What Are You Doooooooing New Year's Eve?

Not much, would be the answer here at the T household. With T's reclusive tendencies and the fact that our house still sounds a little bit like a TB ward, I am guessing that making big New Year's Eve plans would not be the best idea this year. Eh. It's not like we've done anything too fabulous in the past few years anyways.

I laugh when my friends or younger family members who don't have children boast of what they have planned for the Big Night. Dinner in Chicago. Clubbing in DC. Kissing someone in Times Square. Of course, if they live in the Burg, there is always the option of going downtown to see the giant glittering piece of fruit they lower on C Street in lieu of a ball. (It used to be a pear that looked like an enormous, glowing booger. Gross. Snot makes me throw up.)

But I laugh because I know that sooner or later, they too will be shackled to their homes by the not-so-elusive eight o'clock bedtime of the 3 and under crowd. We haven't exactly done anything newsworthy for New Year's Eve the past 3 years. The first year, I was so tired and stressed out from having a newborn in the house that I honestly had no idea it was New Year's Eve until I was standing in the Wal-Mart check-out line in a stupor, waiting to buy diapers. I went home and cried. Last year, the highlight of my night was watching my friends L, S, and J play with J's daughter's beauty parlor hair-highlighting kit. They gave each other pink and blue streaks as our children ran wildly through the house. I don't even remember what we did the year before that...must have been pretty exciting stuff. Probably involved me falling asleep with my mouth open in T's chair while he watched soccer.

So, if you have big plans for tonight, enjoy! (If you have children, how did you escape? Do you have an unsuspecting relative who forgot tonight is a holiday? Or does your babysitter charge holiday rates?) Think of me, eating leftover fudge and thumbing through magazines while poor T coughs and watches Fox News.

Happy New Year!

Do You "Celebwate"?

I was working on a newsletter last night when Natalie scampered (she loves this word) into the kitchen with my new GiantCupcakeCakePan. I didn't pay much attention as she sat across from me, mixing some sort of delectable imaginary cake mix (you can be sure it was chocolate). As she worked, she talked to herself, which she often does when playing mommy or teacher or beautician or sanitation engineer (ha, got you...just checking to see if you are on your toes). I caught the end of the sentence, "...celebwate Hanukkah." Huh? First of all, when did she convert to Judaism? Do they eat cake for Hanukkah? And most importantly, if they don't eat cake for Hanukkah, can I have it? Oy vey...this will kill my mother.

Can Santa Bring Some More Afrin?

It was an interesting Christmas in the T household, friends. I started feeling iffy on Monday night. By Tuesday morning, my throat was on fire, and it's pretty much stayed that way. I think T was secretly grateful that his personal Christmas wish came true--less conversation from me. (By conversation, I mean me talking while T stares at Fox News and nods every once in awhile.) I haven't slept more than a couple of hours in several days...add in wiping snotty kids' noses (they're the stinkers who gave it to me!) and the crazy rush of Christmas Day and I am pooped! To top that off, I am pretty sure I have PMS as I caught myself crying during the sappiest Lifetime movie ever this afternoon. (Aside to my sister's fiance: Sam, if you are reading this, I apologize. That was too much information. But you have only yourself to blame by reading this.)

So, I just made myself a nice little cocktail. I like to call it an AcetaminAfriCodeiniti. It's a delightful mix of Acetaminophen, Codeine, and Afrin. The Acetaminophen/Codeine thing expired back in October. I really don't care. I called my nurse sister just to be sure I wouldn't die, and she said it was okay. But I also heard about 594 people in the background, so I am pretty sure she was at Happy Hour somewhere, which could mean she had no idea what she was saying. I have conveniently showered and dressed for bed so if I pass out here at the keyboard, T can just drag me upstairs when he gets home. Or, if my cocktail kills me, hopefully I will live long enough to hit "publish" so you all can tell T what happened. I swear I'm not a junkie. I'm just desperate for a good night's sleep! You moms know this!

At any rate, all the pain was bearable during yesterday's festivities: Natalie didn't realize that there would be toys out under the tree in the Living room after she opened her stocking. I guess she thought the stocking stuff from Santa was it. This photo is when she ran in and saw her dollhouse. The other photo is Michaela Byrd furiously crawling towards the tree, saying "Oh oh oh!" We clocked her going 68 mph.

It was so much fun to watch them both get excited over their gifts. Michaela Byrd was most excited about a sippy cup she received in her stocking. However, if you were to review our video tape of the morning's events, you'd see Michaela sidling up to the dollhouse, and this would be the transcript;

M: ooooooo!

N: No! Michaela get outta my spot!

Me (frantically): T, turn the camera off!!!

(shuffling, silence)

With the exception of the raging fire in my throat which is currently calming to a dull roar with the aid of my concoction, Christmas was really special this year. T gave me a cookbook I asked for (Hungry Girl- anyone know if it's any good?), a cartridge for my Cricut machine, a scrapbooking gadgety thing, and a new camera. Yay! He also did a great job with my stocking this year, which I can attribute to the fact that he forced my sister to go shopping with him on Christmas Eve. Most importantly, T and I are blessed with two beautiful, smart little girls. They may not always act like angels, but sometimes they sure look like them!

Inappropriate Christmas Carols

"I don't know. It's complicated, and it is inappropriate."

These were my sister's final thoughts on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" tonight as we rode around town looking at lights. It had just come on the radio, and we were passing a delightfully tacky display. It was dark in the backseat (Mimi was driving), and we were separated by Su-Su, otherwise I would have slapped her upside the head.

"You really didn't know that the little girl was singing about seeing her father dressed up as Santa Claus, but she doesn't know it?" I asked incredulously.

"What? I thought the mom was kissing Santa. That's inappropriate, Manda."

It took Su-Su and I several tries to explain to Alison that the little girl in the song sees her father dressed up like Santa Claus, but she doesn't realize it's her father. It's like a funny little joke to her. Obviously to my sister this is a ballad of heartbreaking familial betrayal.

She's supposed to be the smart one. Right. I feel like I just told a kid that Santa isn't real. Am I spoiling the song for anyone else?

I leaned my head back as Nannie exclaimed over the same lights we saw last year.... She must have missed a few throwbacks of her mighty-water today because she did not remember the enormous blow-up Nutcracker (or, CrackerNut, as Natalie calls them) or the flashing gingerbread men or even the thousands upon thousands of lights plastered to every surface of home and yard.

As we passed the one house on the street that seemed to be boycotting the splendiferous displays (they only had one wreath on the door and a tree in the window, geez), I thought of a few more inappropriate carols.

What about "Baby, It's Cold Outside?" That man is clearly going to drug the young lady in an effort to keep her in his home (Glenn Beck analyzed this song cleverly on his show the other day). I'm sure there are more.

You have to be careful about what you let your kids listen to around the holidays, people!

"I can't deny that fact that you like me, right now, you like me!"

It seems that of the three people who read my blog, one of them generously chose me for this prestigous award:
I am truly honored. I would like to start off by thanking the Academy. Well, I guess I should thank Meri. Meri is awesome because she is always serving behind the scenes, whether it's at church or our MOPS group, or with her friends. She is always up for meeting me for coffee. She is super-creative, and I have never seen the woman without a spool of yarn and some sort of project. Meri also she raises four (!!!) little boys with her BrilliantHusband and still manages to not only be awake, but to serve others so faithfully. She is smart, genuine, and never afraid to speak her mind. It doesn't hurt that I love her blog too. So here is the "interview" she sent me:

Do you have any friends from childhood?
{Yes! I went to school with most of the same people from 1st grade to 12th grade, and I still keep in touch with some of them, mostly through Facebook. My friends M (of "I Heart NY 2008" fame), E, E, S, and M I see pretty regularly at MOPS or just hanging out}

What do you value about your friends?
{I love and admire their many talents and abilities: cooking, sewing, decorating, writing, teaching, research, cake decorating, good gossip!, knitting, crotchet, running more than 10 steps without getting winded, dance, fashion, conversation...the list goes on and on. There is something about each one of them that I can admire and aspire to be. They have been there for me, especially during my second pregnancy, which was unexpected. They gave me advice and helped me to understand that my feelings were normal. They offered to help me with childcare, meals, and cleaning my house. Most importantly, there were just there. }

Are they your sounding board?
{Most definitely! Especially when it comes to matters of decorating. I am pretty unsure in this area. My friend L is very good at furniture placement, so I always ask her before I move something. My friends are all great listeners. Most of us are mothers, so we're all in the same boat and we are in this journey together-might as well pop the champagne cork and enjoy the ride!}

What activities do you like to share together?
{Anything and everything! Shopping, play dates, MOPS meetings, girls' only trips, coffee dates, double (and triple and quadruple!) dates, movie nights, game nights, spa nights...you name it!}



Now it is time for me to pass the love on. I choose to bestow the honor upon my friend, Tracy. Tracy and I became friends last summer in our MOPS Bible study. Tracy is a dedicated blogger, and a very devoted mommy to two precious little boys. (Natalie is obsessed with her younger son. I think she wants to be his mother.) I don't think I've ever met another mom with such a love for teaching. Tracy comes up with the most creative ideas for teaching her boys, and she blogs about it too! Her family always looks like they are having a blast. Tracy is quiet, but always a friendly face. Her bruschetta recipe rocks. I hope our friendship keeps growing, Tracy! Love to ya!

"MyLeese Nahbeeblah" and "Merry Christmas" to You Too!

You know, "MyLeese Nahbeeblah," that classic Christmas carol! If you don't speak three-year old, let me translate. "Feliz Navidad." I'd love to tell you that I taught Natalie that during our intensive home creative learning time, but I am fairly certain she picked it up from Elmo's Happy Holidays or the obsessive selection of Christmas music I force upon my children in the car. We have learned a lot this year though!

We learned that things don't always turn out the way we want (week-long stay in the NICU for Michaela in January). We also learned to thank God for answering prayers. (He let her come home with us and she's just fine--no more infections!)

Natalie learned that little sisters can be fun...

...and frustrating.

T worked very, very hard on our bathroom, the addition, and the Living room.
















We were blessed with a beautiful new addition! (Thanks Mama and Nannie!) I worked hard on window treatments and decorating to make it fun for me and the kids...we'll get there someday!

We also learned that sometimes it's okay to stop and smell the roses.







Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from the "T" family!

Oh, and Myleese Nahbeeblah too!

This Party Was Brought to You By...

...the letter "N" and the number "3!"

What kind of mother would I be if I didn't boast about the millions of hours I spent planning a 3 year old's birthday party? Natalie's birthday is in early December, so December has been a stressful month for the past few years: babies being born (or about to be born), decorating to do, trees to put up, and of course-birthday parties to plan. Come New Year's Eve, I am plumb tuckered out!

We had 11 (yes, 11!) children (10 girls and one adorable baby boy) cram themselves into our home one Saturday for a Sesame Street birthday. No, we do not normally force Elmo to brave sub-zero temperatures on our front stoop. This year, I decided to take it easy on myself and not plan a craft that would just be thrown away the minute the kids piled back into their minivans. I kept things simple, and the girls colored Sesame Street party hats and decorated them with little jazzy pom poms on the top. That kept them busy for all of 3 minutes before the whining (Natalie's) commenced. She wanted cake. RIGHT NOW!

I managed to distract them (her-she has a cake obsession, don't know where she gets it) long enough to propel them into the new room. We played "Pin the Cookie on Cookie Monster." Natalie cheats. Then we managed to get all the girls to sit in a circle for my very own version of "hot potato," which we called "hot cookie." This entailed the girls passing a small plastic cookie around the circle while Sesame Street music (theme song and "C is for Cookie") played in the background. When the music stopped, the person holding the cookie was out. Except that two and three year olds are very egotistical, and the shock of being "out" is more than their little psyches can handle. So the "loser" had the privilege of choosing a glittery necklace and standing to the side. This went over much better than dragging them screaming from the circle.

After the mass riot over the necklaces ended, the SWAT team (other moms) ushered their kids into my kitchen for the best part: cake and ice cream! At this point, I don't want to see a cake decorating tool for a long, long time. I was up very late making these Cookie Monster cupcakes, which were my very first attempt at cake decorating (unless you count running a spatula of icing over some hastily prepared cupcakes and then eating the remaining icing). They weren't all that hard to do...just very, very time consuming. They were also devoured in about 2 minutes. Please don't report me to the Cake Wrecks blog, Meri, as I am a novice and I do not sell my work. Not that anyone would be buying....

The animals gather for feeding.

Birthday Girl! I can't believe we have had only 3 years of her benevolent dictatorship...sniff sniff.

Well, if they won't let me eat cake, I will eat my shoe!

All in all, a fun little party! Natalie had a blast, and I will too once I take a breath and relax after Christmas. I think I need some eggnog....