Christmas Eve

We got on the road just before noon, putting us at the Lodge at 10-'til-one. Not as early as I'd hoped, but early enough. Check-in isn't technically until 1600, but I'd been assured that we could go to the waterpark and have fun until our room was ready. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary, as our room was ready when we got there. We lugged in all our stuff - a ridiculous lot for merely one night - up to the third floor Wolf Den we'd rented for the kids. Here's Jack climbing the walls outside the den. 

Unlike last time, there were only three beds in the kids' "room," so the kids had to draw straws to determine who would sleep on the pull-out couch (which we never pulled out) next to our bed, instead of being able to sleep in the Wolf Den. Sophie drew the short straw, but rather than be sad, she was happy when I put the spin on it that she "got to" sleep next to Mom and Dad!

We were on a different floor, on the opposite side of the hallway from last time, so I was a little disoriented at first. The kids wanted to visit the Cub Club first, and we got lost on our way there. We passed this pretty little table decorated for Christmas, and I couldn't resist taking the picture. Rob laughed at me for that, but I don't care. I barely decorated our home this year, so it was nice to see.

When we finally made it to the Cub Club, the kids pounced on this little "white" tree frog. He barely moved at first; I wasn't sure he was real! I don't know if he's an albino (don't think so, since he IS green) or what, but he was pretty cool.

The kids rushed right to the toyboxes in the Cub Club and began taking everything out at once! Just like home...

The kids all love musical instruments of all kinds, and even these toy ones fit the bill. They were rockin' out!

Jack River has a sixth sense about where to find the cars and trucks in any new place, even when he can't see them. He just motors right over to where they are and conducts a quick inventory of what's available, before choosing which ones to play with. This boy has a one-track mind!

Sophie playing schoolteacher

The shopping carts are always popular with my crew.

For this trip, the kids participated in GWL's free program, "North Pole University," wherein they had to complete five tasks and get a stamp for each. When they filled up their stamp card, they turned it in for prizes. The first task was to color a picture for the coloring contest in the Cub Club. Jack scribbled through his to get it done and get back to his trucks! Sophie colored her reindeer pink, and Sophia diligently concentrated on making hers the best picture ever. I have no idea if they won the contest, but they received their stamps, at least!

The next task was to go to the Front Desk and borrow a family game, take it to our room, and spend some time playing the game together. We logged a whopping 12 minutes on the game before it told us to "Stop" (it was a really dumb Kangaroo game), but hey, the kids got their stamps!

Chloë glaring at me from her top bunk in the Wolf Den in our room

Back down the hall again, here's a view of the then-closed shop on the main floor of the Lodge, from upstairs on our floor

The kids loved all the "pieces" they found to the MagiQuest game at the Lodge, which we didn't play. They were really intrigued by that, so if we ever go back, we'll have to play the game. It'll be something new, at least. I must confess, the extreme excitement I felt before, during and after our last trip in April was missing for this trip. Maybe it's because I'm sick, maybe it's because we didn't really have the money to do any extras this time, or maybe it's just the "Been There, Done That" syndrome. I'm ready for something new, something different next time.

The view of the Christmas-bedecked lobby from above, on our floor. It was beautimous!

Normally on Christmas Eve, our tradition is to go to the candlelight service at church and then come home and open stockings. We didn't do either this year, because my dad said he bought and filled stockings for the kids, so I didn't bother doing it myself. Well, the box didn't come in time! Oh, noez! So I let the kids each open one present on Christmas Eve in our room. The catch was, I got to choose the present. They were all game. I'd already planned on giving them each a Webkinz to snuggle with at bedtime, since none of them had brought a lovey. I gave them each a trivia question to answer, and whoever got it right would be the next to open a present. Chloë went first. She loved her gift bag, which came from Jafra.

She got the camel, about which she was none too excited. Oh, well, she was game for it and warmed up to it eventually. Can't remember what she named her...

(For the full set of pictures from our trip, see my Facebook page. They're all there. I'm skipping lots of the present pictures.) Jack went next. I gave him the Buffalo. He was really upset about that, as you can see! His reaction really hurt my feelings, actually. He is not good with showing gratitude when a present is not something he expected - ie, a car - although we are working on that. He got a good talking-to by his father for this, as I truly was bothered! He later apologized, and I appreciated that. Back at home, when we were adopting the Webkinz, he wanted to name the Buffalo "Goat Poop." LMAO! The site wouldn't allow that name, so he ended up naming him "Chicken," but I wish GP was allowed!

Sophie, who generally only likes the birdie 'kinz, wasn't exactly jumping for joy over her llama, either. Oh, well, big FAIL on my part! I was just trying to get the Webkinz that had been in the stash for a long time out into the world! She named the llama "Skittles," which I think is cute.

After the presents were opened and not-enjoyed, it was time for more adventures in the lobby. First up, a visit with Santa! It's funny, even though I have told my kids the Truth About Santa, and answered all their questions about him on multiple occasions, I don't think they truly believe me that he isn't real. Especially the little girl. She was full of love and hugs for Santa Claus!

Jack was feeling quite shy and didn't want to visit with Santa, or even look at him. He hid behind my coat the entire time!

After the Santa visit, we purchased tickets for $5 each (the only thing, besides a pizza, wings and soda dinner for $25, that we did "extra" at the Lodge this time) for the trolley ride around the property. It included free cookies and hot cocoa, and Jack kept asking me, "Why can't we have another cookie (even though I gave him mine)? Why can't we have more hot cocoa (even though I gave them mine AND he got a free refill when we got back from the ride)?" He's all about more when it comes to hot cocoa, his favorite drink on the planet. I buy it whenever I can get it supercheap or free, because he asks for some every day lately. I should make my own. But anyway, back to the trolley ride. They provided blankets for us, which was nice, because I was wearing my thin jammie pants after soaking my regular pants after we visited the waterpark for a few hours earlier in the day!

Toward the end of the trip, we stopped to vote on the Christmas trees decorated by each of the different departments at the Lodge. This one was the prettiest, but my favorite was the one that looked like the Tornado waterslide inside the park. It was pretty cool. Sophia was mad that Jack chose the same one she liked, and she refused to let anyone else on the ride look at it, either!

The outside of the Lodge, decorated for the holidays. I was glad this ride was pretty cheap, considering the exorbitant cost of almost everything else at the Lodge, because it was seriously lame compared to, say, the Lights at the Beach that we STILL have yet to go to this year! 

After the freezing-cold trolley ride, the kids were happy to get inside and warm up in front of the fireplace, along with this anonymous little boy. Brr! My fingers were completely numb, despite the Isotoner gloves I was wearing (a gift from the in-laws last year)!

The kids' favorite part of the evening was when it "snowed" (soap bubbles, actually) inside the Lodge! Chloë has her own digital camera, so I gave Sophia and Jack each a disposable camera that I'd gotten nearly free at Target, to capture their memories at GWL. I can't wait to see the results! (Or "lee-sorts," as my Chinese TA Charles would say, from my college days. Hehe...)

Jack reaching up to catch the "snowflakes"

Sophia, apparently not believing that the snow was actually soap, kept catching it in her mouth. Yuck!

Santa read " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the crowded room, and then he made it snow again, to the kids' delight.

Someone volunteered to take our picture, when I started to take the picture of everyone else, so that was nice. Not nice: Sophie was not in the mood. See her face? She cracks me up. She has a mind of her own, and you just can't get her to do something she does not want to do, including smile for a picture. Silly girl. 
  
 

Our fourth task (can't remember the third) was to visit with Rowdy the Reindeer after Story Time in the lobby. He was rushed out, so we barely got the chance, but the kids got their stamp.

Christmas Day

I didn't sleep well that night. I took a "nap" from 2100 to midnight, but then I was up until way late, watching TV and missing my knitting, which accidentally got left behind at home. So when the kids woke up around 0600, oh, I was so not ready to get up and get into the presents! Rob and I decided to let them play quietly (or not-so-quietly, as it were) in the Wolf Den while we tried our best to catch a little more shut-eye. Finally, at 0800, we got up and got started. The pile of presents wasn't huge this year, and I'm very glad for that for several reasons I can detail later if you want. The plan this year was to open them one at a time while everyone watched and commented on the present, and then that person would choose one for someone else to open. It worked well; it was a great system. I'm not going to show all the present pictures here (they are on Facebook), so here are a few faves:

Sophie received a drawing set from her Grandpa Al & Grandma Denise (Rob's dad and stepmom) that has been out constantly since we've been home!

They gave Jack this Transformers truck - which he keeps calling Power Rangers, but whatevs - that he just loves. Every time Rob tries to turn it into whatever else it's supposed to be, he turns it right back into the truck!

Also, they gave Chloë this new Barbie digital camera! You can see she's thrilled. It's not as nice as the one she already has, but she doesn't care. She wants it NOW. We don't have the right batteries yet for it (AAA), so I still need to buy some for her. She's bugging me constantly to set it up!

Chloë took this picture of me, looking horrible, after opening my present from the in-laws: socks and foot lotion, and a $50 gift card to Walmart! I think I'll use it to buy some much-needed new brassieres, since the ones I bought 55 pounds ago are, well, pretty roomy in the cups!

Rob looks like crap because he felt like crap! His dad and Denise gave him another gift card, and a mug filled with tea and cookies. They ate the cookies today; I heard they were delicious!

After present time, we fed the kids some dry cereal in the room (forgot milk, der!), and then Rob took the kids down to the lobby for their final task, while I stayed behind to shower and pack up our stuff. The task was to go on the Polar Wolf Walk, which wasn't a walk at all but a sit-and-chat about polar animals. The kids apparently got really into it and enjoyed it. I was glad for the quiet time to get the room packed up before check-out!

When they returned to the room, I let Rob finish packing up his stuff while I took the kids down to the Cub Club to turn in their completed cards for North Pole University. Here they are, turning in the cards.

Their rewards were a free travel-size Patch game, a make-your-own-elf-hat kit, and a voucher for 8 free tokens in the arcade!

The 8 tokens each were gone before we knew it, although they had lots of fun playing games - especially the candy-grabber that you can't lose - redeeming tickets and choosing small prizes. Here they are leaving the arcade, less than an hour after entering, to finally head back to the waterpark!

We could barely get Sophia's clothes off at our table before she was off and running to the baby pool to go down the slides there. Later, we took her on several adult-sized slides, working our way up from the family slide, and she LOVED them. She's one adventurous little tyke. We took Chloë and Jack, separately from each other but with the fun-loving Sophie, on the family tube ride, too, and they both hated it immensely. Poor little scaredy-cats. Chloë almost got sick on the tube ride, especially at the end when the lifeguard spun our raft around really fast. I had to yell at her to stop!

My crew in the hot tub, definitely the favorite spot for this trip. It was supposed to be warm, and the water was definitely warmer on Christmas Day than on the Eve, but we were all still chilly. Even me. Well, with his wet suit on, I don't think Rob was too cold, but the kids and I shivered a great deal!

Jack did really well in the water this time. He took to it like a fish - but only as long as his life jacket was on, which was most of the time. He "swam," he dunked himself, he had a great time!

Rob pushing the kids around on a tube in the Lazy River - they always fight for the center position!  

Poor Chloë had an upset tummy after her nervousness from going down the family tube ride, so we left the park early after she threw up next to the hot tub! She took in a little water that went down the wrong pipe, which sent her into a heavy coughing fit that made her barf and barf some more. Eww. I felt bad for the other people in the hot tub. It didn't actually get IN the water, but they had to watch! We decided to go then, even though it was only 1400, and we could stay until 2100 if we wanted. The kids were ready; no one put up a fight.

It was just as well. Sophia and Jack were asleep before we even got out of the parking lot, and Chloë was zonked out less than five minutes later. Rob slept through the drive home, too, and boy, did I want to do the same! It was touch-and-go for me for a few minutes in the  middle. When we got home, I wanted to just sit in the car in the driveway and nap, but I saw my packages on the porch, and that made me get out and investigate!

The first package was my new blue Cricut Expression cutting machine for scrapbooking (and eventually, card-making, which I've been wanting to do but just haven't been able to find a way to get myself to start)! I am SO excited about this machine. My old Cricut, the Personal Cutter, failed after a year of use, and then we had to pack it away for a year for the flooring project, which made me miss out on the warranty. I talked to a manager at Cricut, who sent me out a new refurbished machine to replace it. Thanks so much to her for that!! I decided to upgrade to the Expression, so now I'm trying to sell the new-old machine to make money for that. We did get a Visa gift card that paid for the Expression, but I'd rather put that money toward more pressing stuff. 

The second box was my new Kodak ESP5 printer. Again, my old Kodak 5300 all-in-one printer had failed to print color, and everything else was messed up on it, too, so after several attempts to fix it, Kodak gave me this new one for no charge! It's supposed to be an "upgrade," but it seems like a piece of shit compared to the old one. We'll see; it's only been a day, so maybe it'll grown on me some more.  It wouldn't even print at all at first, but after cleaning the printhead three times, I got it to print just fine. Phew! I was about to pitch another fit to some poor guy in India!

And the third box was my new Hitachi external hard drive, which was also replaced at no charge. Yes, it's true, EVERY electronic thing I own has failed me in 2009! It's been ridiculous and frustrating, to say the least!

For Christmas dinner, after I took a good long nap, we went out to TGI Friday's. They were running a free appetizer special for dinner, and I had those two $10 gift cards to use, which I won at the Santa breakfast at school.

The $20 was enough to cover dinner and our tip, so that was great, because we had NO money for more than that! The kids ate cheese sticks and some of our dinners. We usually just share with them when we go out, because they don't each very much. Rob had a cheeseburger and fries, and I had Parmesan-crusted chicken with some very tasty spinach and cheese tortellini. There was also a mozzarella and tomato salad, but no one ended up liking that. 

I don't remember doing anything special last night, other than knitting on a baby kimono I'm working on for the charity, and watching Discovery Health with Rob. The kids crashed pretty early.

This morning, I got up early to run errands: (1) Pick up photo boxes and various note cards and things from a fellow Freecycler; (2) Run to Kmart to get color printer ink; and (3) Pick up the package from my dad at the Post Office. His stockings for the kids did arrive after all, but the PO didn't leave the box on the porch. Which was good, because it was pouring when we got home and the other boxes got soaked!

My dad really stuffed their stockings with lots of fun stuff! They had a blast opening all the toys and candy and socks they received, and I was glad not to have to buy all those little stocking stuffers this year. Sorry for all the boxes in the room, but it WAS Boxing Day, after all! ;)

Each of the kids got a couple of books, too - this was supposed to be Jack's picture, but Booger Nose Sophie snuck in there at the last second with the gummy tongue my dad gave her! You can see him elbowing her out of the way - too funny!

Chloë's been reading about Meg Cabot all day, exclaiming about this or that from the story. I love that she's such a good reader! ♥

Phew. I'm finally done showing Christmas to you. That took two hours! Maybe now that it's almost 0500, I'll get back to sleep??

How was your Christmas, if you celebrate? I hope it was a good one!

Fin. 
 
  
  
  
 
  

For more Sunday Stealing, click here.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

I went for a professional bra fitting for the first time. It was totally worth it!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't even remember if I made any, or what they were! I probably did; I usually do, and I'm sure I will make more.

3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?

At home with my family, watching the ball drop on TV

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not this year, thank God

5. What countries did you visit?

We stayed stateside this year!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More financial stability, and smaller clothes!

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 26th, the day I had my gastric bypass surgery. My new life began that day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Losing more than 150 pounds, still counting!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Keeping up with a clean house. It just doesn't last, and I'm so unmotivated in that department!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Just the surgery, which was a pretty big injury to my body - but well worth it! Oh, and we all had the flu pretty badly a month or two ago. That sucked.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

The best thing, really and truly, was saving LOTS of money on food and non-food stuff by reading couponing blogs and learning to get things really cheap or free. With our household economy, that was more important than ever this year.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Paying for that damn motorcycle that NEVER gets ridden!!! No, the mortgage, obviously, and paying off debt.

13. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Any Michael Jackson song, probably.

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Gone to the beach. Did we even GO to the beach this past summer? I don't think we did!

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Testing the limits on my new stomach pouch and making myself completely sick in the process!

16. What was your favourite TV program?

The Big Bang Theory

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

LOL No, but there are one or two people who I dislike a lot more now, mostly because we clash politically and they are SO close-minded to alternate points of view.

18. What was the best book you read?

A Thousand Splendid Suns

19. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Oh, gosh, I'm pretty lame when it comes to music, but Brett Dennen is awesome.

20. What was your favorite film of this year?

Precious

21. What did you do on your birthday?

Stressed a lot, about turning the same age as my mother when she died.

22. What kept you sane?

My drugs! (Rx of course)

23. Whom did you miss?

My mom, and our son Robby... always, always

24. Who was the best new person you met?

Melissa, I guess. One of the new moms at Brownies who is super nice and sweet.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:

Never, ever, take your husband's love for granted.

Sayonara, '09!

Fin.

For more SWS, link up with Cate!

My six words for this week are:

YO HO HO... Where's The Rum?

Fin.
 

For more Saturday 9, click here.

1. What did you think of 2009?

Fin.

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope your day is filled with joy, hope and love. Merry Christmas!

Fin. 

Koigu, Classic Elite, Debbie Bliss, Malabrigo, Artyarns... to name a few. I love my yarn!!!

Fin.

After the kids got on the bus, I had to shower and get dressed right away for my first doctor's appointment at the Navy base. It was for my referral to plastic surgery to get abdominoplasty. The doc was really pleased with my progress since the last time he saw me; he seemed just as excited about the change in me as I am, and he congratulated me at least five times!

He did caution me that they might not approve the referral, and that they might not pay for the surgery. The latter, I was certainly prepared for, but I was kind of surprised I might not even get the consult! I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I call in and see.

I stopped at the post office after that to mail a couple of Christmas packages. I waited behind several people at the APC who had no idea how to use the thing. Really? If 50 people are waiting behind you, you can't ask someone for help with the machine instead of making us wait for an hour behind your dumb ass? Annoying. Those other people were probably all on their too-short lunch hours, too!

After that, I saw Dr. P., who prescribes my bipolar meds. I asked him about getting my meds while we're living on the boat. Basically, he told me that when people have certain health issues, such as mine, they need to put their health above all else. And that if I didn't come see him after three months to get my medicine, I would no longer be his patient - and that no doctor in good conscience would prescribe me the meds for a year or more at a time. And that, basically, I shouldn't go live on a boat and travel the world. So that sucks. But, we'll find a way to do this... we will. I have faith.

While I was out and about, one of Sophie's teachers called to tell me that a parent had drawn her name for a prize, and that I needed to come and pick it up. She made it sound like there was a pile of gifts, a LOT of stuff, that couldn't be carried home on the bus. I went to the school after seeing Dr. P., and I was amused when it turned out to be one small bag of clothes! Not that I'm not grateful - I am, I really am! - but it was funny that I was expecting to need help loading the van with all of her prizes!

Later that night, she modeled all of her clothes (it was already dark out, so we had to do it inside in yucky light, sorry):

This outfit, from The Children's Place, was her favorite. She wore it today, and she looked so cute! You like Tiger Lily's butt in the picture?

Same jeans, because she didn't want to change them, with another Children's Place sweater. I really like the sweater on her; it looks great!

This little blue dress looked pretty cute on her, too. (Except for the sleeves; I think they look stupid.) She blinked massively even before the flash went off, in anticipation!

This little outfit was also quite nice, but it's a size 5 and too big for her. Especially the waist on the pants. I'll give them to Chloë, who they'll fit for the length, and pin up the waistband if they aren't adjustable. 

So that was nice, right? I don't even know whom to send the thank-you note too, because the teacher wouldn't tell me. So thank you, mystery parent!

After the school, I went home and made a bunch of phone calls before finishing the last of the three scarves I knit to sell for the CARE Package fundraiser. I already took that page off the site, so no more of those scarves! 
 
Then I took a nap until the bus came. I was tired! Naps rule. 

A package from Grandma - Rob's mom - arrived just before the kids came home. They all gathered around eagerly to see what it was!

It turned out to be 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, with a recording of the book read by Grandma! The kids didn't know that part yet, though. Upon seeing that it was a book, and not a truck or some car, Jack growled, "I don't want that!" and stomped away. But not long after, he stole back into the office to look at the book, and that's when he discovered that it "speaks" to him! He loved it. I kept turning around and watching him surreptitiously, as he turned the pages back and forth, back and forth, to hear the story read again and again. It was so sweet.

No one has homework this week, so the kids were pretty antsy and into everything, driving me a little crazy. I was relieved when Rob came home from work around 1800!

Jack and I went out to do a little shopping, since I'd found more great deals and steals on those blogs I told you about the other day. We went to CVS again, but they were out of the main item I wanted, a free $9 bottle of contact solution. I really need the solution, so I'll have to go again another day. I did get a free tube of Bonne Bell lip smacker in Cotton Candy for Chloë, though. Every time I turn around, she's putting more on her lips!

Then we went down the road to the nearest Walgreen's. They were out of some more stuff I wanted, but they did have a few things. Including Hot Wheels cars for 49¢ apiece, a great price. The limit was 10, so I bought 10 to stock up. I decided at that price, I will add that to the list of things the kids (namely Jack) can spend their Dad Dollars on, to keep them earning "money"!

We went to Food Lion next, to get milk and eggs and the three things I had free product coupons for: 7-Up, coffee, and chocolate chips. A weird assortment of things, but we can use all of those, and who doesn't like free? 

Another stop at the P.O. to mail more packages and expired coupons to overseas military after that.

I really wanted the super-cheap John Freida hair products the first Walgreens didn't have, so we drove to the next closest one down the road. Good thing there are lots of Wags stores in our area! They had the John Freida stuff, so I'm going to give them a try tonight when I take my shower, since I'm just about out of my other stuff and, well, I can't wait! I love new stuff. And I got 10 more of the 49¢ cars for Jack's stash.  He was in a highly excited state, like a little valance electron, over the idea of having 20 new Hot Wheels cars in his possession. Did he want to carry that bag? Of course he did.

Home again, home again, jiggety jog.

Sophia had napped the whole time we were gone, and for another hour past it, so she was up 'til about 0100 with me last night. That was fun. Not.

This morning, at the bus stop, Jack puked all over his shoes just before the bus was due to arrive. Yippee! Guess who didn't go to school today? Another mom volunteered to stay with the girls, so I could take him home. Poor thing, he had told me that his belly was upset, and I told him to "go take a good poop" when he got to school (because he said he had to go), and he'd be fine. Hahaha! And then the puking started. I'm such a good mom.

At home, he was more like his normal self, other than having a bunch of upset tummy poop. He took a long nap, and so I did the same. It was nice napping with my boy. He can be such a pill sometimes, but when he's sweet, he's very, very sweet.

For the rest of today, he has been doing little chores like sweeping up the dog hair downstairs (always a job in need of doing) and putting all the shoes away in the big shoe box, to earn Dad Dollars for buying those Hot Wheels. Between last night and today, I think he bought eight! I may have to raise the price...

When the girls got off the bus, Sophie's nose was painted red for Rudolph, and Chloë was toting two gift bags, from one from each of her teachers. She - and Soph - were excited about the candy the bags contained, but even more fun were the pencils with her name on them! She gets a lot of joy out of stuff like that.

All afternoon, for more than three hours, all three babies snoozed on the couch. It was good for me, because before then, they had been squabbling nonstop and driving me up a wall. I hate it when they fight a little bit, but when they won't stop quarreling for ages, it makes me want to shoot myself to stop hearing it!

So that's it. The kids are out of school now for the Winter Break, and Rob only has to work until 1100 or so tomorrow. And then, on Thursday, we go to Great Wolf Lodge! We can't wait. Now to find their bathing suits... guess tomorrow will be spent packing.

If I don't come back before then, have a very merry Christmas!!

Fin. 
 
  

Our latest order from Jafra came today. I love opening those boxes; everything looks so pretty and smells so good!

I'm in my 11th year of being a Jafra "consultant," although technically I've really only been a wholesale buyer for the past 8 years or so. I sold a lot of Jafra products those first three years. It's a high-quality, state-of-the-art cosmetics and skincare line, and once I demonstrated the items to my friends and their friends, everything pretty much sold itself.

I'm not one of those hifalutin people who needs to use top-of-the-line this and avant garde that, but when it comes to taking care of my skin, I want to use the best I can afford. And that is Jafra. And let me tell you, I definitely believe it has helped me look much younger than my 33 years. I still get ID'd often when I buy alcohol!

I use Jafra skin care exclusively. I never touch anything else, except things like Chapstick or whatever. But where I go, my Jafra goes. I use my cleanser, scrub, moisturizer and other products religiously, every day. Eye cream, lip balm, alpha hydroxy - all of it. And I love it. The really great thing about Jafra is that the products are highly concentrated, so they last a long time, making them an excellent value. In fact - true story - I almost always go into "inactive" status with Jafra between my orders, since we go such a long time before needing more good stuf!

 
  
Jafra's premiere products are the Royal Jelly line. Oh, my gosh. You have never felt a more luxurious product next to your skin - I guarantee it! I don't always use the Royal Jelly myself, but when I can get it, hoo boy, do I revel in it!

Rob has been using the men's skin care line from Jafra since we've been together. And he is no froo-froo metrosexual, either. Far from it! But he knows good stuff when he sees (and feels!) it. I have bought him several of the colognes as well, the ones that I think smell heavenly, but he's just not really a cologne person. I like them on him, though! Here is latest, updated men's set that I just got for Rob. He hasn't tried it out yet, but I'm sure it'll be great.

I've been using Jafra's color care, like mascara, lipsticks and nailcolor, almost exclusively from the beginning, too. It's only recently that I've been using one or two other things from other brands - but only because I've been able to get them free from shopping the deals, not because I prefer them. Actually, that Almay mascara I just bought? I don't like it at all.

When I really want to pamper myself, nothing gets better than Jafra's Spa line. Oh, man, that stuff smells amazing, and it feels incredible on my skin, too. In fact, after I'm done here, I think I'll go upstairs and give myself a little spa session tonight!

This is the peppermint foot care line. I use the scrub in the shower every time my feet get rough, and I use the lotion after every single shower to keep them soft and feeling fresh. And - don't tell Jafra this, because they would probably faint - I even use the foot scrub on my face in the shower sometimes, because the peppermint wakes me up when I'm so tired!  

 In the summertime, we go through tons of Jafra's sun care products. I use the SPF lip balm religiously on myself and the kids, and of course we use the sunblock every time we're out in the sun. But for those times when we get too much sun, the after sun lotion is a godsend. It really soothes the sting, and we slather it on just to get that "ahhhh" feeling.

When my children were babies, starting with now-8yo Chloë, I was a big proponent of massaging their tiny bodies. I would give them a warm bath and then softly rub them from head to toe, front and back, with Jafra's Tender Moments massage cream. It was an incredible bonding experience for us both, and it left their skin softer than you could imagine. I used the entire Tender Moments line on all of them, and we loved it.

This Orange & Vanilla bath set is new, and mine just arrived in today's shipment. I can't wait to try it! I use shower gel, body oil and lotion like they're going out of style, because I cannot stand to have one bit of dry skin on my body. Normally, my mainstays are either the Royal Almond or Royal Ginger lines, but I'm excited to try this new "flavor" introduced for the holiday season. So far, it smells terrific! 

I also just got this Royal Pomegranate set of shower gel, oil and lotion, and I'm excited to try it, too. I'll let you know what I think, if you're interested!

Now, why am I telling you all this? Because even though I haven't actively been selling Jafra for several years now, I'm a devoted user of their products and really believe they are the best quality available. And I'm offering you a chance to experience Jafra for yourself at a 25% discount, which is almost my entire profit margin. I'm not looking to make money off this; I just want to share some really great skin care with you!

{If you're interested in finding out how to do what I do, whether it's be a wholesale buyer or actually sell Jafra, I can help you with that, too. It was a great income supplement for me in my early 20s, and it was fun, too!}

So that's my spiel. Try Jafra! ;)

Fin. 
  
  
  

What is that mess?, you might wonder. Well, let's see...

That would be the five ornaments I made for the annual ornament swap organized by one of the crafting blogs that I read.  (Yes, I read a lot of blogs.) The category this year was "Fairy Tales," and it took me a couple weeks of thinking about that and not coming up with anything before I decided on these... things. And by "decided," I mean I dumped out the bag of supplies I bought for Chloë's canceled 7th sleepover Fairyland birthday party and started sticking things together in the hopes that they would look, well, fairy-ish. 

Steph said they looked okay. I kept asking her if they looked stupid. She kept saying no. If you disagree, please tell me. I won't care! They're kinda pretty anyway, whatever they are. (Whatever they are is 18-gauge wire wrapped in lace and porcelain flowers.) Fairy tutus? Halos? Skirts? I don't know. Use your imagination. Yeah, your imagination, that was the plan from the jump. *wink, wink*

Each participant is matched up with five others. Our exchanges started rolling in late last week, and this one was the first. A cool idea, it's made with, I think, old Christmas cards découpaged onto an empty ribbon spool. I don't know that it fits the theme so much, but then again, last year I completely forgot there was a theme, and who really cares, anyway? 
 
  
 The next one to come in was this huge guy, a painted wooden pegasus. I couldn't get Jack to smile and not blink at the same time, so never mind that. The girls loved this one!

I love this one, which arrived yesterday. It's Rapunzel!! In her tower! What a cute, clever idea. Very nifty. It wins the gold star for the exhange from me ... so far. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Two more to go!

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This past Friday, we had Chloë's Brownie troop's feast. The kids never went to school that day, so we were the first to arrive at the church at the agreed-upon time of 0330. The night before, I had put together these bags for each of the Brownies, just as a sort of little party favor thing. Basically, I had 8 of everything from the Advent box left over, and since there are 8 girls in the troop, well, der. It was a no-brainer. (The gift bags in the back were for Jack at the feast, Sophie, and Chloë's to exchange.)

I just used some of my scrapbooking supplies to make their little name tags, and I thought they looked okay, but Chloë loved them! It's good to get the seal of approval from your kid, right?

So, we dropped her off, and then the Littles and I ran to the party store to do a mystery shop. For my required $5 purchase, I got all of these pretty long-stemmed lollipops. Don't they look gorgeous? I was going to save them for gift-toppers and stocking stuffers (that first came out "stucking stoffers"), but the kids wanted one NOW, and I gave in. I mean, why not? But they are just so pretty, I like looking at them.

Oh, we ran to Target after that, too, because it was right next to that party store, and I had more coupons for $15 off a Blu-Ray/DVD combo (G-Force, this time), along with some other stuff. I forget what. Oh, rechargeable batteries, which is great now that we have a battery recharger (totally worth it), two disposable Kodak cameras that I got for free for the kids to take to Great Wolf Lodge, and a couple other small things. No pictures. Lucky you. We ran home to pick up Rob, before heading back to the church for the feast.

Sophie didn't feel well. Chloë didn't feel well. When we got there, she was sitting around, feeling miserable, trying not to cry. Not helping with the cooking and set-up, which was fine with me and the Leader, I guess, because she was visibly sick. Did she want to go home? No, she wanted to stay. Perhaps we should have left, though, because they kept coughing and not covering their mouths, despite the thousand reminders we kept giving them...

Jacky didn't feel too well either, but he was the best feeling of the bunch. I don't know why Rob was putting on the stiff upper lip here. Don't ask me.

 
The Little Guy kept asking if we were going to have turkey (yes). Sometimes he wanted it, other times he did NOT want it. He's so capricious. In the end, I think he ate a decent amount.

After we ate, the girls sang a few songs for us. If you can see the wet spot on Chloë's pants (far right), she didn't have an accident. Rob spilled his gravy on her, or his drink, or something. Poor thing!

Then the girls did their Flag Ceremony. You'll probably have to turn the sound way up; I can barely hear it at all. Can you?

Afterward, it was time to hand out all the patches, Try-Its and other rewards the girls have earned so far this year, their third in Brownies. They started out together in kindergarten as Daisies, and most of the girls have been together since the beginning. It's pretty cool.

Everything Chloë's earned so far this year. There was another Try-It that she earned, but since she's already gotten that one (a year or two ago, when I took her to the local Girl Scouts HQ in Chesapeake for activities apart from her troop), she doesn't get a second one.

Finally, it was time for the gift exchange! Jack was particularly eager to get his present, which turned out to be just another Hot Wheels car, along with a pencil sharpener/eraser combo from the Book Fair. Exciting to him, though; he just can't get enough of them! Sophie got more of the extra stuff from the Advent box and a multi-colored pen I had picked up from the Book Fair. She seemed to like everything okay.

After all the girls, and the siblings, had their gifts, everyone opened them and shared with each other what they'd gotten. I feel really bad, because we gave a Webkinz, and it turned out not to have a tag on it! I never noticed... but I should have looked, because Sophia has been known to take them off in the past. D'oh!! J., the girl who got it, was really understanding and non-plussed about it, but I still feel terrible. We are on the hunt!

Chloë ended up getting a couple of Littlest Pet Shop things, which she loves, but I didn't get a decent picture of that. 

 
And do you remember baby Vivian? She's now about to turn TWO!! I can't believe how big she's gotten. And all that hair! So cute. What an adorable little girl.

We packed up and left shortly after that, ostensibly to get the sickies home, but I also had to run and do another party store shop before they closed. I was going to get more lollies for the kids, but then I remembered that I am collecting all of their decorations for when Rob turns the big 4-0 in a few years. This time, I got the big banner to hang; last time, I got some candles. I thought I had bought a third thing, but now I can't find it...

********

Skipping around... On the 13th, last Sunday, we had a candle-lighting ceremony in our home for Robby and other children we know who have died. It was the Worldwide Candle Lighting, sponsored by the Compassionate Friends, but no one came even though we posted it - and invited everyone I know - on Facebook, and on the CF website.  That's okay, though, because it meant I didn't have to clean! Next year, I'm hoping I can get with the program well in advance of the event and ask our church to host the event for us. There isn't a chapter for Hampton Roads, which is pretty surprising, considering its size and importance in the state. Er, commonwealth.

So, each of the kids, and then Rob and I, lit a candle. The kids stood around while Rob and I hugged each other and cried a wee bit. It's been almost seven years...

********

The day before that, on Saturday, was the Santa breakfast at the kids' school. I tell you what, this Santa thing is so weird. The kids "know" that he's not real, but I don't think they quite believe it, because they're still just as excited about him as always. Weird, right?

Rob had to work, but then he didn't because his radiator sprung a leak, so he had to fix that whilst I took the kids to the Santa breakfast. The first thing we did was eat our reakfast. We really didn't eat much at all, and for the most part, all of that stuff you see on the table got stuffed into my purse for later!

Midnight the (blue) Panther made an appearance after we finished eating, and my kids, especially Chloë, never get tired of seeing him. I remember when she was in kindergarten or first grade, Midnight went "away" to visit the troops in the Middle East, and she was absolutely heartbroken about it the entire time!

While we were waiting in line for the kids to sit on Santa's lap, the girls wrote him letters about what they wanted for Christmas. Chloë didn't let me see hers, but all Sophia wrote was her name before dropping hers in the mailbox!

Finally, it was time to meet the Big Guy! The kids were all smiles as they posed for pictures and whispered to him what they might like. None of them would tell me what they told him. But, they know that their Christmas present this year is the trip to Great Wolf Lodge, so hopefully they'll understand that as far as big gifts go, that is IT! (And feel free to tell me how cute my babies are! ♥)

The each got a coloring book and another small present, but I'll be darned if I can remember what they were. They probably do... actually I think the girls each got a necklace and bracelet set, and a lipgloss keychain. Jack can't remember what he received. Oh, right, he got a little finger skateboard, and a hackey sack which was lost before we even left that morning.

We headed to the craft tables after that. The first one was for the six-and-under crowd, but at the very end of the event, they let Chloë do it, too. They decorated cookies with red and green frosting and all kinds of sprinkles. Sophie ate hers before I could take a picture. Not surprising. Everything goes right into the mouth.

The girls colored pictures to hang up in the cafeteria after that, while Jack played with his hackie sack. Rob showed up then, surprising us all! 

A little moment of joy, on the part of a small boy

Rob took the girls to make ornaments, but before we left, Rob had broken Chloë's silver ball, and Sophia had ripped the reindeer bits of her candy cane and eaten it. Such is life!

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The day before that, Friday, was Sophia's Christmas breakfast at school. No cameras allowed, so I can't show you anything from that. It was really cute, though. The kids performed songs and poems, and they were just as adorable as could be. We all ate breakfast together, and it was a mighty feast. There were snacks and fruit and sandwiches and pies and cakes and all manner of things I can't eat. I had egg salad and tuna salad, and I was grateful it was there. 
  
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Earlier that week, we went to Open House at the girls' dance classes. First was Sophia's Music in Motion class. She's SO silly. And she looks so big compared to the other girls, most of whom were three years old. She'll be five in April. Not that she cares about the size difference. She just adores Miss Jessica and going to dance class. It's a whole different world from going to soccer!

The next class was Chloë's Jazz I. When she focused, she was pretty good at it... but she wasn't good at focusing. It was very apparent that she is having a hard time paying attention, not just in school, but at dance class as well. So, I guess we need to get her some help with that, to develop some tools for being able to focus on what needs to be done.

Finally, we watched her Ballet I class, which is her favorite. She seemed to pay attention a lot better in there, even though it was only her 2nd or 3rd week back to that class after soccer ended. That's meaningful, I know.  I'll use that information when I'm teaching her on the boat!

All in all, I'm so proud of my lovely ladies and their accomplishments in dance. I love going to watch them perform and interact with their friends!

********

We baked a lot of cookies, the first Sunday in December. Not quite as many as I usually do, but still a lot. The girls helped bake; the boy helped eat.

And, I even broke from my strict "from scratch" only rules for the beginning of the baking, because we had mixes for gingerbread cookies and pumpkin spice cookies, and the children wanted them so. And, I usually give the vast majority of the cookies away, leaving my children wondering why they really couldn't have any, so I vowed not to do that to them this year. The mix cookies were just the thing. I didn't want to give those away, and the kids wanted them, so it all worked out just right. 

I still had some of that frosting in the spray can, and the kids wanted that on their cookies. You may say nasty (and I may agree), but the kids say Yum!

Chloë added some Christmas sprinkles to hers.

And then, I started the "real" baking. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of all the cookies before I packaged them up and sent them away! Duh! But here are some strawberry linzer rounds. Don't they look delish?

More linzer rounds, some homemade Oreo-like cookies, rolled in crushed walnuts, and chocolate crackle cookies. Some of the cookies I made this year were from my old standby, the Crisco cookie cookbook that I've had for at least 15 years, but some were new, from the Martha Stewart cookie cookbook that Rob's sister gave me a year or two ago, for my birthday or Christmas. I love that book and want to make every variety in it! Someday, I will, too.

I gave the cookies away to three of our neighbors, each of the girls' three dance instructors, Steph (well, Tim, since Steph can't have any milk products thanks to Luke's allergies), and.. well, I guess that's it. Oh, and I took a bunch to Bunco. Usually I give some to the mailman and the fire department around the corner, too. At least. Guess I better get bakin'!

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And now, you're pretty much caught up. Sure, there are things I've skipped over and pictures I've missed, but that's the big stuff. I have more pictures of Luke, but since they're old and I've shown more recent ones of him, I don't think I'll post those.

Oh, and one last thing: Please, please, PLEASE send me your address, so I can mail you our Christmas card. I have so many!!

Okay, I'm off to knit those three scarves and watch Slumdog Millionaire from Netflix. Toodles!

Fin.