Early Christmas Presents-and Cookies

Everyone at this house got early Christmas presents. Two reasons for this.

1. Snug needed to give his daddy's hat back...so he got his new one early. Plus we got snowman snow (see below)
2. We had "Christmas Eve" early.

Snowman snow! We only get snowman snow maybe two or three times a winter. Most of the time it is way too cold and the snow doesn't pack. However, yesterday Little Monkey Man got to use his early Christmas present-a snowman kit! He got a wooden box with all the pieces (sans arms and actual snow) you see here, inside. Every time we get snowman snow he can have great pieces to make his snowman out of!

Here is Snug's new hat. Daddy got his old one back...finally!

Merry Christmas to Mommy! Little Monkey Man is potty training. He's been doing REALLY well. As of this moment he is 24 hours clean/dry!!!!! It is a Christmas miracle!

*And yes, that is daddy's hat. Maybe he isn't really getting it back...hmmmm

.

Last night we celebrate Christmas Eve as #1 will be working the actual Christmas Eve. The kids and I will go to church for service, but then they will come home and go to bed as usual.

When I was little we went to my uncle's house after church on Christmas Eve and had "party foods". I always loved it.

When #1 was little he and his brother would exchange a gift on Christmas Eve and would eat similar foods to the ones my family did.

So, last night, since #1 was home, we made a fire, had fun party type foods, read the Christmas story from the Bible, and the boys gave each other a gift. It was a lot of fun. Snug had used his own money to buy LMM a present, and LMM had a "store" at his school so he had bought Snug a present too. They both actually wanted what they had given each other...so that was an interesting dynamic to the whole thing also!

I got my Christmas present last night also. I would have gotten it Christmas morning...but if you hide the present in the Christmas decorations...your wife is sure to see it! I've known for a couple of weeks now...but I am the proud (and humbled and awed) owner of a Cannon Rebel T1i. This is the last post with pictures from the camera my aunt generously loaned to me!

I should mention that #1 got a present too, from Snug. It was protein powder. So exciting. Well, he was excited and I guess that is what really matters!

Poor Rosebud went to bed and missed the whole thing. Always next year. She started crawling backwards yesterday and cut her 6th tooth today.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Snug helped me with Christmas cookies this week. Although babysitting is such a blessing because I get to be home with my kids...it is so fun to just be "us" for a couple of weeks.

He got his own frosting and cookies because no one else wants to eat the ones he made after he licks the knife and such. I just decided to let him make his own for him to enjoy over the next few days. I even found a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe and LMM has some that look just like ours. He didn't decorate his own because they are very brittle and he'd break them all...that and he'd eat more frosting that what actually hit the cookies!

And these are our cookies (mom, I hadn't made the tree ones yet). They are my Great-Grandma's recipe, and I love them. Come on over and we'll share!

Just Some Snow Pictures

These pictures were taken a few days ago. But pretty much everything (except for Snug's hat which he got as an early Christmas present so that daddy can have his hat back) is the same each time we go out and play. There just is usually a fresh coating of snow. More coming before Christmas I hear.

I don't have pictures of Rosebud though. Because she goes into the backpack carrier and spends her time giggling at her brothers. I can't get a picture of her over my shoulder. I tried. And I can't use a regular sling with my winter coat. Tried that too.

No laughing my dear Minnesota and Wisconsin friends. I know our snow seems meager compared to your avalanches. But I assure you it has more than covered the grass now.

Hope you also have a white Christmas!

550...Confessions

This is post Number 550. And no I am not going to give 550 confessions, thankfully only the Lord has to hear that many from me. No, today is confessions about blogging.

I confess that I...

...move heaps of laundry or dirty socks or stray toys out of the way before I take a picture that might get posted.

...put up 3-4 posts at a time and schedule them (in Blogger click "post options" and then decide when you want it to go up) because I just don't hardly ever have time to post as often as I'd like to...it just looks like I do!

...have some blogs that I enjoy more than others, but try to take the time to read all of them because I'm sure some of you who read mine don't really love everything I have to say either!

...try to write the nicer things about my family. Someday if they read this, which I highly doubt, I want them to have no doubt how much I love them.

...but on the other hand try to be honest too, because being a mom is tough. And my kids do/say some funny things. Even if it makes them look goofy.

...record my kids' milestones and accomplishments in blog form because scrapbooking gets away from me and I am REALLY far behind where I'd like to be. But I want record of what has happened.

...have the thought "this would be good blog material" when something unusual or extra cute happens in my life.

...am tempted to put advertisements on my blog and see if I could make extra money but am afraid to do it.

...care what others think about what I write, even though it really doesn't matter. It is my blog. But I am a people pleaser and I do care about others feelings so I try to keep that in mind.

...try to comment as much as I have time on other people's posts. Because it is nice to know that someone is reading!

Hope you all are having a good week. Enjoy your weekend!!!!

8 Months Old...Inside & Out

Little Miss was 8 months old yesterday. She weighed her all time high of 15 lbs 3 oz. Not sure how long she is. She may not be big, but she isn't wasting away as you'll see in the following pictures!
I decided to do Rosebud's 8 month pictures myself. We do the Wal-Mart $7.99 pkg each month of the kids' first year. I will be the first to admit that I am not a photographer. but I love to mess with it a bit. Maybe someday!

While not very smiley, she was more than willing to participate in the "photoshoot".

Either she is allergic to something or it is because she is teething (has 4 teeth now with #'s 5 & 6 on the way) but she has red cheeks and a diaper rash right now. I used the face cream I mentioned here on her and it hasn't made a difference. The boys are always really chapped with red cheeks and their skin is very dry to the touch (that cream works great on them). Her skin isn't dry there at all.

I made her "skirt" and she loves it. She literally giggled when it was put on her. Keeping it out of her mouth was another matter! She fussed when we took it off again.

I also tried a few outside pictures but it is really really cold here and she wasn't going to smile more than a smirk and I didn't want her to get too cold. Plus her hood didn't cover her ears well (she has hats, but didn't match the suit...doesn't usually matter though) so I quit while I was ahead.

Happy Eight months old little girl! Before I know it I will be posting first birthday pictures!

Dear Santa....

Dear Santa,
First off I'd like to tell you that we don't believe. Ok, Snug isn't sure what he believes...but we've told him you're not real. Mostly because um, you're nice and all, but you don't exist. We just don't want to tell our kids that you and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are all real and then when they find out it isn't true...doubt if Jesus is real. Cause He is.

Secondly, I need to apologize to you. Because my kids are little. Little Monkey Man is only two. And he loves you. And he feels he needs to prove his love to you. I'm so sorry he stormed the stage at daddy's Christmas party to present you with his blanket.

I'm also sorry to all the children who were there who he completely ran over to get to you. At least it was funny. I'm also sorry that at the before mentioned party my daughter (8 months today!) felt the need to all but rip your (fake) beard and mustache off, leaving it hanging oddly the rest of the night.

Thank you for being so patient with small children this time of year even though you are not real (remember last year when Snug assaulted you to get his gift and then tore the paper off and threw it at you. I was so proud. Not.).
Regards to your (fake) wife,

Jenney

I didn't take pictures at the party last night (at #1's FOP lodge). These are from Little Monkey Man's party at school. This was by FAR the best looking Santa I've ever seen. Real beard and everything. And he had a blanket on his lap with a plastic trash bag under it in case anyone wet their pants. Snug did that when he was two when the Santa at the mall talked to him. It scared him that badly.

Christian moms...how do you handle "the Santa thing"???

**8 month old pics and stats coming tomorrow.

Chapped Faces

My kids' faces chap so easily this time of year. I don't know if I don't bundle them up enough outside or put enough humidity into their bedrooms. Who knows. What I do know is they have red rough cheeks for months.

We don't (usually) use skin products that contain harsh chemicals or parabens. Burt's Bees works really well for their arms and legs after bath time, and a good friend sent Rosebud Earth Mama Angel Baby products that I really like. However, the chapped cheeks still reign.

So, after seeing an ad in a magazine (yep, at the doctor's office...we spend a lot of time there!) I decided to try episencial protective face balm. I looked it up online, and then found out it was sold at my local Target store.

The bottle is less than an ounce and retails for about $6, which I am not terribly crazy about. At all. However, so far it has been working great (when I remember to use it). My hands chap and bleed this time of year, so I feel their pain. However, for that price it will go on their priceless faces and not my hands!!!

Just thought I'd share a product with other moms!

Boxes!

It's the most wonderful time....of the year.
There are boxes for hidin' in...

...and bubble wrap for poppin'

see him poppin' right heeeeerrre!

It's the most wonderful time...of the yeeeeeaaar!

At least I didn't record my voice singing it. You're welcome.

Ok, check these out! I got this really fun idea from Family Fun magazine. We "got our subscription" from our doctor's office. The nurse (our Dr.'s wife) caught me taking phone pictures of ideas in it and told me the office gets 2 copies every month...and since we are such loyal customers (all 5 of us have the same Dr.) we could take one copy home with us each month (Rosebud goes every month to get 1 vaccine at a time)! How nice!

Anyway. These are recycled cereal boxes! They look like gift bags, but are cheaper and sturdier. They called them "baxes". I used ribbon I found at the Target dollar spot which coordinated with my gift wrap which is just wrapped around the boxes (with their tops cut off) as you would a normal gift. The top is open because the paper is tucked into the top and taped to the inside. I'm going to send the picture to Family Fun and see if I can get into their magazine! They often print pictures of things they've shown that people have tried. Fun!

Best White Elephant...EVER

This is what I got at our Sunday School Christmas party. We had a white elephant exchange*, and I think I got a GREAT deal! Now, the family who gave it up didn't want it anymore (their son is 12...so not exactly getting much use at their house) and was going to give it to Goodwill. But I was very happy to get it!

I kinda hid it under my chair so no one would "steal" it during the exchange. Probably kinda cheating.

All the pieces are wooden and seem to be solid. The boys have had quite a bit of fun with them. As soon as I got them it made me think of Esther. She is doing 25 days of nativity this month. Because she has 25 nativities!!! Check it out!

(I now have 4...no desire to own 25 though!)

*If you don't know what a white elephant exchange is, it goes as following:

Take something from your house you really don't want to are not using. Some people buy stuff, but that kills the whole "recycle" end of it...unless you buy something funny like the goldfish bowl with live fish that was there last night. Funny.

Next you wrap it like you would a "good" gift and take it to the party. Everyone draws a number and that is the order you get gifts in. #1 starts by choosing and unwrapping a gift. #2 can then steal that gift from person #1 or choose their own gift. It is up to your party whether or not you want to put a limit on how many times a certain item can be stolen. If your gift is stolen you can either steal someone elses gift (but not the one that was just taken from you) or choose a new gift to open. After everyone has had a turn, the first person gets to either steal from someone or keep whatever they have. Then the game is over. I guess in a game of stealing presents, it can be forgiven that I "cheated" and hid my present so no one would "steal" from me!

Stinkin Stickers

I hate stickers. I don't mean stickers on charts or stickers for scrapbooking. I mean stickers that go through the wash and stickers that are on merchandise. What a mess.

I recently purchased these cute cups for our 4's and 5's department. I was tired of seeing little styrofoam cups hit the trash every week...and tired of having the kids (Snug was the biggest offender) biting off little pieces and eating them. Not good.

I got these cups at the Target dollar spot, four in a pack. Everything was great till I discovered the outside cup on each set had 2 stickers on them. And they were on there for keeps.

Have a "how-to" question? Try www.eHow.com because it is great. My mom introduced me to the site when Snug put a crayon in his pocket and it went through the laundry. I shudder remembering the day.

Anyway, eHow to the rescue again. I smothered those cups in baby oil (I got this bottle when Snug was a baby as a gift...I never have really had a use for it) and then scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. They're going to go in the dishwasher...we'll see how it turns out!

Venturing Out

I feel bad cause my kids haven't really played in the snow yet. I ventured out to get pictures and I'll share them here. But I just haven't....gotten out there.

Partly it is because I have Raynaud's Syndrome. It is really painful when I get cold. I used to think that is just how people felt when it was cold out. After some nursing problems early on in Rosebud's life I found out that it isn't normal to feel how I feel, and I've been able to take some medication to correct it. However, being cold really isn't my thing.

But I do love when it snows. And I love to see it. And I love when I do get out in it when I am WELL dressed. Stay tuned. I'll venture out further.

How To Be Gluten Free

It's just one
bite

at

a

time.

We had an "oops" over the weekend, and still not sure what happened. We had some diarrhea, belly pain, and all that goes with him getting wheat. Thankfully it was just a few hours instead of days. We know when he is actually sick and when it is the gluten...it has a smell. And look. Nough said.

.

Christmas parties (parties/get togethers in general) are always hard. He is a mooch and a scavenger. But at home he is gluten free and doing great. We are so grateful for all the GF options out there and for the freezer that was recently given to us. It is full of GF food (I cook full batches and freeze for later use), homemade baby food, and breastmilk.

.

Know someone who has recently been diagnosed with a wheat/gluten problem? Encourage them to contact me I have tons of resources...and I will be the first to help them out. It is a big undertaking. But it is well worth it.

Do You Think....

...that they are related? That is what my husband said when he saw this picture I took at Cedarville University's Christmas concert last night.

Thanksgiving, The Tree, And a First Snow

________________Thanksgiving______________
We had Thanksgiving. Barely. The "plan" was to have a family (one member who is also gluten free!) and two different friends who didn't have anyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with over for dinner. My parents were also here because we are still trying to finish our bathroom remodel. (Week 9?)

Snug made a special Water Pie. My mom and I cooked up a whole Thanksgiving feast which was about 95% gluten free*!

Doesn't that look so appetizing?

.

#1 came home from work Wednesday night about 12:03am (ok, so that is technically Thursday morning, but whatever). He had just crawled into bed when his phone buzzed. At that time of night (morning) it can only mean one thing. There was a SWAT call. Off he went in the rain to sit until about 6 am because some guy was drunk and shooting at his neighbors and then the police. One of the guys who was coming to dinner was also a part of that whole mess so he wasn't going to try and do dinner and then rush off to work after being up all night. I couldn't blame him.

.

So he gets in bed and the kids start getting up. Only at some point in the night Little Monkey got sick in his bed. And then woke up and got sick for a good part of the day. Needless to say the people who were planning to come didn't.

So we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner. Little Monkey slept through it. So glad it was gluten free. Snug wore his pajamas. And we ended up having a nice time.

Even Rosebud enjoyed a nice celery stalk and some mashed potatoes.

.

And then everyone got sick. One by one. For the next 4 days. Isn't that fun? Bet those people wish they had been here to get food and flu!

______________The Tree___________________

We did get our tree up over the holiday weekend. This was Little Monkey Man's first time to help. He enjoyed the jingle bells the most. I wasn't sure he'd leave the tree alone once it was up, but he has been great about not touching so far!

Snug is an old pro now. He's been putting ornaments on the tree since 2008.

This is his ornament from last year. How appropriate!

Want to know who won't leave the tree alone? Yep. Rolls to it, and helps herself. She has almost abandoned her scooty almost crawling for rolling. I guess it is faster. She has great aim.

Last night Rudolph was on T.V. I cheated. After telling the boys that they could stay up and watch it...I was regretting that decision because making Christmas memories was turning into making everyone grumpy. I then realized that if I put in the VHS it would

a) cut out all the commercials (something my kids hardly ever see...but that is a

post in and of itself)

b) get everyone to bed sooner
c) start immediately instead of waiting another 45 minutes.

I'm not even sure they realized there was a difference. (Rosebud didn't watch the movie. She went to bed. It just made a cute picture.)


_____________First Snow_______________

It snowed today. I'd like to thank my friends in Minnesota for keeping the snow they've been having for awhile now over there. Don't get me wrong. I love snow. But I think of Thanksgiving as an autumn holiday, and that doesn't equal snow in my book. Being that today is the first of December...I'm ecstatic!

This is Rosebud's first snow. So far, she loves it.

*Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Turkey

Gravy made with corn starch, not flour...no Boullion

Mashed potatoes made with real butter, not margarine

Pumpkin pie with a GF pie crust (Pamela's Bread Mix has a recipe)

Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans

Broccoli

Salad

Cranberry Sauce
Olives

Cheeses

Pickles