Christmas Box

Isn't it true every year? After all the Santa booty is explored and all the gifts are open, there is one item that all the kids just can't ignore. The shape may change. The use may change. But the item never does. The Christmas Box.

Santa Success!

The third time's a charm, or so "they" say.

Our first visit with Claus, she opted to stay in her stroller, screaming that she did not want to go. She later would tell multiple people that she sat on his lap. Umm-mm, what?

Then, she spent an entire brunch pointing at him, talking excitedly about him, calling him over, then refusing to sit in his lap or even to talk to him.

Finally, Zoo Lights. Mrs. C was there, and I honestly think this made all the difference. After all, she had spent most of December reciting the line from Rudolph, "Eat, Santa. EAT!" and pointing out that no one else around town looked like the real Mrs. Claus.

KW visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and even had her picture made with them. She was so cute and sweet, and she made her one request in that cute little voice, "Presents for me."

Hammer Time

One thing I tend to do with some regularity is to begin on a course that I know has serious obstacles to successful completion, but to start out anyway. I always think I can just deal with it as it comes. So, when we got to the last day of school before Christmas, and I had not yet made fudge with Lee for our Advent unit, I just went for it. The only obstacle was that the kids were really close to that moment where lunch has been delayed too long (read: meltdowns are imminent).

We made the fudge, and I put it in the freezer. I could have chosen the fridge. I could have left it sitting out while we ate, then stuck it in the freezer when we were close to finishing (I actually thought of that idea several days after the fact). But we put it in the freezer. After all, I needed to get lunch on the table.

And, it froze. When tried to put cookie cutters in it, nothing happened. After trying several kitchen tools, I sent Lee for the hammer that came in his tool bench. He returned from the playroom, and we got down to business. It took a long time, but he was so proud to unveil his dessert at the family Christmas a couple of days later.

Navigator

Lee has really gotten into maps in the last six months. At the zoo, he hardly looks up when we arrive at an exhibit, because he is busy selecting our next location. So, it did not surprise me when he snagged the schedule of events at Stone Mountain Christmas. He announced our first activity was to visit the Snow Angel. Once he got up there, it took him a minute to warm up to her, but he was really happy about his visit when she gave him a Hershey Kiss at the end. (Needless to say, KW did NOT participate.)

Now, Santa was a completely different story. (KW still did not participate.)

He jumped right in and told what he wanted - a pair of gloves, a pair of mittens, and a candycane. Santa tried to get some others ideas out of him, and finally got him to say he would like some surprises.

This was a strangely freeing and scary request.

Family Project

How do you get your kids to sit inside on a beautiful day while you watch Game Day for the SEC Championship? A family project, of course! A couple of months ago, my sister delivered a bookshelf to me from Memphis, and we converted it for our school room. We converted another bookshelf the same way for KW's room a while back, and this one proved to be just as entertaining.

They are dying for me to play "Galloping Horse", but that is Daddy's special game.

Rudolph, making sure I am able to have as much room as possible to work. :)

Clear Instructions

Several years ago, I went through a communications training at work. One of the exercises was to sit back-to-back with your partner. One person would look at a simple picture and give instructions to the other person on how to draw it without saying what any of the objects were in the picture. For example, I would say, "Draw a circle with lines coming out all around it in the upper left corner of the paper," to indicate my partner should draw the sun in the upper left corner. Except for a few cases, the exercise illustrated that we need to be much more clear in our communication to ensure that others know what we are really trying to ask them to do.

It did not surprise me, therefore, when I asked Lee to cut out the "e" and "i" the other day, and I turned around to find him very carefully cutting out each letter.

I had meant for him to cut the paper in half. It would have been helpful if I had said that.