Dash's Arrival

I have been waiting almost 6 weeks for tonight. 

Tonight when we got home from skating there was a knock at the door.  When we went to see who it was we found Dash, our Christmas Elf (Elf on the Shelf).

We took him upstairs to find out was in his backpack.

It was a letter.

Dear Lynden and Alyssa

This is Dash; he’s a Christmas Elf from the North Pole.  He is 736 years old and works in the kitchen.  He has a sweet tooth; he loves chocolate, candy, marshmallows, and everything else sweet.  He enjoys working in the kitchen adding a special ingredient to everything he makes; a dash of love.

I have asked Dash to stay with you for a while and let me know if you have been naughty or nice, I hope you’ve been nice. 

In the old days Dash would come back to the North Pole every night to let me know how good you’ve been but with new technology we can now talk through the moon.  So, it’s very important that every night Dash sits at a window so we can talk. 

When I come on Christmas Eve Dash will be coming home with me to the North Pole. 

I should warn you, Christmas elves like to have fun.  Please help clean up any mess he may make while he’s staying with you.  It’s a good way to stay on the nice list. 

Santa Clause

Lynden's very excited (phew!).  He instantly asked if Dash could sleep in his bed with him, to which Danny reminded him that Dash needs to sit on at a window so he can Santa how good he's been. 

Once Lynden understood the letter and what everything was all about Lynden took Dash into his room, read him a story, gave Dash his Mickey Mouse blanket, gave him all Lynden's favourite toys, and put Dash to bed.  After Dash woke from his 30 second nap Lynden carried Dash everywhere. 

He is fascinated that either Santa or Dash (we're not sure which one) knocked on the door, he wants to know why Dash doesn't talk, and even Alyssa seems to take a brief liking to the elf (she grabbed him from Danny and shook him). 

Now I'm not saying Lynden's acting different because of our new friend but tonight Lynden ate all his dinner without a peep. 

Before Lynden went to bed we had to put Dash at a window so he can talk to Santa. 

I think Dash should be giving Santa reports of a good boy today.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post our elf likes to have some fun.  Can't wait to see what he has planned for tonight.

If you participate with Elf on the Shelf I'd love to see what your elf does.

Someone's Coming!!!!!!!!

Ok, I said Thursday I'd post about Lynden's new friend who is coming to stay with us but I just can't wait anymore.  I've been SO excited about this since I learned about it back in mid October. 

But I should start at the beginning.  I am a Pinterest addict and through this horribly wonderful site I discovered something called Elf on the Shelf.  Basically it's an elf that comes and stays at your house, for however long you decide, watches the children, and reports back to Santa if the children have been naughty or nice. 

Brilliant!

It gets better. 

The original story doesn't allow for the children to touch the elf, as he may lose his Christmas magic.  Every night the elf travels to the North Pole and comes back, meaning every morning the elf is somewhere different. 

Over the years the elves have become more than an elf who sits on a shelf, they've created some mischief.  If you google Elf on the Shelf ideas you gets thousands of different things elves have done. 

This year is our first year with our elf and Lynden has No idea he's coming.  Our elf is going to be mischievous.  I cannot not wait for our elf to arrive on Wednesday; he'll be waiting at the door when we get home from skating. 

As excited as I am for our new friend to stay with us I'm also a little worried that he'll scare Lynden. Thankfully the elf has some tame things planned for this year, hopefully easing any scariness.  The only thing that would be worse than Lynden being scared of him is Lynden having no interest in it. 

I am really hoping this becomes a tradition that we all love and look forward to every year.

My Week Off

I've been a little completely slack on my blog this last week.  Lynden finally started to get back to his normal self after his cold only to have Danny get sick followed by me.  Thankfully I only had 1 utterly useless day. 

November has been a busy month for us with Lynden's swimming and skating lessons.  3 nights a week we're out.  Last week, on top of Lynden's lessons and various colds, Danny and I went out for a very nice dinner, Lynden and I went to a craft fair, I had a girls' night out (board games at a friends place), and we separated the kids' rooms.  I've also started on my (now) annual calendars for the grandparents.  The kids also had professional photos done; I'm Really happy how they turned out and can't wait to get the prints the week after next. 

Alyssa also took another tumbled down the stairs.  Thankfully she was fine, just a little carpet burn on her nose, but still was scary as we ran down the stairs to check on her.  She spent the week practicing standing up on her own; she's getting pretty good.  She's walking around with her walker toy or holding onto furniture.  I've been saying for a while now she'll be walking by Christmas (we have 4 weeks to go so we'll see if I'm right.  I was close with my crawling prediction).

To say I was a bit busy was an understatement.  I didn't even do my weekly Pinterest post.  I'm going to try to be better this week but I won't promise.  We've had a last minute trip come up for this weekend so I need to start prepping for that too as well as try to finish off all the calendars before we go if possible. 

I'm also preparing for a new friend of Lynden's to arrive this week.  Look forward to reading all about it Thursday!

Guilty Pleasure Songs

On Friday a bunch of us (family) went to Feist, and we went in STYLE!  A limo was rented and a party was happening.  We cranked the tunes, sang, they drank, laughed, and had a Great time.  Although Feist was a bit of a bust we all had an evening to remember.

My sister's Iphone was our music and even though I prefer heavier music I knew 99% of the songs played.  It got me to thinking of my guilty pleasure songs. 

I didn't know the name of this song (although it's obvious) or the artist.  I saw him perform this song on Ellen and damn it's catchy.  Guess that's the point.

This song came out when I was working in a warehouse with a bunch of delivery boys who love pop music.  I would never have heard this song if it wasn't for them

This video is Cheese.... but I love the song

After I added this song I took Lynden for a haircut and this was playing on the radio. 



I went and bought this album because of this song.  I don't know what it is about the song but I Love it!



This is another one that I just love.  I am tempted to buy the CD just so I can have the song.

What are your guilty pleasure songs?

SNOW!

Um... Mother Nature I moved away from the Okanagan.  I should not be able to see white on the ground, not yet.  It's not allowed to snow until after my birthday so you are early.  I am not impressed. 

However, I see the Okanagan is getting it's snowfall too.  I've heard close to a foot the other night and they have a snow warning for 10cm today.  Oh, I miss the Okanagan, I really do.  I like my warmth but the snow is pretty (the first day when it's all white and clean.  After that it's slush and I don't like slush). 

Seeing snowflakes falling from the sky last night made me think of the snow last year.  The Okanagan didn't get as much as I was expecting but it felt like more.  Normally I'd have a man around to snow the driveway but with Danny living on the coast I was solo pregnant mama who had to get to work, which meant shovelling the driveway. 

I'm not posing, I was shovelling
Alyssa was born 2 days later

Thankfully I had an eager helper. 

He loved helping.  When I was using the shovel he would take his beach toys and Tonka dump truck out and pile show into the back of the truck, push it to the side, and dump the truck. 

Thankfully Danny can shovel this year, with Lynden's help of course!

Five Question Friday - Nov 18

1. Do you have a song that always puts you in a good mood?
"Make It Wit Chu" by Queens of the Stone Age

This is one of my favourite QOTSA songs.  It makes me want to dance around the house, which I have...many times.  Part of it is me picturing what Josh Homme playing this song.  I've seen them 3 times and when Josh Homme plays he dances and it's amazing.  It's going to sound gross but it's very hot, his dancing is like he's making love to his guitar.  OH.MY.GOD! 
I really should see them again...
I think I am going to spend the day listening to QOTSA!  It's a good way to get in the mood to see Feist tonight... right?

2.  Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake tree?
I'm a real Christmas tree kinda person, but we've had fake for years.  This year I tried to talk Danny into a real tree but I don't think I'm going to succeed.  Our fake tree is looking sad, so maybe if I point it out enough this year I can get a real tree next year. 

3.  What are you thankful for?
Family!  I know it's the easy go to answer but everyday I am so grateful to have them in my life.  I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

4.  What fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?
I'm not sure.  I'm not fashionably inclined in any way.  I wish I was. 

5.  Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the tank?
No, I don't like the needle getting anywhere near the 'E'.  My last car was a 1991 Cavalier... and it was a P.O.S, but it was my first car (I've only been driving for 2.5 years) so it was what I knew.  Danny had told me many times if the fuel light came on I'd have so many KM before I had to get gas, but to go directly to a gas station. 
One day in the summer I was out in Vernon picking up Lynden from daycare, which would be fine except I knew I would be running low on gas by the time we got home and Danny had the bank card so I'd have to make it home before I could get gas.  At the time we were having serious issues with the coolant and the car overheating.  You could not idle at a light for 5 minutes or the car would be smoking.
Well, getting out of Vernon involves sitting at lights and I mistimed it, badly.  I was also in the left lane and you can't turn left off the main road in Vernon, so I had to cut across traffic to get off the road while the car was smoking.  (Lynden learned a bad word that day).  I was already flustered over this and wasn't thinking about gas until I got to the last light before home, which of course was red.  When the light turned green I really had to step on the gas to get the car to move... GREAT!  1 light from home and I might not make it.  To make things worse to get into our complex we had to turn left off the main highway, which can sometimes take 5 minutes for traffic to clear. 
The whole time I sat there I kept thinking "I am home, I can see the driveway, and I might not make it".  Finally there was a break in traffic and I could turn.  I put the pedal to the medal and the car chugged and chugged.  I'm over 1 of 2 lanes, with traffic coming at me, and the car's still chugging trying to decide if it's going to make it.  As traffic is getting closer the car finally decides it's going to go.
It was probably 5-6 seconds but it felt like 5-6 minutes. 
I never let it get to 'E' because the low fuel light never came on during any of this. 

Alyssa May Be My Favourite

As a parent it's our job to comfort our children, when they're hurt, scared, or just need a cuddle.  A lot of time when they're crying we want to sing to them.  This is unfortunate for my children; I may know the words but I cannot carry a tune for the life of me. 

When Lynden was a newborn (I should point out newborns are tone deaf) would cry when I would sing to him.  Danny didn't believe me so we took turns singing a song and Lynden would listen when daddy sang, but cried when mommy sang.  True story.  So I took to humming to Lynden, which he liked. 

Now he's seems to be tone deaf because he asks me to sing songs quite often.  Poor kid. 

Isn't That Pintresting - Nov 17

Lynden's been sick all week, Alyssa's not sleeping well, I've got a kink in my back that's irritating, so I've been a little slack on the blog this week.  I've made up for it in Pinterest though.  I even emailed Pinterest with the suggestion of adding a "Holiday" category as I don't know what to categorize all my holiday boards. 

Here's what I've been pinning this week. 



2x4 Growth Chart
I love this
Growing up we had a growth chart on my grandparent's wall
but they had a fire and it was painted over
This is great, you can take it when you move



Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Christmas Lights
These are awesome!

The Dead Sea
One day I want to float in The Dead Sea

Coconut Pancakes
Lynden has discovered he loves coconut
and he loves pancakes, so in theory this should go over well
but I learned mixing 2 favourite foods doesn't always work.
I'll never forget the tears over hot dogs and mac and cheese

Snowman
Hahahaha





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Stolen Moments With My Daughter

Lynden's been sick since Saturday, which has led to some fairly long naps for him.  On Monday he took a nap that was just under 3 hours, Alyssa did not nap for that long.  She was up and in a playful mood. It was really nice to just have a chance to watch her "play" without Lynden "helping". 

She spent a fair amount of time with Lynden's books, she would pick them up, turn them over, flip them over her lap, pick them up again, and try to get them to stand up.  It was nice to be able to watch her brain work as she tried to figure out how to get the books to do what she wanted them to do. 

At one point she spotted me watching her, to which she grinned and gave me a few grunts (meaning "I see you").  She would go back to her book project but look over every few moments to make sure I was still watching her.

Isn't That Pintresting

We've had some major computer issues and I wasn't able to get Pinterest to work for most of last week and this week.  After the one tower completely died we set up our old tower and viola!  Pinterest works again!!  I'm So happy!

I had a lot to catch up on, and here's my favourites of the week:

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
What's not to like?

Sock Snowman
Too cute for words
I think this is on my to-do list



Folgers Labels
This is brilliant!!

Wedding Ring Imprint
I think this is sweet
Great for husbands who lose their rings ;-)



Prague
Another place I'd love to go



Raspberry Ice Cubes
So summery

Rolled Christmas Cookies
I suspect a new "friend" might be making these next month

Common Cooking Mistakes
This was interesting

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Wordless Wednesday - Nov 9

Over the weekend we went to a birthday party for 2 of Lynden's cousins.  Both Lynden and Alyssa enjoyed the ball area.

I Continue To Love

I've done a few posts about things I love about my kids (you can read them here and here), and they continue to make me love them more and more with the small things.  Here's some more things I love about my kids:

Lynden:

• How he has to hug and kiss Alyssa before she goes to bed
• He tells people not to beep because "sister is sleeping"
• When eating he'll randomly lean over, rub my arm, and say "I wove you mommy" (still not pronouncing his l's, which is fine by me)
• He's a daddy's boy except at night. 
  If Danny's home he wants daddy to do anything and everything with him.  I'm not even allowed to put him to bed at night if daddy's home, but if it's the middle of the night and he comes into our room he's all about mommy.
• How quickly he picks things up.  After swimming lessons grandma, who comes to most, said she had to go home to cook dinner for grandpa.  Lynden said "or you could buy it".
• When he wakes up in the morning, before Alyssa, he closes the baby gate so "sister doesn't fall down the stairs".  He's even done it when he wakes up in the night and we're still in the livingroom.
• He loves putting money into his piggy bank
• When he reads me books
• When he's doing something he'll say "I missing sumfing" and goes and gets something
• He has to run laps around the house when he's naked
• He points out the firetrucks everytime we drive by
• The way he looks so big sometimes.  He's not my baby boy anymore, he truly is a big boy

Alyssa:

• How excited she gets when you ask her if she wants milk or food
• She follows Lynden and I into the bathroom
• If you look at her when she's playing and she catches you she gives you the biggest smile and giggle
• When she eats her cheeks look like she's squirreling away food
• When she's in the pool she tries to crawl on top of the water
• She has no fear (which was not a good thing when she tried to crawl down the stairs when the baby gate was left open.  The next time someone went down the stairs she was at the baby gate standing and waiting)
• How she giggles when I put my cold hands on her belly when changing her diaper
• When you're playing with her and Lynden leaves the room you can tell her "go get Lynden" and she goes after him
• When you put her down at sleeping time (naps and bed) she grabs for her blanket and chews on the corner.  It's not uncommon to check on her and she's sleeping with her blanket in her mouth
• How she sits on her knees.  It's easier for her to get back to crawling
• When she giggles for no reason

holding hands at the pumpkin patch

Sisters

Today my sister turns 25, and I love bugging her about it (she's constantly saying that 25 is almost 30, to which I remind her 30 is half way to 60).  Sorry sis, but we're all getting older.  Better to be getting older than not. 

My sister is an amazing woman and I am so proud of who she's become.  Even though I'm the older sibling, and in regard to birth order we're where we're suppose to be, she's the one who I look up to. 

When we were kids we didn't get along much, like most siblings, and we hung out in very different crowds (she was a cool kid, I was not).  I was picked on for most of my school years and it was my sister who would step in and save me, even though she was about a foot shorter than I was. 

What Would You Do?

Awhile back there was a video floating around on Facebook that caught my attention. "The Today Show" staged an abduction of a 7 year old girl in public to see what people would do.  You can watch the clip here. 

To say I was stunned doesn't even come close to it.  People thought someone else would help so no one did anything.  Really?!?!?  You hear a young girl yelling "you're not my daddy.  Someone help me" and you think "someone will help that girl" and keep walking.  This is not right!

In elementary we were taught about Stranger Danger and what to do.  We were taught yelling "you're not my dad (or mom)" is the best thing to do because someone will hear us and help.  Yet that all goes right out the window because someone else will help??

As a parent this is a terrifying thought.  If one of my kids is yelling for help I'd hope someone would help, or at least see what the problem was. 

After watching this clip Danny and I got to talking about what we would do.  We both said we'd stop and see what the problem was but then I asked him a follow-up question that stumped him (and I) a bit. 

Five Question Friday - Nov 4

1. What movie do you love to quote?
None come to my mind.  When we were in highschool any chance we had to recite Delirious by Eddie Murphy we did. 

2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
No, but I could have... once.  I don't know many people with motorcylces so it's not an opportunity that comes up. 
But my once story is kind of interesting... to me.  A few months after Danny and I had started seeing eachother I was sitting at the bus stop after work when a very cute guy and a few of his friends got stopped at the light.  I kept looking at the one guy because he looked a lot like a singer from a local band.  I guess he caught me looking at him and offered me a ride on his bike.  I considered his offer but decided against it. 
That was my one chance to ride a motorcycle.

3. What's your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?
I love listening to the sound of rain, especially when it's pouring.  It was something I missed when we lived in the Okanagan.  My absolute favourite thing to do when it's raining is settling on the couch and watching movie, but with kids that doesn't happen in the middle of the day anymore.  So now we play with playdoh, race cars, etc.

4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one really big (expensive) gift?
It doesn't really matter to me much, I prefer the thought that goes into a gift no matter the size.  Although a pair of nice earrings is a small gift right??  ;-)

5. Do you ever lose track of days and end up somewhere wrong?
I lose track of days easily, but thankfully have never shown up anywhere wrong before.  I always seem to have markers that tell me what day it is, when I do need to know (like swimming, Danny's work schedule, etc).

Isn't That Pintresting

I'm having some blogger issues - I don't know what the problem is, but I'm going to make this short and sweet.  Here's what I've been pinning:

Shadow box of baby's homecoming
LOVE this idea

Cinnamon roll cookies
Danny would love these

Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made this this week, they're pretty good
I'd add more pumpkin and 1/2 cup less of chocolate

Snowman Ornaments
There are too cute

Black dress
This is stunning

Penne with roasted asparagus and balsamic butter
this looks so yummy

I didn't get my Halloween bag for Lynden done :-(  I was going to go on halloween to get all the supplies but when I asked Lynden what he wanted to go trick or treating with he said his pumpkin.  I decided it wasn't worth the fight to get him to take a bag I had made.  So, I'll make each kid their own next year and we may carry them while they use pumpkins.





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Update: For some reason my linky tool isn't working this week (I've done it a few times and nada) - but I'm still having some computer issues so I think it's me. 

If you have a Pintrest post add your link in the comments and I'll be sure to check it out.

Our Halloween

Lynden's been looking fowards to Halloween for a few days now.  He likes the idea that he just has to knock on someone's door, say "trick or treat", and people will give him candy. 

So, Monday was spent holding him off from running out the door to go.  I told him the sun has to start to go to bed before we can go (on a side note: I'm not looking forward to day light savings.  Lynden knows he HAS to stay in bed until the sun wakes up, which is around 8am.  With our clocks going back an hour that's 7am... not hapy). 

Dany was able to get off work early, and my sister had the day off so she decided to come out and meet up to come to the local mall for their trick or treating in the afternoon.  Off we went, Lynden in his James costumes and Alyssa bundled up for the brisk walk to the mall.