Playing in the Snow with Uncle Tommy!

Today was yet another snow day. More storms are expected so I doubt we will be going any where for a few days.
Uncle Tommy was sweet enough to shovel our driveway and sidewalk. Of course he didn't know we had a snow shovel and since I was watching the girls so much I didn't notice he was using our regular shovel.

The Princesses are making a snow castle. We went in right after this picture, the temps are about 25 degrees so I didn't want the girls out too long.

Keeping the Holidays Simple

I always have such big plans for the holidays, so many activities, people to visit, places to go and of course shopping for gifts. This year I decided 'No plans,' I was just going to go with the flow. Instead of planning out thing I just made a list of idea, things that would be fun but if they did not happen that was fine. Some days we woke up and just did nothing on my list, other days we did one or two of them. It was really nice having options but not expectations that something had to be done. We did see Santa, got our shopping done (some online so I could skip having to ship stuff), saw the Nutcracker, attended the Christmas Festival, made some crafts and played in the snow. A few of my ideas have not materialized and if we don't get to them there is always next year or even after the Christmas.

If you are feeling overwhelmed http://blog.parentbloggers.com/ wants to share that FFDA (http://www.familyaware.org/) has free support groups for moms, as well as other helpful services, that might be helpful at this time of year (or anytime) for anyone just needing a helping hand so they can enjoy a healthier and happy new year.

Another Snow Day!

This is our second snow day in a row, though technically Princess A did not have kindergarten yesterday (she has every other Wednesday off) but we did miss Princess G's ballet. Today Princess A did miss school and she is getting worried she won't be able to give her teacher her Christmas gift. She wanted to take it to school Tuesday but as she did not ask to wrap it until we were putting coats on and leaving for school I assured her she could take it to school later this week. I hope she has school tomorrow as she really wants her teacher to read the Christmas story she wrote and illustrated.

The girls are playing Mario as we wait for Uncle Tommy to get here. Daddy went to pick him up from the airport. The flight was delayed almost 2 hours which was good because though my husband gave himself extra time to get to the airport it took him and extra hour and half longer than he anticipated. Now they are on their way here. Normally it about an hour drive but today it will take much longer. It is not looking so good for school tomorrow.

Christmas Festival

We had a lot of fun at the Christmas Victorian Festival but last year was so much better. This year the Santa was in a tiny little booth and they did not have any crafts for the kids to do. They also did not have a bouncy slide to play on. They did have the carousel and the train which we took full advantage of. We rode the carousel over 10 times, I lost count around 7 times. After the first three rides we had to change horses every time. One nice thing was I got to ride one of the horse for the first time in years. The girls really wanted me to ride a horse so hopped on a horse and rode the carousel up and down over 10 times! Starbucks had a booth like last year and was giving away samples of Hot Cocoa and some coffee. Princess G did not want the Hot coco (she burnt her tongue last year) and they were nice enough to give her just whipped cream. Princess A loved the hot cocoa and wanted a cup every time we went by. We also watched candle carving and picked up some scones for Daddy on the way out. Fun but cold and long day.



Celebrate the holidays, for some more ideas and some great prizes head to the My 3 Wisemans blog

Holly and Hal Moose™

Yesterday the cutest package came via FedEx. As soon as I opened it up the princesses were so excited. It was Hal Moose™ and a storybook "Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure". When you press the moose's hand the Christmas lights on his antlers light-up and blink. After turning him on a few times they took him to the bathroom to see how bright the lights are in the dark (we don't have window in the half bath). Apparently Hal Moose™ passed the test and the princesses finally noticed the book. They immediately wanted to hear the story. We curled up on the couch to read the story. As it was dinnertime and I had food cooking (and starting to burn) I could not finish the story right away, what I did read was so cute. The princesses each have one friend from from Build-A-Bear Workshop® that they got to make for Princess G's first birthday. When ever we are in the nearest mall that has a from Build-A-Bear Workshop® we always stop in and sometimes pick up a little something for their friends. Hal Moose™ is just $12 but now you can buy Holly and Hal Moose™ together for only $24 and get their storybook for free ($15.99 value, while quantities last). If we were not snowed in today we would be taking a trip to the Build-A-Bear Workshop® to make Holly the Moose so they can each have a moose (to prevent future arguments over who gets to play with it.) If you are not snowed in I suggest heading down to a Build-A-Bear Workshop® for a very cute gift or if you are snowed in you could order it from their website.

Christmas Tree Hug

I know last week was a hug too but they are so cute!

Liberty Mutual Be Fire Smart

The Princesses and I talk about fire safety all the time. Last summer when we went to a local fair the fire department had a booth. The girls got balloons, sticker badges, Princess A got to make a 911 call and they both got to practice leaving a house in fire. They had a little bed for the kids to climb on, then a smoke alarm goes off, they have to check the door to see if it is hot. If the door is cool to the touch they open the door, crawl through the smoke, go out the other door and run to the neighbors house to tell them there is a fire. They both did great and followed the correct protocol, well Princess A knew what to do and helped her sister. We have our own plan which is similar to the one they practiced at the fair. At least once a month we go over the plan, usually on the way home from school. Princess A's favorite part is that if her door is hot she leaves it closed, opens the window and gets to yell "Help! Fire! Dial 911!" as loud as she can. She likes the idea of yelling super loud! Fire safety is very important as more Americans die (4,000 each year) from fires than all natural disasters combined. There are lots of things you can do make your home and family safer, a family plan of escape to only one, for more ideas visit Liberty Mutual's fire safety site http://www.befiresmart.com/

Candy Canes and Snow for Dessert

That is what my girls wanted for dessert, a bowl of snow with a candy cane in it. After that snack they were still hungry so I gave them some pumpkin bread and peppermint tea with lots of milk in it (more milk than tea.)

First Real Snow of this Winter

Here is Princess G enjoying snow!

Daddy actually came out in the snow so I got my picture taken.
Princess A made a huge snowball to throw!
She is all smiles after throwing it at me over and over, lucky it got smaller with each throw.

Here is the mini-snowman.

We tried to make bigger snowballs but the snow just did not want to stick together.

Bedtime after the Nutcracker

The two Princesses are holding the Clara dolls Daddy just had to get them at the Nutcracker. Daddy is reading the Nutcracker story he also bought that day.

Celebrate the holidays, for some more ideas and some great prizes head to the My 3 Wisemans blog

Vote Daily for my Girls' Video and Win!!

Vote for Family A

Campaign for Clean Hands picked 3 videos for the finals. Of those three the videos the one with the most votes by December 12 wins a trip to Washington D.C. The Princesses' video is one of the three. I hope you will vote for them everyday and get everyone you know to vote for them too.

I am going to have a series of contests to encourage voting for the Princesses' video.

Listed below are the current contests, they all end December 12 midnight. One vote gets you one entry for one contest. So you have one entry to one contest per day per email. If you get your spouse, kids, family or friends to vote you can have an extra entry for each vote. You can use those entries in which ever contest you wish. I will be adding more contests as we head toward December 12. Keep checking for new contests and don't forget to vote everyday.

Barbie and the Diamond Castle DVD

Goofy Pirates Ear Hat

Note: This is a sticky post, look below for new posts.

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree

The girls loved smelling all of the trees.

Here is a picture of us in the rain.

The perfect tree is found!!

Now we just need to strap it to the car and hope it does not fall off on the way home.

Don't forget to vote for my girls' video Family A and you can enter my contests too.
Vote Since today is the last day and we are in 3rd place!!!!

Nutcracker

This was our second year attending the Nutcracker and we loved it. With a few snacks Princess G made it through the whole ballet. Last year she got antsy twenty minutes before the end, we went into the lobby for five or ten minutes and then went back in for the end. Princess A was mesmerized just like last year, though this year we did get her to leave her seat during intermission. Last year she was so worried she might miss a second she would not leave her seat at all. This year Daddy snuck off to the gift shop and came back with matching Clara dolls and a nutcracker book.


Don't forget to vote for my girls' video Family A and you can enter my contests too.
Vote once a day per email until Dec 12!!

Wordless Wednesday

Don't forget to vote for my girls' video Family A and you can enter my contests too.

Vote once a day per email until Dec 12!!

Tackling my Sewing Pile

Here is my pile of stuff I need to sew.
Here they are all folded after I sewed them all.

I am sure there will be a new pile my tomorrow to sew.

Tackle-It Tuesday on 5 Minutes For Mom.

Don't forget to vote for my girls' video Family A and enter my contests. Vote once a day per email until Dec 12!!