Christmas Day 2018

After having a wonderful Christmas Eve, the kiddos were really looking forward to Christmas morning.

Our morning started out around 8ish, when the kiddos came into our bedroom. They know that they are not allowed downstairs before we get up.

Well, they were not to be disappointed. Santa came and Mom and Dad left them some nice goodies as well.

After the kiddos opened their presents, Bill and I opened ours. I received some lovely things... including a song on a cassette that Bill recorded himself singing for me. It was very sweet.

After we opened gifts, we just had a chill morning at home. Then I went and picked my brother up and we headed out to my parents' house for Christmas. That was a lot of fun. I may or may not have had my first taste of fireball whiskey... taking a shot with my mom and sister. LOL We had a nice dinner and received some fun presents.

We came back home so that Bill could get a couple hours sleep as he had to work Christmas night. After the kids were in bed, I did a quick clean up of the house as I had to baby-sit early the next day and wanted to get the kids' toys put away that they didn't want the babysitting kids to play with. Guess it was back to reality for us.

Overall, we had a very blessed and wonderful Christmas 2018.

Excuse the mess!

If my blog seems wonky to you in the next few days, I apologize. I am trying out a redo of it... different backgrounds, etc. Please excuse the mess while I figure out how I want it to look. ;)

Cookies and Christmas Eve 2018

When I wrote last we had 2 people in our family who were sick with the stomach flu. Well, we ALL ended up with it. Jacob and Ben were the first to get it... then Rebecca called me from school 20 minutes before I was supposed to pick her up on Monday that she had thrown up. That meant that she also missed her Christmas choir concert that night. :( By Tuesday afternoon, Bill and I were both sick. I was sick for about 48 hours. I really didn't feel like myself again until late Friday night. Not good. I basically missed a whole week before Christmas! Eek!

One good thing though was that it happened when it did and we were all healthy for Christmas.

We had a wonderful Christmas.

Our fun started on Sunday. The kids and I made lots and lots of cookies. Sugar cookies and others were made. The kids love decorating cookies for Santa.

Christmas Eve we went out to dinner at our local Fiesta Mexicana Mexican restaurant. It was delicious! And Ben decided that he LOVED refried beans! We then drove around looking at Christmas lights in the surrounding neighborhoods.

When we came home, Santa's elves had left packages under the tree... containing pajamas for everyone!

After reading "The Night Before Christmas," it was off to bed so that Santa could come!

Snowgirl's Song, Santa and Sickness X2

This past week has seen a Christmas concert in our world, seeing Santa Claus and 2 rounds of sickness.

First off, Ben missed school last Monday and Tuesday as he had a fever and just felt like crap. Rebecca missed school on Tuesday when she woke up with a fever of 101. (I know with her that when she says she doesn't want to go to school and doesn't feel good that she is not faking it. She loves school.) Ughh. Thankfully they were both able to go back to school on Wednesday.

Tuesday night, due to sickness, that meant that I was the only family member to be able to attend Jacob's school's Christmas program. This year it was for grades 3-5 and it was titled "The Snowgirl's Song." It was a Christmas concert with lots of ethnic songs being sung and it was a really good show. Jacob did great!

He was so excited that my mom and dad came as well.

The rest of the week, I think I cleaned up, did laundry, babysat, etc.

This weekend we were supposed to go see some Christmas lights at a garden that we had visited over the Summer, but Mother Nature had other plans. It poured rain all day Saturday so we just stayed home and I did laundry and I did manage to make 2 kinds of cookies--- poppy seed kolacky and peanut butter cup cookies.

Sunday, the kids and I went to Church. After church, we took the kids to see Santa at a nearby real estate office.

Then as tradition we took them to McDonald's for lunch.  The boys really didn't want to eat most of their lunch, so I should have known something was going on.


Last night, Jacob started saying his belly hurt and then he proceeded to throw up several times overnight. Ben also complained of not feeling well and that his belly hurt. He had a bout of diarrhea and then put himself to bed at 7pm. That is so not like him at all. He slept in until 9 this morning. So both boys are home today with me. I am hoping it was just a 12 hour bug as both boys just said they were hungry and actually wanting to eat lunch.

Today, I am washing pukey blankets. I am also sanitizing things in the house. I cancelled my babysitting jobs today as I didn't want to expose the kiddos to whatever the boys have. I feel bad, but there is no way I could have taken care of a 5 month old, 3 year old and 4 year old while also making sure my kids were taken care off. I think the one mom is mad at me for it, as I texted her when Jacob started puking that I had a sick kid. She texted back that she would just have to chance it. I then texted her back later that I now had 2 pukers and I would not be able to watch her 2 kids (the 5month old and the 4 year old). She texted back ok. I think she is mad, but I really don't care. I am just praying that no one else gets it here in the house!

Hope everyone reading this is feeling healthy and enjoying the season!

Christmas decorating 2018

Over the weekend, we put the finishing touches on our Christmas decorations this year. Like this year, it was a process. LOL. We put our tree up the weekend of Thanksgiving, only to have the top 1/3 of the lights go out after a couple of days. This is not a pre-lit tree... it is a tree that I inherited when I moved out on my own in 2003. We add our own strands of lights. Then yesterday morning, I noticed that a strand near the bottom was also out. URGGHHH. I tried changing out fuses, lights, etc. Finally, I said okay and took ALL the ornaments off and the garland and took the broken lights off. Off to Walmart to buy more. I redid the lights, Bill and I put the garland back on, and the kids and I put the ornaments back on. Every ornament has some meaning to us! If more lights go out, well it will stay that way....LOL So, here is Christmas Tree 2018 (Version 2.0)!

The kids also got to put their small trees up in their bedrooms this weekend. We did have to get Rebecca some more ornaments for hers as we can't find hers anywhere.

I didn't put a lot of other decorations out this year. I put my nativity front and center on our mantel and then put my traditional Santas on one side and my Irish Santas that I inherited from my Grandma on the other. I think it turned out pretty nice looking.

I also only put down a couple of stuffed bears at the bottom of the tree this year for the babysitting kids to play with, instead of the 20-30 that typically go under there.

Bill and Rebecca also finished the outside lights yesterday. Again, it was a process. They started 2 weeks ago, only to not be able to find our outdoor extension cords. So Bill bought 2 more, but hasn't had time to complete it with his work schedule. Well yesterday he was going to put the rest of the lights up, only to discover that 3 of the 4 strands of big lights didn't work. At first, he told me not to worry about getting more, but then I decided we wouldn't be happy if we didn't so off to Walmart again (for the third time!) I went to get more lights for outside. Once I was back home, Bill and Rebecca finished the lights outside and I have to say they look wonderful.

So simple, but cozy and just feels right for this year.

Our Christmas Traditions: Feast of St. Nicholas

We are a Catholic family. As our children have come along and we have started new traditions in our home, one of the traditions that we have done is to do a simple celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas. The evening of December 5, we all leave a shoe out for a treat to be placed by "St. Nick" overnight while we are sleeping. It is our tradition that the kids get a new ornament for the Christmas tree that symbolizes something that is going on in their lives and  they also get a treat. Some years Bill and I get ornaments, other years we do not.

This year was no exception. Before bed, we placed our shoes in the hallway upstairs to await St. Nick's arrival. (We put the shoes upstairs this year instead of by the front door, as my babysitting kid arrive before my kids have to get up for school and I didn't want them to get into my kids' things.)

And St. Nick did not disappoint.

This year Rebecca received a theater ornament and a pack of m&ms.

Jacob received an "Undertaker" wrestling ornament and a pack of m&ms.

Benjamin received a "Macho Man Randy Savage" wrestling ornament and a pack of m&ms.

Bill and I each received a pack of Reese's big cups. They were yummy!

This is one of the traditions that our kids look forward to and it is a fun way to celebrate the holidays!

Spam and Santa's Workshop

On Thursday night I decided to make breakfast for dinner. I also made Spam to go with our eggs as Bill had never had Spam before. I used to eat it when I lived at home many years ago. It was okay....the kids liked it. Bill said it was okay. I don't think it will find a regular rotation into our menu. LOL

Friday night I had to tutor and then we had to take Rebecca over to her school for her book club's movie marathon overnight. She had a blast. The boys and I watched the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch movie.

Saturday, I was up early to get Rebecca from school at 7:30. Then I had to go work a "Santa's workshop" event for a non-profit that I have joined the board of. It was a fun time and we saw lots of happy kiddos including some familiar faces... Do you remember that little baby that I watched last year that cried ALL THE TIME? Well she was there... and is still a little "spit-fire" (her mom's words, not mine!). She did enjoy her cookie though...

Overall, there was a really nice turn out despite it being pouring down rain outside. I helped over 100 kiddos decorate their sugar cookies.

Then it was home to tutor for 2 hours (and watch my own kiddos so that Bill could go work on a Freelance assignment) and then dinner time. Thankfully, Bill and I had a date night at home and ordered Mexican food in. It was super yummy!

Sunday I had to teach my PSR class and we went to church. Then I took the kids to Walmart to spend their gift cards that my in-laws sent them. Then it was time to do laundry and gear up for the week. Craziness thy name is life!