Christmas Day

Today was truly a blessing. This was the first Christmas Day in I don't know how long, that we spent with just us...at home. We woke up at about 8:oo and headed downstairs to see what Santa had left under the tree. It was so much fun watching the kids open all of their presents and see the joy on their faces. What was funny is that we thought they would show more excitement over the bigger gifts, but ended up getting more jazzed over the little things. K pulled a "Littlest Pet Shop" brochure out that I had stuck in her stocking (she likes looking through them) and that was the greatest thing to her. N had a very anti-climactic reaction to the Nintendo DS that he had been asking for and received (from DH's dad), but was more thrilled when he got a Garfield comic book.

In a way, I am grateful that they are easily pleased with the simpler things and appreciate the smallest joys as they aren't accustomed to getting elaborate stuff. It honestly doesn't take much to impress or excite them. It's kind of like giving a baby the latest electronic gizmo toy with all the bells and whistles, but the baby is more intrigued with the box it comes in. Anyhow, they had a fantastic time sorting through all their new stuff as we faced the task of undoing all the twisty ties and wrappings that the toys came in.

After awhile, the kids began saying that they were hungry and we realized we had forgotten to get stuff for our breakfast. DH suddenly suggested that we go out to Elmer's and so we did. Surprisingly, they were fairly busy. We indulged in our tummies and ate a very hearty breakfast. Needless to say, we only nibbled a little bit for the rest of the day and had a very light dinner of oatmeal with brown sugar and milk. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we all enjoyed it. The kids watched one of their new DVDs (Madagascar) and played with their new Bendaroos from their Auntie Shelley (they were a big hit by the way!). It was a very quiet, peaceful day with my family and I couldn't be happier.

We have to turn in early tonight as we leave for Bend tomorrow morning. Wish us luck on the roads as the slush is still hanging around.

I hope that all of you out there enjoy your holiday and are blessed with lots of love and laughter.

Twas the night before Christmas...

We spent Christmas eve with DH's family at his mom's house. The day started out very wrong, but ended nicely. As many of you have read in previous blogs, we've had a major series of storms lately that have dumped several inches of snow and ice. While it has given us pause to marvel at its beauty, it has also been a bitch to drive in. We've only braved the ice a few times, so we've been homebound much of the time. However, the slow thaw has begun...thus making the roads a thick, slushy mess...but I will come back to this in a moment.

The morning began on a very productive note. I got most of the laundry done and the bags mostly packed for our trip to Bend on Christmas Day. I didn't want to deal with a lot of packing on Christmas morning, so I felt very much ahead of the game. I also got the kids all "purtied up" for Grandma J and DH loaded up the presents in the car. We left in the early afternoon for her place. As we drove down the backroads, DH got a little too confident with the chains and made a big oops. As he attempted to pass a car, the tires got caught in the slush. As you can probably guess, we did a whirligig as we spun out of control. I gotta tell ya, that was scary!

Thankfully, DH reacted quickly and regained control just before we were about to go into a ditch. By the grade of God, everyone was okay. DH pulled over into a nearby driveway to inspect the chains. They were making some strange flapping sound and DH discovered that a chain link had broken off. He removed the chain and threw it in the trunk. I was shaken and stirred to say the least. DH drove by two different Les Schwab's Tire Centers, but they had understandably closed early for the holidays. I realized that I wouldn't be leaving for Bend until Friday morning...

When we first arrived at my MIL's house, I was very stressed and hadn't yet gotten over the scare. DH ate some humble pie and we made up. We helped his mom finish making preparations for dinner and sat down to eat with his family. Later on, we opened gifts and enjoyed watching the children delight in their toys. All in all, it was a very nice evening and ended on a really sweet note as we carried out our usual traditions. When we got home (in one piece), the kids wrote their note to Santa and left out some cookies and milk. Then they changed into their pajamas and we read The Night Before Christmas. I tucked my two munchkins in and went downstairs to finish up a few stocking stuffers.

As much as I was disappointed and wanted to see my own family on Christmas Day, it wasn't the worse feeling in the world to know that I would spend a quiet day with DH and the kiddos at home. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Ice Candy

The Adventures of Snow White

Okay, so this won't be about a Disney film, but I liked the connection of the title with the nutty weather we've been having. We are in the midst of an historic snowstorm that has lasted all week and will continue right up until Christmas. I was raised just 22 miles from a ski resort, so I grew up with this kind of weather in my hometown. However, it's still amazing to see this kind of winter wonderland falling from the sky here. Most years we get a dusting of snow, maybe even a an inch or two. This is a whole different story.

About four years ago, we had a big snowfall of about 5-6 inches, but then a major icestorm hit and covered the snow with about 2-3 inches of ice. The entire city shut down for the week. The school kids got an extra week of vacation (N was in preschool still). This past week we had a series of storms that just keep dumping more and more snow. Even though we'd ran a few errands here and there, we were getting a bit of cabin fever. Some friends invited us over, so we braved the elements and headed over to their house. They live outside of town a ways, so the blanket of white really looked breathtaking at place. We packed up some overnight bags, just in case we got snowed in.

The kids had a fantastic day of fun. They went sledding down a fairly steep hill, made snow angels, and just generally tromped through the snow. The freezing rain began to fall, and that was when we all began to feel the chill. We went inside and sipped hot chocolate to warm up. While our hubbies got down to the business of playing computer games, my friend and I thought it would be fun to do some baking. We first baked a cake to celebrate a couple of December birthdays (a good friend of ours and mine). Then we thought the kids would enjoy making gingerbread cookies. They worked really hard on those. After the cookies cooled, each one took a turn to meticulously decorate their labors of love (pictures in the previous post). As the evening wound down, we ate dinner and had some yummy cake. It was getting late, so we decided to head home...slowly and safely.

On Sunday morning, we woke to even more snow! After lunch, we got the kids bundled up to go outside and test out their new sled. It hadn't worked so well at our friends place, but it did just fine with the added layer of ice. We tested out how much weight the ice could handle, and only our dog and K could actually walk on it (albeit briefly) without crashing through. N had a ball picking up ice and throwing back down to watch it shatter. It was a fun afternoon and we lasted about an hour outside, before the cold chased us back inside. The snow seems like it's not going away anytime soon, so it will be an interesting week weatherwise. I don't mind a White Christmas, but I am nervous about driving over the mountain pass on Christmas day in all this snow. Maybe it'll thaw in time, but I won't be holding my breath.

The dads having a sled race.

K and a friend sledding down the hill.

N and his best friend zooming!

K and me trying to stop...


DH and K trying a death spiral on the ice.

Look at that chunk of ice!

K trying to figure out how to make her way across the ice.

Frozen smiles

Cookie Cutters

The kids have been getting the chance to bake lots of cookies this Christmas. It has always been my goal to build that into our traditions, but this is only the second year we've found the time to do it, and I'm so glad we've made the effort. The kids truly enjoy it, especially K. She always wants to help out with everything, but especially anything to do with the kitchen. I think it's part interest and part wanting to feel like a big girl. We've made lots of chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies over the years, but this year we tackled sugar and gingerbread cookies for the first time...and did we have a good time!

Decorating snowflake sugar cookies

Getting each one just right

Meet the Gingerbread Gang

Rolling those pieces

Squeezing out that frosting is hard work

What a good job!

Decemberrrrrr

It has been quite a week around here with the crazy weather. After three snow days in a row, my school finally opened back up. I wasn't overally jazzed to go back as I had gotten into the vacation mindset a little early as a result of being home with the kids all week. Well, their school was still closed and so DH stayed home with them. The drive in was fairly uneventful, though the roads were a little slick. I got to work at about 7:30. I made a few preparations for my classes, but really lacked motivation to do much else. My coworkers seemed to share my lethargy and we all just stared out the window as the snow began to fall. School progressed as usual.

The second graders came and went. It was really fun lesson actually. We read The Polar Express as I'd always wanted to do so and they seemed to enjoy it. Then inside of paper trains, they wrote sentences about the beginning, middle, and ending of the story. When they finish, they'll connect their trains and we'll post them on the wall. I thought it was a creative way to learn these story components...but I digress.

Anyway, we then stood in the stairwell as the first graders began to gather for their class. My parent volunteer arrived and I was in the middle of marveling at her commitment to coming in despite the weather...when the first grade Spanish teacher announced that they were closing the school due to the worsening weather conditions. Since our school is located on a hill, they are very careful and cautious. We were all pretty surprised and unsure of how to proceed. This was a very uncommon practice for the school to do such a thing midday. The school either opens or closes, it doesn't do things halfway. We all got on the horn and began assisting the Kinder and Pre-K teachers with making phone calls to parents to come get their kids. I loaded up my stuff and began the dangerous descent down the slushy hill. By a little after 11:oo, I was on my way back home.

Since the roads still weren't too bad and the sun was peeking out behind the clouds, I opted to run a few errands. I also managed to get some Christmas shopping done, which seems to be an neverending process. DH's mother stopped over to bring a sled she had bought for the kids and invited us out to lunch, her treat. While I was at work, DH had taken the kids out on the sled, so that was fun for them. We are supposed to get more snow and ice this weekend, the last big snowstorm for a little while anyway, so I wanna get out there with them (more photo ops too!). As I type this, it appears that school will be open for both the kids and I tomorrow. One whole day of school this week for them and then their real vacation starts. It almost seems pointless to go in as they will likely just be playing games and such, but N is looking forward to it so I guess that's good. K wants to stay home with me, which I would love to do. We'll see if the early morning changes things.

UPDATE: At the last possible minute, they decided to close our district schools and also the private school where I teach. It was a good thing we hadn't left yet as I got the phone call just about fifteen minutes before we were set to leave. DH had to report to work as usual though. The only downside is that it is still dark outside and we are wide awake. To make good use of our time, we decided to decorate some of the cookies we made last night. Woohoo! We are officially on vacation!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Well, snow has found our area and before Christmas no less! We've been having a a cold snap since Saturday and the snow has been falling off and on since Sunday. School has been canceled for both the kids and I all week, so winter break began a bit early this year. It is supposed to be worse on tomorrow, but there is a small chance there will be some sunbreaks on Friday. I have library books at my school that I need to retrieve, but may not be able to get them anytime soon. The kids and I have been snowbound, but have managed to enjoy some fun outside. It is so cold though and I ususally shoo them in after awhile so they don't get sick.

They've outgrown many of their old winter stuff, so we need to get more gear. N's boots fit and we have gloves that work. However, K needs boots and both could use some snowpants so they can get in there and make some snow angels. We tried a makeshift sled, using a plastic lid. However, the snowpack was too stiff and not slick enough. I made the mistake of leaving the kids' sleds at my parents home, where it snows more frequently. Now we're wishing we had them. The hills in our neighborhood are ideal for sledding. =)

Checking out the snow...

Look, K can make it snow all by herself!

Getting snowballs ready...

Snowball fight!

Brrrrrrrrr, that wind is cold!

Trying to stay warm with the kiddos.

View from our front porch.

How they love the snow.

Hi Mommy!

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

Tasting snowflakes...

Our townhome.

Merry Christmas!

Adam

As a child, I remember a case that was in all the newspapers. It was the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh. The reason I remember it so vividly is because I was about his age when it happened, so it made quite an impact. Adam was shopping with his mother at a Sears when she got momentarily distracted. Those few seconds were all it took for someone to come along and snatch him away.

I believe there was a movie made about the case, but it the ending was bittersweet. They discovered Adam's decapitated body, horrific as it sounds, at least they could put him to rest. The worst part of the tragedy was the not knowing who was responsible. It is well-known that the police investigation was poorly handled and many mistakes were made. You can imagine the heartache of Adam's family.




Adam's father, John Walsh, would go on to become a major crimefighter in his own right. He would go help found the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. For several years, he hosted America's Most Wanted. John Walsh helped bring justice to many families, but couldn't find any for his own son...until this past week. Police announced that they conclusivly linked evidence to Adam's killer, who reportedly died ten years ago. It is a very sad tale, but it is good to know that the Walsh family finally have some closure to this chapter of their lives. They went on to have three more children, including one a year after Adam's kidnapping. Adam's story reminds me a lot of that of Jonbenet Ramsey, the haunting death of a little girl of the same age. Her case remains unsolved.





One thing that I truly respect George Bush for during his presidency was the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act, or better known as Adam's Law. Go here to read more about it...http://www.angelsthatcare.org/adam.html. We all have our causes that are close to our heart and this is one of mine. Children should be treated as precious gifts and protected as such. May Adam rest peacefully at last in heaven.

Gingerbread Galore

After a very busy and somewhat stressful week, I treated myself to a night of Food Network specials. I needed to vege and tune out the world for little awhile with one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, I am addicted to this channel, particularly their competition shows. The extreme cakes and BBQ contests are the most fun to watch. Tonight I enjoyed watching the Gingerbread Championships. The work and detail that went into these edible masterpieces was amazing. I am a big fan of food as art, so shows like this are right up my alley. It has always been my secret desire to be a cake decorator or pastry chef (which is why I love Ace of Cakes). While I am no Betty Crocker, I am working at it each year to get better. Anyhow, check out some of these gingerbread designs...

Oops, my bad!

Why is it that you can be going about your day without any fanfare and then something negative has to come along just kill your whole mood. Today wasn't particularly good or bad, just your typical workday. That is, until I made the mistake of using the copy machine when school let out. This is the prime time for parents to seek you out with questions. A couple of my fellow teachers have learned to hide during this time of day due to the overabundance of helicopter parents. I haven't figured out where they go exactly, but I admire their dedication to this avoidance technique...but I digress. I will also preface the rest of this blog with the following disclaimer: Just because I teach English, does not mean this blog will be perfect or without the occasional typo.

So anyway, I was going about work when the mother of one of my first graders cornered me. She is generally pleasant, but does have a penchant for being very opinionated when the mood strikes her. Anyhow, she tells me her daughter said "oops, my bad." She questions her daughter where she heard such a thing and she says "in school from my English teacher." Not thinking anything of it, I respond with "oh yeah sorry about that, sometimes I say that when I make a mistake." She says something to this, which I forget. Again, I am still missing something here and am thinking we have a positive rapport going. I reply with "well it's slang and I guess I'm a product of the nineties culture because of the movie Clueless." She looks at me incredulously and asks "is that proper English?" I am finally sensing the subtle negative tone and tell her that it has become a part of our vernacular and is just something that is said from time to time. She says "well, we don't say that in our home." I don't remember what I say to this exactly, but I just said something to the effect of "alright I understand..." As she at long last leaves, I am standing there, mouth agape.

The sheer aburdity of this entire conversation just floors me. I passed along this little exchange with my coworkers who've come out of hiding and are dumbfounded. They couldn't believe the audacity of anyone to be so nitpicky. I mean I would understand it if I had a habit of saying something truly inappropriate, "oops my bad!" Come on people! This borders on the ridiculous. I mean if I was going around saying "Wazzzz up!" or "I screwed up" would even make sense. I am a parent and get the need to be a concerned and involved in my childrens' school experience. I don't necessarily like everything they or my childcare provider does. However, I think this one was over the top. Maybe I'm just too passive by nature, but I couldn't imagine going up to my child's teacher and do something like that. It just wouldn't even enter my mind. Who'd have thought Alicia Silverstone could stir up so much controversy all these years later with her cute little movie.

Fascinating

On a dare from a fellow blogger, known as Yankeemom, I thought it would be fun to play along. Barbara Walters recently revealed her annual list of the 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year. There were a few surprises and a few predictable choices. I agree with some of Babs' selections, but not all. In descending order, her list included:

10. Will Smith, actor & rap star
9. Michael Phelps, Most decoratored Olympic swimmer in history
8. Miley Cyrus, singer & television star
7. Tina Fey, comedic actress & writer
6. Rush Limbaugh, conservativeradio commentator
5. Thomas Beatie, the pregnant man
4. Frank Langella, actor
3. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska and former VP candidate
2. Tom Cruise, actor
1. Barack Obama, President-elect

Now, comes the fun part. If I were Babs, this is who I would've put on my list of most fascinating over the past year (besides people close to home):

10. Jennifer Hudson
9. Britney Spears
8. Derek & Julianne Hough
7. Angelina Jolie
6. Michael Phelps
5. Paula Deen
4 The Gosselins
3. Barack Obama
2. Nastia Liukin
1. Will Smith


I don't know if the order of my list really matters, but there it is. I struggled a bit with my choices, but it was the best I could do after a looooong day. Anyhow, if you really care to know the reasons behind my selections, read on...



10. Jennifer Hudson - She went from being an American Idol finalist to Oscar gold. She also starred in my favorite summer movie, Sex and the City. Sadly, she also endured a terrible personal tragedy with the shooting deaths of her family. She is someone to keep in your prayers.



9. Britney Spears - Maybe it's because we share a name (and her former hubby shares my DH's moniker), but there is something about this gal that keeps you interested.



8. Derek and Julianne Hough - Dancing with the Stars has become such a big hit, thanks in large part to this brother/sister dynamic duo. Her star is also beginning to rise in the country music arena.



7. Angelina Jolie - I am hetero, but I do find this woman amazing on every level. She has a dark side to her, but I am in awe of her amazing life. I applaud her efforts to raise a "rainbow family" with Brad and her humanitarian activities.



6. Micheal Phelps - Kept the Olympics a thrilling ride for all with his outstanding swimming golds.



5. Paula Deen - This southern belle has hooked me on her down-home cooking show. I always get so hungry every time I watch her whip something up.



4. The Gosselins - Jon & Kate Plus 8 has become one of my favorite shows. It is a family show, complete with the imperfections of reality mixed in. Good stuff.



3. Barack Obama - As the President-elect, how could I not include this trailblazer on my list? He has surprised and inspired so many people on so many levels, even his naysayers have to give him credit where credit is due. He has much to live up to, so I cross my fingers for him that he can deliver.



2. Nastia Liukin - As a second generation gymnast, she won the All-Around gold medal at the Olympics...20 years after her father and coach (Valery Liukin) won the silver for the same event in Seoul, South Korea. Now that's inspiring.



1. Will Smith - This man is oh-so-yummy. He can truly do it all. He is charming, charismatic, and most of all, gracious. Maybe he ought to be the next president, nah...then I couldn't see him flex on the silver screen.



Alright, there's my list. Again, I'm sure there are better choices that occur to me later in my sleep, but that's my top ten off the top of my head.

Sweet Tooth

Okay, I blame it on this time of year. With all of the goodies available during the holidays, it's just so hard to be completely healthy in my diet. Call it a moment a weakness or just plain sweet tooth, but I just ate an entire Butterfinger candy bar and now the guilt has set in. Why do we do this to ourselves? Models, actresses, and athletes starve themselves to look thin and beautiful. They get battered in the media if they stray even the slightest by taunting photos in the rag mags. It can't be easy to take. It's all about being your own worst critic to certain degree.

I don't go to extremes, but I do deny myself a lot my favorite treats in the name of trying to keep my own weight down. I hate that I even feel the need to. Back in high school, I made a personal choice to swear off full size candy bars because I thought the calorie count and sugar content was too much for me to handle. I will eat the bite size mini versions, but have rarely indulged in big boys. When I was pregnant, I craved frozen twinkies all the time, but tried to keep myself in check to a certain extent.

Remember the story of Hansel and Gretal? The wicked old woman who lived in the candy house knew just how to hook the kids and reel 'em right into her trap. The sweet tooth is a dangerous thing.

With my little transgression tonight, I'm going to have to be good for the next couple of days just to work off the guilt and extra calories. However, DH's Christmas party is tomorrow night, so that desire to stay clear of sweets won't last too long. May have to wait until January to make the annual resolution.