Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Nicole and Brandon, Ashley and my brother Ray came over to our house for dinner.  Nicole announced her big news - IT’S A GIRL!!!!!  We are all so very happy for Nicole and Brandon.  Nicole looks so cute pregnant too.

Turkey with all the trimmings was enjoyed by all.  On Friday Sam and I  took the kids and did some Christmas shopping over at Toys R Us.  While looking at the V-Tech items, I noticed one of the games had a video playing as a demo.  Ross did a shoot for V-Tech Create a Story in April and the video was to be in Toys R Us stores this fall.  I walked over to the V-Tech Disney Create a Story and pushed Demo and TaDa! - Ross in all his glory!  What fun for his dad and I.  Ross was less than impressed and wanted to look at the TOYS.  Francesca spyed a Yo Gabba Gabba Guitar and held onto it the entire time in Toys R Us - we just had to buy it for her, she LOVED it!  Oh well, other things will be for Christmas and her birthday. 

Sam took one cart and I had the kids in the other.  I think Sam had more fun shopping for toys than Ross did looking around.  The cart was overflowing and hard to keep out of sight from the kids.  Sam is a funny shopper, he buys things and takes them home and ends up returning a portion of the items all the time.  I don’t shop that way.  When I choose something I choose it specifically for that person.  He just sort of loads up and then decides who would like it.  Either way, we made headway at Toys R Us and JC Penney. 

Now we are exploring  what type of game system to purchase.  Sam wants to buy one for “us” as a family and for Ross, “ahem” read - daddy! I am in the Wii camp and I think Sam is leaning toward X-Box.  Nicole’s thoughts are that X-Box is more shoot em up and Wii is more family orineted.  I like that Wii is more active and you can get the Wii FIT for it too.  We’re going to have to look into the game offerings and decide. 

Saturday was a little quieter.  Nice weather here so I headed outside to decorate the house with lights for Christmas.  Sam took Ross to Safari Land, Francesca napped and I ”decked the halls”.  I wanted to finish just before the boys came home so I can see the delight in Ross’ face when they came home to a house all lit up.  I was outside staking Rudolph into the ground when they pulled up and eagerly waited to see Ross’ expression.

He got out of the car, looked at the house, walked up to me and started crying and screaming “you were supposed to wait for me.  Take it down, I want you to take it down!”   Not exactly the response I anticipated.  Mind you, we had not had a conversation about decorating the house together or anything like that. The inside we always do together but I am on my own outside.  I unplugged the lights then and there.  He later calmed down and we were able to keep them up (like I was really going to take them down and then put them up AGAIN) with the promise that we will put more up outside later, together.

At least Francesca was excited.  After her nap, I bundled her up and took her out side to look.  She squeeled and yelled “Mom!” (the dominant word in her limited vocabulary) and kept pointing at the lights and decorations.  She was so excited.  The rest of the day was quiet, and then Francesca drank toilet water.  That’s right, Toilet water.  Yum.  Someone left the bathroom door open and she was playing with a bowl from her kitchen set.  She came walking out of the bathroom drinking water from the bowl.

A quick call to her pediatrician confirmed that there was not much to do but wait.  Fortunately there were no cleaning products in the water or anything else for that matter.  Doctor said to call if she gets loose stools in the next 3 or 4 days but likely nothing to worry about.  I don’t know what it is about the toilet that is so enthralling to this child.  That and the dog bowl for water.  She just loves water and the fact that those two places have it all the time is just too much for her!  The lady from the Doctors answering service found it quite amusing especially as she could hear Francesca walking around and babbling/singing, sounding quite happy with herself.

Sunday was quiter, I took the kids to church and we pretty much vegged the rest of the day.  Read the newspaper, did some laundry, played with the kids, a good quiet day.  It is supposed to snow - it started out flurrying but now it seems more rainy.  We’ll see in the morning if anything changes overnight.

 I am secretly hoping we wake up with snow on the ground.  I love the way it looks and at night it’s so pretty with all the lights.  I’m not fond of driving in the first snow, but tomorrow is only pre-K and T-ball, short trips for sure.

Hope you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

I was certain that being home this year and not working outside the house, I would be ahead of the game for the holidays.  HA!  How is it that this week is Thanksgiving and that a month from now - 4 weeks - it will be Christmas?

Now throw in francesca’s 2nd birthday on December 14th, and then 10 days later Ross’ 5th Birthday on December 24th.  I am so not ready.

I did plan Ross’ party and invited his classmates (the boys) and cousins and such.  Since Francesca will be 2 and has yet to declare her party theme choice - we will double up and celebrate her birthday with Ross’ party.  This time around the holidays it’s easier than planning 2 separate parties.  His theme is dinosaurs - kids will dig for dinosaur bones, make and explode volcanos and make fossil prints.  I can alter the theme a bit for Francesca by including Barney (ugh).  Maybe on her cake.  Ross prefers the ferocious T-Rex.

I have goody bags to make and birthday presents to buy, but at least a couple of weeks to get that done.  I started baking for Thanksgiving and made 3 batches of pumpkin cookies, most frosted, some not.  YUM. They are disappearing fast though.  Note to self: hold off on the baking til a little closer to the day.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll make the pies.  We can hold off on those because you have to cut into the perfectly round pumpkin pies.  Not so easy to sneak and then you can’t put the pie out after dinner with a piece missing!  Not so for the cookies, no one will miss one..(oh if only just one).

Christmas is another story.  I have been shopped and wrapped by this point in the past.  Not always.  When I was expecting Ross, his due date was 12/26 so I was shopped and wrapped by Thanksgiving and good thing since I was on bedrest at the very end.  And lo and behold he was born on Christmas Eve.  Francesca also came in December - the 14th - so I was ready then too.  I already feel so behind.  I know I have time still but I am no fan of shopping close to the holiday.  I am a planner.  I like to look for the perfect gifts too.

I also have to take the holiday picture of the kids once the tree is up, get prints made and dash off the cards.

I am going to have to kick it in gear after Thanskgiving. and do some marathon shopping.  Wonder how that will go with the kids in tow.  Last year, I worked across from the mall so I would do a lot of shopping on my lunch hour.  That was nice because I didn’t have to lug the kids in and out of stores. 

How about you,  have you done your holiday shopping?

I’m sure there is a way to put the photo on the website.  I’m sure I don’t know how to do it.  I have tried and tried to no avail.  All I get is a little box with a X in it and the photo does not show.  So YOU’LL just have to do a little work here.  Just click on this link here…  http://www.learningresources.co.uk/Index.pasp for a little look at Ross - his U.K. debut!

I went online to Learning Resources to try to order the UK version of their November catelog, which Ross is supposed to be in.  I was unable to order it - the website kept telling me I needed to order the US version of the catelog.  I emailed customer service and explained that I needed it for a keepsake and as an addition to his portfolio, I am hoping they will send it.  And then, lo and behold, when I looked at the home page  - there he was- front and center (ok, front and right- he’s on the right side captioned “Teacher”) on the website.  I know that I should be a little more used to seeing him on things like this, but I still get really excited.

I keep looking at Toys R Us for the V-Tech video, he is in the Disney Create a Story part, (just don’t blink!) and the Toys R Us locations by us don’t have the video up.  I showed Ross the photo on the website and it’s so funny - it doesn’t phase him.  We have seen his “mom” and “sister” from the V-Tech video on separate TV commercials and he always says - “look- there’s Savannah” or “there’s Kim”, so very natural and normal to see friends on tv.   

For him, it’s a chance to “play” even though it’s work - he loves it, and what fun for me to see his photo in a catelog or on a website.   It will be cute for him to look back on this when he’s older.  And it doesn’t hurt to add to the old the college fund either.

In the middle of the night, I heard the cough - kind of croupy sounding but not true croup.  Ross gets this cough when he gets a cold.  Sure enough, he was warm and after some Motrin and back rubbing, he was off to sleep for the rest of the night. 

Good thing it’s an off day today.  No school, no committments, the perfect day to have a sick day.  The weather has turned from unseasonably warm to downright cold and hail ridden today!  He spent the better part of the day laying on the couch watching Power Rangers.  I spent the better part of the day trying to keep his sister away from him as much as possible, although I’m sure the damage has been done.  Fortunately, it’s just a cold. 

How quickly they bounce back.  By late afternoon I was doing all I can to have him rest.  My pleas for him to rest and lie down were responded to with “it’s too hard to play and lie down, and if I have to go to the bathroom, I will have to stand up anyway”.  So there.  What was I thinking?

Here’s to a restful sleep tonight and a good day tomorrow.  And if it’s not too much to ask for, maybe a little sunshine?

Ross’ pre-kindergarten class just got together to record “Away in the Manger” for a Christmas CD their school is putting together.  Each grade is contributing to the CD and I can’t imagine a mom or dad who won’t want to buy one or ten for family and friends this Christmas.

It’s funny how a little boy who can’t carry a tune can sound so sweet when singing!  And when you throw together two classrooms of prekindergarteners what a wonderful, imperfect chorus of little innocent voices.  Such a sweet sound.  I am looking forward to purchasing our copies when they are released!

My Little Goblins

Now we are on to planning Thanksgiving already.  I had the pleasure of being a “secret reader” at Ross’ Pre-Kindergarten class.  I read a Thanksgiving book called “Alligator Arrived with Apples  - A Potluck Alphabet Feast” to the class and then we all crafted a felt turkey door hanger.  I think I had just as much fun watching the children as they did hearing the story and doing the craft.  There is such exuberance in these 4 year olds - they are so hungry to learn! 

I’m glad the craft worked out.  I enjoy doing crafts with my kids but am not exactly what you’d call “crafty”.  The felt turkey was a substitute craft for my original choice of a pine cone turkey.  I have learned that you are supposed to buy pinecones, not pick them off the ground at the park.  You see, pine cones on the ground are sticky.  Really really sticky.  And the sap is really really hard to wash off.  I soaked them in vinegar and even baked them (all remedies found on-line), but alas, still kind of sticky.  Therefore - PLAN B. 

Not so bad.  Hey, they’re 4, this turkey rocks!

felt turkey

Tomorrow is Election Day.  Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you can not deny that this is a historic time in politics.  For the first time ever we will have either an African American President or a female Vice President.  “Times, they are a changing” and it’s good to know that our country is finally ready to vote for the team they feel is most qualified, regardless or race or gender.

One thing I will be happy about come tomorrow, is that the barrage of political automated phone calls will cease.  Am I the only one who finds it odd that when it comes to localized politics; folks running for state positions, that the automated message calls come from other states?   

Maryland, California and Louisianna, to name a few, are just some of the states that have shown up on my caller ID and are the states where the calls were initiated from.  All very fine states, and I’m all for interstate commerce, but when the political platform is state-based and talking about  bringing and keeping jobs in our state it strikes me as funny.  Not funny “Ha Ha” but funny “odd”.

Now to be fair, perhaps there are no automatic dialer type companies here in Illinois.  Our City here has just instituded an emergency automated call program and those calls are from out of state as well.  I’m just thinking that if you are running for office and are talking about keeping and bringing jobs in said state that perhaps the calls should come from the same state or at least show up as “Political Message” on the caller ID (as one of the messges did).

Again, I know we are the United States of America and I have NOTHING against ANY of our states, but having had my position eliminated to even more centralization as a result of our company being a division of a larger, nationwide company, I’m just sayin. 

Ok, enough said.  Now get your rest.  Tomorrow is a big day.  So many times, when discussing politics people inevitabley complain about who is in office.  Many of those same people did not vote in the Presidential election and therefore, in MY Opinion should not be able to complain.  We live in a country that is blessed to be a democracy.  Many brave folks have fought for our freedoms in wars past (and have fought for other agendas - agreed).  Make YOUR vote count.   Get out there and VOTE tomorrow.  The future is in OUR hands. 

I am now stepping off my soapbox, removing it and putting it away.  Peace out.