Visit from the north pole

Things have been pretty crazy around here. I'm too superstitious to lay out the details, but will let you know as soon as there is some resolution. In the meantime, the holiday season is upon us, and I took the opportunity to "borrow" a friend's great holiday-related idea this past Sunday morning.

I'm sure most of you have heard of "Elf on a Shelf" - the concept is that the little elf watches you and then reports back to Santa each night to tell him if you've been bad or good. Our elf is named "Elphie" - unique, eh? So, the idea is basically to throw a North Pole-themed breakfast to welcome your elf. My niece spent the night this past weekend, so I decided to give the girls a little surprise in the morning.

Each girl had a note from Elphie, a Santa cup, and snowman pancakes. Elfie left little gifts for each of the girls too. There was also "reindeer crunch food," "snowballs," and "reindeer droppings." The reindeer dropping were definitely the hit of the morning. The girls shoveled in as many m&m's as they could before I took the bowl away. And of course there was a visit from Elphie himself:

The other idea behind the Elf is that he hides each morning after returning from the North Pole. Some of you may have heard about the debacle last year when J had the bright idea to tape Elf to the ceiling and in the process, tear off a giant spot of paint. Now we have a "no ceiling" rule for the Elf.

Needless to say, the girls were thrilled with their surprise:

Now Elphie sits on the fireplace during the day "watching" the girls. Yesterday, Big A looked up at him and said, "Why is Elphie staring at me so much?" I looked up. To tell you the truth, the concept is a little creepy. He sits there with a big dopey grin on his face just....staring all day long. In fact, Big A just saw me looking up at him and said "Um, Mommy, he's still watching me." Yup, he is, Big A. Consider Elphie your very first stalker.

(Almond) joy

Tonight I sit warm and cozy on my "spot" - the indented cushion on the left side of my couch. I chomp on a Almond Joy bar from Big A's Halloween basket (yes, we still have candy left! But as you can tell, we're getting down to the z list). Upstairs the 3 people I love the most lay sleeping peacefully -- Little A, Big A and Big J, who who has recently taken up a new workout routine and thus conked out while putting Big A to bed.

I think about all of the things I have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving -- the continued health of my family, the unexpected pleasure of staying home with my kids, the fact that we have everything we need and lots of things we want. An hour ago, I was beat - a long day with the kids had left me drained. With the help of a little time and a little chocolate, the frustration has eased and I think only of the good parts of today. Big A wearing a homemade Indian headband and singing her heart out in her school's Thanksgiving program. Her pure joy at getting to wear a fancy dress to school (finally, mom). Little A's gleeful run down the church aisle as we waited for the program to start. The indulgent smiles of the other parents and grandparents as her curls bounced and her laugh rang out. Two of the cutest little baby butts you've ever seen "swimming" in the bath together tonight. The girls fighting over who got to snuggle (or as Little A says "nuggle") with me during our nighttime show. I am truly blessed.

I'm finding that even when times are tough, I'm amazingly lucky. The other day I was driving home from a(nother) job interview feeling a little sorry for myself. Then I drove by a homeless shelter and noticed some people dragging out trash and my heart suddenly hurt. How could I be feeling sorry for myself when I have so much? I've never known what its like to be truly hungry. I've never been scared that I wouldn't have a place to go at night. I have a safety net that will always catch me.

This season and this year, I vow to remember how lucky I am. To try not to sweat the small stuff. The stuff that is forgotten between bedtime and the end of Survivor. The stuff that does not really matter in the grand scheme of things. Instead I will cherish the little things. Take joy in the moments that I won't be getting back. Enjoy the peace and quiet and the month old chocolate. Think about the laughter and family that will surround me tomorrow. And remember how very lucky I am.

I wish all (okay, all 10 of you) a wonderful holiday season and year ahead, full of laughter, hugs and (almond) joy.

I'm also grateful for holiday sweatshirts to poke fun at.

And leaves to jump in.

A mother's sacrifice

You always hear about how a person has to sacrifice a lot when he/she becomes a parent. You frequently hear terms like "I would die for my child" or "I would do anything for my kids." Of course, I agree with these sentiments, but I was recently put to the test to prove this undying love. I am happy to say that I passed the test...but it wasn't easy.

We were at the diner with my mom for lunch. The food came and I looked down at my plate. A reuben wrap accompanied by a juicy pickle. Yum. I love pickles, and have since I was a kid. They are salty and delicious and make my day. I couldn't wait to take a crispy bite. And then I heard it...

"Mom, can I have your pickle?" from Big A. Then, "I want pickle!" from Little A. The juicy bite flashed before my eyes. This was the moment of truth. When it came down to it, was I really willing to give up my delicious pickle for my kids?

I picked up a butter knife and painstakingly cut the pickle in half. And then?

Well, I gave one half to Big A and one half to Little A. Yes, folks, I made the ultimate sacrifice for my children. I gave away my pickle. And you know what? I'd do it again. Because that's just the kind of mom I am.

Dumbing it down

So I'm trying out a new strategy on the job search front. Dumbing it down.

Lately, my search has strayed away from marketing and into jobs that would allow for more flexibility. After more than a year at home, the thought of going back to the 9 to 5 grind is not that appealing, although of course I'd do it. A lot of these flexible jobs don't require the education/experience I have, but I figured that more is more. And yet, I have not heard a word back from these applications. I was talking this over with J and he suggested making a different version of my resume for these types of jobs. I figured it couldn't hurt.

So today I edited my resume. I took the "M.A." off the end of my name and erased it from my education. I removed some of the descriptions from my jobs and took the emphasis off anything "senior." It was a little painful as that M.A. was the result of a lot of hard work. As I erased it, I thought about my experience in graduate school. Although I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot, I admit I've wondered if it was really "worth" the investment. It also made me wonder if things would have been different if I had skipped it all together. But then I think of those two years of living on my own for the first time and the subsequent two years of living in the DC area with J and I realize I wouldn't want to change all that.

So here I am - one degree down and a few bullets less experience. I'm interested to see if I get any different results with this new strategy. Maybe less is more.

In other random news, I've been procrastinating on updating about my procrastinating. I did cross several items off of my to-do list and have been making a point of clearing out clutter when I see it instead of putting it off. Still need to clean the damn fridge.

ABCs

I was quite impressed when Little A started singing her ABC's the other night, so I had to get it on film. And of course Big A could not be left out, so I got her singing a song she is practicing at school for Grandparents Day at school. Not sure she got all the lyrics right, but she made a gallant effort. Hope this works...

National Procrastination Awareness Week

Did you know it's National Procrastination Awareness Week? What are you doing to stop procrastination, something that affects 5 in 5 Americans today?

Okay, maybe I just made that up, but I'm declaring that in my own house, if anyone wants to join me. I'm determined this week to cross off some of those items that always sink to the bottom of the (non-existent) to-do list. Some of the items I hope to accomplish this week:

-Cleaning the refrigerator and pantry (yuck)

-Catching up on at least a year's worth of filing/trashing

-Finding some way to organize/store Big A's art that she brings home from school and now art class every day - I'm hoping to find some creative ideas on Pinterest for this one...

-Going through the bazillion toys to get rid of the broken and donate the ones we don't use in preparation for the onslaught of new toys from the holiday season

-Go through Big A's craft box to pull out the trash and organize it a bit better so she can use more of the items. I love that she is so into art, but its a messy hobby!

-Clean out all the toys and junk that have collected in our cars. You'd be amazed at the wacky stuff that ends up in my car these days.

If you have any great organization ideas, I would love to hear them! Kids just seem to equal clutter and it is a never-ending battle to keep up with it all. But its amazing how much calmer a house feels when there's a place for everything and everything in its place. I'll keep ya'll posted on how I do.

Those other moms

I've been kinda grumpy lately and am finding myself getting annoyed by little things that might not normally bother me. Not sure why, but I'm finding (some) other moms especially bothersome. I'm a big believer in "to each his own," and yet I can't help but be judgy sometimes about what others do. Not like I'm mom of the year, but damn...

One example is the "natural" mom. I find myself turned off by the attitude of some of these moms as I imagine them judging my juice-drinking, Halloween candy eating kids and feeling superior with their sugar-free, all-organic tots. In reality, I'm sure they don't really care what I do, but I do find myself wondering how we all survived a childhood when "localvore" was not yet a made-up word and Sugar Smacks was a perfectly acceptable option for breakfast. Of course its a good thing that we have the knowledge to make our kids healthier, but the extremes that some moms go to seem too far to me. I also can't help but snicker that these same moms who would no sooner let their angels have a cookie than a vodka shot are probably eating those same cookies behind closed doors after bedtime.

Another annoyance is the moms who talk in baby talk ALL.THE.TIME. And try to make every moment a "teaching moment." I was recently running late for a class and trying to rush when I got caught behind one of these women. The woman let her toddler push the door and elevator buttons while I impatiently waited behind her. "Come on sweetie, push the 2, that's right the 2. No, not that one, the 2. Yes, sweetie pie, that one. Good JOB!" It took all I had not to push the damn 2 myself and make the kid cry.

I know I have to get out of this funk though as my 2 year old is a master imitator. Today in the car, she started yelling out "What the heck CAR! What the heck CAR!" Hey, at least I don't swear. I started laughing hysterically and she told me to "settle down." Out of the mouths of babes.

Really though, laughter is the best medicine for these situations. Every annoying mom out there is just another shot at a good blog entry. Isn't that right sweetie weetie weetie pie?

Sugar sugar

It's that time of year - the 4 month sugar high beginning with Halloween and ending with Christmas. Since having kids, holidays have taken on a new level of importance. And while its fun to experience the magic of the holidays through a child's eyes, its also exhausting. Instead of a single night, Halloween has morphed into a "season" - beginning in late September and ending - finally - on the eve of October 31st. By the time the big day actually arrives, the kids are worked up into a fever pitch. Thank goodness the experience actually lived up to the hype - after all, what is better to a kid then going door to door and recieving free candy? Woo hoo!

Halloween doesn't really end on October 31st though. There is a period afterwards where the days revolve around candy and treats. What meal do we have to get through to make it to the treats? How many more bites of chicken before we can have chocolate?

What is also making me laugh is how different my girls are when it comes to rationing these treats. Tonight for example, we finished dinner and I bribed the girls into helping me straighten by saying we couldn't have candy until the house was clean. After that, I got their bags out. Little A immediately chose the candy laying on the top of the bag and stuffed it into her mouth. She was done in about 15 seconds. Big A on the other hand dumped the entire bag out on the floor and methodically worked her way through it to make the best choice. She held up multiple options and commented on them, relishing in the fact that she had yet to even take a bite while Little A was long done. Finally she chose a pack of gummies. She ate each one with care, occasionally taunting Little A with the fact that she was still eating. By this time, Little A was yearning for another and asked if Big A would share. She wouldn't.

I think I'll give the treats another week or two before they go in the trash or in my stomach, whichever comes first. And then we'll move on to the next holiday. Big A was asking me this morning what was next. I told her Thanksgiving and she asked what we did for it. I told her we went to mom mom's and ate a big meal. "That's it?" she asked? No presents? No candy? I told her she could play with her cousins. "Okay," she said, satisfied. Personally, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days for that very reason. Its just about getting together with family and eating. No pressure (except for the cook, of course, and it ain't me).

Let's not even talk about Hanukah and Christmas. One day at a time. Let the handprint turkey and tissue paper cornucopia begin!