2010 Crayon Scraps

2010 has been a fun year for me blogging. I wanted to do one last "end of the year" post and sprinkle some crayon scraps around you like confetti at the sight of the ball dropping.

At the beginning of 2010 had another newborn (this is becoming a trend every two years) and I had some lessons I had to relearn in breastfeeding. We kicked a little of our "Old School" ways to the curb with some new purchases. I wrote a song to Mama M and then crashed Blissdom trying to run out on a food bill.

Around February (hate spelling that) I told two stories about my engagement to The Head Crayon. Our Engagement which ended up in a stand-off and of how a skunk can bring two people together. I also told a little story about a ring that I had that got stuck on my finger and what being broken can mean. I also discussed my greatest fear.

Some time in March I channeled my inner Edgar Alan Poe and brought you "The Tell-Tale Fart"  and declared there would be no more B.S. in my house. I also gave you a lesson in Happiness 101

In April I announced myself the Mayor of Crazy Town and taught my kids a valuable lesson in having Power over Fear. I also had a very unique Craiglist buying experience and Nashville flooded.

In May I received a Mother's Day Gift to talk about and did a sing-along to my most Frustrating Things. I gave some advice on how to Fight Fair With Your Spouse and did a live interview podcast with Lucille O'Neal (Shaq's mom) about her new book.

In June we moved into our new home and became Country Fried. I then provided a vlog on how to make homemade butter. I topped that one by turning around and showing you how to make homemade bread. Which led to me writing a post to honor my Nana called The Taste Of Breadsticks.

In July I talked about men and then I talked about jealousy and how it isn't easy being green. I talked about a leopard in plaid and provided you with a mind map of my brain while writing.

August I gave instruction on how to use humor in blogging and shared about how to get kids to listen. I wrote about what "What To Expect When Expecting" didn't teach me and what you can expect in Mommy Milestones.

September I explored a Playground of Death and learned we need to eat spinach for breakfast. I also learned that being a parent means answering tough questions and showed you a picture of my big breasts.

In October I wrote a love letter to Twitter and broke up with Facebook. I vlogged about Saving Turkeys and taught you the official Mommy's Prayer.

In the month of November I wrote a letter to annoying cartoons, talked about how we fall into failure and what all I am thankful for. Because of Baby Sophia I asked you to Get Involved and Be A Hammer.

December I talked about how Jesus got run over by a reindeer, how presents get overlooked and wrote a poem about little kids who open their presents before Christmas.

It's been a great year that I have spent with all of you and I laughed, cried and was encouraged to keep blogging after revisiting a lot of these posts. Thank you for being my friends and my readers!

Lessons Learned - 2010

Lessons Learned in 2010

Basic  lessons

• There is no "Easy Button" when you are a mom.
• There is an "Easier Button" if you look for it. Mine is Speed Dial #1 and its the "I'm calling your dad" direct line. When I push that button everything is easier.
• There are people who love waking up in the morning, frying bacon, baking biscuits and singing in the kitchen.
• Then there is me.
• If you pull out a pack of bacon and stare at it hard enough for 20 minutes, you can convince yourself that it might be spoiled.
• To be safe, feed the children cereal.
• Feel pride all day long from the certain food poisoning disaster you avoided.
• Go to bed that night and mention in your prayer to God that you were sorry you were lazy and lied to the children who wanted bacon.
• Husbands who had moms who cooked elaborate breakfasts are decidedly miffed when served cereal.
• Even after 10 years of marriage the comment "My mom always did...." will still come up.
• Husbands are the reason that mother-in-laws get such a bad rap.
• With Child #1 you did a constant sweep of the house to make sure there were no choking hazards on the floor.
• With Child #3 you teach the older ones who to do the "throat sweep" while you trip over tiny Legos.
• It is possible to get your thumb stuck in a minivan hatch to the point where you can't move.
• This is the type of thing that only happens to me.
• It's possible to control tears and cussing when children are present so you don't scare them while you are stuck and in pain.
• When the husband comes to your rescue and points/laughs first before rescuing you, you can not control the cussing part.
• Sometimes when you look at all your little crazy mistakes in the day; you wonder why God entrusted small children to your care.
• After you have asked forgiveness for the whole bacon incident; thank God that he gave you all those little beings to care for.

Selling your home lessons

• 12 years after the initial construction, it is a good idea to spruce up the house and update major features for selling.
• Carpet, paint and new floor tiling is a wonderful selling point.
• Before the new carpet, paint and floor tiling has been installed; you average around 5 showings every week.
• Once the new carpet, paint and floor tiling has been installed, not one person will look at your house for the next 3 months.
• 2 children and one dog can ruin the whole look of new carpet in about 3 weeks.
• The new paint will hold up about one week past the carpet.
• Although you had initially packed up most of your knick-knacks; they will slowly find their way back into the house after it hasn't shown for 3 months.
• Once the carpet looks worn, there are scuffs on the paint and the house generally looks like it threw up; you will get 5-6 showings a week again.
• Around this time the season of Spring has shown up.
• Before you put your house on the market, you could mow the grass every 10 days to keep it looking nice.
• A Realtor sign contains some kind of fertilizer. Once planted in your yard, the grass needs to be mowed every 2 days to keep it from being as tall as the trees.
• On the day the laundry is to be finished and there are 6 baskets of dirty clothes sitting around, you will get a call that the house is showing in an hour.
• You can stuff 3 loads of laundry in the dryer and the other 3 loads will fit in the car.
• A loaf of fresh bread takes around an hour to cook.
• While you are kneading the raw dough, you will get a call that the house is showing in an hour.
• Go ahead and finish your bread, it seems that Realtors and potential home buyers enjoy having fresh bread while touring your house.
• Have an exit plan similar to that of a fire escape and drill the children every day.
• You will get a call that the house is showing in one hour, when the kids are muddy, need a nap, have Legos strewn across the floor or are in a uncooperative mood.
• Those three laundry baskets will come in handy that you put in the car. Throw a child, toys and dog in one and carry it to the car too.

Grocery shopping with kids

• When you have small children, you will put off going to the store as long as possible.
• After trying to make a dinner out of a can of peaches, ranch dressing and 3 olives, it's time to go to the store.
• Gummy fruit snacks and coffee are the most important items on the 4 foot long list.
• You will go to the store that has the cool race car shopping carts, not the one with the best prices.
• You take extra diapers and clothes along with your coupons.
• Since you know your kids, you already have a pre-written apology letter to the manager of the store.
• The first meltdown occurs right inside the door when the children discover that all the cool race car shopping carts are being used.
• A trip to the free cookie counter will appease them for 20 minutes.
• You spend more time trying to put back the things the kids throw in the cart, than actually shopping.
• You will lose a child on Aisle 4, 7, 9 & 14
• Someone will break something on Aisle 3
• Meltdowns occur on the cookie, cereal and bakery aisle.
• You wonder why your child feels the need to poke the fresh meat packages.
• At the checkout line you are so busy explaining that the kids can't just eat the candy off the displays, that you forget your coupons.
• Once home you realize that you forgot the fruit gummy snacks and coffee.
• Somehow 3 boxes of cookies, a pack of frozen bagels, bottle of Fish Oil supplement and a bottle of Cinderella hand soap made it into your groceries.
• You are so mentally wiped from shopping, you order a pizza.

Kids have no sense of humor

3 year olds are not amused when a parent hides in their closet to throw ice cold water on them.

4 year olds will declare themselves a Vegan when a parent drives by a cow pasture and points out the hamburgers.

Shorting sheets does not work on those under 4 feet tall.

Putting a fake spider in the bathtub will result in a boycott of bath time.

Replacing their bowl of vanilla ice cream with sour cream does not cause laughter but puking.

Putting an ice cube in a diaper loses the shock factor when the wetness is just absorbed.

Finding a perfect hiding spot is not recommended when playing with children under 3. This has a tendency to bring back all the separation anxiety.

When working in the kitchen, do not coat hand with ketchup and begin screaming. Children under 5 do not appreciate gory humor.

Putting Vaseline on the seat of a toilet does not encourage a toddler to potty train as they continually slide off into the floor.

Teaching "knock knock" jokes is impossible when one has the attention span of a gnat and drools constantly.

Whew

December is a super busy month for us. At the end it always leaves you feeling like you just slid into first base and barely escaped getting tagged with the ball.

There are 2 birthdays with Christmas thrown in.

Our oldest daughter turned 5.

It's been a good year for our Buzz. She is doing so much better in her socialization and speech. We are still awaiting a formal diagnosis as she is testing within Aspergers and/or Sensory Integration Dysfunction. She is really thriving in "country life" and getting to have her own dog. I am so proud of how far she has come this year. Even when she gets mad at me and stomps her feet and says "I don't like you"; I have to cheer because she is articulating emotion. It hurts, but with 3 girls who are going to go through puberty; I better get used to it.

 

Next up I had a fun photo shoot with the best group of kids and Santa. Don't try to tell me that this Santa wasn't real because he just HAD to be! I had a blast watching all the kids sit on his lap and got the privilege of hearing a lot of their Christmas wishes. I loved watching their innocent belief in the magic of Santa. This is one of my favorite from the group of pictures. I am anticipating a good year in my studio for 2011...besides, Santa promised!

To top it all off with the magic of Christmas we got a White Christmas this year. Snow started falling Christmas Eve and fell all day Christmas. It was our first Christmas at our new house and we now know that when it snows, we are stuck on our hill. We were unable to go to my parents house for Christmas and it really threw a wrench in our plans. We ended up feasting on "Kitchen Sink burritos" since I had nothing cooked. It is not something that we want to become tradition, but we enjoyed each other and the magic of Christmas day. We had a Surprise Party for Baby Jesus (my 5yo idea) and opened presents.

 

After Christmas was Baby Bitsy's 1st birthday. I cant believe it has already been a year that she has been in the family. She has been our best baby yet. Always happy, never demanding and not too loud. (HAHA) She is often overlooked in the chaos of the house but has learned to get right in with the big girls and make herself known. She isn't walking yet, but that's because she is too smart to walk. She has her sisters trained to carry her wherever she wants to go. 

That's about all for now. I am still dusting myself off from the December chaos and looking forward to the new year. I am also super excited because I am going to get to go to Blissdom this year after all. Let's just say there IS a Santa! Hoping to get a "Year In Review" post knocked out in the next couple of days, until then....Toodles!

Twas The Day Before Christmas

'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the house

  All the kids were excited, even the spouse;

The stockings were hung on the stairs with duct tape,

The tree has fell so much it has lost its shape;

The tinsel has been eaten and the ornaments are missing,

The nativity was arranged to show Mary and Santa kissing.;

And Dad in his flannel, and I in my yoga pants,

Might look like we have it together at first glance,

When up the stairs there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the chair to see what was the matter.

Away to the kids rooms I flew like the wind,

To see what was broken next that I might have to mend.

The kids eyes were wide and wild with joy 

For they had sat and unwrapped every Christmas toy,

I stood there stunned, unsure and certainly mad,

I finally stomped my feet and began screaming for their dad,

Up the stairs he came with a leap and a bound,

And stood shocked in all the present carnage we found.

More rapid than eagles his shouting became,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Bug! now, Belly! now, Bitsy and Sam!

Pick up all the Barbies, babies and wooly lamb!

Pick up the candy, PJs and big bouncy ball!

Now put is away! put it away! put it away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

They picked up all the toys with a sob and a sigh,

The barbies, the babies and the little wooly lamb ewe,

There is now a bag full of toys, and bouncy ball too.

Dad and I crept back downstairs with the Christmas joy gone,

And wondered how we could turn this around before dawn.

The toys had been seen, played with and cuddled with love

But to destroy Santa who they thought so much of?

It would be obvious he didn't come by later that night,

If the toys were the same; the packaging torn and not right.

The spouse and I sat down with our confiscated toy bag,

Scratching our heads at this child induced Christmas snag.

Our foreheads wrinkled and our lips began to twitch!

As the laughter began in spite of the glitch!

This was just another typical day with our little offspring,

They always manage to cause that one little thing; 

That one little thing that starts a mess and a laugh,

Like crayon on the wall or overflowing the bath;

It never pays to let those things get us all mad,

But rather to laugh and look at the lesson we had.

In every mess there is something to be taught,

That you will never find in the parenting book that you bought.

The key is to be really fast on your feet,

And never assume your parenting lessons are complete.

As for us we are trying to explain,

Why a day early Santa had came,

Storing the toys for Christmas Eve night,

Because there was one reindeer who was scared of night flight;

So he came in the morning while cereal was served,

And left all the presents that the kids deserved.

So to all of you parents scrubbing the crayon from the wall
"Merry Christmas A Day Early from us all!!!

The Crayon Wrangler & Scribblers!

Blank 365

A full 365 days with nothing scheduled. I got my new calendar for 2011 yesterday and flipped through it. I guess cause I thought maybe a new month had been inserted or maybe just an extra week was added to the 52. I love my calendars and use them as a sort of diary. The days are filled with what was for dinner, if laundry got done, doctor's appointments, play dates, shopping trips and random things the kids have done. At the end of the year I love to review it before it goes in the trunk with all the calendars before it.

image courtesy of Google images

There is something about that new calendar though. You open it up and it smells of new print, new possibilities and the enticement of daily choices. There is nothing on the schedule; a blank 365.

365 days just waiting to be filled with what I choose to put on there. It can end up being as hectic or peaceful as I allow it to be. I go through the calendar and put the appropriate stickers on birthdays and anniversaries. Then I hang it on the fridge with a pen next to it. It's ready. Ready for the new year whether I am or not. I know that with these 3 kids, my husband's work, my photography business and everything else that fills our days that this moment of a blank 365 is fleeting; so I enjoy it. 365 days to make a choice for my family and myself. Will this be the year that my photography booms? Buzz will be starting school this year, is she going to enjoy it? Will we take a family vacation this year? So many blank little squares just waiting to be filled with all we accomplish, desire, overcome and want to do. 365 separate boxes that are giving us a choice with how we live out the year.

Santa Approved

I got the thumbs up from Santa tonight!

Wanted to do a little chat about giving presents...

We are conditioned to mutter “it’s not about the gifts” “presents are not what is important” Until we feel guilty about having the stress of finding the perfect gift, getting things wrapped, crossing off names on our shopping lists. We wander the toy stores, search sale papers and when we walk away empty handed we reprimand ourselves about how it is not about the gifts and we should feel ashamed at our disappointment. When we finally find that perfect gift, our hearts rejoice as we picture the face of the recipient opening it in awe.
So say it out loud and feel good about it…

It is about the gifts. The presents are important. Getting family and friends something that they want is essential for Christmas.

That feels better doesn’t it. Now I will tell you why I think it is OK. God gave us his son as a gift for humanity, to save us, to show us true love and forgiveness. The Magi brought gifts to honor the king, they brought their best. Christmas, through the eyes of believers, is full of gifts.

As parents, we use Christmas to teach our children of the Virgin Birth, traditions, a time for giving. We use Christmas as a time to be a little bit kinder to strangers. Christmas becomes a time for miracles.

Whatever your tradition may be (opening presents of Christmas Day, pjs for Christmas Eve, Advent, Epiphany, trimming the tree, stockings, etc.) it has something to do with giving of gifts. Just as God gave a gift. We use those gifts to show family and friends how much we care about them and want to give them our best. It is totally natural to stress about these gifts. The quest to fill the desires of our children’s list to Santa, to find something that someone in your family wants, get them wrapped and presented. It is important that we feel like we gave our best; that we produced a Christmas that follows our traditions and created memories to last the years.

So good luck as you continue in the next few days to make this Christmas “perfect” for you and your family. Don’t feel guilty about focusing on the presents. I am thankful that to God it was all about the “gift” and his heart rejoiced at our awe of receiving His gift at Christmas.

Keeping With Tradition

There is nothing like Christmas looming to bring out the "T" word. When I typed in "Christmas Tradition" into Google images this was one of the first images that it spit back at me.

image courtesy of Google images

Thanks to that image, I now have tradition envy. The family is gathered in the living room (or is that called a parlor?) Everyone is neatly dressed and smiling. The ornaments are hung neatly and the presents wrapped perfectly. The children are behaving and the dog is sitting calmly. The grandparents are posed in the appearance of probably heightening the sense of Christmas excitement inside the room. The father is balancing a child on his shoulders and has probably just allowed the small tot to place the tree topper on. Everyone is the ideal picture of Christmas joy....and then you see the mother lurking a little in the background.

The mother seems to be turned a little away from the festivities that are going on in the room and I think I know just why. 

She spent at least 4 hours getting those kids cleaned, dressed to perfection and threatened within an inch of their lives if they didn't look happy for the family Christmas scene. Her mother-in-law that is sitting there doing some kind of needlework has been telling her that she prepared the turkey all wrong and it is going to be dry. She also keeps looking at the table beside her and "tsk tsking" the almost invisible layer of dust that was somehow overlooked. The dog is only sitting calmly because it just got done eating the ham that was laid to cool on the counter and its too full to romp around in doggy bliss. The ornaments are hung so perfect because she has rehung those ornaments 5,698 times in the past few weeks due to the baby playing with the tree. After that much ornament hanging practice, of course they are perfectly hung (for another 10 minutes) She has also finally remembered that she never got the stamps put on the Christmas cards. She was supposed to send those out to family and friends two weeks ago with those generic cards she ended up picking up at WalMart because the family portrait card she had hoped to send never got taken due to each child being sick in separate turns.  She is trying to be patient while small talk is made before dinner, but knows they are keeping a tight schedule if they are ever going to make it to the next grandparents house in time for a big Christmas dinner in 4 hours. She is also tensed up because she knows that due to the economy that "Santa" was unable to fulfill the children's wish lists and is anticipating the look of disappointment when the children realize that they didn't get a pony, tricycle or merry-go-round. She has heard this type of let-down is the cause of adult therapy when her children will get older and worries that the whole reason they will never be President of the United States is because they didn't get the gift they wanted for Christmas thus resulting in low self-esteem. She casting a sideways glance at her husband to see if he is still upset about the fit she threw earlier when he suggested that he was just going to wear his sweatpants and college football t-shirt to dinner. She may have over reacted but it was just because she has spent the past 3 months trying to make this Christmas perfect by herself and he could at least act like he was in the Holiday spirit by wearing the clothes she laid out that perfectly coordinated with her outfit and the kids clothes.

Ah...Christmas Tradition. Doesn't it just fill you with cheer? Are you more like the mother I described above? I don't know about you, but as that mother above...I am tired of "Keeping With Tradition" and I believe it is time for some new ones that don't involve elaborate dinners, Christmas card sending, etc.

It's time for my family to enjoy a good ole traditional hot dog dinner and they better like it!

Playing Momma

Over the years I have wondered if Buzz was getting the message of compassion shown in every day actions. She is sweet, but pretty aloof. Last night I got my answer. I have a horrible cold and was in the grips of the worst of it last night around bed time. She curled up in bed with me and started rubbing my hair from my forehead the same way I do hers. She asked, "sick, momma?" When I told her I was, she started chatting non-stop. Not the most wonderful thing when your head is pounding, but I can think of worse.

She began telling me that she would take me to the doctor, then to the toy store to get a special toy. She then told me that she would rub my back, get me a special blanket, make me some soup and read me a story. About this time I began to cry. She was showing compassion, but she was also showing me what I do that makes her feel better. She was mirroring what she had been shown.

When my children are sick sometimes I just go into autopilot. I did not really realize the things that I was doing that were showing compassion. I want to make them feel better, but after a dose of Tylenol and some rest sometimes I feel my job is done. I do all the other things that she mentioned but never put much thought into it. There are so many lessons I try to teach my kids that at their ages I am not sure they "get it". As I start watching them a little closer with their baby dolls, the advice they give each other (blow on the soup because its really hot) I am realizing more and more how every little action speaks in very loud volumes to them. When I rub a back or get a special blanket, I am showing them compassion and love.

As I fell asleep to the non-stop chatter, I felt better than I had all day.

A Present Overlooked

For several weeks now a Christmas gift for the girls has been in the garage. Its what they both wanted more than anything and between my parents and us; we made it possible for them.

The box actually has a picture on the outside of it that shows the assembled product, but the box sits among other boxes and the girls have not noticed it. The other boxes in the garage they have known the contents of since we moved in earlier this year. Books that haven't been put up, outgrown clothes and other knick knacks that have not been placed in our house yet. Because they think they know what the boxes in the garage contain; they do not notice this large box that contains their dream. Every day they walk by the box with its contents plainly pictured and every day they don't realize its contents. They are so blinded by what experience has taught them.

How often do we have "presents" in our life that we simply overlook? Just because they are not under a tree with a shiny bow on them, we walk past them. We have in our minds an idea of what a present looks like and when it shows up in a plain box, we just keep searching.

Perhaps you are looking for a friend. Did you notice everyone today that may have smiled at you regardless of their age, sex, color or social status?

Perhaps you want a new start for your life. Did you notice every small opportunity that was presented today or were you looking for the big opportunity only?

Maybe you wanted a relationship to heal. Did you take every chance to be kind in your actions, words and thoughts?

Did you want to beat the sadness that is within you? Did you notice the sun coming up, the food that you had for breakfast and all the other blessings that you will have today that show that you are loved?

Do you have presents in plain sight that you are overlooking?

Coloring Outside The Lines - Keywords and Tags

I check from time to time to see what keywords or tags someone used to find my blog. There have been times I have laughed out loud (monkey butt, slip on banana) There have been times I have scratched my head (enter super confusing phrase of someone who has no clue what they are searching for and were highly disappointed when they landed here) Lately though it seems a huge keyword or phrase has been, "When will my child color inside the lines" I bet they are pretty disappointed when they land here.

Coloring inside the lines...really? As a parent that is a milestone you are concerned with right now? I do searches more along the lines of:

• when will a child quit putting things up their nose
• when does a child understand the concept of too much toilet paper and a septic system
• how to enforce a strict no smearing poptarts on the tapestry couch rule

Coloring outside the lines is a must for children and adults! I do not encourage or enforce using the lines for "rules". I want my children to look at a piece of paper with a line drawing of an elephant holding a balloon and see something bigger, go wild with possibilities and then make it happen! Likewise, when they become adults and they see a "life situation" I want them to see something bigger, go wild with possibilities and then make it happen.

Perhaps it is an important milestone. To watch your child gain enough control to curb their creativity and conform to the rules of the lines. (alright....maybe I worded that a little strong) It's just not my thing or style of parenting. I parent with strict moral core values but no hands on the reigns of creativity, intellectual learning or the desire to be a concert belcher. We don't just "dream big" but we "live big".

Back to those keywords though...All of you who actually searched for "The Crayon Wrangler", you have made me feel a little bit famous for a while in cyberland!

I have had some issues with blogging lately, so it feels good that you are still looking for me. Just as we face things in our lives and change with each life lesson; sometimes all areas of our lives need a change. This blog is an extension of me; my life. Just as I have begun to change, it needs to change. I will be focusing on new directions with the same theme (same ole' me) as the year draws to a close.

I would like some input from YOU though...what are some topics that I touched this past year that you would like to hear more from me on? What are some features that I have done that you would like to see more of?

Jesus Got Ran Over By A Reindeer

Christmas. That wonderful time of year where Religion fights Commercialism.

Santa Claus or Jesus?

Many believe you have to make a choice between the two, especially when you are a Christian parent and responsible for shaping the mortal soul of your young charges with their impressionable minds. I know many parents who actually take it to the level that believing in Santa is one of those "no other gods before me" all or nothing deals.

I personally believe that in the "WWJD" scenerio, He would don a Santa hat and "Fa-la-la-la-la" with all of us. I think He would highly approve of the Santa figure and all that he represents.

• Giving
• Jollyness
• Holds the "Naughty" and "Nice" accountable
• Family
• Fellowship

When starting off with our children we had to make the decision on allowing them to believe in Jolly Ole' Saint Nick. Was it right to allow them to believe in fantasy? Would it take away from the "reason for the season"? Would it corrupt their gentle souls to believe a fat guy stuffs himself down the chimney once a year? Is not believing going to turn them into a little green Grinch who has a heart that is two sizes too small?

I believe that is is possible to allow children to believe in Santa and believe in Jesus. A healthy balance of religion and magic. All little children grow up into the adults that rush around making Christmas perfect for their family, putting together impossible toys where the instructions are only in Chinese and trying to balance the budget come January 1st. Why not allow them a little magic of snowflakes, reindeer bells and half eaten cookies by the fireplace? If your home is filled with Jesus the other 364 days of the year; they are not going to lose sight of that fact because of a little "ho-ho-ho".  Jesus is not going to be run over by a reindeer (although I have heard rumor that Grandma will be if she gets sauced on eggnog) and that magic sparkle that happens as they dash to the tree to see what was left just for them is irreplaceable as a parent.

Allowing a child to believe in Santa is not irresponsible or a sin. It's just a twinkle of time in their lives before they face the real world. As it becomes age appropriate the "truth" will reveal itself in time and they will understand the difference in Santa Claus and what the Spirit of Christmas truly is.

testing

Just uploaded the Blogger for droid to see if the darn thing works and will allow me to blog from the backyard, bathroom or store. Wherever a good idea comes to me.
We will see how well this works...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Ho Ho OhNo

There was a time not too long ago,
Christmas was full of ho-ho-ho.
But then came the children
Three messy whirlwinds
And now it is Ho-Ho-OhNo

The tree is leaning and barely upright,
There is no such thing as "Silent Night"
The manager and Mary are missing
Santa and Joseph are kissing
The placing of the star always causing a fight.

The tree ornaments are always hung above 4 feet
Cause we've learned they are a toddler's favorite treat
The popcorn strand was ate
The mistletoe met the same fate
There is tinsel stuck on the dog's ears and feet.

The garland is used for roping and jump rope,
The stockings are hung with duct tape and hope.
Candy canes are licked one time each
Baby Jesus is safely placed out of reach.
Trying to keep everything safe would bring a cuss from the Pope.

There is something about that Christmas Day glow,
You forget about all the angst, pain and woe.
When your childrens' eyes light
Because Christmas turned out all right
It makes it all worth the Ho-Ho-OhNo.