Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 3

My TT is so good at spying Eli...it's crazy!  This morning I brought Mad Man down and T said she was staying upstairs. So I finished changing Mad Man's diaper and was coming out of the bathroom to be startled by T, still on the stairs excitedly pointing out where Eli was! She scared the life out of me! I had Eli holding a newly broken Olaf in a Frozen sled. T got a kick out of it. M was mad because he wanted his Olaf back!  I am going to super glue Olaf tonight and pretend that Eli fixed him...I will leave a little note!

Mad Man's Potty Mouth

It is common knowledge that I am not a sailor. I do however, on occasion, speak like one. For the most part I have been able to keep my obscene language a secret from my kiddos. Instead I say silly things like "holy moly guacamole" or "WT". It has been pretty effective. That is until my buttons are pushed to their limit and "dammit" comes out of my mouth. I didn't realize that I uttered it at all, but I'm guessing I say it more than I think because my Mad Man has mastered its use. One night a few months ago I was getting his bath ready and I heard him struggling with something in the living room. Lo and behold upon my entrance to the living room he was stamping his little yarn tangled foot repeating "dammit" over and over. Oops. While it was quite amusing to witness I decided I didn't want my two year old using such explicative words!  He continued to use his new phrase on a pretty consistent basis. Slowly I was able to phase it out by getting him to say "oh pickle juice" instead. Thank you Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

I had a few weeks with no shocking words emerging from those sweet innocent lips. Until last week. At the dinner table Mad Man dropped the F -bomb. Not once or twice, but several times, and he used it correctly.  How? How did he learn to use that word to express his anger, his frustration? I was shocked and certainly didn't know what to say. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it for fear that he would enjoy the attention and cherish his new found obscene word. I responded with something like, "we don't say that word in our family"; lies,lies,lies. The question remains "where did he pick up his new favorite word?" Was it Hubby? Poppi man (whom I questioned because he ha spent the day with the little man; he was mortified that I even asked)? I may never know where he picked up his new word, and really does it matter? It is my job now to erase this word from his current vocabulary. Wish me luck; I think I'm going to need it. Dammit. 

High: The skills my Mad Man has with the complicated English language...I'm really stretching here!

Low: The shattered innocence when my little man curses. 

No Whine November

I needed a catch phrase. The whining in my house has reached new levels since T's entrance into kindergarten. I know she is tired. I know she has to be good all day. I know that she acts out at home because that is her safe place. However, all of these things put together really don't alleviate the frustration I experience when the incessant whining begins. Mad Man certainly has picked up on the power of the whine. So, now it is multiplied. That certainly doesn't help the situation. Neither does yelling. Neither do time outs. Enter my catchphrase. I used it on a daily basis as a means to quell the oncoming barrage of whines. For the most part it worked. If nothing else it kept me from losing my cool (99% of the time!). I relied on the phrase and using it provided me with the opportunity to take a breath and collect myself. Now it hasn't cured my kiddos of the use of the whine but it has helped to abate it...somewhat. 

High: Feeling like I conquered a feat (however minuscule it may be!). 

Low: Listening to the sound of whine after whine with no visible end in sight. 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 2

There are so many reasons to love this thing! Tonight I overheard Tare Bear talking to Eli, sharing her Christmas wish list with him. It was so cute and reaffirmed in me how important it is to make each day as magical as can be. They won't believe in this forever, and I am really going to try to stay cognizant of this harsh reality and embrace every opportunity to bring the magic of the season (and really of life) to them. Thank you Elf on the Shelf!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 1

It's that time of year again. Sadly, it seems that since my return to teaching last September my blog has certainly lost momentum. This is not due to a lack of fodder but merely a lack of time to write. Anyway, I love the whole Elf on the Shelf concept and process so I will MAKE myself post. 

This year I knew right where Eli was packed. We are storing many totes and boxes at my parent's house because we have our house on the market. Inevitably this fall whenever I went to look for something in our "storage" room I found the Elf on the Shelf box. Luckily, I was somehow able to keep it hidden from the kiddos. So, Eli was able to make his debut this year unscathed! The one issue I am having is that I can't seem to find the Elf on the Shelf movie on TV, and the book is yet to be unpacked, so Mad Man really has no clue about it (specifically the not touching him aspect). For now I will have to keep Eli well out of reach! I am going to buy the movie tomorrow just to aid in this endeavor!

T found him right away this morning and was so excited!  And so it begins...