You're still the one

that makes me laugh

Still the one

that's my better half

We're still having fun

And you're still the one

We were in Canada for Christmas Day… and it snowed! 

My nephew Braden made a snowman… and about a million snowballs.

Emma wanted to join in the snowball fight, so I made her a small snowball.

Guess what showed up in our Free Christmas celebration?  The Yellow Star!  We haven't see it since it stowed away in an M-n-M's bag on the Larson's mission trip to Ecuador this summer.  Grandma has it now… wonder where it will show up next.

The Harry and David 12 Days of Christmas goody boxes arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house and we enjoyed them very much!  Thanks!

Dear Toy Manufacturers,

I promise not to…

1.  Let my kids roam the halls of toys stores and take toys out of the boxes to play with while in the store

2.  Not let my kids steal toys (or even just small parts) out of the boxes at stores*

If you promise to…

1.  Not make me get out my screwdriver, scissors, wire cutter and box cutter just to get toys out of the box

2.  Not to use dangerous items like lead paint and tiny choking hazard/swallow-able magnets in the toys

If we each do our part, maybe every parents Christmas morning won’t have to be spent hunched over toy boxes with a variety of tools trying to boost the toys from their boxes.

Thank you!

Laughing Mommy

P.S.  As a teenager I used to work in a toy department of a large department store and I do understand how huge of a problem it is when kids are allowed to play with toys (take them out of boxes) while in the store.  If those toys get separated from their box sometimes we could not figure out which small plastic items went with which toy… leading to that toy not being sold and the store losing money, of course.  I’m sure that is the reason behind each toy being practically Gorilla glued in its box these days. 

Tessa and Emma (with cousins Braden and Kiara) right before our Christmas celebration with my side of the family.

2007

Click here to see how much the kids have grown since 2006. (2005 and 2004 too!)

1.  Planning - Trips are great!  Plane trips!  Road trips!  LOVE TRIPS!  I'll make lists of the things I'm going to take! 

2.  Disbelief - thoughts going through my head might include, but are not limited to…

     a.  Who decided it would be fun to go on a trip?  Right now I just want to go to bed (or watch tv or use the computer or eat dinner…). 

     b.  (whiny voice) But I don't like packing!

3.  Denial - If I just don't think about it and pretend I'm not going on a trip I won't have to pack.  This stage lasts longer than all the other stages combined.

4.  Panic - I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME LEFT TO PACK!  I'M GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH NO LUGGAGE!  NO CLEAN UNDIES!  NO TOOTH BRUSH!  I'LL HAVE TO WEAR JEANS TO A WEDDING!

5.  Anger - Aaaaargh!  Hate packing! 

6.  Acceptance - Okay, there is no avoiding the packing.  Must starting packing right now.  (The acceptance stage usually happens very late in the game, so feats of super human strength, speed and stamina frequently follow the acceptance stage.) 

7.  Relief - Ahhhhh!  Packing is done.  This is GREAT!  I love trips!  We should go on trips more often.  This is going to be so much fun!

Swistle has created a Christmas Card Scoring System that is so much fun that I'm adopting it for myself. 

(And it also inspired me to post for the first time in over a month.  Go Swistle!)

Here it is…