1m2aSandbox

I don’t know about anyone else, but
my house still looks as if Christmas exploded in it. I’m
trying to get a grip on the thing, but it’s not easy;
Brian’s on vacation this week and we’re trying to do
fun things as a family, so I hate to have him watch the kids while
I organize. And of course, housework waits for no one, so
I’ve piles of laundry to get to, grocery shopping to do,
meals to prepare – the usual list. So finding a place for all
the new toys keeps sliding down to the bottom of my
“to-do” list, much to the delight of my kids.


Yes, they’re thrilled that our living room floor looks like
the stock room of FAO Shwarz. Every morning they come downstairs
for breakfast, only to be reminded on sight of all their new toys,
which of course distracts them from eating and calls them to play.
I stand in the kitchen, ignored, until stomachs growl too loudly
and they look at me as if they can’t understand why their
breakfast isn’t waiting for them at the table.

I hope everyone’s holidays were
fabulous and low-key (I hear exhausted parents sniggering
everywhere at that – I myself was up to the wee hours
assembling Santa’s Thomas the Train set and table – but
that’s a different blog). We had a wonderful time, overall,
and I can’t wait to fill you in.


But before I do, I’ve got to share our Christmas Eve with
you, because it’s the story making the rounds of our family
table right now and I can’t keep this video to myself.

I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got
angel wings to attach to pageant costumes, sweet potato casseroles
to make, presents to wrap, train tables to sneak into the house,
and a birthday cake for Jesus to frost. So I'll see you on the
flip side of Christmas. I'll have lots to tell you; Maddie debuts
as an angel in her first pageant today, and Cora saw her first
"Nutcracker" last night - and that's all before the hullabaloo of
Christmas!


Have a joyous one, and we'll talk in a few days.

We’re still wrestling with the
potty-training issue and Maddie, but hopefully the end is in sight.


Maddie has peed in the potty for months now, never once using a
diaper. But she still insists on pooping in a diaper, and does so
deliberately. She’ll go through phases of pooping on the
potty – a day or two – then changing her mind
again.

We had our first party as a family this
weekend and survived to tell the tale.


The annual Christmas party Brian and I used to have was put on hold
when Maddie was born, and this was the first year we had the energy
to revive the thing. In years past it’s been an open house
starting around 9 p.m. and going to the wee hours, but this time we
kicked off at 10 a.m. and went right up to that immovable deadline
of naptime. Aside from the obvious problems, like re-thinking the
menu for brunch rather than Friday night nibbles, I was most
concerned with the logistics of having a party with little kids:
would our playgroup friends be comfortable around childless
co-workers, and vice-versa? Would the kids have a good time? Would
they wreck the house and leave it uninhabitable for adult
partygoers? Would Cora indulge herself in her current favorite
pastime – Taking Off the Pants?

We celebrated my sister-in-law’s
birthday recently by having her and her husband over for dinner.
Maddie and Cora both adore their aunt and uncle, and look forward
for any chance to hang out with them and show off all their tricks.
The minute they walk in the door the girls hang on them like
puppies, scampering around their feet and begging for attention.


Maddie’s been on a good streak with potty-training, using the
potty to pee all the time now and saving the diapers for “the
other stuff”. So when she said she needed to pee we hurried
off to the bathroom, leaving Aunt Nikkie and Uncle Daniel playing
with Cora. Maddie had been to gymnastics class that morning and had
refuse to take off her leotard and leggings, making the potty thing
a much more complicated affair than it had to be. Add to that the
fact that Maddie’s just learned how to put on her own leotard
and insists on doing it herself with laborious concentration, and
bathroom breaks were running a bit long that day.

We had our Angel Tree party volunteer
time, and I can say it was a success on many levels.


Our church offered to pull together gifts and a party for a local
Head Start class, and Maddie and I selected a little girl and got a
gift for her last week. When the party organizer told me we could
come volunteer at the event, I jumped at the chance for Maddie to
see charity and compassion at work – to see the face of the
little girl she’d “helped”.


I was only a little hesitant at going to the event; bringing an
18-month-old and a 3-year-old to a party is not always the wisest
course, especially when the party’s not for them. But Maddie
and I talked about the party, and I explained it was our chance to
give a fun party for other people and make other kids feel good for
a while. She seemed ok with that, so we went ahead. And I’m
really glad we did.