A home again

Despite my frustration and the amount of complaining I do, I love my hardwood floors!!! Not only are they finished, gorgeous and sparkling, but I now have a space to put my new piece of furniture!!

It's the only new thing we've bought so far. It's been sitting in the garage in boxes since the start of construction. It's the beginning of the end of construction. It's making my house into a home again! It's going to create order and organization! It's my solution to the new "No Shoes Allowed" rule!

Without further ado:

Bah Humbug

Christmas is 10 days away and I'm not really in the holiday spirit. Usually around this time of year, my days are filled with decorating, wrapping and baking. But this year, I'm just not feeling it.

Perhaps it's because we have no where to put decorations. There are no shelves to put knick knacks on, no hooks to hang stockings and our Christmas tree stands alone in the corner of a practically bare room. Or maybe it's because every waking moment I'm laying hardwood floor, wiping away sheet rock dust or painting.

We've been under construction for over a year and I've reached my limit. From all camping out in one room, living with walls down to the studs and now without a kitchen. I've tried the positive attitude: "It will all be worth it in the end" or "Someday we'll look back at this and laugh" and "Look how far we've come." All of those statements are true but honestly, all I want for Christmas is my house to be back together!

This table holds my kitchen essentials.

This is the current state of my kitchen. Notice anything missing?
We've been surviving without a stove. Luckily our family owns a restaurant and won't let us starve. But the kids no longer think breakfast for dinner is a fun concept.

Here is where I do dishes. And as you can see I can't let them pile up very much.

But I can always count on Camryn to brighten my mood. She must of sensed I needed a dose of holly jolly so she made it snow.... inside!!!
Not only is Styrofoam not environmentally friendly, it's not Camryn friendly either.

Birthday party politics

I didn't know birthday parties were already a popularity contest in kindergarten!!

The good thing about Dylan's birthday being in September is that we don't have to invite his whole class because he doesn't really know them yet. So far the parties he has been invited to have been his entire class. Not being familiar with protocol, these parties led me to believe that is the kosher thing to do.

So just to make conversation while waiting for my teacher conference, I asked a mom if they would be attending the party we were going to this weekend.

Wrong thing to say!!! It was as if I had punched her in the gut and knocked the wind out of her. Not only did she proceed to tell me that her son was not invited and how much he would love to go, she began grilling me about party details! When did I get the invite, where was it and at what time. Trying to be as vague as possible, I told her I would have to look at my invitation.

Luckily the teacher called me in for my conference and I was saved! For the moment: As I exited the classroom, in true elementary school style, she passed me a note. She had scribbled her e-mail address and asked for the other mom 's phone number so she could have a talk with her!

Of course I blantantly disregarded her demands and instead gave the other mom a heads up on what I had sent her way. Only a few months into school and I'm already causing trouble. I better be careful with my big mouth or Dylan's going to be the one not invited to any parties!!

Midnight snack

Well it wasn't exactly midnight....

We had a jam packed day. My sister had a gingerbread decorating party. So the kids were hopped up on frosting and candy just in time for our town's tree lighting. Needless to say, all the fun and excitement, as well as crashing from their sugar high, the kids were ready for bed early.

Dylan fell asleep while we were reading and Camryn looked content sucking her thumb when I walked out of her room. With the kids in bed so early, I had enough energy to squeeze in a little run before I tackled the dinner dishes. So I jumped on my treadmill and searched my DVR recordings for something to entertain me along my run.

The noise of the treadmill and the elevated volume of my television, keeps me from hearing the kids. But Dylan rarely gets out of bed and when Camryn does, she comes into my room to see what kind of fun she is missing out on. But again, they were exhausted from the day, so I wasn't expecting to hear a peep.

Feeling good I extended my run and kept on trekking for an hour. Now all I needed was a tall glass of ice water. But I got more than what I bargained for when I got downstairs. Camryn had crept downstairs for an after bedtime snack. She pulled a dining room chair across the kitchen to climb up on the counter. And there she sat, happily eating all the candy off her gingerbread house!!!

I have no idea how long she was down there but by the looks of her bare gingerbread house, I'd say I wasn't even a mile into my run by the time she had all the gumdrop shingles off the roof.

I think I need one of those alarms that beeps when someone walks out the door, except for the kids bedrooms!

High/Low

With my husbands work schedule, the kids and I have dinner without him 6 nights a week. Dinner time for me has always been important and I don't want my kids to grow up thinking they can scarf their food without ever lifting their head up and conversing with one another. But it's hard to engage a 5 and 2 1/2 year old without another adult to strike up a conversation with. So I instituted the high/low game. We go around the table and everyone has to tell the best and worst part of their day.

Not only is it a great conversation starter but it gets Dylan talking about school without me asking: "what did you do at school today?" which doesn't have a very high success rate. Everyday Dylan says something different and I can usually string it along to pull more details out about his day.

Camryn doesn't fully comprehend the concept of high/low yet. Sometimes she copies what Dylan says. Other times she names things we did but neither were something you would consider a high or a low. But last night I think she got the hang of it. When I asked her what her high was, she replied:
"My fluffer nutter!!!"

Punishment fits the crime

When shouts ring out from one of my children, the other one is usually responsible. Whether it was grabbing a toy, teasing or playing too rough, I try to make the culprit right their wrong. But when chaos ensues and both kids are up in arms, I don't care what happened or who did it...I just want it to stop. So I send them to their respective rooms for a break. They are free to play or read books but it gives them space from one another. It's also a bit of reverse psychology.

My mom used to send my sister and I to our rooms when the going got tough. Our rooms were across the hall from one another and once we both calmed down, we would open our door and wait for the other to do the same. While my mom was downstairs thinking we were quietly playing by ourselves, we would roll marbles to each other, play Simon says or create our own version of sign language. And it worked...being punished for not playing well together and forced to play alone only made us want to play together more.

So as I stood in the hallway outside their doors, I listened for what I knew would come. Dylan coaxed Camryn over to the shared air vent. They could talk and see each other through it. Before long, they were planning their escape, passing things back and forth and having a grand old time. Best of friends again, the unpleasant incident a thing of the past.

Their laughter made me smile to myself and realize just what a smart lady my mom is!!!

The other half

Last night we got to see how the other half live.

Our friends let us tag along to a charity event and it was the most extravagant Christmas party I have ever seen in my life!!!

We pulled into the 18 acre estate on the water to see 3 huge tents decorated with lights. Life size Nutcrackers guarded the entrance as the smells and sounds of the holiday season enveloped you as you entered the heated tents.

The main tent was more elegantly decorated than any wedding I have ever been to. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, tables were draped with silver silk linens and real trees donned lights. The shrimp cocktail was served in a sleigh shaped ice sculpture, there was a made to order sushi bar and a fabulous spread of any type of food you could imagine.

The second tent was for the kids. Tables were lined with lollipops, Christmas trees were decorated with candy and stars twinkled on the ceiling. Santa was giving out presents, each child could make a Build-a-Bear and there were photographers that could make you into a flip book. There was a popcorn machine, hot dog stand and enough mac and cheese to sink a ship.



The band stopped playing to send everyone outside for the tree lighting. On the way out each guest was handed a green or red fleece blanket and flashlight. We snuggled up while waiting for the tree to be lit. OH and then....it started to snow!!!! They made snow just for extra ambiance. Once the tree was on, carolers got us into the Christmas spirit.

Back in the kids tent, a magician entertained us while we stayed wrapped in our new blankets. Dessert was a dream. Flowing hot cocoa and spiced cider. From gingerbread men, cupcakes, rice crispy treats and chocolate covered strawberries to chocolate dipped marshmallows and whoppie pies!

The band played on as the kids sugar rush wore off and we headed home. Golf carts escorted us back to our cars and then kids were asleep within minutes. It was a magical night and one we won't soon forget!!!