CrAzY Working Mom: December 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Twas The Night Before Christmas For Moms

It was the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode
only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
while visions of Nintendo and Barbie, flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV.
with a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.
So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
she descended the stairs, and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug.
"Oh great," muttered mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."
"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake.
Your gift was especially difficult to make."

"Thanks Santa, but all I want is some time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."
"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that?
Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat."
The mother's twin. Same hair, same eyes,
Same double chin.
"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young & The Restless."
"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true!
I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep the whole night through!"

From the room above, the youngest began to fret.
"Mommy?!" I'm scared...and I am wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming sweetheart."
"Hey," the mom smiled, "She knows her part."
The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune,
as she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon.
"You are the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you too."

The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's love, she's trying to steal."
Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear,
only one loving mother is needed here."
The mom kissed her child and tucked her into bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
when they are too old for my cradle song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the cone by his side Santa said, "Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, Mom, you'll be alright."

~Author Unknown

It is so easy for everyone to get caught up in the worldly things of the Christmas season. I was up at 5:30 this morning cleaning my middle child's bedroom and finishing up the laundry...but we can't let the love and spirit of the season slip away in all of the hum drum of baking, cleaning, and gift wrapping!! Hug your babies tightly as you tuck them into bed and remember that you are not promised tomorrow, so enjoy every minute of today! Merry Christmas to all of the busy Moms out there. May you never need or wish for a clone.

Merry Christmas!!!

The Black Family Christmas 2010

From our home to yours, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases. May the joys of the season fill your home. My prayer is that each and every one who reads this realizes that they are truly blessed and that Jesus is the reason for the season. No matter how many gifts are under the tree, or even if there is a tree...remember that the father sent the son to be the savior of the world and this was the greatest gift of all, for YOU!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Looking at the Sky on Friday

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Thursday, December 09, 2010

Teacher, What's in That Cup?!

As the kids were helping me clear the table after dinner, we were talking about Tyler and some of his friends from school. He mentioned the name of one of his friends and I informed him that his teacher had sent me a picture of the two of them with a caption of "Sweet Boys". I laughed and said I think she made the word plural accidentally 'cause surely she wouldn't use the term "sweet" to describe Tyler.

{Before you start leaving hate comments, I was only kidding. My son can be sweet when he wants to be.}

I asked Tyler if his teacher was drinking that day. Of course he is only 5, so he said "Yes!!" I laughed because I knew that of course she was drinking, but not "drinking"! He said, she was drinking coffee. To which Shelby (the 8 year old snarky sister) replied, "Oh Tyler, coffee isn't bad. She wasn't drinking beer was she?"

Tyler then says, "Shelby do you know what is in coffee?!?! You must not know how bad it is. It has caffe-N-ine and she drinks four or five cups a day!"

I'm thinking that his teacher might regret that she has a blogging momma's child in her class by the end of the year.

...and for the record, I'd have to have an IV drip of coffee if I were dealing with Kindergarten students all day long!

Looking at the Sky on Friday

I'm digging into the photo archives for this one. Remember, life is a lot like this fun slide. It's quick, fun, and nerve wrecking. Enjoy it while you can!
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There seemed to be some folks who did not like the thumbnail links last week, so I am going back to the regular link list. Thanks to everyone for your input.

Have a great weekend!

Do you Zhu Zhu?

In all of the holiday hustle and bustle, I almost forgot to post about what my kids are begging for this Christmas. I'm sure that some of you may be in the same predicament. Last year, the hottest thing around were Zhu Zhu pets. In fact, they were so hot that I was unable to snag any for my children. I had almost forgotten about them until my daughter came home requesting them for her birthday. Unfortunately it was too late as her birthday gifts were already purchased and wrapped. So, I kept this request at bay for Christmas. Now the younger siblings have also requested them! Fortunately, they are still in hot demand and this year I had no troubles snagging them up. I did seem to have a bit more trouble getting the accessories, such as the houses, hamster wheels, cars, etc. But, we managed to find them all after a few trips to the store.

The hottest items this year in the Zhu Zhu world are Kung Zhu Ninja Warriors with battle armor accessories. (Pictured Below)

Kung Zhu hamsters start out as mild-mannered pets that dart around, scurry from place to place, and coo and squeak based on the unique environment they encounter. However, they transform into battle-ready warriors once they are properly “trained.” Simply swipe them across the Tablet or Zhu, and watch in amazement as an entirely new set of skills and sounds are unlocked. Just snap on armor and they’re ready to go to the battle arena (pictured below) to test themselves against worthy opponents! While the winners bask in the glow of victory, the defeated must re-acquire their skills through another round of training. Also new this year, the Kung Zhu Battle Arena! Accessories such as a battle arena, battle armor, vehicles and training areas, room, traps and more are available to bring the action to life and create a custom hamster habitat.

The innovative technology that makes Kung Zhu so diverse and unique is a coding system that tells the hamsters where they are in the tracks of training grounds and battle arena. The configuration of the tracks in the playset allows the intelligent warriors to properly navigate sections of the track to lead them to the battle arena for some ultimate Kung-Zhu fighting.

If you have a little boy on your Christmas shopping list, these toys are sure to be at the top of his! Kung Zhu™ is available at Toys“R”Us, Wal-Mart and other select retailers. All Kung Zhu™ hamsters and accessories are sold separately.

I was sent the Kung Zhu product for sampling in exchange for my opinion and a review of the product. The views and opinions expressed in this post are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. For more information you can read my complete disclosure policy.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

How would you like to sit on a turd!?

Disclaimer: If you find this post offensive, then you probably don't have kids, a sense of humor, or maybe neither.

Emily was told by her teacher at school to sit down to which she promptly replied, "No!"

The teacher, more sternly this time I'm sure told her once again to sit down to which she responded, "I can't, I've got a turd."

The teacher told Emily, "We don't say that".

Emily's response..."Well, I do!!!!!"

Yes, I'm certain it's my fault that Emily refused to sit on her turd. You see, she used to do really well about telling us when she needed to potty, now she sort of runs and hides. She will not tell the truth if you ask her if she's stinky. I will ask her and she will usually say no, only I know she's lying because the smell is causing my eyes to water and the paint on the walls to curl!

When I change her diaper, I have been known to inform her if she has "goat turds" in her diaper. So, dear teacher...it is her mother who taught her such improper behavior. From now on I will teach her the proper way to tell you she has a stinky diaper: "Excuse me, ma'am would you mind removing this rather stinky diaper from my bottom?" Better yet, I'll work on getting this chick potty trained so we don't have to bother with it anymore! We are going to work on this during Christmas break. Wish us luck...and continue to pray for the sanity of her teacher.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Happy Birthday Shelby!

The ENTIRE 2nd grade sang Happy Birthday to Shelby at lunch time on her birthday (last Monday). I wanted to post it here for your viewing pleasure.

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Simon-Peter Gets Help on Day 3

This morning we woke up and found Simon-Peter in a different room than he's been previously! He's been hanging around (literally) in the living room but this morning when Shelby jumped out of bed in search for our pixie Elf on The Shelf, he was no where to be found until she entered the kitchen. He tends to like to hang out in high places, so she looked up on top of the fridge and this is what she saw...

We've already established that our friend has a bit of a sweet tooth as he was caught with a candy cane in his mouth after his first visit to Santa. This morning he was caught with a partially eaten froot loop in hand! Since we're not allowed to touch him, the children decided that they could not eat this particular cereal for their breakfast this morning.

This afternoon when we returned from work and school, we were shocked to see this...

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There was an envelope labeled "The Black Family" behind a new elf! The letter reads:

Hello There!

Shelby, Tyler, and Emily, Thank you so much for taking such good care of my helper Simon-Peter the Pixie Elf. HE loves his name, by the way. You all have been doing such a wonderful job of letting him watch over you and not bothering him. I hope he isn't getting into any trouble while he's there. since there are three of you and all of you attend school, church and with lots of other things going on like the Christmas play, Awana, and birthday parties it's a big chore for Simon-Peter to keep up with all of you by himself. To take away some of the work load, I have enlisted another pixie elf to help report your behavior to me.

Please remember to be kind to your new elf just as you have Simon-Peter. There must be no touching her so that she can do her job. Don't try to talk to her because she must never talk to the family that she watches...only to Santa!

Thank you children, and don't forget to name your new friend and have Mom or Dad go online and register her name so that Mrs. Clause and I will know what to call her.

Sincerely,
Your Friend Santa

The kids are super excited to have a NEW elf to look after them. Poor Simon-Peter must have been so worn out with all of the traveling back and forth from school to daycare, church, etc. Now he will be able to split those duties with our new elf, Noel!

To read more about Simon-Peter and The Elf on The Shelf story, click here.

Looking @ The Sky on Friday

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I am using thumbnail Linky Tools this week. You can choose to use your site badge or your sky photo as your thumbnail if you prefer. I thought I'd give it a try and see if you all like it. Let me know what you think in the comment section!

Domino's Pizza Tracker Giveaway - Winner Announced

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a $20 Domino's Pizza Gift Card giveaway! The winner has been chosen via Random.org. And the winner is...
Comment #6:

"I love hamburger with green pepper!"

Congrats, Tracie Trump. You have 48 hours to contact me with your shipping information or an alternate will be chosen. I hope you enjoy your hamburger and green pepper pizza! Thanks for entering and congrats on being chosen as the winner.

Emily Grace

My two year old, Emily is sure quite the little talker these days! She has such a fun personality that she is always coming up with something to catch me off guard. I call her my little mocking bird because she repeats EVERYTHING she hears. Tyler and Shelby both attend AWANA, a Wednesday night program aimed at teaching children biblical truths while having fun and enjoying fellowship of other Christian children. They are memorizing Bible verses and one this week was, "The Father send his Son to be the Savior of the World." 1st John 4: 14. Emily was coloring at the kitchen table while the older kids were doing homework and she started quoting this memory verse! Word for word, my two year old daughter was quoting scripture. The same daughter who brought me to tears with a heart felt prayer at bed time.

She also asked me this week if I would find her on Facebook! Yup, my 2 year old daughter knows Facebook. I'm sure if she was given the opportunity she could probably open up the laptop, tap a few keys and pull it up! (Okay, maybe not now but at the rate she's going it won't be long!!!)

She tells me to "Chill Out" when I ask her to do something and she's not quite ready to do it. She's a pro at crossing her arms, putting her hands on her hips, or stomping away angrily! Oh yes, you read correctly!!! She's learning quite nicely from her 8 year old sister, Shelby.

My sweet little mocking bird, Emily is growing up so quickly...I don't want to miss a minute of it. Here's a sneak peek of her dancing while watching The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Simon-Peter Day 2

So, today was Simon-Peter's first full day on duty at the Black household. In case you missed it, Simon-Peter is our new friend, from The Elf on a Shelf family. He was sent to us from Santa to help keep an eye on the kiddos during the day and report back to Santa at night. It's a great idea and my kids are having so much fun!!! This morning, Shelby jumped out of bed and when she realized that the pixie elf was not in the same place that we'd left him, she excitedly recruited her siblings to help her find him! They spotted him in the Christmas tree.

When we returned from school, they were shocked to find Simon-Peter hanging from a light fixture! They were curious as to why he had moved. It wasn't night time. He didn't have to fly back to the North Pole to report their behavior to Santa until they were asleep...so why was he moving during the day? We determined that he must be slipping off to check on them at school!!! Wow, this could be harder than they thought...they seemed to think his magic only worked at home. Hmmm...
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This evening as we returned from church, Simon-Peter had yet again re-located himself! He was no longer on the light fixture, but a candle sconce on top of the entertainment center! He seems to be quite the little mover. With three kids to watch over, (believe me I can relate) I think he's got his work cut out for himself!
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We are looking forward to more reports from our little Elf on a Shelf, Simon-Peter. If you haven't found yours yet, what are you waiting for?! Traditions have to begin somewhere. Where do you think Simon-Peter will turn up tomorrow?

Family Traditions

Yesterday we began a new Christmas family tradition. Meet our new friend, Simon-Peter. (The kids couldn't agree on a name, so we took both names they liked and made one name!)

Simon-Peter is Santa's little helper, also known as an Elf On The Shelf. I have been meaning to introduce my children to this tradition for a couple of years now and I always seem to forget until it's too late. This year, I visited my local Hallmark store looking for the movie I watched on television a few nights ago, November Christmas (with Sam Elliott). It was an awesome movie and I am definitely putting it on my wish list but I digress. As I entered the store, there sat a display of Elves on a Shelf. I had no problem choosing which elf would come to our home. I was grabbing a box and one fell into my hands, so I knew this was our elf! When I brought him home to the kids they were very excited, as Shelby had a friend at school who had one and had already told her all about it.

We immediately logged on to the Elf On The Shelf website to name our new family friend. We poked around on the website a bit and had some fun there and then I read the story to the kids explaining all about our Elf on a Shelf. They were concerned as to how he would get to Santa, why are his eyes turned a certain way, and most importantly, is it REAL?! I read the story which cleared up all of their confusion. Of COURSE he is real. During the day he will watch from various locations in our home, but at night once the kiddos are asleep he will fly to the North Pole and report to Santa how the kids have conducted themselves...good or bad. My 5 year old son, Tyler thought this was a BAD idea at first. But, then he warmed up to it.

Yup, you gotta watch that one, Simon-Peter!!

Of course Simon-Peter can't talk to the kids. It's against Santa's rules. The kids are also not allowed to play with or touch Simon-Peter as it could rub off his magic and he won't be able to get to the North Pole and give Santa his daily reports. This would mean trouble for all involved! They went to bed super excited as to where Simon-Peter would re-appear in the morning. It will definitely be fun watching the kids try to find him. I'm thinking he won't be too hard to find...what do you think?

Can you spot Simon-Peter?! He's in the tree!!

Okay, I'll give you a little help...

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Check back later for more adventures of Simon-Peter. I'd love to know what sort of Christmas traditions you and your family have and your stories if you have an Elf On The Shelf! (By the way, this post is not a product review. I purchased this product for my own personal use. I think it's a great product and decided to post about it since we're making it a family tradition.)

CrAzY Working Mom

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Friday, December 24, 2010

Twas The Night Before Christmas For Moms

Merry Christmas!!!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Looking at the Sky on Friday

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Teacher, What's in That Cup?!

Looking at the Sky on Friday

Do you Zhu Zhu?

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

How would you like to sit on a turd!?

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Happy Birthday Shelby!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Simon-Peter Gets Help on Day 3

Looking @ The Sky on Friday

Domino's Pizza Tracker Giveaway - Winner Announced

Emily Grace

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Simon-Peter Day 2

Family Traditions

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