From our home to yours!

All the fun and excitement without the noise, chaos and ensuing headache! Or at least I hope it doesn't give you a headache like the actual tree decorating experience did for me:)

(Oh and I apologize its a bit looong and redundant. But hey, that's life with little kids!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

If you don't have anything nice to say...

...don't say anything at all!

While that is great advice. And I have heard it many, many times in my life. (Thanks mom.) I have never been very good at following it....

Suffice it to say, it has been a real humdinger of a week around here! As I was explaining to Joe last night, I feel like the kids and I are in survival mode. We are just barely hanging on. All three of my children are having behavior issues. Intense behavior issues. And it is just too much for me to handle all at once. I know the anger, willful defiance and tantrums need to be addressed. And consistently. But I just don't have it in me right now. Instead of disciplining and dealing with the behaviors as they arise, I am struggling to just stay afloat. To do the dishes. And make meals. Do the laundry. Get everyone dressed and out the door. Quite frankly it feels like all I can do to just keep us alive. Who has time for discipline and guidance? And the energy? Not I. 

And my sanity. It seems to be slipping away. I know I am a sane person. I just don't feel it. Here's the proof: the school book fair. It's a fundraiser AND it encourages literacy. Both things I normally love and support. Not this week. Nope this week the book fair has become my nemesis. Because if I have to hear Isaiah beg one more time for money for the book fair I might really go crazy! Honestly today I threatened Isaiah with e-mailing his teacher requesting she keep him in the hall while the rest of his class attends the book fair. The book fair and me...it's getting ugly. 

And then tonight as I was attempting to tidy up, it happened. Hannah puked. All over herself, all over me and all over the (carpeted) hallway. Charlotte and Isaiah watched the whole thing. (Charlotte looked like she was going to throw up too! But thankfully didn't.) I quickly cleaned Hannah and myself up. Then Charlotte held Hannah and sang to her while I cleaned up the rest of the mess. Thank heavens for loving and helpful older siblings. And then the entire scenario repeated itself in the kitchen, except with MORE vomit. 

Like I said, a real humdinger. 

We will survive. More importantly, I will discipline and guide these children because that is my job. My privilege as their mother. But first I am going to wash the puke out of my hair!

Isaiah & his new book...from the book fair!

I tried to pick up Isaiah from school twice today...the first time I was 15 minutes early and the second time I was right on time, but apparently that was actually late! Evidenced by the fact that he was the last kid waiting and I was greeted by an exasperated "finally". 

The first time I completely forgot about chess club. Which meets every Monday after school. So I left him there and returned 2 hours later with the girls. I like to believe I would have been early the second time as well but for some mysterious reason both girls became screaming rag dolls lacking any ability to put on winter gear OR walk precisely when we needed to leave. 

It's no wonder Isaiah planned and wrote out his morning routine. Clearly I need help in this department. If only he had written out the entire day...

In my defense it has been one of those days. A day that is sooooo long and tiring that it feels like surely it should be Wednedsay or Thursday already. But nope. Still Monday. Bummer. 

The day started with a puking child. And continued with a nearly 2 hour "intake appointment" (for Hannah for speech therapy) as well as a self-inflicted torture filled trip to Walmart to finish Christmas shopping and a quick trip to the dentist for Charlotte's mouth situation. The dentist suggested she fall again so the other front tooth gets pushed back too! I vote we just start calling her "Bucky". 

This evening was no better. The kids' whining, screaming and deliberate disobedience was at an all time HIGH. While my patience was at an all time LOW. Not a winning combination. Not at all. 

Hannah mostly screamed because she wanted these Hero Factory balls. The perfect choking hazard. Cruel mother that I am, I took them away. Five minutes before dinner was ready the kids gorged themselves on muffins much to my dismay. They managed to ruin dinner AND tomorrow's breakfast in one disobedient move. That might be a new record. 

There was more. I am sure off it. The shenanigans were seemingly endless tonight. But I am too tired to remember now. My eyes can barely stay open. Yet my mind is running at 100 thoughts/minute. I am thinking about things like the dinner dishes I deserted on the table. PLUS yesterday's dishes still in the sink:( The large load of laundry in the washing machine that I pray doesn't smell too mildew-y in the morning...and the load in the dryer that will be a wrinkled heap by morning. But a CLEAN heap. And regretting skipping bath for the girls. It's overdue. And I didn't finish my Bible study for tomorrow. AGAIN. We are out of baby wipes. Crap. And I really, really hope speech therapy will help Hannah and the near constant screaming will stop. Lastly, why are all my kids still awake when I am so sleepy? WHY?
 

That last line is just a suggestion. I am sure. Otherwise I would feel really bad about eating them by the fistful all by myself...

Pearly whites, part 2

The sequence (the not so pearly & white part).

An even sadder tale of Charlotte and her teeth. She had a little incident yesterday morning. Walking on the (uneven) walkway up to our house she tripped. She seemed to catch herself at first, but in the end her head took the brunt of the fall. Per her usual:(

It looks pretty nasty. Poor baby. She only really complains of pain when eating. She's one tough cookie!

Her front left tooth (pictured on the right) is definitely out of place. Pushed up & back. And it keeps bleeding at the gums. So back to the dentist we go tomorrow morning! 

Her only concern was that she wouldn't be pretty enough for her Christmas performance at church this morning. She didn't want everyone to see her owie:(

I think she looked adorable! Owie and all. And I was so proud of her, she sang almost every word and did all the actions!

Craft Fair!

For the past few weeks I have spent *almost* every nap time and post-kids bedtime hours sewing, sewing, sewing. I was working like a mad woman to create homemade merchandise for my first ever craft fair (held yesterday at Joe's school)...

and I sold three items for a grand total of $16. While my supplies cost me $18. Whomp. Whomp. Whomp. [Watch out family and friends...many homemade gifts headed your way!]

BUT I am okay with that BECAUSE the best part of the sale was this...

My best friend, Erica came into town just for the sale! And we got to hang out ALL DAY while our husbands held down the fort back with all the kids. (We definitely got the better end of that deal - just don't tell the guys:) It was such a treat! SIX mostly uninterrupted hours with my friend. Besides a few pesky sale transactions we were able to chat the day away! And Erica did much better at the sale than me. Which isn't surprising because she is far more talented than I AND she brought more stuff. 

I made little boy neck ties and bow ties. As well as bow tie onesies. 

  

A few scarves. Bibs & a burp cloth. A crayon roll-up. And baby doll slings. 

A couple Christmas pennant-style banners. And my pride and joy were the two hooded monkey bath towels that I created WITHOUT a pattern or tutorial. I had a vision in my head and I made it happen!  But neither of them sold...

Lastly (but certainly not least!) I created a few counterfeit 'Owie Owls'. 

Let me explain these fun little guys. First things first, they are cold packs for kids (of all ages!). We have one and they work amazingly well. Our owl lives in the freezer at ALL TIMES. Then when a bump or fall happens, as is likely with little kids in the house, we pull him out and VOILA instant relief. Seriously, my kids LOVE him. And so do I! I am not sure how we survived these everyday "traumas" before we owned him.

Now onto the counterfeit part. My cousin and his ridiculously talented wife are in the middle of expanding their family through international adoption. As part of their fund raising efforts Mara (the talented seamstress part of this duo) has created Owie Owls and is selling them over on their blog, Waiting Stitches. 

I decided to *try* to help them out by making a few (using her original as my template) and selling them at the craft fair with all proceeds going towards their adoption fund. Mine were not nearly as adorable or well made as the original Owie Owl. But somehow I still managed to sell one. So a whopping $12* is headed their way. However if YOU want to buy one click on over to Waiting Stitches and get your order in. You won't regret it! They are fabulous and kids love them. They make a great baby or kid gift. *Hint. Hint.*  It will be money well spent. I promise. 

And now for far less important information, after the sale I took Erica on her inaugural trip to Charming Charlie. The girl was in heaven!!! As I knew she would be:)

Lastly, Isaiah bought Lily (pictured above) a locket because "she wants it" and "it is pink. Her FAVORITE color!" and "it's a heart because we love each other". Seriously the sweetness was almost too much! My heart melted a bit until he broke the locket an hour later...such is life!

 

 

 

 

 

*I realized I sold my Owie Owls for a few dollars cheaper than the REAL Owie Owls. Mine just weren't as nice as hers are...I didn't feel I could charge that much. But Mara's workmanship is FABULOUS - totally worth the $3 more:)