Visit to Santa

The local hardware store had a visit from Santa, so I took the littles to see him. I figured it would be less crowded than the mall. Hm. Maybe... not!

The kids had fun coloring, though.

 

And getting their faces painted. 

And writing letters to Santa (and coloring the back!) while they waited.

Until they finally got to see the "big guy."

 

 

I can't believe how big these two are getting! Not so little anymore! *sniff*

Bugmania!

The museum had a cool insect display, so we decided to go.

Giant bugs!

 

 

 

And what was even cooler?

 

 

 

They moved!

 

 

 

The kids also got to go to a bug class. And see lots of different insects in cases.

(Some weren't in cases - I don't want to talk about the wolf spider that bit the handler and got away for a minute! Eek!

 

 

They made crafts too.

 

Totally fun!

 

Christmas Freedom

We have no credit card debt.

It's mostly thanks to circumstance. We have no credit cards, except one that is actually a debit/credit card. We put money on it when we need to. We use it for Internet purchases.

The fact we have no credit cards is thanks to the bankruptcy we had to declare after Michael nearly died from flesh-eating bacteria three days before our insurance kicked in... (wish we'd been in time for Michael Moore's Sicko! Bet he would have loved that story!)



But the result of our financial nightmare is a sort of freedom that, at least statistically, most Americans don't have. We have no debt. No mortgage, no credit cards. Which means, if we can't afford it, we don't buy it. There's no such thing as living beyond our means.


The littles got way too many electronic toys from Grandma this year to suit me - in spite of all the lead warnings... *sigh* They got (mostly) educational, wooden toys from mom and dad and "Santa." Already, one of the electric guitars that Grandma got them has fizzled out. I hate the thought of boxing it up and shipping it back to return it. What a pain. She also gave us a ton of batteries to go with all the noisy electronic toys that was akin to carrying a bag of anvils home.


But it's actually quite gratifying to know that everything they opened from Santa and Mom and Dad on Christmas morning is already paid for. And will probably last a lot longer than the plastic noisemakers Grandma will be paying on until next Christmas and beyond. Why didn't we live like this before? When we had credit cards, we used them. Boy, did we use them! Now that there aren't credit cards to use, we simply adjusted to our newfound poverty - which is actually just reality. We make what we make, we buy what we can afford. Period.


Doing it this way requires planning, and thinking ahead, and keeping a budget, and really considering what you're buying and why and how long it will last. It makes impulsive shopping a thing of the past. Every purchase is carefully considered and weighed before it's made. And in the end, the kids didn't feel deprived. And we're not broke. And I don't have a load of cheap Wal-Mart toys that I'll be throwing away in a month.


Now if I can just get Grandma to stop the insanity...


what do you think are the odds? :)

Wordless Wednesday: December 26, 2007

Nerdy Bakers presents...

Gingerbread CPU

(What, you don't recognize a motherboard when you see one? :)

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Visions of Sugarplums?

Twisted but amusing. Love the "stockings". :o

(Click the picture to see the artist's site.)

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Rain, rain, go away...

It's all melting! Melting! Ahhhhh!

All our beautiful snow is melting and we're being pummeled with rain and high winds. So much for a white Christmas! It's supposed to freeze later (oh yay... not!) but we won't get any real accumulation. Just lots of ice.

Just in time to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house tomorrow... (it actually is over a river - the Rouge River - which smells like... well, like the Rouge River. You really have to be there. It's not pleasant.) Then Christmas Day we'll spend with my family at my sister's, because she's got the most room.

I still have to make Banana Split Cake to take to my sister's. My brother-in-law's special request. Twenty minutes of mixing. Twenty minutes! Thank god for my Kitchenaid. And Neiman Marcus Cake to take to my in-laws'. I'm using lemon cake mix this year. Michael loves lemon. Plus Jello and Santa cookies. Why am I always in charge of dessert? Like I need more bowls and spoons to lick clean? (and wash!?)

Next time I'm going to volunteer to bring cans of crescent rolls!

Merry Christmas Irony

Amazon assured me that I could buy four books for the price of three. Not only that, I could select Super Saver shipping and still get my items by Christmas! Woot!

Then, they sent me an email. "We're sorry..." I hate emails that start that way. Apparently, my items wouldn't arrive until December 28. So much for all my deals! So I had to cancel the order and get to Borders. No four-for-three deals. Granted, no shipping, but I had to pay for the gas to get there - and back. And since we live out in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't negligible.

Plus the cost of the migraine from driving in holiday traffic.

Then, I got this coupon today.

Sigh. Can you say "irony," boys and girls? I knew you could...

So in the spirit of giving, I thought I'd share it here. In case you have book shopping left to do. Merry Christmas!

School's Out

We had a snow day this week, and I forgot what it was like having the littles home full time. They had a half day today, and now they'll be home until after the New Year.

When I was going to Weight Watchers with a friend (a million years ago) there was a group of us who would go out to eat afterward. (Don't even start on the twisted logic there, alright?) One of the women said she couldn't wait until her son started first grade the following year, because he'd be in school all day, and what a relief that would be! Then she asked me when mine started preschool, and I replied, "Oh, we're homeschooling."

You would have thought I had five heads.

But now that they're in school, and we're getting used to that whole thing, I didn't realize how much I missed them until they were home again all day during a time they were usually in school. Granted, I get a lot more done with them gone. Dusting, laundry and dishes can be completed without interruption.

But still... I have to admit. I miss them.

Am I strange, that I miss the endless interruption, the "Mom, will you tie this cape around my neck? I'm Super Anteater man!" and the "Can you put this (impossibly small and made for dolls whose arms actually BEND) shirt on my Barbie?"

Do most Moms simply wait for the day that the state relieves them of their charges for half the day? Am I the only one who finds that rather strange? *sigh*

Anyway, I'm glad we've got the next week together. They're building a dragon fort right now and they have all of Dmitri's firetrucks lined up outside the fort to put out the dragon's fire. Barbie's manning the hose. Can't wait to see what they're going to do with all the new Santa toys. Should be an interesting week!

Thursday Thirteen #14: Thirteen Family Christmas Traditions

13 Family Christmas Traditions

1. Oranges in the bottoms of our Christmas stockings. The kids love this tradition. I love it because it keeps that "stocking" shape and they eat it for breakfast!

2. Using the same wrapping paper for each child. This eliminates the need for name tags (hate those things!) on gifts from mom and dad, because each child has his own wrapping paper and knows which gift is his.

3. Setting out the Santa cookies and milk on Christmas Eve. Doesn't everyone do this?

4. Leaving carrots for the reindeer. In the morning, there's always one left with a "reindeer bite" out of it!

5. Santa's boot-prints by the fireplace. More proof that Santa really exists!

6. A letter from Santa. He leaves one every year for the kids, right by the milk and cookies. Nice of him to take the time, considering all he's got to do on Christmas Eve, isn't it?

7. Reading "T'Was The Night Before Christmas" before the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve.

8. Opening one present on Christmas Eve - it's always Christmas pajamas for them to wear to bed so pictures on Christmas morning won't reveal that we normally put them to bed in old t-shirts with moth holes.

9. Going to see Santa - to get the "Santa picture" and to ask Santa for what we want for Christmas.

10. Santa always leaves "Lifesaver Storybooks" in the stockings

11. Stockings have to be opened first, before we start presents

12. Presents are opened one at a time, and we take turns, so we can all appreciate each gift.

13. Finding the "Christmas Pickle" ornament - every year Santa leaves a small gift for the child who finds the Christmas pickle hidden in the tree.

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Favorite PBBBBBBBTTTTTTTT!

Nothing will make me ill this time of year more than watching Oprah's Favorite Things.

I missed it this year. Oh darn. Not!

But yesterday, I had a headache and was too tired to find the remote to change the channel when Oprah came on. And guess what? Of course. It was an "encore presentation" of the Favorite Things show.

Just great.

I hate that she's completely perverted one of the songs I always sang to my babies when they were little.

My Favorite Things: Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...

So much for sentiment.

Now it's all about the stuff. Camcorders and watches and a bunch of other crap no one ever needed in the first place. A three thousand dollar refrigerator with a TV/DVD on the front? Really? We need this? A $7 cupcake? What?!

Here's a list of Oprah's Favorites this year:

SAMSUNG PROGRESSIVE HD CAMCORDER SC-HMX10C - $799.99
UGG® AUSTRALIA CLASSIC CROCHET TALL BOOT - $120
TOYWATCH WATCHES - $150
PERFECT ENDINGS CUPCAKES FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA - $59 (set of 9)
MELAMINE BOWLS, MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA - Bowls $32 (set of 3); Measuring Cups and Spoons Set $18 (cups $14, spoons $8)
THE ARTISAN® STAND MIXER FROM KITCHENAID HOME APPLIANCES - $349.99
THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S PLANET EARTH DVD SET - $59.95
KAI BODY BUTTER and BODY BUFFER - Body Buffer $28; Body Butter $55
CLARISONIC SKIN CARE SYSTEM - $195/system
CLAUS PORTO SOAPS FROM LAFCO NEW YORK - $42 (set of 3)
THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH BY KEN FOLLETT - $24.95 (autographed)
BREVILLE IKON PANINI PRESS FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA - $99.95
HDTV REFRIGERATOR WITH WEATHER AND INFO CENTER FROM LG ELECTRONICS - $3,799
CIAO BELLA BLOOD ORANGE SORBETTO - $4.99/pint at select grocery stores
RACHEL PALLY SWING TURTLENECK AND SAILOR PANTS - Swing Turtleneck $141; Sailor Pants $194
SCRABBLE PREMIER EDITION FROM HASBRO - $70
UNITED ARTISTS 90TH ANNIVERSARY PRESTIGE COLLECTION - $869.98
SHAKLEE GET CLEAN™ STARTER KIT - $89.60
O'S GUIDE TO LIFE - $29.95
JOSH GROBAN'S NOEL CD - $19.99

TOTAL: $7274.34

That's PER audience member, of course. How many people in the audience? Oh I don't know... let's go low and say two hundred people. That's a total of 1,454,800.00 worth of STUFF. Correct. Almost 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS worth of stuff. And remember - that's a low estimate.

Of course, Harpo is getting a tax write-off for giving it away. And much of it is probably donated in the first place, because to get on Orpah's "Favorite Things" list is practically a guarantee of a huge sales increase after the show airs. Yep, it's true. People line up in malls across the country to buy overpriced gizmos that no one really needs based on the opinion of one overpaid guru talk show host.

And now there are shows everywhere playing follow the leader and doing what Oprah does. Ellen, for example, is doing the 12 Days of Giveaways - giving away, of course, her favorite things.

What really drives me batty is the audience reaction to these giveaways. People act like they're being given a new lease on life, like god Oprah's just granted them immortality or they just got a midnight call from the governor on death row. Women actually get on their knees and pray - over what, again? Body butter and digital camcorders?

Those are some seriously messed up priorities right there.

Not to go all Grinch or anything... well, okay, maybe just a little.

We just watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas last night. The Grinch steals all the Who's STUFF, and yet Christmas still comes, doesn't it? They still gather in a circle and sing and count their blessings. And the Grinch... his heart grew three sizes that day.

Maybe we all could use a little more inner-Grinch - the former Grinch, who eschewed the commercialism of the holiday, and the latter reformed Grinch, who realized something deeper existed beyond all the STUFF.

Somehow I don't think all those folks on their knees thanking god Oprah for their new Kitchenaid mixers would be squealing over her donating all of the money those gifts represent to, perhaps, a women's shelter or the homeless or a children's hospital - to someone who knew how to count their blessings and was thankful just to be alive this holiday season?

I wonder.... does the O's Guide to Life include tips on how to be the richest woman in the world and make yourself look selfless by giving out a bunch of stuff you get a tax write off for?

So bah-freakin'-humbug. Oprah's Favorite PBBBBBBBBBBT! Whatever. Let's all take a lesson from the Grinch. Strip away all the stuff and find out what's underneath. Because that's the only thing that really matters, during the holidays or any other time of year.

Shop-a-holic In Training

The kids' school is running a Christmas Candy Cane Shop fundraiser. You send your kid to school with $10 and they return with the cheapest plastic toys ever made (usually somewhere in China) for their brothers and sisters and the sort of perfume that comes in a gallon jug and stings when you put it on just for mom and either a #1 Dad keychain or mug for... well, dad. Sounds like fun, right?

Zoe sure thought so. She reminded us no less than a dozen times last night. "Remember, we need real money to go to the Christmas shop. REAL money. Dollar bills. Or a check."

Uh-huh.

This morning, twenty minutes before the alarm went off, she threw open our bedroom door, "Did you remember about the Christmas shop? Did you put REAL money in the envelope?"

Yes, Zoe.

Five minutes later: "Are you getting up yet?"

Five minutes after that, "Can I buy something for mybestfriendJordan?" It's never just "Jordan." It's always mybestfriendJordan - all one word.

We'll see, Zoe.

Michael groaned when the door opened again and turned the alarm off for good as Zoe asked yet again, "Is it time to go to school yet?"

In a minute, Zoe.

"She's awfully excited about this shopping thing," I sighed.

"She's a girl." Michael reminded me. "Isn't it in the genes?"

I shrugged. "I'm not that bad...am I?"

He snorted. "Shall I remind you of the $1400 vaccum cleaner?"

"Well, at least it's only $10."

"Yeah... this year... what about when she's sixteen?"

"Good point."

I think we're in trouble.

A-Hunting We Will Go

We spent yesterday tromping around in the snow, looking for the perfect Christmas tree. A friend of Michael's from work lives with pigs and chickens and goats and cows... the whole farm deal. They also have a bunch of evergreens that the prior owners planted to start a Christmas tree farm. Many of them are getting too tall to even sell.

They offered to have us come out and cut our own tree. So we bundled up and went out to find the perfect tree. The three kiddos ran around in between the rows (Michael's friend from work has a four year old daughter) until we found just what we were looking for.

Daddy cut down the tree - but Dmitri insisted on "helping."

Timber!

Then we dragged it off to strap it to the top of the car.

Dmitri insisted on "helping" again.

They have a new puppy - the kids loved the puppy!

And their new calves were fun to visit, too... although as Zoe said, "Cows are stinky!"

Who me? Stinky?

Moo!

I guess I can't put it off any longer... gonna have to drag out all the Christmas decorations this weekend and put up the tree... Wish me luck!

Green Christmas

I guess I HAVE to start thinking about Christmas, now that it's almost December and we've actually got snow on the ground and everything.

Sigh.

Okay, so here's the plan...

I'm going to pretend that not putting lights up on the house this year is an effort to be more environmentally conscious. That goes for the easy, re-usable gift bags instead of wrapping paper, too. And the baking of pumpkin bread instead of buying gifts for extended family members. I'm also going to pretend that it's that pesky "evil lead in plastic toys from China" thing that's fueling my boycott on plastic &/or noisy toys this year. Oh, and it's all about saving gas money - that's why we're not going to try to make it to both families on the same day this year. And my live tree instead of a plastic one this year? It's all about the environment.

Riiiiiiggggght.

See, I'm not lazy... or cheap... I'm just... green! :D

Christmas Gift Idea #1

The following is not an endorsement...

It's a jar opener!

If you want to get a gift for someone who's got everything - this is it! You should see this thing work. Stick the jar in there, it turns, and voila! Open jar!

I'm telling you... this could make men completely obsolete! :D

Stop the Insanity!

I get into the car this afternoon to go pick up the littles from the bus stop, and my first indication that Michael's been driving the car is the seat's all the way back and the mirrors are all out of whack.

I forgot, he took my car to work with him yesterday.

I readjust all that, then start the car. NPR is on. Another sign. Michael religiously listens to National Public Radio. I hit one of the presets, looking for anything but NPR and...

WHAT!?

Are you kidding me!?

CHRISTMAS MUSIC?

On November 8!?

Stunned, I listen to the rest of Barbra Streisand singing her weird version of Jingle Bells, sure the easy-listening station is going to play a relatively normal song next, perhaps a little Sarah MacLachlan or Jewel... but no.

It's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

They're playing Christmas music, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from now until Christmas Day. They've been playing Christmas music, apparently, since the day after Halloween.

Two MONTHS of Christmas music!? This is like a prescription for Christmas music overdose...by Thanksgiving!

Are they crazy? What marketing rep out there really thought this was a good idea? Do they honestly think we're all going to panic ourselves into a consumerist Christmas shopping frenzy because they're playing Bob Segar's Little Drummer Boy every hour on the hour?

Someone, please, stop the insanity!