"Oh Fuuudge"

picture from here

"Every family has a kid who won't eat. My kid brother had not eaten voluntarily in over three years."

----Ralphie.

This would be little mr. j- at dinner. He does love lunch, fyi. Breakfast is a toss up.

My mr. loves this movie.

So, when little mr. j puts on his puffy red coat or does his dinner routine, there's usually a laugh with the little guy being typecast.

But, tonight, I believe that my little mr. j might have changed his character association.  You see, tonight he said,

                                Picture from here

And he hasn't even see the movie in his nontodder/movie coherent short life.

This is what happened:

We were finished with the dinner battle of the evening.  He was in the bathtub and the doorbell rang. One of his little friends and his family were out delivering yummy treats (oh, and they were yummy). I hurried and got him out of the tub and wrapped tightly in a towel.  He said hello and "what's in the box?"

We opened the box.

He said, "Oh Fuuudge," (just like Ralphie in the movie) grabbed a piece and ate it.

He also said thank you.

And just in case you were wondering what else my children were doing to emulate this holiday film, I give you the following in reference to a certain 10 year old boy:

.

               picture from here

The Tree

Our very first Christmas tree was decorated with a small string of white lights and some bows I tied on the boughs.

Following years brought a popcorn string or two, some ornaments made with applesauce and cinnamon, gingerbread cookies and candy canes.  I have some apple ornaments that my mom gave me, I think she might have felt bad for our simple tree. 

Sometime when the little misses were pretty young, my mr.'s mother was working at a Hallmark store.  For a few Christmases, she gave us ornaments.  They are treasures. In fact, when she didn't work there anymore, my mr. and I continued the tradition of getting a special ornament for each of them each year.  (Thank you my mr.'s mother for starting this tradition!) This year we have a flamingo, a cookie, a football that's a jingle bell and a soccer ball. Oh, and one dog ornament.

After 19 years, our little tree is pretty full.

Yeas ago, I wanted a pretty tree.  I wanted it to look all matching & froo froo.

I don't want that anymore.  A few weeks ago, after I put the lights on the tree, the kids opened their ornament boxes.  Then they decorated the tree-by themselves.  It was such a joy to listen to them banter, to hear them talk about all the ornaments past, and to "remember when."

I wouldn't trade this tree or this time in my life for anything.

Compassion?

Picture from here.

Little mr. j went to his second friend birthday party this past Saturday.  It was held at a gymnastics place.  He had a ball, especially in the foam pit.  The kids were all so cute running and jumping in, throwing the foam at each other and trying to crawl around in it.

At one point the young lady running the party asked the preschool crowd to join her over on the big blue mat for some activity.  Little mr. j got out and went and sat down right by her.  He was totally into this party.

Then we heard a little voice say, "I can't get out."  The young lady said, "Use your muscles."  Little mr. j got right up, ran over to the pit, laid prone near the side, stuck his little four year old hand out in earnest and helped another little boy out of the pit.

Awwwww.  (I didn't say anything to him then, but oh how his little choice made me grateful to be his mom.)

On our way home, I said,  "Hey, mr j, I saw you help that little boy out of the foam. That sure was nice of you."

He said, "I know. I am being good.  Do you think I am being good?  I think I am being good. I think I am going to get a present."

And then it dawned on me.  He has been really good lately-he's usually good, so that's really no change.  He's just been a little extra,extra good and I believe there might be an ulterior motive.

On that note, did you know that Christmas is only four sleeps away?

Awesome Training

Photogenic

Hiding from the camera is a favorite pastime of mine. I have issues.
But when it is time to put together the happenings of our life to send to our dear friends and family this wonderful Christmas time, I put my brave foot forward.

I put on lip gloss.

I am not photogenic. I am ok looking in person, but oh -the lens. Yuck.
And I don't get it either, because in my much younger years, a catalog came out with a model that looked a lot, lot like me. Some friends of ours totally thought I had a side job that no one knew about. And-there is a magazine ad out there right now with a picture of a girl who could be a much younger version of me. I think I am going to get her haircut.

The little miss teenagers at my house were merciless.
"Mom, quit smiling like that."
"You look like your mad at us."
"You look like you're in pain."
"Just do this."
"Put your chin up"
"Put your chin down"
"Don't smile like that."
"Smile like this."
Those girls are posers. Those posers made me laugh and laugh.
It was harder than taking little mr. j's pic.

So, I watched those little misses. You know what they were doing? Posing in the mirror. Funny. Funny. Funny.
Do you think if I practiced, I could get more photogenic?-I highly doubt it.
I'll just enjoy catching their poses and laughing.
And maybe someday I will grow up and let someone catch a picture of me.

Facetious

facetious

adjective

tounge-in-cheek, kidding

Oh, oh, oh.

I love it when something strikes me as funny. Please pardon my facetiousness.

My mr and I were just vegging in front of the picture box and we ran into some commercials.

There were two commercials during the same commercial break for a certian specific type of birth control that used a very catchy jingle. (The vegging had just begun, I profess to not be a television junkie.)

The joy I found in these commercials was compounded by the fact that we were watching the very large & growing Dugger family on TLC.

I wonder if JimBob approved that.

Post edit--It's Dec. 13th, and I've read that the dear family mentioned has given premature birth to their most recent child. Best wishes and prayers to them!!

Miscommunication

Today our afternoon blew up.
And it did not end badly.

Earlier this week, miss h told me she was babysitting for them (and then waved her arm towards a neighbor's house behind ours) on Friday at 5:30pm.
She has a standing twice a week babysitting job for a neighbor who lives on the street behind ours. So, as far as I was concerned, that's was her Friday night job. We'll call them neighbors A.

I talked to neighbor A mom. She's from another country and does speak English with a beautiful, thick accent, most of the time I understand her. I did today. I heard "miss h (really she said miss h's given name), can she babysit, tonight, & 7pm until really late."

Woohoo, since her job was starting later, she wouldn't miss piano lesson. Had miss h text said piano teacher - let her know all kids would be front and center for lessons. So glad that worked out. We have a very flexible and wonderful piano arrangement ---and teacher (the teacher is more wonderful than the arrangement).

Two minutes later, this is the conversation:
Me, "Miss H, neighbor A says you don't need to come over until 7pm."
miss h, "I'm babysitting for them (more arm flinging towards the back)."
Me, "Yeah, I know, but she doesn't need you so early. That's why I just had you text your wonderful piano teacher."
miss h, "I'm babysitting for them (more arm flinging), not them (more arm flinging)."

By now you might have guessed that we have more than one neighbor behind us.

miss h, "Mom, did you tell neighbor A I would babysit for her?"
Me, "Yes." And our wheels started turning.

(You have to know that at this time in my life, I try to see the problem fast and get to a solution quick. One of my mottos, "There is a solution for every problem." --I can't believe I'm at a point in my life where I'm quoting my own mottos. Weird. I guess I've had enough problems & have learned how to deal.)

miss h, "I'm babysitting for neighbor B."
Me, "my mr. and I are supposed to go out tonight."
Me thinking, "How are we going to handle this?"

Here's a family secret, miss h and I can often speak quite emotionally towards each other. There was no raising our voices in anger, just excited voices. --I have a teenager who is dramatic & often get drawn into the drama.--I am getting better at staying emotionally detached in the conversations, but sometimes-whew baby, she can suck me in.

Little mr. j had a friend over playing. miss s was practicing her piano loudly. Little mr. b was trying to ask me questions, like only a 10 year old can. The phone was ringing. It felt like a funny sitcom.

miss s came to the rescue and said she could help with one of the jobs, but I needed her to watch her little brothers. We called neighbor B and she kindly said it would be alright if miss s sat her little precious ones and brought the brothers. miss h was to go to neighbor A's. The phone rang again. Little mr. j's friend's mom came to pick him up.

After a few texts and a phone call, we get to see our wonderful piano teacher tomorrow afternoon.
And-
about an half an hour later, the phone rang again. Neighbor B's friends all canceled and they didn't need a sitter anymore.

I was quite mature with miss h and told her about another one of life's lessons I love.
Many, many problems are caused by miscommunication.

I promised to have her make her own babysitting confirmations.
Except, I forgot to tell her that neighbor B asked if she could come over for a couple of hours tomorrow.