My kid would NEVER do THAT!

Christmastime is a great occasion to gather together with family. It is during these times that I get to hear the stories about Jeff’s childhood that he otherwise wouldn’t tell me. A couple of years ago I was shocked by this story:

Cousin 1: Do you remember the time we took those little white balls out of the bean bag and stuffed them in our ears?

Jeff’s sister: Yeah, and your parents were freaking out because they couldn’t get all the balls out of your ears.

Cousin 2: Jeff, wasn’t that your idea?

Jeff takes a big drink of beer to avoid conversation. He always gets uncomfortable when they start telling “Jeff” stories.

Jeff’s sister: Hey, do you guys remember the time Jeff stuck a marble up his nose?

Cousin 1: Oh, that was so funny!

Me: What? A MARBLE! How could he fit a marble up his nose?

Cousin 2: Oh, it was SO funny. His nose bulged out where the marble was.

Jeff has now gone to get another beer to avoid conversation.

Me: How did they get it out?

Jeff’s sister: They pushed on the top of his nose to force the marble out.

Me: Who, in their right mind, would put a marble in their nose?

So last night when my Christmas letter was interrupted by Ariel complaining about her nose, I spent a very short time trying to blow her nose before I got a flashlight and looked up her nose. As you know from last night’s post, she went to the doctor to have the object removed.

The doctor extracted this:

It is a bead that had come off her necklace. The removal was fast and easy. Doctors have tools for this sort of thing.

Ariel has inherited Jeff’s propensity to put objects up his nose. I hope she has learned her lesson, but just in case she hasn’t, I am removing all marbles and bean bags from my house.

Christmas Letter Interrupted

Merry Christmas Friends,

As another year comes to an end, we are struck by how much life changes so fast. Belle will be four years old in one short month. She is no longer a baby or a toddler. She is a preschooler, and a very happy preschooler at that. She loves going to her class and being with her friends. Friends she has made on her own accord. It’s amazing to watch her venture out on her own and experience life beyond her parents.

Ariel too has undergone so many changes. She is at that adorable two-year-old stage where her sentence structure is amusing and her voice is so sweet. She still needs her pacifier and blankies for comfort, and to be honest, I am not ready for her to give those things up. As long as she clings to these…..

We interrupt Mommy's attempt to write a Christmas with the following announcement:

Ariel has something stuck up her nose. Ariel is crying and all attempts to remove this object from her nose have failed. Daddy must rush Ariel to the Doctors office while Mommy stays home and worries about Ariel’s nose. Mommy’s attempt to write a Christmas Letter will resume when Ariel’s nose is cleared of all foreign objects.

Thank you for tuning in to today’s “Memories and Musings of a Mommy”, we hope to return to our regularly scheduled posting tomorrow.

The Feast of Saint Nicholas

One of our family traditions is the celebration of the Feast of Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a Bishop who served God by giving his wealth away to people in need. If you want to read more about his story, I recommend this website: "St. Nicholas, discovering the truth about Santa Claus".

Since this is only our 3rd year celebrating the Feast of Saint Nicholas, I managed to get my dates mixed up. Saint Nicholas Day is December 6th. Our family is honoring Saint Nicholas on December 9th this year.

We celebrate Saint Nicholas Day for a couple of reasons. When I heard the story of Saint Nicholas, I was thrilled to know that Santa Claus is derived from a real man who served God by giving gifts. I want my children to know the story of Saint Nicholas, just as they will know all about Santa Claus. The second reason we celebrate Saint Nicholas Day, is so we can wrap up and give Christmas Pajamas and Christmas Dresses to our girls before Christmas.

This year I wanted to present the story of Saint Nicholas in a way that would be entertaining to my children. I wrote down one of the stories of Saint Nicholas in a format they would like and created a makeshift book for our story time tonight. It was a big hit. I would like to share my creation.

The Story of St. Nicholas

A long time ago there
lived a boy named
Nicholas.

When he was young
his parents became
very sick and died.


Nicholas' parents left him with
more money then he could ever
spend.

But, he missed them very much
and felt sad.


Nicholas obeyed Jesus'
words to "sell what you
own and give the money
to the poor."

Nicholas felt happy when
he gave his money away.



Nicholas grew up
to be a Bishop.


This means he
worked at the
church and
served God.


Nicholas heard about
a very poor man with
three daughters.

The poor man wanted
his daughters to get
married, but he didn't
have any money for
a wedding.


One night Nicholas went
to the poor man's house
and tossed three bags of
Gold through an open
window.

The bags of gold landed
on the shoes that were
drying by the fireplace.


The next morning
when the daughters
awoke they found a
bag of gold in each of
their shoes.


The daughters were
very happy. They now
had enough money to
get married.



Tonight we celebrate
"The Feast of Saint Nicholas"
in honor of a man who
served God by giving gifts
to people in need.









All images were obtained from various websites using Google Images search.

So Long, My Friend

Today is an unexpectedly sad day in our house. My husband is cleaning our Peg Perego Pliko 3 stroller for *gasp* consignment.

I love this stroller. I have no good reason to keep it, we haven't used it in months. Belle will be 4 in January and Ariel is 2 1/2. Ariel is a big girl, and according to her, only babies ride in strollers. So the Peg is going where all good Pegs go, the consignment shop.

One of the benefits of buying a Peg is it's resale value, or at least that's what I told myself at the time. The real reason for the Peg? It's sexy, light weight, easy to maneuver, and frickin' cool. I was one of those mommies carrying a designer diaper bag, wearing makeup and working my designer jeans and impractical shoes. I didn't want my stroller hindering me in between racks of clothing at Nordstrom and Ann Taylor**. I had things to buy and other Mommies to strut my stuff with.

It really didn't last long. By the time Belle was 9 months old, I was pregnant with Ariel. Pretty soon my super sexy shoes were replaced by the comfort of Dansko. Not long after that, the jeans were stored away and I was donning maternity clothing. The stroller still rocked my world, but not because it was so cool, but because it was so easy.

I could put my baby Ariel in a sling, set up the stroller with one hand, put 18 month old Belle in the stroller and off we went. Except now we weren't strutting our stuff. We were rushing to the story time that had already started. We were meeting other overtired, rundown mommies of two at the park or mall play area. I was wearing a hat to cover my disheveled hair and sunglasses to hide my makeup-less eyes.

The true reason why I am going to miss this stroller is because it represents a short period of time when I was the Mommy I always wanted to be. The one with every hair in place, makeup perfectly done and wearing fashionable clothing. The Mommy who went to the mall to shop, for herself. The Mommy that didn't have to waste her time in a play area and wasn't negotiating with her restless kids so she could try on one article of clothing.

To me the Peg represents everything good in motherhood. A sleeping baby in a comfortable stroller while Mommy is shopping. Those were the days.


**Total side note: Did you see Ann Taylor makes maternity clothes?? Ann Taylor Maternity is a great reason to get knocked up!

Flaunt It Friday: Guilty Pleasure

The Mommy Kelly at Taken with a Grain of Salt has presented her Flaunt it Friday Challenge. This week...Guilty Pleasure.

My Guilty Pleasure?

Speed.
Driving Fast.Passing Everyone.

Having more horsepower.And knowing how to use it.

I have become more responsible since having children. I haven't driven over 100 mph in awhile. I use to drive 100 to 120 mph everyday.

Yes, I was that girl.

Now I have kids, and I've slowed down. But every so often I put the pedal to the metal and pass everyone.

Just Because I Can.

Pictures are courtesy of Google Images. I have driven each of these cars at some point in time, and one of them I currently zip around in.

Want to participate in Flaunt it Friday? Post your link here and leave me a comment so I can see yours. Has Friday come and gone? No worries, it's never too late to Flaunt It!

An Award? For Me?

My wonderful fellow blogger, Rachel has awarded me.



Isn't this just the cutest award? I am so proud to display this award on my blog. Please go visit her site "From the Land of Monkeys and Princesses". You will not be disappointed.

I have been told that an acceptance speech is expected. So hear it goes...

I gratefully accept The Royal Banana Award for Blog Yumminess. It gives me great joy to know that my humble blog(and I quote)

"is like turning your face up to the sun; it's bright, it's warm and it makes you feel good."

I would not be able to post my stories everyday without the feedback and support of my readers. I would like to specifically thank my first readers - Gulf Coast Mommy , lattemommy and Rachel. Without each of you I would not have an audience to write for.

**exit music plays**

Thank you all, and don't forget to check out "From the Land of Monkeys and Princesses" for more very deserving winners. If anyone knows how to pick a great blog, it's Rachel!

**Two very handsome men escort me off stage with my Royal Banana**