The 8th day of Christmas

Today my question is do you still do Christmas Cards?? I love to get Christmas Cards especially ones with pictures.. Tom keeps telling me its a dieing notion... like the Newspaper... so each year I wait until now like 3 days before Christmas and then either don't send them, send them late or find some the next year stamped and labeled that I did not get sent out.... so here are my top picks for the picture this year... as you can see I'm in a dilemma with that too, not one picture that everyone is looking at the camera or not pulling some kind of weird face.....would you give up yet another year on sending out cards? Or ????/

7th day of Christmas.... Traditions

One of my very favorite things about Christmas is traditions....What are some of your families traditions?? On Christmas Eve we have a tradition of getting together with my family and reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, and my parents give everyone pajama's. This year we had to do it earlier, with every one's in-laws and work etc it is getting harder to get everyone there. This year my parents gave everyone these red union suits with their nicknames on the back. It was so much fun...... If my dad gives you a nick name that is usually all he will call you.... so it was so fun for the kids especially...

We were trying to get pictures of everyone, and as you can see we had a hard enough time with just the grand kids... my parents gave 31 pairs (including their own)... Don't you love how the tiny ones are trying to show their nicknames...

Tom's a good sport he put his on for pictures. He said they were made exactly for his body type. (You can laugh)

Me and the girls...... Lila (miss lila), Emme (Emme K.) and Zarley (nanny) with Andrew's butt... (drewby)

Canyon (cotton) and Olivia (Pecos)... Canyon has never liked Grandad calling him Cotton until tonight.... Now he likes it and does not want to come out of his "Cotton" pajamas ever!

Maddie, was so funny after about the 3rd person getting the exact same pajama's she said "are we all getting the same?" "I'm getting some of those?" She then started crying really crying because she was so excited to get this kind of pajamas she's always wanted them I guess... and the fact that we were all going to match with our nicknames on the back was too much for her... really real tears!! She's cute and easily pleased and I love that about her. The other thing that started last year is everyone chanting your name when its your turn, it is so funny to listen to the tiny ones join in or keep it going.

"Peace Good will toward Men"!

This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions... and this year was all the more fun, matching with your fun names to boot!! What are your favorite traditions???

6th day of Christmas

On the 6th day of Christmas....... I want to wish you all a "Merry CHRISTMAS" Does the whole Politically correct thing bug anyone else???? Why is it offensive to wish someone a Merry Christmas, and why in the Sam h*** does 80% of the country have to bow down to the remaining 20%!!! It drives me totally crazy... It is totally fine to wish someone Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah, but for the majority of us it is pushing our beliefs on to the rest to say Merry Christmas??? Seriously this kills me, a few years ago I went to help with reading groups at the school, we read a book all about Kwanzaa. I found it very interesting and was happy my daughter was learning what this holiday was about. Yet the very same year we are told we can not have a "Christmas" party because we can't use the word Christmas at school because it may offend someone what the crap?? Really what is the difference? Oh that's right the majority celebrate Christmas!! and really if someone said Happy Hanukkah to you would you be offended because you are not Jewish?? I will not ever bow down I will not send out cards that say Happy Holidays even... I make sure mine always say Merry Christmas.... at the end of my recital I had all the kids yell Merry Christmas. (that's what they said if anyone couldn't hear) and I certainly do not think it is offensive!! Remember a few year ago when the girl at West High sued the school because they sang Christmas songs... really! Ok I could go on forever, what are your thoughts on this??

12 Days of Christmas #5 (A Dash of Tom in the Blog!)

On the 5th Day of Christmas my question for you is...what do you put in your eggnog? Just kidding, the real question is what is your favorite Christmas food/treat?

Christmas Balls anyone?

On a less nasty note... I (Tom) loved the homemade suckers (cinnamon especially) my Mom would make at Christmas time. I love eggnog now, but think I hated it as a kid. I loved See's Candy butterscotch and chocolate lollipops and Almond Roca.

And to add a little more nostalgia to yesterday's post...here are a couple of my best Christmas presents received back in the 80s. Stomper 4X4s and Superman Underoos!!!!

12 Days of Christmas #4

On the 4th day of Christmas my question for you is.......
What was your favorite toy you got as a kid??
Tonight me and the kids were watching Santa Claus 2, in the movie he was giving adults presents that seemed to be their favorite childhood toy.... so I started trying to think of what would be the toy I would want from my childhood...... The first thing I thought of was "Baby Sneezy" as I called her, I got her twice I liked her so much. You would push her belly and she would sneeze oh man she was so cute. I tried to google her to post a picture, but couldn't find her. I did find out she was really called Bless you Baby tender love.... I found one or two that I thought looked just how I remembered her but they were plain Baby Tender love and did not sneeze. My other favorite was Rub-a dub dolly... I did find a commercial for her click here to enjoy it.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8J39BJiIB0
Watching this was so fun, I could remember all the words to the song, I had forgotten about the tug boat that came with her.... I got that same oh I want her so bad feeling....I can almost smell that new doll/toy smell that came with her. It was a total flash back you should try it with your old toys...... I wanted Rub-a-dub dolly in Kindergarten, my brother showed me her in my parents closet.......duh!!
Anyway my mom lucky enough was very quick witted and told me that because there had not been a lot of snow that year that Santa had asked all the parents to get the most important gift just in case he didn't make it his sleigh has a hard time without snow you know..... Way to go Mom!! ( amazingly I don't feel even a little bit lied to! I feel like good one I'll remember that)...
Here is my brother Troy, my dad, me and my mom.



Check out the sweet cardboard fireplace did anyone else have one of these?? Funny thing about this picture I had always thought the red tricycle was my brother Josh's.... if you look under the tree though there is the little school set, I remember that now looking at the picture, it had a little part that opened and it had chalk in it.... It was pretty cool.
Check out spirographics too good times..

Do you remember baby beans too?? That is a pretty cute little buggy I don't even have a small recollection of that.... Nice green shag carpet though...

I do need to mention roller skates and the barbie Star(and her friend Tracy) as well they were my all time favorites when I was like 3rd 4th grade age...... Star came in Roller skates in fact.... You know I was like one of the 2 best roller skaters on the East bench....
At least my friend I were convinced... they were having some kind of skating marathon contest one time that we didn't want to enter because we would beat everyone so badly... we wanted to spare every ones feelings....

Anyway here I am with a baby doll just like I said yesterday that little girls should want....

Tell me your favorite toys... then google them its pretty fun!!

12 days of Christmas Day 3

So I like getting all your comments, Christmas stories, ideas and opinions so I have come to a conclusion, I will do 12 Christmas Questions... so....
On the 3rd day of Christmas my question for you is......
What happened to asking Santa for regular old toys? You know baby dolls, lincoln logs etc. Do you ever wish we could go back to a simplier life??

At dance this month sometiems we play Santa's bag which is just a way to stretch, but we fill Santa's bag with our wishes. I am shocked by some of the things the kids this little ask for. I would say one of the top things I have heard people want including several 3 year olds is an Ipod.... 2nd a DS... I don't think anything is wrong with Santa bringing this, for my 13 year old, but don't little girls want baby dolls anymore?? One little girl who was about 6 is even asking for Call of Duty a fighting game that I don't even like my 13 year old boy to play(he does anyway). So really I have only heard a baby doll maybe a few times. What happened to barbies and make-up being more for the tween age, this is what most girls who are even asking for somewhat of a toy want. Don't get me wrong, I like the technology we have> I love blogging and shopping on line, and reserved movie tickets like everyone, but I love baby dolls, little girls should want baby dolls. When Mrs Claus makes you clothes for her and everything and even sometimes pajamas for you that matched the doll. Better yet that is all you asked for not this 14 page list. What have we done to our kids??

I myself would love especially at this time of year to go back in time. Where life was more simple where gifts were from the heart and not a gift card. Where little girls asked for Baby dolls!!

2nd day of Christmas...

Getting the Christmas Tree......

Ok so yesterday's debate was fun.... I like to hear peoples thoughts even though no one disagreed (that would have been too). I know some of you are out there!!

So today's question is real or fake?? (not boobs either your Christmas tree??)
If you have a fake tree do you have traditions still in decorating it or putting it up, or is it just something mom does while the kids are at school?? We always go as a family. I like to go for my Birthday usually, which my mom thinks is funny, because she always felt she had to keep Christmas and my Birthday separate... not me I love it so it's the best way to celebrate. This year however the older kids were still in Disneyland. So we went the next day. Hayden was super thrilled to do it, but wouldn't be left home either..... This year we all picked the same tree at the same time it was easy, like it was screaming our name. It must have been used to screaming something because once we got it home we realized it must have grown on the side of some hill totally crooked. (we love our little tree anyway Audrey!!).


So here she is... decorated and all.....

J/k we look like the Littles....



Don't the kids look great!! They had just gotten home from Disneyland, and I could wait no longer....
anyway, are traditions are... getting the tree together, Tom puts on the lights oh ya and puts it in the stand cutting it etc to try and straighten it out. This year we got a S. O. B..... which was a must every year in my home growing up, it was so nostalgic!!
Then the kids and I decorate it. Madz and Liv fight over the angel but this year Maddie remembered she did it last year and freely gave it to Olivia. They do still however try to get their own first year ornament the highest....
I think it is always fun and I like the time spent doing it together. We like to watch Christmas movies while we do it too.....
So lets hear your traditions or thoughts...