]]> http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2012/01/18/wordless-wednesday-hello-kitty/feed/ 1 http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2012/01/18/wordless-wednesday-hello-kitty/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mamabirdsblog/~3/KS2ZZYWs-1w/ http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2012/01/11/wordless-wednesday-not-much-has-changed-in-5-years/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:29:37 +0000 Mama Bird http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/?p=6711  

She still thinks she’s in control.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

]]> http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2012/01/11/wordless-wednesday-not-much-has-changed-in-5-years/feed/ 5 http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2012/01/11/wordless-wednesday-not-much-has-changed-in-5-years/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mamabirdsblog/~3/fugPuBuydIQ/ http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/2011/12/28/the-year-santa-almost-missed-our-house/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:40:06 +0000 Mama Bird http://www.mamabirdsblog.com/?p=6698  

Because of technology, we can now not only track Santa Claus as he circles the Earth, we can get personalized video messages from him and even iPhone updates to know whether we’ve moved from his naughty list to his nice list. Seems like a good idea, doesn’t it? Ever since Reagan has been old enough to know who Santa Claus is (just last year), we’ve been utilizing such technology to not only keep the magic alive, but also in that desperate attempt we all have as parents to encourage our children to behave if only just for one month of the year. But, what happens if they don’t?

For my parents, there was never any proof of which list I was on, so for all I knew, Santa had decided I was more nice than naughty and I got my presents Christmas morning. But, Reagan, and other children of the information age, are given actual PROOF of where they lie in Santa’s estimation.

Here is the video Santa sent Reagan just days before Christmas, letting her know she still has time to get on the nice list.

And then, there’s the old/new tradition just now becoming popular of the Elf on the Shelf. Last year, we introduced our own elf, because he was cuter and less expensive than the commercially-packaged one some smart housewife came up with a few years ago. And this year, he had a little helper join him. Because Reagan is such a handful, as I tell her, she needs TWO elves. She named her elves Chippy and Snowflake after the elves from the new Elf on the Shelf Christmas TV special that came out this year. Boy, is that woman building an empire.

Every day when Reagan would misbehave, I would ask her, “what do you think Snowflake (or Chippy) is going to have to tell Santa when she reports back to him tonight?”

“That I’m naughty,” she would sheepishly reply.

So, after daily reportings from the elves and a video from Santa saying Reagan is on the naughty list, what is a mom to do when Christmas Eve rolls around? Does Santa show up anyway? And, what does that teach my kid about consequences? And, why should she bother to behave at all next year if Santa’s going to give her presents anyway? That was the predicament I found myself in.

I was torn. Should Santa bring her the one thing she had been asking for since last Christmas and her birthday and asked for again this year – The Tangled Fairytale Tower? She had already opened all her other gifts from us and family, the only thing left to give on Christmas was what Santa would bring. Should I have Santa skip our house and leave Reagan with nothing new to find come Christmas morning? How damaging would that be to her little psyche. Would she think she was the only one Santa skipped?

After an entire night of going back and forth, I did the only thing I knew to do. I prayed for an answer. And immediately afterward, it came to me.

Santa would come, and leave Reagan a letter. The letter said, she was a very lucky girl. That even though she was on Santa’s naughty list, Santa knew she was really a good girl who just needed more rules. So, he decided to bring her her tower, and give her Mommy a list of 10 ways she could earn time to play with it every day.

Surprisingly, Reagan had no problem with the conditions Santa gave her. She was just happy to finally get her tower! She has yet to earn time to play with it, but managed to play with it anyway this morning while I slept in and Daddy was in charge.

Can I get another elf to watch over Daddy?

 
So now it would make it’s debut.

In my family, my Dad brought the tree out of storage, assembled it and hung the lights, then my Mom and us kids decorated it. That’s just how it was always done. So, why wasn’t Danny putting our tree up? And why did he seem annoyed when I asked him to please hang the lights? It seemed as natural to me as it was his job to take out the garbage and mine to do the cooking. Turns out, in Danny’s house, his Dad brought the tree in from the garage and his Mom did all the rest. I never knew. I wonder what I’ll learn ten years from now when we’re 50.

Not only is this our first tree together, it is our first Christmas apart. How we’ve managed that over the course of Danny’s career, I do not know, because it should be very difficult to get any Holiday off as a first officer. Looking back though, I can see how it has been our circumstances each time. Being furloughed from his job immediately after 9/11, our first year of marriage; being on active duty but given leave for the Holidays the following year; luck the third and fourth years; another activation with leave in the fifth; making Captain in the sixth, and then being on sick leave the seventh – tenth years. Seems it was his time.

So, this morning we celebrated Christmas by opening presents, and then Danny left for the airport at 1pm. We’ll be Skyping Christmas morning so he can see what Santa brings Reagan, and then home on Monday. It felt a bit strange opening presents before Santa arrived, but I’ll get used to it. I’m sure we’ll be Skyping through many more Holidays to come, including this New Year’s Eve.

On the bright side, Danny is back doing what he loves to do – flying airplanes. That makes this Christmas a very Merry one.

She thought it so nice, she wore it twice!

Tamales were a staple at Christmastime in my original childhood neighborhood in the city of Orange, CA. One of our dear neighbors and friends made them for everyone on our block at Christmas every year. I looked forward to unwrapping those tamales almost as much as unwrapping my gifts growing up.

We moved away when I was six years old, but the tamales remain one of my fondest memories of my first home.

Another of my favorite memories from my old neighborhood, was standing in the street at night in our pajamas with the rest of the neighbor kids to watch the fireworks display from Disneyland. We lived that close. We visited the park, probably once a year too. I was a lucky kid.

In November, I got to introduce my little girl to that part of my childhood I hold so dear by bringing her to Disneyland for the first time. Even though it’s been almost a month, the memories we made are still fresh in my mind.

Now I’m thinking of introducing her to another part of my childhood – Christmas tamales! I was inspired to do so by none other than the Disneyland Resort itself. Last year they unveiled the new seasonal temptation and tradition: festive tamales stuffed with masa and spices!

Disneyland’s seasonal tamales are the perfect compliment to their newest tradition beginning this year, of extending their Holiday Celebration to include Three Kings Day, also known as Día de Reyes from Jan. 8-12th.
 

 
What a great tradition to start this year with my family instead of the usual ham. Okay, maybe we’ll still do the ham on Christmas Day, and have a few tamales on Christmas Eve. We can always freeze the tamales for later too.
 
A Mouse and a Dream has produced a step-by-step video showing  how to make Disneyland’s delicious tamales…
 

 
You can also print out the official recipe for Disneyland’s chicken or vegetarian tamales at their website.

Do you have a traditional Holiday meal you serve your family every year or do you switch it up?
photo credit: foxflat

Disney On Ice’s Toy Story 3 brings the #1 animated movie of all time to life like only the magic of Disney can. All your favorite toys from Toy Story 1-3, including Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, make an appearance as they recreate the story of how they avoid Andy’s attic, and find themselves instead at Sunnyside Daycare.

As the newest Disney On Ice to tour the country, Toy Story 3 dazzles with its’ use of projection technology to bring you into each scene without elaborate sets. Many other special effects, creative use of scale and lighting make the ice show a truly interactive theater experience.

How much fun must it have been to be a costume designer for this show – the costumes are so elaborate and colorful! It will take your breath away how much like real toys the skaters are made to look, whether from plastic, wood or fabric.

And of course, all your favorite songs from the movies now have been choreographed for the ice. When Jessie skates to “When Somebody Loved Me,” from Toy Story 2, you’ll be reaching for the tissues just like in the theater. And watching Barbie and Ken boogie to “Le Freak” will make you want to get up and dance or you’ll find yourself swaying to the music of “Dreamweaver” in just a few of their multitude of pairs skating numbers.

If you liked Toy Story 3 on the big screen, you don’t want to miss it on ice when it comes to a city near you. Visit the Disney On Ice website for their upcoming show schedule and to buy tickets.

Disclosure: Feld Entertainment generously provided us with 3 tickets to see Disney on Ice presents Toy Story 3, however, all opinions expressed in this post are my own and were not influenced by stated compensation.

It shouldn’t have surprised me, but Reagan was no more interested in The Nutcracker Ballet than she is in watching Project Runway with me. Ideally, this tradition wouldn’t have started for a few years, knowing my daughter has trouble sitting through Alvin and the Chipmunks, but, when she insisted she wanted to quit ballet, I had to be sure she knew what she was giving up.

Anywhere where you have to sit or stand still for more than a minute is a challenge for Reagan, almost five now. We had to drop out of her first gymnastics class because of it. And we dropped out of her first preschool dance class because of it too. Then when her best friend started ballet last year, Reagan began begging me to let her take ballet with her. She wanted to wear the shoes, the leotards and the frilly tutus, no doubt. Who could blame her? What kid doesn’t look cute in a tutu? I admit I was happy she wanted to try because it was something I had quit at her age. Maybe she was ready?

I enrolled her in the Kindergarten ballet/tap class at our local Miller’s Dance Studio. We bought her the cute little outfits, the tap and ballet shoes… this was adding up! She better stick with it until she at least outgrows all this stuff!

No such luck.

That’s when I found myself  buying the $30 cheap seat tickets to the Colorado Ballet – in case we had to leave early. We got all dressed up – which Reagan loves doing – and I talked with her a good part of the way there about proper behavior. No jumping up and down or crawling all over the seats or patrons next to you. No talking, squealing or outbursts of any kind. And, that she had to sit through the entire show, if she wanted a “kerprise” Mommy had for her at home. Rewards always seem to work.

Except when they don’t.

Reagan started getting antsy somewhere in the first act. There was lots of moving around and LOTS of questions. I was so thankful for intermission, a chance to maybe get the squirreliness out of her. I tried to get her to pose for a picture that a patient young woman was so kind as to try to snap for us. But, Reagan instantly became a wet noodle at the sight of the camera. Never mind.

As we found our seats again for the second act, a young mother sitting next to us with her own two girls younger than Reagan tried to engage her asking her how she liked the ballet. I think she could see by the fact that Reagan refused to sit in her seat that we were having a bit of difficulty. Reagan just stared straight ahead and wouldn’t answer. I apologized and the woman nodded that she understood. But, did she? Her little girls sat curled up in her lap the whole time completely entranced by the beauty and elegance before them on the stage. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was jealous.

As the ballet continued, Reagan began telling me she was bored and proceeded to climb all over me trying to block my view. I apologized to the woman sitting on the other side of us with her family and she just smiled and said she knew what it was like as I wrestled with Reagan now trying to force my arms into awkward positions. Really? Was everyone just lying to me to make me feel better? Better than giving me dirty looks I guess.

Lots of climbing, a few unnecessary outbursts and thumping up and down on her theater seat later, the ballet was finally over. You may ask, “why didn’t you just get up and leave?” as my husband did. Well, we were seated in the very center of our row, and no one got up from that row without everyone else having to get up to let them by, and this was just not proper ballet etiquette to disrupt the performance in this way. Currently, the only people being disrupted were me and the people immediately surrounding us, who were all so very, very gracious.

I was mad. I was livid. There would be no kerprise when we got home. Which set Reagan to crying the entire drive there.

Once we were home and everyone had cooled down, I asked Reagan, “So, you didn’t like the ballet I guess then, right?” I’m so observant.

“I did like it and I didn’t like it,” she replied.

“Do you think you want to dance like that one day?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, how are you going to do that if you don’t want to go to dance class?”

“Right here, Mommy. At home. I learn to dance every day!” she exclaimed as she started to twirl around the room.

And that she does. To the beat of her own drum.