What a day!!

The day has started of rather hectic. First off, I didn't have enough sleep. I have to stop going to bed at 1:30 in the morning because it's Murphy's Law that one of my children will not sleep and wake me early as was the case this morning :^((

Anyway, we woke up bright and early and ran through our normal routine to get Marisa to school only to find out there was no school!! Some mother must have overlooked my number in the fan-out calling process. Thanks to that, I had to dredge through the snow and ice on both the street and my car to arrive there. I think being over tired made me more irritated! I'll be giving the school secretary an ear full on Monday.

Good news I forgot to report yesterday. My little Collin finally decided all by himself to mount the throne and take a number #2. I was soooooo excited and so was he. We made sure to say good-bye to the poo-poo as we flushed him down. Oh, the things we will do for our children!!! This potty training process is going really, and I mean really, slow with him. He refuses to wear underwear. I have a half-naked child running around all day who loves to have his hand go searching in all the wrong areas!! EEEWWWW, and then he wants to go grab food out of the fridge!! The little bugger won't keep those undies on, so I'm going to have to find some sort of alternative -- maybe boxers for the free fell they give-- I dunno?!?!?

I must finish up a bunch of projects I started along with some challenges I'd like to complete for my favo place Just4Keeps.

Okay, as I type, naked boy just ran past me. Off came the underwear again!!!! Now I must go find where they've been hidden. Hopefully not in the fridge---eewwwww!!

UUUGGGGHHHH!!!

I'm typing this to try and vent!!! My lovely 3 yr. old decided to play drums on the Christmas tree today and broke one of my most favorite and treasured ornaments. I had this ornament hand-made at a craft fair and I don't know if I can replace it!!!

Oh, this child of mine!!!! He has broken 2 toys already this week. Well, I'll try to look to the bright side -- at least I got a picture of it now that it's in a million pieces. Santa's going to have to bring him some boxes and foam for Christmas because everything else he breaks. He's in a time-out nap as I type. I really needed to distance myself from him. He's already been told a bazillion times to stay away from the Christmas tree. He's reminding me of this cat I once had that always knocked the ornaments off and then ran up the tree.

I'm feeling a little better now, so I'll go do something that will bring a smile to my face -- scrapbooking :^)

IT's FINISHED

The Christmas decorations are finally put up! I didn't go all out, but the essentials are there. It has taken me forever this year and I don't know why I didn't enjoy it like I usually do. I did pick up a few more snowmen for the top of my entertainment armoire. Love the color of these new little guys -- cream with olive and barn red accents. Oh, what a love I have for snowmen!!

As far as the outside lights, the main ones are up. It got way to frigid around here for me to attempt the rest. It's so cold that I don't even want to go outside to take a picture to show you all.....brrrrrrrrr

I had such a blast taking these photos. Honestly this is something I have never done with such detail. I had gotten an email and in it were some tips on how to take photos of your Christmas tree lighted without having to use special lenses. Usually you get that blurring effect, but not this time!! I just have a Kodak digital, but I'm loving the way these photos turned out. Well, off to get a cup of hot cocoa because I am continually cold anymore!

Well, at least someone in this house finished decorating their tree!! Marisa and Travis decorated her tree last night. Marisa just loves this purple princess tree we purchased for her two years ago. Believe it or not it was a bribe to get her to sleep in her new room. We had just finished her room on December 21, 2003 and she would not sleep in it. We did it all up in a beautiful Disney pink paints and I even colorwashed it; new comforter, furniture; the whole 9 and 1/2 yards!!! She still would not sleep in it. I resorted to buying her the tree hoping and praying she would get out of my bed and into her own.

While the house was under construction...actually, when Collin was born in July 2002 she moved her way into my bed and stayed there. They were supposed to share her room which was still a cute nursery bedroom until we figured something else out, but Marisa couldn't sleep in there because Collin was always crying and secondly because she was afraid to be in her new big bed all alone.

I know people have their opinions about kids sleeping in bed with them, but my opinion has always been "what the heck, they won't be little forever!!" I mean if she was 15 wanting to bunk with me nightly, then I might have worried. Wait a sec, I think I would still let them crawl in bed with me. They're my kiddies and it makes them feel safe and I love snuggling with them!

Well, she's now finally in her own bed for over two years, but still occassionally sneaks into my bed when she's had a bad dream. Only now Collin has taken over where she left off. Every night he gets out of his bed and I will find he's crawled into mine. Usually the kick in the side is what indicates he's arrived!! Marisa gets bummed now because if she sees that he's in bed with me already, she knows she can't crawl in. I have a king size bed, but the three of us cannot sleep comfortably in it with all the tossing and turning and kicking those two do!!!

I've gone off subject, but hey that's what I do best. I'm bound and determined to finish lighting our Christmas tree tonight. I did put up some more lights outside only to find out two of the strands I needed to finish it up were burned out. I refuse to go light by light to figure out which one needs replacing. I will get new lights. Hey, always a reason to go shopping! Off to decorate now that talking about it has put me in the mood.