Things I made for Christmas

Due to the economy I went all Little House on the Prairie this year for Christmas. I was pretty proud of some of my creations...so I thought I would brag. I am not sure about how the recipients felt...

There may have been a few that thought I was the crazy Aunt making bunny suits from A Christmas Story...but hey...when I start making sweaters with cats on them and a voice box that meows... then they can complain...until then, they are going to have to deal with my 1800's self!

The scarf was for a friends belated birthday. The girls together, show the dress (it has a big red bow in the back) for my eldest. But I cut myself out because Pie on Christmas morning is NOT PRETTY...the rest were dresses and sweaters made for my nieces....

So there you go...now I shall go churn butter and tend to my chickens....

Winter Fun

Here is my new thing to do with Henry. We built a skating rink this weekend. It is 20x30 feet, so I think it will be enough of a size that the kids can skate on it. It isn’t perfect, but it was a good solution to my boredom of playing cars…

So, there you go, that is the real reason I got into this project, (you knew if wasn’t from my stellar parenting skills!) I basically got tired of playing trucks with Henry. I never have been good at that. I used to have to play the same exact game with the girls, except they used Barbies and dolls as opposed to speaking vehicles. (Thank you Pixar...)There is something about playing these games with my little dictators that seems to go against the control freak in me.

When you play, you have to hold the car the way they tell you to, and they really aren’t about improv, they have the whole thing scripted in their head. They tell you what your car/doll is supposed to say, and do.

Yeah, I am not down with that. They get all mad at me because I purposely go rogue on them, and start doing my own thing with my character that clearly goes against what they have planned.

Sometimes I fear the future of small countries if my children ever set their sights on them… they will have a dictatorship for sure…and all of them will be going to dances, and having road races for sure!

Again?

OK so Caroline has a friend that she likes to have over. This would be the one that Henry likes to put underwear on his head in front of... Mind you her mother is who I coach with, and her dad is a teacher at Caroline's school...that Henry is slated to attend next year...

So her dad comes to pick her up and Henry is showing off in the hall way...this is what he says to his future teacher...

"I am the boss here...because I built this house and whoever builds the house gets to be the boss."

Caroline, who would like to think that she is the boss of the universe and has steep competition from her sister, was quick to say "you weren't even born when this house was built"

Henry thinks for a minute...and he says "You don't know Caroline...I came right out when I was borned with a hammer and nails and a chainsaw and builded the house."

I thought back to having him...I was pretty sure that there was no chainsaw, but you know? I was a little out of it I guess....

I am starting to wonder if the boy will have a reputation before he even gets to school!

Things That Make You Say....

AARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

So last night I had a meeting until 10:30. I worked two jobs yesterday, didn't eat dinner, and went straight to my meeting after job number 2... This is not to say "Oh poor Pie, pity, pity, pity," but rather to let you know my frame of mind when I dragged my oversized butt out of bed this morning to get my children off to school.

I am downstairs feeding the boy, because apparently I am obligated to do so as he lets me know every morning by demanding breakfast. (We have had many conversations about how starving because of rudeness is not a good option, but it seems to fall on deaf ears…He clearly understands the idol threat...)

So my cranky grumbling stumbling self is filling my coffee cup for the second time, and my lovely middle child comes down "ready" for school. I could tell she was sort of hiding herself a little, and I could hear a swishing sound when she walked. This was my warning…

As you may or may not recall, my middle daughter is, well, a little fashion challenged. I like to call it unique, which it is, and many days I am OK with her bag lady approach to dressing...but somehow this morning when I laid eyes on my pretty little girl with a pony tail directly in the center of her head falling into her eyes, a red, yellow and navy blue striped sweater, with a black watch plaid taffeta skirt with crinolines, multi colored tights and black shoes....something broke inside the "let her be her unique self" part of my brain.

A voice from the old crabby lady within came out of my mouth, saying: "NO, NO NO, Absolutely NOT, What in the world made you think THAT was OK????"

(Yes I know, it was harsh...that’s why I prefaced the story with the pity me party.)

I sent her up to change, she emerges from upstairs in her best nasty teenager interpretation...pouty lips, arms crossed...in....COMPLETE BLACK.

Black tights, black shoes, black skirt, black shirt, black headband.Granted this was better in some ways than the eye assaulting outfit of earlier in the day, but I was really hesitant about sending my angry child to school as an angsty mortician.

Silently I went up to her room retrieved a bright pink sweater, came downstairs and popped it over her head...we didn't say another word until the bus came...

"I love you, have a great day"

And I meant it...as much as I meant to go get another BIG cup of coffee!