Day 4 - Elf on the Shelf
Wonder of Wonders, Jack is sitting on top of our Christmas Tree today! The girls think he must have wanted some company so upon his arrival from the North Pole last night he decided to visit our angel so they could spend the day together! They must be right because he sure looks happy up there with his new friend. :)
Day #3 - Elf on the Shelf
Jack must have decided he liked the smells coming out of our kitchen the last few days and wanted to stay near so he perched himself atop our microwave for the day! He intently watched as I cooked throughout the day! Wonder what he's thinking?
Day 2 - Elf on the Shelf 2010
Day # 2 finds Jack perched high upon our sliding glass patio doors! Boy our elf must really love to fly! he is definitely not afraid of heights! Guess from way up there, there's not much that can be hidden from those watchful elf eyes of his!
Bern
Meet Jack: Our North Pole Elf
While subbing in a Kindergarten classroom last year I stumbled upon the classroom "elf" - straight from the North Pole & sent by Santa himself to watch over the children! During my free period I read the book that accompanied the elf & instantly knew I had to get my own Elf on the Shelf for my lil Divas!
The concept behind the Elf on the Shelf is that the elf acts as Santa's eyes and ears, reporting the lil Divas behavior to the big guy, Santa, himself! It was a hit last year and the girls would race downstairs each morning to spy where he was! During the bustle and excitement of the holidays it really was nice to remind them that the elf was watching their every transgression and see that "UH!OH!" moment come over them.
Not only did this little elf actually work, he provided much more than I had anticipated. I routinely found the girls talking to him - sending messages for Santa and of course trying to convince him not to report the not so good things he had seen! It was simply adorable. We were all sad to see him go when he left with Santa on Christmas Eve last year!
So on Thanksgiving night we happily read the book again in preparation of his arrival & boy were the girls excited to see that our elf has indeed returned to perform his "watchful" task over them again this year!
Here he is on Day #1 where he was found perched above our window so that he would have a really good view of what's happening in our house during the day!
I am happy to report that our elf finally got a name this year after a few trials and of course quarrels. Bri wanted to name him Justin (after Justin Bieber) and Jas wanted to name him Elmo. The lil Divas finally agreed on Jack! :) Sadly, last year he was just known as "elf" because they could not agree on a name and I did not want to name him for them. I figured it would come in due time and I really wanted them to do it themselves.
I am looking forward to a fun month of Jack's escapades and I know my Lil Diva's are too because it's the first thing on their mind when they wake up in the morning. I think sneaky Jack just might have few tricks up his sleeve this year so stay tuned to see where he turns up next! :)
Keeping the Thanksgiving Tradition
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Why? I grew up surrounded by a large extended family. This meant that anytime we got together - it was like a PARTY! Thanksgiving meant tons of food (and I mean tons), music, family, friends and lots of fun and laughter. I find myself missing those days now that I am live far from my extended family, they hold lots of great memories for me.
As an adult looking back, I'm thankful to have had those experiences and I cherish those memories. My parents and aunts laid a Thanksgiving foundation rich with family, food and love. Now that I have my own family I want to honor that spirit of Thanksgiving. It makes me sad my daughters might not experience the same kind of Thanksgiving I had growing up but it doesn't keep me from trying to establish our own Thanksgiving traditions and instilling in them the importance of family and being grateful for our many blessings.
We may not have 20 - 30 people at our Thanksgiving dinner but there will be tons of food, laughter and fun as my girls are surrounded by a great grandmother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and a cousin that love them, for this I am grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
As an adult looking back, I'm thankful to have had those experiences and I cherish those memories. My parents and aunts laid a Thanksgiving foundation rich with family, food and love. Now that I have my own family I want to honor that spirit of Thanksgiving. It makes me sad my daughters might not experience the same kind of Thanksgiving I had growing up but it doesn't keep me from trying to establish our own Thanksgiving traditions and instilling in them the importance of family and being grateful for our many blessings.
We may not have 20 - 30 people at our Thanksgiving dinner but there will be tons of food, laughter and fun as my girls are surrounded by a great grandmother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and a cousin that love them, for this I am grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sick Divas: Poor Kids, Poor Mommy!
It's that time of year. Someone is always sick. Colds. Fever. Flu. Sinus Infections. Ear infections. More Colds. It's a viscious cycle at my house. 1 diva gets sick and I endure days and nights of torture as her "nurse" then just as she begins to feel better.....the other lil diva gets sick!
Poor lil divas you say? I say poor mommy! I have been dealing with sick girls for 4 days now. I have endured middle of the night bouts of high fever, spontaneous vomiting that lead to the changing of sheets & laundry before the sun came out, more laundry and disnifecting when the lil diva had trouble making it safely to the toilet during an unforseen bout of diarrhea, coughing fits that lead to all of us being awake by 5 am after a sleepless night and lots and lots of diva crankiness!
I am sleep deprived, cranky and in desperate need of a hazmat suit! Just think of all the germs cuddling on my lap! Sick kids are like leeches - they attach themselves to you and refuse to let go & mommy does not have time to sleep let alone time to be sick! So I keep my fingers crossed as I get coughed on, sneezed on, and hugged by lil girls with runny noses and a part of me actually can't help but smile. Even though mommy can't physically make it all better, they know I am trying and above all else what they want and need most to help them feel better is.....ME! Mommy is simply the best medicine there is & I secretly relish that!
So I trudge along through the sleep deprivation and exhaustion and I take care of my sick lil divas! Sure I might whine and complain along the way but I feel I am entitled to my little pity party - this is hard work but just like anything else in motherhood - I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love that they seek my comfort above all others - it's a sign that maybe I'm not doing so bad at this mom thing afterall!
Poor lil divas you say? I say poor mommy! I have been dealing with sick girls for 4 days now. I have endured middle of the night bouts of high fever, spontaneous vomiting that lead to the changing of sheets & laundry before the sun came out, more laundry and disnifecting when the lil diva had trouble making it safely to the toilet during an unforseen bout of diarrhea, coughing fits that lead to all of us being awake by 5 am after a sleepless night and lots and lots of diva crankiness!
I am sleep deprived, cranky and in desperate need of a hazmat suit! Just think of all the germs cuddling on my lap! Sick kids are like leeches - they attach themselves to you and refuse to let go & mommy does not have time to sleep let alone time to be sick! So I keep my fingers crossed as I get coughed on, sneezed on, and hugged by lil girls with runny noses and a part of me actually can't help but smile. Even though mommy can't physically make it all better, they know I am trying and above all else what they want and need most to help them feel better is.....ME! Mommy is simply the best medicine there is & I secretly relish that!
So I trudge along through the sleep deprivation and exhaustion and I take care of my sick lil divas! Sure I might whine and complain along the way but I feel I am entitled to my little pity party - this is hard work but just like anything else in motherhood - I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love that they seek my comfort above all others - it's a sign that maybe I'm not doing so bad at this mom thing afterall!
Tomorrow, I Will Do It All!
I always thought being primarily a Stay at Home Mom would mean I had time to do everything! HA! What a ridiculous notion! Despite my best intentions, I just do not complete my To Do List on any given day. Why? Children & Life are unpredictable!
Here's a perfect example of what I mean:
I woke up this morning armed with my mental To Do List -
1. Throw in a load of laundry while getting everyone up & dressed
2. Drop off library books before dropping girls off at school at 9am & put in a few hours at work
3. Leave work early enough to run to the grocery store for milk, OJ & bread before picking girls up at 12.
4. Catch up on e-mails, return calls, & finish work while girls nap in afternoon
5. Finish laundry while girls are at dance class
Seems doable right? Wrong! Here's why:
My girls decided to wake up on the wrong side of the bed! For starters, they argued about everything from who would get to use the bathroom first to what they had to wear. Amidst the chaos, I completely forgot about throwing in a load of laundry - I was focused on just getting them dressed and downstairs for breakfast. Maybe at nap time I can get the laundry done.
Getting off to school was another adventure! Jas decided she wanted to wear flip flops (not allowed). After 5-10mins of a struggle, I finally wrangle the socks & sneakers on her amidst high pitched crying on her part. We're finally ready to go and Bri needs to use the bathroom! Now we are running late! I guess the library will have to wait until later.
I drop the girls off at school (finally!) where the teacher asks me if I can come in early to help sort papers that need to go home today :) Of course I say, yes!
I rush to work to get what I need to finish today completed with (hopefully) enough time to get to the supermarket before I return to the girls school to help the teacher. Of course that did not happen! My desk is piled with things that need attention, calls are coming in, e-mails are awaiting answers and I have less than 2 hours to accomplish everything! I end up losing track of time and barely make it back to school with no more than 15 mins to help the teacher. We will have to stop at the library and the grocery store on the way home from school!
After school I stop at the library. Before going in we go over the rules: 1. quiet voices 2. stay with mommy.
As soon as the door opens, Jas runs - so much for rule #2! I chase after her and decide my best bet will be carrying her to ensure her cooperation. This leads to wails and cries of "put me down" - so much for rule #1! I speed through the drop off and check out process in record time - it still can't be fast enough for me at this point!
In the car the girls begin to fight over who can see which book first while I am driving! At the next red light, I confiscate all books which leads to crying from both of them! I finally make it home, only to realize..... we never stopped at the grocery store! Aargh!
After lunch I put the girls in their beds for a nap and hope to finally get some things done! Nope! After 30 mins of them playing and my going back and forth trying to force them to take a nap, I give up! I am just to tired to fight about it! So much for getting some housework done!
By the time dance class is over, dinner has been cooked and eaten, dishes done, baths given, stories read and the girls are finally tucked in bed for the night - I am EXHAUSTED! I think about my To Do List and all that I did not accomplish. Oh well! Tomorrow, I will do it all!
Here's a perfect example of what I mean:
I woke up this morning armed with my mental To Do List -
1. Throw in a load of laundry while getting everyone up & dressed
2. Drop off library books before dropping girls off at school at 9am & put in a few hours at work
3. Leave work early enough to run to the grocery store for milk, OJ & bread before picking girls up at 12.
4. Catch up on e-mails, return calls, & finish work while girls nap in afternoon
5. Finish laundry while girls are at dance class
Seems doable right? Wrong! Here's why:
My girls decided to wake up on the wrong side of the bed! For starters, they argued about everything from who would get to use the bathroom first to what they had to wear. Amidst the chaos, I completely forgot about throwing in a load of laundry - I was focused on just getting them dressed and downstairs for breakfast. Maybe at nap time I can get the laundry done.
Getting off to school was another adventure! Jas decided she wanted to wear flip flops (not allowed). After 5-10mins of a struggle, I finally wrangle the socks & sneakers on her amidst high pitched crying on her part. We're finally ready to go and Bri needs to use the bathroom! Now we are running late! I guess the library will have to wait until later.
I drop the girls off at school (finally!) where the teacher asks me if I can come in early to help sort papers that need to go home today :) Of course I say, yes!
I rush to work to get what I need to finish today completed with (hopefully) enough time to get to the supermarket before I return to the girls school to help the teacher. Of course that did not happen! My desk is piled with things that need attention, calls are coming in, e-mails are awaiting answers and I have less than 2 hours to accomplish everything! I end up losing track of time and barely make it back to school with no more than 15 mins to help the teacher. We will have to stop at the library and the grocery store on the way home from school!
After school I stop at the library. Before going in we go over the rules: 1. quiet voices 2. stay with mommy.
As soon as the door opens, Jas runs - so much for rule #2! I chase after her and decide my best bet will be carrying her to ensure her cooperation. This leads to wails and cries of "put me down" - so much for rule #1! I speed through the drop off and check out process in record time - it still can't be fast enough for me at this point!
In the car the girls begin to fight over who can see which book first while I am driving! At the next red light, I confiscate all books which leads to crying from both of them! I finally make it home, only to realize..... we never stopped at the grocery store! Aargh!
After lunch I put the girls in their beds for a nap and hope to finally get some things done! Nope! After 30 mins of them playing and my going back and forth trying to force them to take a nap, I give up! I am just to tired to fight about it! So much for getting some housework done!
By the time dance class is over, dinner has been cooked and eaten, dishes done, baths given, stories read and the girls are finally tucked in bed for the night - I am EXHAUSTED! I think about my To Do List and all that I did not accomplish. Oh well! Tomorrow, I will do it all!
Winston's Day 6
This is obviously a work in progress. They still have to do some construction on the bar and re-name the joint, but it's coming along nicely.
Art Show Pre-Sale Pt.3
Here's the last of the art for the internet pre-sale of my pieces that will be in the "Gunning For Trouble" Art Show Sat night! All the pieces are professionally matted and framed. The sizes below do NOT include mat & frame, just the actual art. Email jimmahfood@gmail.com for prices. Serious inquiries only, please. Thx.
Pop Life. 8.5x11
Pop Life. 8.5x11
Gustav Remix
"The Idol Hours" is an amazing group show that opens tonight at the UK gallery, London Miles. Each artist was asked to recreate, or remix, a work from one of their favorite artists. Gustav Klimt is my fuckin' man. I had to do one of his pieces. This is my remix of his "Water Serpents 2" piece. Check out the gallery's site HERE for more info or email Sales@londonmiles.com for the online preview.
Art Show Pre-Sale Pt.2
This is Part 2 of the internet pre-sale of my pieces that will be in the "Gunning For Trouble" Art Show this Sat! All the pieces are professionally matted and framed. The sizes below do NOT include mat & frame, just the actual art. Email jimmahfood@gmail.com for prices. Serious inquiries only, please. Thx.
Swamp Rat. 5.5x8.5
Do the Sinister. 8.5x11
Frontin'. 5.5x8.5
Future Skull. 5.5x8.5
Whitecrane. 5.5x8.5
Swamp Rat. 5.5x8.5
Do the Sinister. 8.5x11
Frontin'. 5.5x8.5
Future Skull. 5.5x8.5
Whitecrane. 5.5x8.5
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