We made this today. I’m still in my pajamas because of it, the kitchen is loaded with dirty dishes, and there is glitter on every square inch of this house, including in Violet’s ears. Don’t ask.

Oh well. It was worth it.

Hi everyone. I took a break for awhile.

Here is what’s going on here.

I did some in-store Christmas shopping today. I am normally totally opposed to this. I sympathize for all those who work retail this time of year. My Mom has always been subjected to long hours, crabby and demanding customers with unrealistic expectations, and what I see as unfair pay for all the stress that comes along with the job.

This time of year just makes me gloomy when I enter stores, so I try to save myself the bad moods and shop online or before now. Today though, I went out anyway to get a few things I knew I had to get in-store, and while I ran into a few pleasant people, most were crabby. Could it be because they are buying carts full of crap made in China that nobody really wants or appreciates? It’s hard not to feel very alone this time of year. What I see as spoiling my kids this time of year would be laughable to the average American parent who is filling stockings and stuffing gifts under the tree.

I look to see if I can find anything Made in the USA. I found one thing. This.

It’s a mold for making snow bricks. I don’t even know if my kids will like it. I bought it on my annoying freaking principles.

Luckily there are lots of amazing online retailers who sell high quality, American made or Fair Trade toys. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rosie Hippo

For Small Hands

Nova Natural

A Toy Garden

Hazelnut Kids

Or, support all of the wonderful men and women making handmade and buy Etsy.

My wish is that everyone just consider buying a few higher quality toys instead of carts of cheap things.  Don’t get me wrong– Maren will be getting Connect 4 this year. I have no objections to some of this stuff.

Luckily, my 5 year old wants a lemon juicer and a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for Christmas. Now if I could only get her to ask for a new toaster and a stockpot….

Edited to add: I am very blessed to have parents and in-laws who really respect and honor our wishes. Both buy or make handmade for our girls or stick to a specific list and do not overindulge them. I know not everyone who parents the way I do is this lucky.  If you are not the descendants of these types of people, I encourage you to speak your mind in a peaceful and respectful way. After all, you are the one who will be stepping on loose parts in the middle of the night or shoving 32 gifts in the back of your mini van and wondering where in the heck you are going to put all that stuff.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Mother!

Maren– a Bear’s Cheerleader. My Mom made this as a Christmas gift last year. I talked Maren into wearing it. She did so reluctantly I discovered. She explained that at school yesterday all the kids talked about their costumes, but she was too embarrassed to tell what she was going to be (being that we live in Packer country!) Daddy went out today and got her new white tennis shoes, the only part of her costume she really was insistent on.

Violet– Strawberry Shortcake. My Mom made the red dress for my sister over 20 years ago. I made the petticoat and added the embellishments. I was still working on it at 2:00 this afternoon. Nothing like cutting it to the last minute!

Last Saturday I took 4 kids to the Farmer’s Market in Kenosha.

Many people looked at me with admiration and a few with looks of pity.

Mostly warm smiles. It made me want to have a big family.

We picked up a bag of apples from a farmer. The kids all taste tested and approved them.

Tonight I sliced one for Maren.

Maren: “Mom, these Vampire apples are delicious!”

Me: Vampire? What? Do you mean Empire?

Maren: No. I’m pretty sure I mean Vampire.

It took some convincing, but she finally agreed that maybe they were called Empire after all. But Vampire sounds so much cooler, so Vamprie it is.

My Maren listens. Is it normal for a 5 year old to remember the variety of the apple the farmer is selling to the mother at a Farmer’s Market 5 days earlier? I am sure she could tell you the town this man was from, what he was wearing, and probably his first name. Her attention to detail reminds me to bite my tongue, think before talking, and to do good to others. She is always, always watching.

It’s  getting cold here already.

It might be a long winter, but I am ready. Bring it Old Man.

We are converting part of the playroom into a large motor skills area. Here are the rings from the swing set. A rope ladder will go up next week too. I think Santa might want to bring a small trampoline with a handle for us.

Remember the Corn Table? That was a terrible idea in retrospect. I am still picking corn out of every nook and cranny possible. Corn would be a nice way to attract mice, which didn’t really occur to me until recently. So now I need a new filler for the table. Any ideas for me? Something larger in size than a kernel of corn please.

I took Niney away tonight.

Violet was sick last week with croup. She was a hot mess. So, so miserable. We became much more hooked on Niney after being sick, and I was so damn tired from her being sick that I didn’t have the fight in me last week to keep Niney in her bed– for bedtime only.

Tonight I took it away, or to be accurate, I didn’t give it to her at bedtime. I told her we left it in Green Bay (on our weekend visit to see family and a friend,) and that cousin Julie is going to give it to a baby in Green Bay.

I think she will hate Julie now. Sorry Julie. Someone had to be the bad guy.

If you think your kid can throw a fit, Violet will challange that kid to a duel. She will destroy your child. Violet will smash her head into hard objects. She will scream until she gets hoarse and turns purple. She will punch and kick and throw things around the room. She will win. She will win good.

The crying went on for about 45 minutes. She screamed “I NEED NINEY FOR MY MOUTH!” about 300 times. Jim patted her back finally until she surrendered.

You all are thinking, well surely tomorrow night will be easier. I beg to differ. Tomorrow might even be worse, and even the night after that.

I am buying 2 bottles of wine tomorrow!

She’ll throw it across the table and drink the syrup instead.

God help me. It might be a long day.

We have a new addition(s) to our family.

Meet Chester and Purple, our African Dwarf frogs.

It goes like this: Last week Eleanor, Mar’s best friend turned 5. Her mother is attempting to broaden her horizons and move past her love of dinosaurs. She suggested a Barbie. I found a cute brunette but my heart wasn’t feeling it as we tossed her in the cart.

Later we stopped into our local downtown toy store and found these.

Wild Creations Balanced Ecosystems.

The day before this I took both girls for a hike in the woods that went terribly bad. Violet was petrified and I had to carry her the whole way. Maren asked 1000 times if a bear was going to eat us. Our frog hunting expedition was seriously a failed adventure, mainly because both kids were shaking in fear and couldn’t look more than 2 inches ahead of their faces.  These pre-caught frogs are perfect.

I really think girls need science and this aquarium is a great simple lesson in ecosystems.  The water only needs to be changed a few times a year, and the frogs get fed 2 times a week. The special gravel acts as a natural biological filter that converts the excess food and waste into nutrients that are used by the bamboo.

We purchased one for Eleanor, and one for us. I know I sound like a salesman for this company, but I promise I am not. (However, if they wanted to send me Betta fish to review I would happily do so.)

So far both Chester and Purple are doing well and the girls love having them on their bookshelf. If you are looking for a way to introduce a low maintenance pet into your home that allows for simple learning, this is for you!

(Nevermind the blue plastic frog on top. Maren added him there for asthetics.)

Here is my mini Kat Von D.

She managed to get one whole arm done while I was in the bathroom, and happily was working on the second before I got the camera out.

“I so pretty Mommy! *I paint me arms!”

*She often talks like an Irish woman.

Tomorrow Maren turns 5.

I’ll write my traditional sappy post later, but tonight I’m going to share photos of her party.

Every other year we have a party here. On even numbered years we are in Monroe for Cheese Days. It has now become normal to have these parties with no family in attendance.  I do miss all of our family, but I feel so lucky to have such great friends who surround us with love and affection and care for our kids as if we were related.

My only hope it that on her 7th birthday we will be in a house with a bigger yard. Your guest list should never be limited by the size of your lot!

This year we decided to show a backyard movie(Muppets Take Manhattan) with the theme being “Movie Star Glam.”  Maren was of course involved in every step of the project, even when I didn’t particularly  want her to be.

We put this party together on a dime. I was able to make a lot of the decorations, and the rest I purchased at Micheal’s with coupons. The red fabric was something I inherited from Jim’s Grandma. I have come this close to tossing it out a dozen times. The only splurge was the popcorn machine, and I was able to rent it for half the normal cost just by asking nicely.

Jim put the screen/sheet up with a little creativity and a few clamps. He’s awesome. You could have bounced a coin off that thing.

The kids were given 6 tickets to use to “purchase” cupcakes, popcorn, candy, Sprecher, or juice.

After the night was over, I asked Maren tonight what her favorite part was, and she said, “Spending time with my wonderful family at my awesome-special party.” The child knows what to say to make Mom and Dad feel good. All the work is worth it– every second.  This child is so appreciative. I’m very lucky.