Christmas Cookies

I know, I know....it is way past Christmas cookie baking time.  Our tree is even down.....the embarrassment looms.  Just a little forewarning: the next few posts will probably be about Christmas....which happened last month...yes I know.  My excuse?  Full-time-working-mom-whose-almost-three-year-old-is now-pretty-much-a-non-napper-now-but-clearly-needs-one-isn't-enough?  Ok, then.  None.

Directions for making Christmas cookies:

1.  Find or make your apron.  We chose to fashion one out of one of Mommies old t-shirts and it has instantly become a piece of choice apparel.

2.  Choose someone you love to bake with.

3.  Make the dough, make sure you have plenty for cookies as well as eating.

4.  Decorate.  Sugary sprinkles are not just delicious but create a nice decorative effect when they are all over the counters and floor.

 

5.  Wash up!

5.  Bake and Eat.

Footnotes 
Reminder:  Dziadia's really like Christmas cookies so make sure to make a few extra batches so that there are enough for you to enjoy.

Fun with Santa...

............NOT! 

Each year my school holds an annual 'Lunch with Santa' where tots can make Christmas crafts, eat lunch, and of course, sit on Santa's lap.  As soon as we walked in, Jackson begged to see Santa.  Demanded to see Santa.  Cried to see Santa.  As I took him to get our tickets, he tried to escape to see Santa.  I was excited by the excitement that he possessed about Santa!   Then it was out turn, time for us to walk down the red carpet toward Santa..... and then...... meltdown city.  

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE SANTA!"

 Trying to desperately get away!

I even tried to do a picture together, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he would be alright with me there too.  Um, a big fat no to that one too, thank you very much.

Nothing that a few instruments and some Backyardigans couldn't solve though...

 In Mommy's class room, making noise music

Backyardigans on the big screen can make almost anything better.

The best part of the whole Santa incident was really the conversation that came after.  

M:  "Tell Daddy whose lap you sat on today."

J: "Santa's, but I didn't want to, I cried."

M:  "You didn't like sitting on Santa's lap very much did you buddy?"

J:  "No, I didn't, but you made me (short pause for dramatic effect), and I cried."

 Ah! The wonder of the holiday season!

Happy Holidays

Yes folks, it's that time again!

Playing Catch Up

Blogging has so taken a back seat to this CRAZY thing we call life.  But don't worry blogging world, I haven't forgotten about you.  In fact you are in the forefront of my mind, but ah, time is the culprit.  Yes that thing called time that I seem to have none of these days.  Well I seem to have found a sparse few minutes, so here we go!

Thanksgiving
This year we spent our Thanksgiving festivities at home and then with friends.  It was so low key, and so non-stress, that it ended up being EXACTLY what we needed.  I made a cheesecake and then we spent the rest of the day with friends and family.  Mari and Dennis, hosted the most beautiful and delicious dinner party I have attended in a very very long time!  And, they get an extra shout out for making it kid friendly to the only kid there *by letting him take over your basement for the evening!  We thank you so much for that!  Pictures are lacking (I am totally off my game right now!)  Of course, Jackson missed his Grandparents very much, but all in all it was a wonderful day.  We are and continue to be thankful. 

Playing with his racetrack in his *boy cave

Fall

We have tried to pack the most into fall as usual, and the weather has been so unusually warm and just pain awesome this year.  We have gone on hikes, trips to the city, played in the leaves, gone to the playground...you name it.  Amidst the craziness of Mommy working a lot, we are still trying to squeeze in some fun. 

 A Christmas card finalist that did not make the final cut....Daddy picked this year so when you get it....you'll understand....

 little blue eyed lad

Hope fall is wrapping up nicely for you!

Trick or Treat

Our Halloween festivities stretched over the course of a couple weeks and costumes as they seem to every year. We enjoyed our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, although this time we knew to go to the much less commercialized and drastically cheaper farm that was still complete with hayride to the pumpkins!

Jackson, our animal aficionado, begged us to take him to the zoo for "Boo at the Zoo". (He asks to go to the zoo at least once a day anyway, so it really was not a surprise... zoo + candy = two-year-old-bliss! I think was I was the only parent who caved though and let him eat candy for lunch.... I heard screams and cries all around from tots and parents of all sizes.... "I want candy." "After Lunch." "I want candy NOW!" "NOT UNTIL AFTER LUNCH!!!". And on it went all day.... Not for us though, Jack and Daddy (ok me too) happily chomped om chocolate and treats and enjoyed our day. And, the best part? Jackson wolfed down his extremely healthy dinner of baked fish and broccoli that night! Win-win!

This year Jackson informed me upon seeing the costumes that Old Navy had to offer (half off...) that he wanted to be a scary dragon.  So, a not so scary dragon he  was!  The day before Halloween we attended a birthday party complete with face painting and the face painter was amazing and painted a really cool dragon on his face.  I am disappointed that I didn't get a picture of dragon boy with dragon face, but it just wasn't meant to be I guess.

Trick or Treating was much more interesting this year.  The concept of "getting candy" was understood.  No problems with that one.  I think Jack's trick was to see how much he could quickly grab from each candy bowl when the unsuspecting candy-passer-outer put it in his reach.  Shouldn't they have learned by now? 

 Frank's trick - slaying the scary-candy-stealing dragon

All in all, a spooktacular Halloween! 

The Lie

 I cannot tell a lie

A few days ago I walked into the living room to find dried beans scattered all over the floor.  I obviously knew where they had come from (the candle vase on the dining room table) and how they had gotten there (one very blond, very spirited little kid).  But I figured I would ask the inevitable and try to make a teachable moment out of it.  I figured our conversation would go something like this:

Me: "How did these beans get here?"

Jackson: "I put them there" (he is extremely and utterly...well...honest.)

Me: "Where do the beans go?"

Jackson:  "In the dining room"

Me:  "Ok, let's put them back there"

Jackson "Ok Mommy"

I figured wrong.  The true version of this story was ironically a lie.  An, in your face, flat out, bold faced, LIE.  The real conversation:

Me: "How did these beans get here?"

Jackson: "I don't know"

Me: "Well, how do you think they got there?"

Jackson:  "Zoe put them there"

Me:  Shocked silence/stifling laughs

Jackson:  Big smile

Me:  "Why did YOU put them there?"

Jackson:  "Because, I put them there, but I don't want to clean them up"

I guess that answered that!  In the end we cleaned up the beans together and went on with our day.  Still, even I as write this, I am laughing, but at the same time I am so not laughing.  Parents out there, please, PLEASE tell me... How do you deal with lying?  Even the cutest, whitest lies?  I didn't think I would have to deal with this until at least three.

On second thought, I can...

Ode To A Working Mom

Mommy is so busy,

she can't find time to blog.

She is working, working, working,

and her head is in a fog.

She realizes, as the days fly by,

she hasn't written many posts.

And then she stops to remind herself,

of the thing that matters most.

Mommy takes a minute,

to cut herself a break,

For loving her wonderful child,

is something she could never fake.