green Eye Nightmare
27 Feb 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 4 year olds, Arhtur, green eye monster, kids dreams, kids movies, kids nightmares, kids TV, Monsters vs. Aliens, PBS kids
Kids TV and movies have come a long way from when I was kid. I remember the days of “School House Rock” and “Fat Albert”. I used to love those shows!
Just recently, we were watching “Arthur” on PBS and the episode had something to do with Lance Armstrong and then the next thing I know they are talking about cancer and I’m like CANCER! So I just shut it off. I wasn’t ready for that with a 4-year-old.
As for movies… Myles has seen a few like “Cars”, “Toy Story” and “Thomas the Train”. Then one day recently I made the MISTAKE of branching out and letting Myles watch the movie “Monsters vs. Aliens”.I thought it couldn’t be that bad and we watched it together. BIG MISTAKE!!! Well, there’s one part in the movie that shows a monster with a green eye and that’s when I realized Myles was getting a little scared and turned it off. We probably watched about 40 minutes. So that night he went to bed and woke up at 2 o’clock in the morning talking about how the “green eye” took him out of his bed. I thought to myself nice going Mom! Now I was up in the middle of the night explaining that the green eye isn’t real and to dream about rainbows, puppies and unicorns.
The next day Myles told me he liked “Monsters vs. Aliens” and wanted to watch it again. I was like what? But you said the “green eye” scared you. Myles told me he wanted to see it again. I wasn’t falling for it and said no way. I’m not going to be up in the middle of the night talking about the “green eye”. I deleted the movie from DVR and he can watch it again when he’s 12. And, believe it or not he still talks about that dog gone “green eye”.
Lessons learned: #1. Little kids are fickle. #2. I won’t let my 4 year old watch a movie he’s not ready for or it will cause me to lose sleep. #3. Stick to what we know best… “Thomas the Train” movies or even better we’ll just read a book!
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