Skip to main content

Christmas Updates

We have had the Christmas tree up in our house for a little over a week now, and I'm happy to report that it is still standing.  It has acquired a pretty significant lean that we are going to have to rectify soon, but it hasn't hit the floor yet.  We are doing better than last year.  Additionally, only three ornaments have broken.  After spending the first two days re-hanging ones that had been pulled off, I gave up.  It was a losing battle.  We are down about 20% of what we started with, but it could definitely be worse.  

The kids are enjoying all things Christmas right now, and I'm trying to soak it all in.  I know we don't have too many seasons left with them all believing in Santa and the magic that surrounds Christmas in general.  It's precious to me.  But here's what you shouldn't do during the holidays - try to create a precious moment...  

It was a cold afternoon.  I'd been on Instagram way too much soaking in all the cozy winter pictures and recipes.  I decided I needed to create a little coziness for the kids.  We had been outside playing, so I let them continue their game and headed in to make a hot drink for everyone in some special Christmas mugs.  Before I could finish, they came tramping in the house.  Naturally, they all piled into the kitchen. When they saw that I was making a favorite spiced chai type drink, the older two began telling me how to do it.  It was very helpful.  Sawyer decided he wasn't having any, so I divided it between three mugs.  I handed one to Fischer, put one at the table for Emerson, and Carter took her own.  As soon as I had it all doled out, Sawyer decided he wanted some after all.  I forced some nice words and began making more.  When reaching for my spices, I noticed milk on the counter and floor, and in fact, a trail of it all the way to the table where Carter was sitting as well as a puddle in her chair and at the foot of her chair.  I cleaned it up.  Emerson also had a puddle under her spot at the table, so I cleaned that.  Meanwhile, I handed off Sawyer’s mug.  He and Fischer had a race to see who could drink it fastest.  I think it lasted them 1.8 seconds, and I'm not sure they tasted it.  Speed drinking initiated their fake burping mechanism and they belched until I told them to cut it out and go back outside.  All in all, it was a really special moment.  I'm sorry I didn't capture any pictures to post on my account.  I'm sure they would have inspired mothers everywhere.

We are the Griswolds.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sheltering in Place

In the past three months Corona Virus has more or less turned the world on its head.  I feel almost guilty for not being more stressed or put out by the whole thing.  We have been extremely fortunate. What we thought was a most impractical move on our part, wound up being a huge blessing.  With our two boys and our two newborns, we moved out of our house with no yard in the city limits and into my parents' house in the country while waiting for our new house to be completed.  The weekend we moved "quarantine," "social distancing," and "shelter in place" became the new mantra of our state.   Moving in with my parents meant ten plus acres of play space and two extra able bodied adults to help even out the score with the four kids.  Win for the St. Clair's!  Unfortunately, my parents are beginning to realize they may have made an error in judgement.   Yesterday, Sawyer gave their cat swimming lessons.   Last week th...

Bump in the Road

 If your kids aren't annoying you at least occasionally, then they probably aren't doing childhood right.  Ours are winning at childhood.  Actually, we came to the conclusion the other day that if they are annoying you all the time, then you probably aren't doing parenting right.  And when I say "you," I mean "we."   We weren't enjoying our kids recently, and we wondered if that meant other people were also finding them unenjoyable.  It made us finally pause and take a long hard look at what was bugging us about our kids.  We felt like we were in a perpetual state of irritation.  Once we made our list, and it was lengthy, we noticed a theme: attention.  Our kids were begging for our attention with every behavior.  It was annoying, but it was our fault, and it was fixable.   We started putting down phones and brooms and laundry and giving undivided and intentional focus to our kids throughout the day.  It wasn't a huge...

Advanced Placement

 Not to brag or anything, but I think we are raising some very advanced children.  At two-years-of-age, our girls have already worked out the art of manipulation and deflection.  It's the antithesis of endearing.   They went missing the other day - the girls did.  That's never a good situation.  They were in the house, and I knew they were in the house, but I couldn't see or hear them.  Silence is the loudest alarm system.  Fischer took action and found them both in my bathroom.   "MOM!" I met them in the hall.  Carter was covered in clumps and blobs of hand cream. "Emi did it," was her unsolicited response.   "No," I told her.  "I think you  did it." That night I got ready for bed and pulled out my one "self-care" splurge - my face cream .  It was in my drawer where I always keep it.  The lid was screwed on.  And it was empty, wiped clean.  "EmmmeerrrrrSON!" Guilty.  They were both ...