Talk about last minute

Well it's that time of year again and the kids are so excited to see the Advent calendar out. It's not up yet but it's out!! This was my favorite part of the season last year and I'm hoping that I can follow through with it this year, seeing as how I can't get it together this year. Man, I was so on top of it last year. If you'll notice some of the harder activites are replaced with much easier stuff this year. Here's our list so far.

1. Decorate tree.

2. Write a letter to Santa

3. Holiday in the Park

4. Make an Advent wreath

5. Christmas party with friends and family. Give Santa our list.

6. Celebrate St. Nicholas Day

7. Buy our ornament for the year

8. Make ornaments with our playgroup. I'm thinking of this one OR this one.

9. Make pine cone trees.

10. Make magazine trees OR bows.

11. Hang mistletoe and start kissing.

12. Moody Garden's Festival of Lights

13. Make presents for grandparents

14. Call grandparents and sing Christmas carols

15. Make gift tags

16. Read a Christmas book and drink hot chocolate

17. Decorate gingerbread men.

18.Drive around to see Christmas lights and listen to Christmas music.

19. Breakfast with Santa at the zoo.

20. Make tamales with my family.

21. Watch a Christmas movie.

22. Cookie baking party. Friends come over and we all bake, eat and listen to Christmas music.

23. Discovery Green watch ice skaters and try hot apple cider.

24. Christmas Eve party!

Happy Turkey Day

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

- Dori from Nemo


Just a few things.


Allie is a ballet school drop out. This is one of those 'I knew it' moments. Little girls in pink tights and tutus are oh so cute, but come on, really? That's a lot of moolah for playing dress up. And don't even get me started on the fees for a recital. Sorry, crazy serious dance instructor of four year olds, but my kids need clothes for the winter. So, other than money, I knew Allie would get bored and want to quit ballet and guess what? We had a major melt down last Monday because she didn't want a bun in her hair and couldn't be dragged kicking and screaming to ballet class. Se la vie, ballet class.

Benjamin's teeth are out!!!!! And now life can commence. Good grief I forgot how you cease to function when your baby teethes.

This week is school tour week where we look at all the schools Allie could go to next year for kindergarten. Someone just shoot me. I'll have to survive the bullshit and "super-duper" annoying parents before I can share my misery with you. So if you don't hear from me by the end of the week, please send help because I might have taken all the school applications and paper cut myself to death.

Apple

On of the most embarassing things about being Mexican American is that I don't speak Spanish. Really this is one of the only things that I'm embarassed about; I handle it one of two ways when people ask me about it: I ignore the question or make a smartass comment. The truth is that my parents raised us in a city that didn't embrace being bilingual -my how times have changed- so we were taught English in order to be successful in the place where we lived. I AM successful and so are my brothers. Growing up with a smack across the knuckles from your teacher for speaking Spainsh, my parents could never in a million years have imagined that not speaking Spanish would be such a pain. But it is.

In a city where I think the majortiy is Hispanic (it's hard to tell because in the census my race is white, but ethnicity is Hispanic. So white is the majority, but that includes Hispanics) people assume that my kids and I speak Spanish. Talk about pouring salt on an open wound. But while I'm in a corner licking my wounds my brillient daughter who so desperatly needs to relate to every person she encounters has just closed the gap on her lack of knowledge. If mommy isn't going to teach her spanish, gosh darnit she'll just make it up! Nothing will stop this child from making friends!




When she first starting doing this I would run and hang my head in shame, but I've had a change of heart and now I just stand next to her and smile like I understand everything she's saying and the person she's talking to is nuts for not understanding. **We are currently looking for Mommy and Me Spanish classes.**

A week at home

Well it definitely wasn't uneventful. It was mostly nice but I can't say calm or relaxing were on the list of adjectives I'd use to describe my week.

Slow breakfasts

Time to practice crawling

Time to be goofy

And of course, time to play with some of our forgotten toys

There was also time for lots of not so fun stuff for mom:

Martin pooped in the backyard.

Allie then had to pee outside, except, you know, on herself.

The one time we did go out to the park, my car was broken into.

Doctor's visit because of code red crying but it turns out it was just Benito getting his first tooth.

Allie and Martin ran away on their first adventure without me. A heart attack and two spankings later we now understand that adventures can only happen within the confines of the safe and boring backyard.

Allie reorganized her closet.

Martin decorated his new (read: $$$$) bunk beds with stickers.

Four swine flu shots,

Three screaming kids,

Two runny noses...... and a yard full of dead t-r-e-e-s!!!

Come on sing it with me...... and a yard full of dead t-r-e-e-s!!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

but lucky for me, the words your mind is evoking are chalk full of happiness, smiles and maybe some laughter. Yeah, isn't funny how the pictures of our life seem to blur out the yelling, fighting, tantrums and headaches?

And now it's Mommy's turn...

What the hell!?

What's that saying? "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"

Allie dresses and undress a.l.l.d.a.y.l.o.n.g. And yes it was just as painful for me to type all of those periods as it is for me to wash all the extra laundry. This outfit is actually "in" though. I double checked the other day, by checking out some teenagers. Who would have ever thought the 80's would come back? I'm throwing in the rag and dressing crazy with her. Who knows it might even be the "in thing" this fall. Fairy princess/pirate/tea party? It could catch on... Someone who has time to keep up with that stuff should post and let me know. Thanks.

Martin is all about his penis right now. He wants it free to experience the world without barriers just like his hands. I guess I can't blame him. I'll spare you the pictures, though- my husband would kill me and I'm sure it's illegal, too. On this day, he felt like his two favorite things should be housed together. Yeah, we had a little talk about protecting mommies future grandkids.

Benito loves his chi chi. I've tried stretching out feedings, crying, a little formula. He's a stubborn little fella and willing to let everyone know it! Whatever!!! I give up!!!

I'm walking around topless with a bebe on my boob, Martin bare butt to the wind like a Scottsman and Allie dressed like the crazy ladies in Grey Gardens. At least the rolls are cute? Well they're all kinda cute, that's why I keep them around. So if you have the stomach to come a callin', please wait about 15minutes for us to open the door after you ring the bell. We'll all be running around getting decent.