New Year's Plans?

Originally, our plans were to hang out here at home, and anyone who'd like to join us, can come and attempt to make it to midnight with us.  However, my mother-in-law just offered to stay a day or so extra and watch the kids so we can go out.  Question now is, where would we go?  It's too late to get tickets anywhere, plus, it probably wouldn't be any fun unless we knew people. We've never been big on New Year's.  We're not big party-ers, and we certainly don't do well is large crowds so going downtown is out of the question. So, here's the question, what should Neil and I do for New Year's Eve?  Should we stick to the original plan or change it up and venture out?

Please post ideas in the comments below.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It's official.  The weather lady says it's going to snow and it's going to be a big event.  Yada, yada, yada!  What excited me was what she said at the end of her segment.  Listen closely and pay attention to a very special date.  I might just be looking at my first ever White Christmas.  I know it's selfish, but I'm totally praying for it.  I've never woken up in my own house with snow on the ground, and I'm super excited about the possibility...even if it's only a 40% chance at this point.

I'll keep you guys posted!  Oh and for the record:  Since the Pennington's have moved to Maryland, we have never had a snow event as big as the one they are predicting for tomorrow.  This may turn out to be the wildest winter ever (at least for those of us born and raised in the South). 

Also, good to note, that the first snow fall of the season, for the last 6 years, has been on December 5th.  Guess when we moved to Maryland?  Yep, 6 years ago!  Hhmmmm, coincidence?  I think not!

The Conclusion to the Dilemma

Thank you all for your advice.  It's hard to be in a pickle and immediately know what to do.  So, here's what I ended up doing.  That very day when I posted my blog, I found a fantastic deal at JCPenny.com.  In their Wednesday deals, I found a well-rated play kitchen for $23 shipped.  Literally, I pounced on it.  The way I see it, if they like it, then maybe it was the best (and least expensive) choice.  If they don't, I can sell it (or donate it to my new church, as suggested by friend, Katy) for about what I paid for it.  Seemed like a good solution to me.  What do you think? 

Debating??? Need HELP!

It's my fault really.  I wanted the kids to have a Play Kitchen, and I planted the seed in Owen's head.  Now, when you ask him what he wants for Christmas, he says, without hesitation, "PLAY KITCHEN."  I started the hunt a few weeks ago, found a great deal at Walmart.  Bing was offering 20% cashback, the kitchen was on sale for $149, and shipped free to store; plus, I had $60 in giftcards given to the kids from their Aunt Heidi.  When I went to show Neil, he, of course, hesitated.  By the time I got him to agree to allow his boys to have a kitchen, the darn thing was out of stock, Bing cashback was back to 5%, and I still have the gift cards.

After a little research, I found that the manufacturer of said kitchen is out of stock, meaning, no one has it in stock, and won't until the end of January.  So here's my dilemma, do I settle for something else so Owen has something at Christmas?  Or do I wait until the end of January to buy the one I liked? 

See, I really wanted a wooden one.  Both Little Tikes & KidKraft make cute ones that aren't too girly (AKA pink).  Both are out of stock.  Ikea also makes one though it is simple and lacks adequate storage.  But it would work as well and is about the same price.  Of course I can't use the Walmart gift cards there, but I could always use them for something else and still let the kids know that the Kitchen is from their Aunts, one who gave them cash and the other who gave the gift cards. 

I'm open to suggestions, because I really don't know what to do.  Will it even matter in the end?  They'll have plenty to open up on Christmas.  They might even forget about the kitchen all together.  Okay, that will never happen, but maybe I could take a picture of it and tell them that it will be here soon.  ARGH, this is so frustrating.  Normally I could care less, but this one I have to take full responsibility for.  I started it and therefore, should finish it, right?

Madison the Ape

You guys have to see this.  I was dying laughing.  So last night, we're at church, and in all the hub-bub of getting ready for the Chili-Cook-Off, I just totally spaced on the diaper bag.  Of course, Madison decides to pee out of her diaper and all over her pants.  And since I had no extras, we just let her go pantsless.  Madison, the trendsetter.  Apparently, Grace has some pretty rough carpet, because this is how my daughter had to crawl due to the rug burn on her knees.  Why she didn't just decide to get up and walk is beyond me.  Enjoy!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

This is my absolute favorite season.  Honestly, if I could just keep my house looking the way it does right now, with the decorated trees (5 in all), bright shades of red and green, adorable stuffed animals adding flare through out.  Yes, if only I could leave it just like this all year long, and not be accused of cat-lady syndrome or red-neck dysfunction, I'd totally do it.  In a heartbeat, I'd do it.  It's just so farm and fuzzy, welcoming and festive, from the music to the candles and the lights.  Even as I type this, I'm sitting in my living room lit only by the lights from the Christmas tree.

However, it begs the question, why can't the sentiment of Christmas last all year long.  How hard would it be to keep a tote or two of special "seasonal" decorations to interchange from time to time?  What about a playlist on my iPod that changes every couple of months, filled with songs that capture the mood of whatever season it happens to be.  And of course, I could change the lighting options within each room to adjust for the changes in the length of the day.  I could do all of these things, but it just sounds like so much work, especially after I just spent a week transforming my house into the winter wonderland it is today.  Maybe that's why I only do it once a year. 

Of course, in all this, I don't forget the "reason for the season," which does in fact amuse me that Christians make such a huge deal about the commercialism of it all.  But shouldn't my walk with the Christ be daily, not seasonal?  And didn't Christmas in fact find it's roots in a pagan holiday celebrating the winter solstice?  In fact, I hear Jesus wasn't even born in December.  Granted, it's a great time to remember the mere fact that God did come to Earth in the form on a baby.  God!  The Creator of the vast universe came here, humbling himself to the point of humanity, in order that I might have a relationship with him.  I get that. Don't get me wrong.  I just love all the rest of it too.  The Christmas cards, the shopping (especially the deals), the trees wrapped all pretty under the tree, the parties, the family & friends.  I love it all.

The kids are having a blast, enjoying the festivities throughout the city.  We've been visiting train gardens, making cookies with friends, watching a light show at the National Harbor (where they have a Peeps Store), crafting Christmas cards for Owen's classmates, taking pictures, and decorating the house (of course).  I even got all three of them to sit with Santa.  Owen's never even gotten close to the man.  Now that he thinks Santa brings him presents, he's all over him.  I guess the promise of a present, a play kitchen in fact, is enticement enough.  Though Madison continues to look on with caution, she too is quite taken with the jolly ole' fellow.

This week, we're gearing up for a Wrapping Party (come if you'd like), Owen's School Party, and our Bible Study party.  I just love parties!  I get to give out lots of gifts as well.

Before I go, I have to tell you about our Christmas Eve plans.  So Fusion, our new/old church, traditionally does an 11 pm service and since that will be our last night at Grace, they thought it best to stick with the original plan.  For some of us, as you can imagine, 11 pm doesn't work so well.  I'm hoping, at least, that all three of my kiddos will be in bed.  So a few of us families decided to do our own thing and it caught on.  So Christmas Eve, we'll be gathering at our house at 5 pm to sing a few Christmas Carols, read the Christmas Story, and just worship together.  It will be very family friendly, kids are welcome.  If you don't have anywhere else to go, come hang with us. 

A Couch Hangover

I admit it.  I had a little too much couch last night, and now I am paying the price.  Cranky, tired, and all kinked up.  Well, let's just say it's not how I envisioned starting off this day.  Actually I didn't exactly envision a slumber party on the couch either, but some things can not be avoided. 

So no, I didn't get in a fight with my husband sending me to my tortuous demise.  Believe it or not, I got kicked out of my bed by none other than my middle son.  I know, I know, Everybody knows how much I hate having kids in my bed, but this was a special circumstance.  See, I decided to stay up a little later than normal (which is sadly becoming the norm) to catch up on a couple of my shows.  I'm pretty sure the coffee I had around 4:00 in the afternoon was the culprit of that poor decision.  Anyways, around 11:30, Blake starting crying, only it sounded a bit off.  It didn't take me long to figure out that this was going to be a rough night.  As I reached down to tuck him in and calm him down, I immediately noticed the heat radiating from his head.  Yep, it was going to be one of those nights. About the time I got him calmed down and back to sleep, I heard Madison stirring.  "Ah, she'll go back to sleep," I thought.  And I made my way downstairs to turn off the lights and then head to bed.  Guess what?  She didn't quiet down and Blake was back to crying as well.  I managed to get them both calmed down and was making my way to the stairs when Blake started up again.   I'm at that point where all I want to do is close my eyes, and it was beginning to look like there would be no rest for the weary.  But that's my job, right? 

At this point, Blake had a pretty rough fever, and Madison was on the stir again.  So I did the only thing I could do at the time.  I picked him up and took him to Daddy in bed before heading back to deal with Madison.  By 1:30, there was silence in the house, minus the various levels of snoring coming from my three little bears.  Finally, I could get some sleep.  I head up stairs, throw on my sweats and start to climb in bed.  But there's a Blake sleeping soundly on my pillow. 

So, do you see now how I ended up cranky, tired, and all kinked up?  It's what I'm calling a couch hangover.  It should be a really fun day.  Just so you know, Blake woke up this morning with no fever, but we'll stay quarantined just in case. 

Wow, you'd think I would have written about the myriad of other things that I have happened since I last blogged, but that's what's on my mind.  Fair enough!

Living in the Rut

Still no mentor, but then again, sitting around hoping one will show up on my doorstep is probably not the best strategy.  What else is going on?  I think this is problem, why my personal blog falls to the wayside.  I spend so much of my time pouring myself into my other blogs, whether it's regarding politics or mommyhood.  I manage four blogs and one website, on top of organizing meetups for More than Moms, attending events for Team Whisler, and oh yeah, being a mom to three wonderful children.  Let's not forget the most important things, being a wife and a child of God.  Most of the time, I feel like a complete failure in all of these areas.  I'm sure it's just the enemy attacking my self-worth. Lucky for him, he certainly knows where my buttons are and wastes no time going for the jugular. I find myself getting in these ruts from time to time, where I turn myself inward and allow laziness and procrastination to overcome me.  Guess where I've been the last couple of weeks?  Yep, in said rut.  I have recognized a correlation between my spiritual life and these dips in my psyche. It's almost as if I've gone into hiding.  Does that sound silly?  Who am I hiding from? My family? My husband? My responsibilities? God himself?  I have no idea, but my best guess would be my Heavenly Father.  Why though?  Why would I run away from someone who knows me and still loves me without condition?  Don't look at me.  If I had the answer, I wouldn't be working it through it with you.

I have been proud of one area though.  Lately, my house is cleaned everyday.  If you know me, then you know how hard this is for me.  It's the one area of my life that is completely defeating.  I clean one area, move on to the next, then come back and find the first area a mess again.  But in the last couple of weeks, I've managed to make sure the house is neat and clean by the time Neil gets home. Granted, it might be 5 minutes before he walks in the door, but the point is that it's done, and it makes me a better wife (and by extension, mom).

If you think about it, pray that I can get back in the grove of things, especially in my relationship with God.  I don't like being ineffective and unproductive.  I could use the support.  Hope my next post comes sooner than two weeks.  That's just ridiculous, right? 

All Hallow's Eve

Whew, what a busy day, but such super fun as well.  It started off with the Fusion Fall Potluck at Patapsco Valley State Park.  We rented a pavilion, set up several activities for kids and adults, brought various dishes to share, and had an all around great time.  I'm pretty sure we may have just started a tradition.  Whether it will be a once a year affair or every other month, I'm definitely seeing potlucks as a part of our growing community.  With little to no budget, smorgasbord dining is the way to go. 

We borrowed the small moon bounce from Grace which the kids loved even more than the brand new playground beckoning in the background.  But the most fun of all, both for the kids and the parents, was the hay pile hide & seek, where we scattered tons of candy throughout a pile of hay.  On your mark, get set, go...and they were off, sifting through the hay to find whatever pieces of candy they could.  Given the amount of kids there versus the amount of candy, they all walked away with more than generous amounts of sweet yumminess.  They didn't even need to trick or treat, but of course, since Owen had been talking about it all week, we had to go.

Our neighborhood association decided to host a Safe & Spooktacular Halloween event.  We set up two tents on two corners in the neighborhood, decorated them with spooky lights and decor, added some music, cider, cookies, treat bags, and some beer & wine.  Voila, we had ourselves "the gathering place."  Neil and I took turns manning the booth while the better half took the boys trick or treating.  We actually met lots of our neighbors, even discovered that one had already had her baby (like two weeks ago, good one, Hillary).  One neighbor with a 9 week old little boy joined More than Moms and even came to Stroller Brigade with us this morning.  Two events, two successes.  Of course, by the end of the night, both Neil and I were 100% exhausted.  I was glad for the extra hour of sleep, at least in theory, since my kids woke up an hour early (or on time by their internal clocks).  Yep, I still hate daylight savings. 

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty stinking fantabulous Halloween, for both us and the kids.  Owen decided to be Spiderman...for like an entire week.  He literally wore the costume out.  In fact, come Sunday morning, it found itself to the trashcan.  Really, it crawled across the floor and climbed into the can all by itself.  Blake was a snake, not because he decided to be one, but because I found it at a yard sale for like $2.  It was funny, because his tail would drag along the ground behind him, and given the wet circumstances of the evening, it was nasty by the end, to say the least. Madison made for the cutest cow ever.  At first I thought she'd be a fairy since I found these cutsy mini-wings, but considering she spends most of her time on her back, I wasn't sure how to pull that off.  The cow costume was already in my arsenal and just happened to fit her, so "moo" it was.  Totally meant to stop by CFA for our free chicken of the day, but time just got away from us. 

Sometimes It Pays To Be Early

...And to have an Old Navy card for that point.  Here's the deal, literally speaking.  Old Navy does this thing called Stuff & Save for it's card members.  Normally, you save 20% off anything you can stuff into a bag.  Lately, they've even been giving you a free reuseable bag (how ecofriendly of them).  Well, this time, my stuff & save invite comes in the mail, only this time it's for 30% off.  I marked the date on my calendar that it started and put the card in my wallet.  I really didn't read much else or think anything about it.  My iPod alerted my Thursday night that the sale started the next day.  After browsing over my schedule for the day, I decided the best time to go would be before Owen's class Halloween party, basically right as it opened. 

As I walked in the store with 3 kids, I noticed a woman standing there waiting to greet me.  "Hhmm, that's odd," I thought, "I guess they're upping they're customer service tactics."  The the lady speaks, "Do you have an Old Navy card?"

"Yep, sure do," I replied, "I'm here to use my Stuff & Save."

"Well, you're #46. Here's your free bag & 50% off coupon."

50% off?  I felt like I just won the lottery.  Come the think of it, I vaguely remember reading that a certain number of people would get a higher percentage rate, but since I'm rarely able to to get any where when I want to, I just ignored it.  Turns out, trying to squeeze in a "quick" run to Old Navy with three kids was the best decision I made that day.  It sort of went down hill from there.

From that point, I felt like I was on Super Market Sweep.  I'm grabbing here and snatching there, shoving anything that would fit any of the 5 human beings in my house into the bag and moving on.  Then I saw it.  The sign said, "Extra 50% off all clearance."  Oh man, I had just walked into an oasis of good deals, plus I got to add my 50% off coupon to it.  Mostly I bought for the kids, $.50 shirts here, $.27 flip flops there.  It was seriously a paradise.  It didn't even bother me that my 4 year old was running around wreaking havoc through out the store.

All in all, I got over $500 worth of clothes & accessories for $100.  Not too shabby, huh?  Lesson learned, always be early!  Now if only I could convince my kids of this.