girlymama

who knew she had this hidden talent?

Just so you know - if Ellie challenges you to play Wii, don't think you're in for an easy game or that you need to be nice and let her win.

 
This would be Ellie kicking Daddy's butt.
This kid is awesome at Wii. After about 2 days, she is beating the 8 other adults in the house. We're all studying her form - wanting to pick up hints. So far, no luck.
We'll let you know if we figure out how she is doing it.

she is not what you might call 'photogenic'

     
"Ellie, look at the camera!"
   
"Ellie, please look at the camera!"
 
"Darn it, Ellie! Come on!"
 
"Good enough! Let's go get lunch."

blessings to you this christmas, from my family to yours

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is gven;
and the government shall be on his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
                                          Isaiah 9:6

And to those who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God. 
                                           Matthew 1:12-13

Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
                                          Psalm 117: 1-2

wordless wednesday: how well does my sister-in-law know me??

off!!! like a herd of turtles!

(to quote my husband's grandma)

• Because we got a slow start today, for our seven-ish hour drive to Ohio to spend Christmas with my family.
• Because we were driving to church on Sunday when it hit me: We were leaving on TWO DAYS. I had packed exactly nothing, had errands to run, laundry to do, the house was a disaster and had tons of wrapping to do. Great. Now I'm totally ready for this l-o-n-g drive
• Because Monday I was a little whirlwind of activity, fueled mainly by guzzling an entire pot of coffee
• Because I was exhausted
• Because Colin has decided he is a newborn again and that he needs to nurse every three hours around the clock
• Because he is just wasting away at 23 pounds. Anyway, we were late
• Because one day is not long enough to pack up five people, all their stuff, Christmas presents, etc.
• Because I keep forgetting things. And stuffing more and more in the van. Actually, it may take us longer then seven hours,
• Because our van is SO FULL that it will probably not go very fast. And you may not hear from me until after Christmas
• Because I'll probably sleep for about 24 hours straight when we get there, so if you don't hear from me...

Have a Merry Christmas!!

santa doesn't come to our house

Wait! Let me explain!

My husband’s family growing up didn’t do the whole Santa thing. He knew who Santa was, of course, but Santa didn’t bring the gifts on Christmas morning. Aside from the whole “Christmas is about Jesus, not Santa” thing, his parents felt that saying that ‘Santa’ brought the gifts wasn’t fair to the people (usually grandparents) who had actually given them. The kids knew about Santa, but he just wasn’t a part of their Christmas morning.

We decided to take the same route with our kids. For all the reasons my in-laws did, but also because we hate the idea of lying to our kids. When the kids ask about Santa, we tell them the story of Santa, we read Christmas books and we have a few Santa ornaments hanging on the tree. (We never say “Santa is not real” because he was real. But mostly because I would not want her to repeat that to another kid!)

We basically say in our house, we celebrate Jesus, not Santa. And our kids have always been totally cool with it. Well, they are four and five, so its not like they know the difference yet!

But a few days ago, our five-year-old asked me, “Are these Christmas stockings bad because they have Santa on them?”

So now what do we do? This could get to be a problem. I would never want her to tell another child that Santa is not real or that Santa is bad. I don’t want her to be that kid. (Remember that kid in first grade who told everyone else that he found out that Santa wasn’t real? And then you ran home to your mom and asked her if it was true? And she assured you it wasn’t, but you still waited up all Christmas Eve because you weren’t sure?)

How can I keep her from ruining another kid's Christmas?

All I can think of is to begin talking about how every family has different holiday traditions. Everyone celebrates Christmas a little differently. Some cultures have Santa, some don’t. Some people don’t even celebrate Christmas - we’ve started talking about Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanzaa, and I’m sure she’ll be learning more about those being in public school. I hope this will help her understand that what we do in our family may be different from other people, but it’s not necessarily right or wrong. I want her to share about our traditions, but not to feel self-conscious or – worse – self-righteous.

I want her to be proud of our family and what we do. Even if its different.

Originally posted on the Philly Moms Blog. 

We decided to take the same route with our kids. For all the reasons my in-laws did, but also because we hate the idea of lying to our kids. When the kids ask about Santa, we tell them the story of Santa, we read Christmas books and we have a few Santa ornaments hanging on the tree. (We never say “Santa is not real” because he was real. But mostly because I would not want her to repeat that to another kid!)

We basically say in our house, we celebrate Jesus, not Santa. And our kids have always been totally cool with it. Well, they are four and five, so its not like they know the difference yet!

But a few days ago, our five-year-old asked me, “Are these Christmas stockings bad because they have Santa on them?”

So now what do we do? This could get to be a problem. I would never want her to tell another child that Santa is not real or that Santa is bad. I don’t want her to be that kid. (Remember that kid in first grade who told everyone else that he found out that Santa wasn’t real? And then you ran home to your mom and asked her if it was true? And she assured you it wasn’t, but you still waited up all Christmas Eve because you weren’t sure?)

How can I keep her from ruining another kid's Christmas?

All I can think of is to begin talking about how every family has different holiday traditions. Everyone celebrates Christmas a little differently. Some cultures have Santa, some don’t. Some people don’t even celebrate Christmas - we’ve started talking about Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanzaa, and I’m sure she’ll be learning more about those being in public school. I hope this will help her understand that what we do in our family may be different from other people, but it’s not necessarily right or wrong. I want her to share about our traditions, but not to feel self-conscious or – worse – self-righteous.

I want her to be proud of our family and what we do. Even if its different.

Originally posted on the Philly Moms Blog. 

i'm in trouble

 

We have achieved mobility!

i'm wishing....

For dinner tonight, I would like crabcakes, a yummy salad, warm, crusty rolls, filet mignon, roasted asparagus covered in salt with a glass of red wine. And something super decadant for dessert. Like creme brulee with a cup of hot coffee. Served with a few hours of quiet, uninterrupted conversation with Husband.

I will probably have leftover pasta. With two kids complaining that they don't like the shape of the pasta. And a baby either sitting in my lap trying to grab my fork or screaming because we are not shoveling the baby food in his mouth fast enough.

Sigh.

What do you want for dinner tonight? And what will you actually be having?

a call to action

If you haven't heard about these upsetting new laws, that, if put into action on February 10, 2009, will have devastating repercussions to both large and small businesses and basically end the handmade goods industry, please read!!!
In summary, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) "bans lead and phthalates in toys {obviously a good thing} but it mandates enormously expensive third-party testing and certification for all products intended for children under the age of 12. It's the ridiculous expense of the third-party testing and certification that will close businesses and make it illegal for work-at-home moms and dads to sell their handmade goods." {excerpt from 5 Minutes for Mom}

 

I urge you to take a few minutes to read the excerpt below from Cool Mom Picks, this Etsy open letter, to send out emails, letters to congress, post on your blogs, please sign this petition, visit Change.org and log your support- if it gets enough votes, it will be shown to President Obama in January.

Please do your part to insure that this law is amended so that the hundreds of creative businesses out there are not forced to shut down, surrounding our kids only with what is mass-produced by big companies!

From Cool Mom Picks:

We're all for strengthening the safety standards of mass-produced toys, clothes, and accessories made in China, and banning toxins like phthalates and lead. But this year, congress passed the ill-conceived Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, a law which goes into effect in two months and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust. The very same ones that we often feature here and in our yearly special edition gift guides.

With this act going into effect February 10 2009 so many people we love will be affected: Moms who sew beautiful handmade waldorf dolls out of home, artists who have spent decades hand-carving trucks and cars out of natural woods, that guy at the craft show who sold you the cute handmade puzzle--even larger US companies who employ local workers and have not once had any sort of safety issue will no longer be able to sell their goods. Not without investing tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single toxic chemical in them still don't have a single toxic chemical in them.

How to Get Involved -- it only takes 5 minutes of your time!

-Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here.
Particularly if they serve on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection or theHouse Committee on Small Business.

-Send an email directly to the CPSC or contact chairperson Nancy Nord at 301-504-7923

-Vote for amending the law on Change.org, digg style: With enough votes it will be presented to President Obama in January!

-Place the Save Handmade! button on your blog or website to help spread the word to everyone you know who cares about protecting the little guy and preserving beautiful items made with love for our children.

THANKS!!

 

in case you were wondering what to get my kids for christmas...

Ellie and Grace don't need any gifts. They will just be ignoring whatever they get for gifts as they fight over whatever Colin gets.
As they have been doing all week.
Fighting over the Duplo circus set that he got from his auntie and uncle.
Despite the fact they received hundreds of dollars worth of toys this weekend from various people. Sigh.

Colin just wants more wrapping paper to eat:
 
YUMMY!!