Christmas Highlights

Some awesome, anonymous neighbor brought us this gingerbread house with a new train car and a little poem every night for the last week or so before Christmas.  It was beautiful and professional-looking and fun.

 Unfortunately, I didn't know what (if any) of the parts were gluten-free, so we made another one, just for Child #2.  Obviously not beautiful and professional-looking, but still fun.  Yet another great example of what happens to good/cutesy ideas when you bring them into our house.

The kiddos all got pajamas for Christmas eve.  (I'm actually very disappointed that the Batman pajamas I tried to get were back-ordered for the girls' sizes.  I guess monkey ballerinas are OK too.  But Batman would have been cooler.) 

 My Little Ponies are VERY exciting.

As are giant lollipops. 

 All the kids got hooded bath towels, which came in very handy for keeping all their stuff from getting mixed up from everyone else's stuff.  But it didn't keep the baby from crawling all over and sucking on everything. 

Child #1 got a very cool Hex-Bug (we have quite a collection now).  This one moves in a very creepy-bug-like manner that sends Child #4 screaming from the room every time we turn it on.   

Also, every time my kids pretend to be an animal, that animal has some kind of claws.  And they are always wishing they could grow their fingernails long enough to sharpen them into points.  So I bought press-on nails and filed them into points and painted them black with red blood dripping off the ends and became the coolest mommy ever.  For like half a day.  Then the glue didn't work anymore and I've been un-sticking tiger claws from the bottom of socks for a week.  Bonus: they didn't stay on long enough for anyone to actually get scratched. Win.

I have to admit, Christmas usually stresses me out.  I get all caught up in trying to MAKE it fun for everyone that I'm depressed and angry and no-one is enjoying anything.  I love that people have all these great Christmas traditions that they look forward to every year.  But I've realized that I can't do that.  I'm just not that mom.  I decided that our most important Christmas tradition is that we have fun.  If it isn't fun, we won't do it.  And even things that could be fun, but won't be because I have a bad attitude we will avoid.  So that has been my focus this year.  And it was great.  I didn't fuss about making sure our celebration was traditional or religious or like anyone else's.   I have had more fun this Christmas than I have in a very long time.