A lesson in nationalities

Last week was St. Patrick's Day, so one night during dinner, the discussion of nationalities came up. "Are we Irish, Mom?" We happen to have a variety of nationalities--as most Americans do--and the only thing that I can actually give a number to is that they are 1/8 German, 1/8 Swedish and 1/8 Finnish... but there's a splash of just about everything else, too so I often say "We're mutts" to the kids. On this particuar occasion, we had a friend over during dinner who happened to have more Irish in them--which prompted the discussion. Megan, who has had this conversation before and at 11 years old has a grasp on comprehending all of this, proudly piped up and announced to our guest "I have 7 or 8 people in me!" That explains A LOT!

Pew

Yesterday was a splendid day of baby shopping with my mom for my niece who is almost 1 and for an upcoming baby shower. Grandpa was such a trooper as he agreed to take the older 3 kids. I gave him some cash to take them to the movie and set off with my mom & Parker to the Albertville outlet mall. Parker was an excellent little tag-a-long buddy and was such a trooper. At the last store, he asked for some bubble gum--which was the only thing he asked for all day, so I obliged. Grandma, being a grandma, explained to him how important it was not to swallow his gum, but to spit it into a napkin if he didn't want it anymore. He explained how much he LOVED bubble gum. :) During the 2 hour drive home, Parker began to get a bit restless/squirrely & started chattering away. He found great humor in the fact that he farted, so he announced loudly "I farted!" and giggled uncontrollably. Of course, we had to OVER-react by plugging our noses and saying "PEW! You STINK!" This induced more giggles from Mr. Stinky in the backseat along with another announcement "I farted again!" Grandma jokingly said "Pew! What have you been eating, Mister?" to which Parker promptly responded "Bubble gum"

Spicy!

Parker took a bath at Grandma & Grandpa's house last night. He finished his bath & climbed into his clean jammies. I started to comb his hair & he said, "I want SPICY hair, Mommy." Obviously confused, I repeat "You want SPICY hair?" He shakes his head emphatically "Yes, spicy hair." I start to comb his hair & he states "not like THAT... SPICY like this!" as he brushes his hair into a mohawk. Ahhh... SPIKY hair.

Attitude Check

This morning I sit here in a quiet house with 2 sleeping little boys, a cup of coffee, my Bible and enjoying complete peace. I can't say the morning started out that way, though. I hit snooze twice & finally drug myself out of bed... begrudgingly. I started my morning routine & Owen came stumbling downstairs. As I was brushing my teeth he said "I need to go to the bathroom, can you leave... and shut off the light, too?" I confess, my first thought was "Can a girl finish brushing her teeth? Sheesh!" He had a headache when he went to bed last night & I asked if he still had it as I shut off the light. He nodded & whimpered. As it turns out, he had a 102 fever and horrible headache. Oh great--there goes the few hours of sick time & more vacation time! How inconvenient! I got the girls ready for school, fed & shipped out the door as I called in to work. *exasperated sigh*
I started some coffee and suddenly realized... my house is QUIET. How peaceful! I grabbed a cup of coffee & settled into my favorite rocking chair with my Bible. What a perfect morning, I caught myself thinking. Owen was sleeping on the couch & Parker was still in bed, snoozing away. No tv. No radio. Just quiet. I took a leisurely sip of my coffee & started to read. My devotional today referenced Philippians 4:11-13--"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all things through him who gives me strength."
As I sit here reading, I am reminded of how far I've come. I have to ask myself--what am I teaching my children? Am I providing an example of contentment in any & every situation?? My initial attitude this morning certainly didn't set that example, but a gentle whisper through His word reset my attitude. It may not be convenient that I have a sick child, but THANK GOD I have a job that allows me to have sick/vacation time & pay. And, I must confess, this morning was splendid. A cup of coffee in my rocking chair with my super fuzzy blanket & my Bible in a quiet house... priceless. I do want to find contentment in any & all circumstances. Overall, I do pretty well, but there are days when I need to have my attitude reset. What kind of example do I want to set for my children? We certainly don't have the fanciest house, the biggest house, the fanciest car or a life of luxury. I'm raising 4 kids on my own without any child support and very few breaks--usually no more than a couple hours. However, we do have plenty to be thankful for! I have 4 awesome kids that bring a smile to my face every day & often make me laugh out loud with their antics. We have a house that is dry & warm. We have a car the is reliable & gets us to where we need to go. We don't have much, but we have ENOUGH. I have a good job that allows us enough to pay the bills and have "Friday night family movie night" with pizza every Friday night. We have 300 acres to wander & explore that grandma & grandpa so generously share. We live in a place that allows us to have our pets, ride our bikes, hear the peepers on a summer night, and learn about nature. The kids are close to their grandparents & get to see them daily. We aren't going hungry, we aren't cold... we have good friends & family. How lucky are we?! I think we have it pretty darn good!
So, the next time my attitude slips into thinking that "if only we had/could..." or "all I need is...", I will recite Philippians 4:11-12 & remember all the wonderful things listed above. I pray that I instill this in my children, as well...

The Great Debate

How does one find the time to blog? Do I blog or do I just update my facebook & let the idea of blogging go?

Felf the Elf's journey to Christmas

Each morning, the children would pop out of bed like pop tarts and search frantically for Felf's new hiding place. At first, Felf was easy to spot--on a shelf, sitting on the tv, on top of the computer--but as he spent more time with us, he began to choose much more subtle hiding places. He buried himself into the decorations on the Christmas tree, barely peeking out. He climbed into the light fixture and braced himself edge-to-edge ninja style. It took them awhile to find him that day. But each day, after finding Felf, the kids would sit and chatter away to our little friend. They could talk to him all they wanted, but Santa forbid him from talking to them. Again, it's part of the magic. Well, Felf was awfully tired for 3 nights in a row a week or so before Christmas (aka--*I* was too tired and forgot to move him! eeek!) Owen was very disturbed by this and each day would ask "Mommy, why didn't Felf move? Is he sick?" I answered that I didn't know, secretly reprimanding myself for failing in my mommy duties. On morning #3 of Felf being "too tired" to move, Noelle decided he must be sick. She compassionately talked to him asking, "Felf, are you sick? I'll pray for you tonight, ok? I hope you feel better soon, Felf." Owen began to follow suit and then suddenly remembered "the rules" about Felf. "Felf isn't sick--someone touched him! One of you girls touched him and now he's lost his magic! Who was it?! Which one of you broke the rules?" After surpressing some giggles, I bundled them up and shooed them off to catch the bus.
Upon their return from school, Owen was the first to burst through the door. He ran to the living room only to find that Felf was still sitting in the same spot. He turned to his sisters with absolute conviction "I can't BELIEVE you touched him and ruined his MAGIC!" Megan and Noelle both vehemently deny any ruining of magic. Noelle and Owen sit quietly under Felf and explain how much they hope he gets his magic back and how sorry they are that someone must have touched him.
The next morning held a miracle! Felf MOVED! His magic was back, as well as squeals of joy from my darling children. For the duration of the month of December, Felf shared in many secrets and long, one sided conversations from each of the children. And then... it was Christmas Eve. The kids had opened one present and were having a great time playing. I was watching and noticed Noelle becoming more quiet and somber. (Noelle is NOT a quiet kid. Ever.) So I ask what she's thinking about. She turns sadly to the advent calendar--the place where Felf had decided to perch on this special day--and says "Today is Felf's last day. He's leaving tonight with Santa--that's what the book said. *sigh* I'm gonna miss Felf. *sniffle sniffle* I don't want him to go." Owen suddenly processes the information coming out of Noelle's mouth. His eyes immediately look to Felf's last resting spot and a sad realization settles on him. Megan looks over and then says unphased, "Yeah, but he'll be back next year. It's not like we're never gonna see him again." The other 2 excepted this and all went back to their play.
But... as Megan and Owen trundled off to bed, Noelle snuck in one last, sweet conversation with Felf. A heartfelt and tearful goodbye that ended with "...I wish I could hug you Felf, but I don't want to ruin your magic. I love you. Bye." And with that, the kids went to sleep. Sometime during the night, Santa came to our house. He left presents for each of the kids and helped Felf hop into the sleigh for a quick ride back to the North Pole.
And so ends our tale of Felf, the elf on the shelf. Until next year...

Felf, The Elf on the Shelf

There is a site online called "The Elf on the Shelf" http://theelfontheshelf.com/#/home. My dear friend Heather saw this site and had an "Elf on the Shelf" shipped to my kids. So the idea of this is that a little elf, whom YOU name upon arrival, is sent to your house from Santa. The Elf then sits on the Shelf and watches the kids during the day. Each night, after the kids go to bed, the elf goes to the north pole and reports to Santa on their behavior. In the morning, the elf has magically moved to a new hiding place in the house. The elf comes with a special, hardcover storybook to read to the kids that explains all about the elf on the shelf. It clearly states that the kids are NOT to touch the elf b/c he will lose his "magic" and won't be able to get back to Santa to tell him about the kids behavior and what they want for Xmas. So that's the background, now here's OUR story about The Elf on the Shelf.
The mail came and a box with many stamps from a wide variety of countries was delivered to our house. Once you open the box, a beautiful green box with a big gold seal states "Official Seal of Santa's Workshop" is waiting to be opened. Inside is a book like box that opens with a hardcover storybook on one side and a little red elf protected by a plastic box is on the other side. The elf isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen, I'll say that upfront, but the book and idea of the elf is adorable.
So it's early December and I call the children into my room to show them the box. Megan, Owen and Noelle, with Parker in tow, pile on to my bed. They carefully examine the outer box, then the inner box. Megan reads aloud the words on the gold seal. "Woooooooooooow" they all say in unison. I open the box and take out the storybook. They all cuddle around to hear the story. As I begin to read, Noelle starts to wiggle with excitement and anticipation. Megan is listening carefully, taking in it. You can see on her face the debate over authenticity that is going on in her mind. Haha. Owen is sitting quietly and listening. By the time I finish the story, Noelle is nearly bursting out of her skin. She can't stand it any longer and leans forward to the plastic box which holds the elf and rattles off a list of things she wants for Xmas. I ask the kids what name they think we should give to our elf. A few suggestions are made including: Spiderman, Austin, Mr. Elf, Batman, squiggle. Finally the kids decide on "Felf" for the name of our elf on the shelf. Noelle must certainly be attempting to restrain herself as best she can as little squeals, giggles and wiggles sporadically erupt. Megan casually leans forward and says "I'd like a real, live pony, please" and then looks away, slightly embarrassed. Owen has been relatively quiet at this point, so I turn to him and ask "Owen, what do you think?" Owen is carefully watching our Felf. He looks warily at it and says "Mommy? I think I'm a little bit afraid." (Remember when I told you this isn't exactly the cutest elf? Owen didn't think so either. Lol) He quietly whispers "I'd like a big, giant monster truck to play outside, please." Noelle then erupts in a review of what she previously asked, just in case Felf missed it. Then she turns to me and quizzically asks "How will he get out of the box if we can't touch him?" I reply that I don't know and that must be part of the magic. I send the kids off to get ready for school and leave the storybook type box open on the couch.
When we everyone was ready, the car was running and Megan, Owen and Parker were all buckled in the car, I went back into the house to get something. Noelle was searching for her lost socks in her room, so I quickly gave the plastic top a haphazard flip and silently set Felf on the nearest shelf. Noelle walks out of her room with her socks, shoes and backpack in her hands. She starts to speak to me when her eyes fall on the escaped elf. *GASP!* Everything falls to the floor and Noelle shrieks "Mommy! He MOVED! Did you move him? Oh my gosh, I have to tell Megan and Owen!" as she runs out the door in her bare feet to inform her siblings that Felf had MOVED.
It took a matter of seconds for it to sound like a herd of elephants were running through my front porch. Three little kids burst through the door into the living room, wide eyed with mouths hanging open. "He's ALIVE!" they exclaim nearly in unison.


To be continued...