Operation We Need a Little Christmas...

Papa and Gigi went on an adventure trip to see the penguins in Antarctica from Thanksgiving through mid-December. And although they were surrounded by snow their whole trip, I had a feeling that they would return home and not really have the energy to put up all their Christmas decorations. Jet lag will do that to you.  We were their transportation to and from the airport so I knew their exact travel schedule. And the Sunday before we were to pick them up at the airport, we snuck over to their house and up into their attic and we put up all their Christmas decorations!  Every year, they buy a live tree and say to each other "That's the best looking tree we've ever had." And usually they buy one for $20 at the grocery store parking lot or wherever. I know they prefer a live tree, so we went to pick one out at Lowes on the way over.  I'm inexperienced at the art of picking out a live tree as we have a fake one and relish the simplicity and low maintenance-ness of pulling the same tree out of the box each year. However, there is nothing quite like the smell of a live tree. That said, I never knew there was such an art in selecting a tree.  Actually, I still can't say that I have mastered this art form as when shopping in freezing temperatures with four boys in tow, actually three out of the car with me and one refusing to step out into the tundra of the parking lot. Then rapidly we were rushing up and down the aisles of trees as the remaining child in the car had ejected himself from his child restraint seat and was in the driver's seat honking the horn to hurry us along. (Bad mommy, leaving child in car, now everyone hears and sees it's your child in the parking lot. UG!) The transaction complete we load the petite tree in the back of our loud vehicle and we're off to commence Operation We Need a Little Christmas. It was not until arrival and unbinding the demure tree that I realized she was left at the tree lot because she has a significant bow to her trunk that causes her to lean to the side no matter how tightly one adjusts her in the Christmas tree stand.  Oh well, it's part of her charm. I named her Alice. Alice the Christmas Tree Angel. We worked feverishly to hang the trappings, the tinsel, the buttons and bows and make sure Papa and Gigi's house really did glows. (ok, there I go regressing to Dr. Seuss speak again. It happens when one reads How the Grinch Stole Christmas on command with too great a frequency.) Nonetheless, their house was soon full of Christmas cheer from the wreath on the front door to the Christmas Moose hanging in the bathroom and the Baaa-hum-bug lamb sign in the kitchen.  We slunk back home and I swore the boyz to secrecy not to tell Papa & Gigi until they walked into their own home and saw with their own eyes.  Carter and Kiefer were at school the morning we picked them up at the airport so I knew they weren't a risk and Griffin and Fletcher were buckled in their carseats in the back but when we pulled into their driveway Fletcher started to say, "Gigi, we…." and I cut him off before he could say anything else until they discovered it themselves.  They were amazed! The first thing TJ said was, "Oh, you found the tree in the backyard?!" I asked, 'Huh? what tree?" Ends up he knew they would sell out of the good trees while they were gone so he had already bought a nice straight one. But no, I didn't notice that at all! The birds enjoyed that one this season and Papa and Gigi said with all sincerity that they "had never had such a beautiful tree!"(As long as you tilt your head sideways, she was!) Trying to teach the kids through actions that Christmas is all about giving… and that it might be giving of your time more than anything that means the most.  Papa & Gigi still talk about that tree… and how much they were dreading having to put up all their decorations as tired as they were.  Operation We Need A Little Christmas was deemed a success! Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Christmas Tree Capers Commencing in Operation We Need a Little Christmas

All the trappings, trimmings, boxes and bows

Don't get caught!

There she glows!

"Ok everybody, now lean!" There now she looks straight!?

"The Nicest Tree Ever"

On Christmas Day… everyone lean… oops, too far! (All the grandkids: F, G, K, C, C, A, J, N)

The Jays

Papa & Gigi standing by the nicest tree they've had!

She's better on tilt

Vortex of Time and Vaccum of Disaster

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself saying out loud in a moment of despair, "What is it that happens between the hours of 4-7 p.m. that it's a vortex of time and a vaccum of disaster?" It's become my least favorite time of the day.  Carter and Kiefer get off the bus at 3 p.m. and we do a snack and I always let them play first thing. I think all children need to play more. Unprogrammed playtime is a dying art. But when we start the homework machine at 4 p.m. (or at least attempt to start it) the wheels fall off.  Or maybe it's more like a train wreck.

Carter's typically self-motivated and will willingly sit down and do his homework and often is finished in 20 minutes. Kiefer, on the other hand, is pretty much the opposite. I have to physically sit down with him, often pulling him back into his chair or fetching the pencil that he throws in frustration or snagging his blanket from him so he'll get his thumb out of his mouth to write with his right hand. This goes on for a while.

Oh, and did I mention dinner prep? The two always collide. Other, more organized, better prepared moms would have dinner made ahead of time or militarily mapped out on a spread sheet for the month complete with new recipes to try and a shopping list! But this disheveled, disorganized mom looks into the freezer at a bag of frozen chicken breasts at about 5:30 p.m. and wonders what's for dinner?

If you've ever seen the opening scene to the movie "The American President" with Michael Douglass as the president - it is the essence of what I'm feeling as I stare into my freezer.  Instead of staring at frozen food,  in the movie, the President is entering the West Wing being followed by a band of advisors coaching him on names, his schedule, political threats, edits to his upcoming State of the Union address and policy recommendations and debates as they walk along and enter the elevator. Then as the elevator doors open, you see him greeted by the panic stricken face of his African American female press secretary who says to him, in that tone of voice that only a ticked off African American woman can give, "You give me this at 5 o'clock? Five o'clock's news time! You don't give me this at 5 o'clock? What am I supposed to do with this at 5 o'clock?!!?" That's exactly how I feel.  And it only gets worse from there.

Griffin and Fletcher are usually very good about playing together but during the time when Mommy needs to be sitting down to keep Kiefer focused on math or spelling or reading or whatever, of course, that's when they need me. They come to me with policy changes or political threats or reports of terrorist attacks and they don't realize that it's news time for me. We're awaiting nuclear chemical weapon implosion melt downs if I don't prepare dinner by 6:30 p.m. But they just don't seem to understand the magnitude of the ticking clock.

Oh, and did I mention the state of affairs? As in the condition of my kitchen floors and countertops? I sometimes regret that I made the choice long ago to raise creative, imaginative kids.  Seriously, do you know how messy that is? But it's too late now. Now they are creative, imaginative kids and that comes with some serious baggage.  For example, last night at about 5:15 p.m. when I still hadn't started anything for dinner (and in the back of my mind wondering if we'd already had chicken nuggets this week for dinner? Could we do it again tonight?) I was kneeling on the floor picking up a million scraps of paper that Griffin and Fletcher had been entertaining themselves cutting (and I think a few locks of Griffin's hair was in that pile, but that's a different story for a different blog) and then I see the state of the kitchen table is covered at all 8 place settings with homework, rainbow loom boxes, rubberbands and patterns, my ipad that Carter's been using to video himself creating a new rainbow loom pattern, then there's library books, school books, piles of papers from the day's school work and the current homework that's being avoided by Kiefer. I sit down for a little more tudoring and homework coaching and encouraging and before I know it it's 6 o'clock. News time. Still no dinner. Finally, at 7 p.m. dinner was served. Grilled cheese, left over meatloaf and salmon and asparagus for those over 40. Nuclear disaster averted for another day. We'll see what tomorrow holds.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

We've now entered my favorite time of year! Summer's only rival is December! Maybe it's because my birthday is this month, but I think my love for December is treasured memories of Christmases past and trying to create positive memories for our children of their Christmases past and present. (and future?!)

It's our family tradition that the day after Thanksgiving, we put up the tree and deck that halls for Christmas.

This year, Jim's aunt was in town so we had a ladies lunch the day after Thanksgiving and I came home to a decorated house. The tree was up, the garland strung, the lights up, trees in each boyz' room. It was like someone flipped a switch and it was instantly Christmas. I know the amount of work involved and the challenge of reining in all the helpful energy so as not to destroy every Christmas ornament in the process of hanging them up!

But now that we have decorated, it's time for the season's traditions to commence!
So far, in this first week of December, Daddy-O and I have attended a live Christmas concert, we've watched at least two Christmas cartoons, listened to the Muppets and John Denver Christmas CD more times than can be counted already, we've consumed almost a full can of peppermint hot cocoa and one bag of mini marshmallows. We had our first Christmas Tea Party after dinner Tuesday night. Daddy-O was traveling and we ditched bath time in exchange for peppermint cocoa served from the Christmas Tree Tea Pot into santa mugs accompanied by peppermint ice cream.  So far, the boyz have only trashed the house three times playing Santa using my hot mits as stockings and stuffing them with toys.  And the tree is faring better than usual and we've not lost or broken any ornaments - yet. It's still early. But it seems that Carter's favorite place to be is behind the Christmas tree. He even did his homework back there the other day!

I actually accomplished a little Christmas shopping midweek while the boyz were all at school. I feel like Santa driving his sleigh as all the presents are still in the back of my car covered up under a blanket. I haven't had a chance to bring them inside to hide them in my secret stash yet. But so far they haven't noticed their current hiding place. Thankfully!

We've been talking about "Giving Gifts to Jesus" - which is my attempt to teach them that this advent season is really about giving. We keep track of simple acts of kindness or small gestures of self-sacrifice  and write them down in our Advent calendar house.  There have been some fun discussions about what  gifts we can give Jesus. Griffin wants to give Jesus a Pogo Stick for Christmas! Well, who wouldn't, right?

Then today we went through two boxes of butter, a half dozen eggs and a five pound bag of flour making our fist batch of Christmas cookies! Carter and Kiefer were at school but I couldn't hold Griffin and Fletcher back anymore so we made some dough and only cut out half the cookies, saving the other half for big brothers.

Fletcher was playing in the sugar jar like a sand box and when we were done he was so sugar coated I had to rinse him off in the sink!

Then, just on cue, we got our first snowfall this evening! It began on my way out of church from a Christmas concert.  The boyz were so excited they couldn't sleep.  Niether can I! I guess that's why I'm up writing at two in the morning!? It's still coming down and I'm wondering if we'll have a school delay. I hope we do! We need to dust off the sleds and make some tracks first thing!

As I attempted to put the boyz back to bed this evening, they pressed their noses against the frosty window and we watched the silent snow fall icing the trees and grass below. We sang together, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."


Only 20 days till Christmas! (Yay! There's still lots of memory making to come!!)

Yes, I love this time of year!