Elf Drama

Jingles and his hijinks might be a little too convincing.

Yesterday, Andrew stepped on his Flash action figure, breaking both legs off at the knees. Instead of being upset, though, he set the pieces in front of Jingles and asked that he take them back to Santa's workshop for repair. 

I smiled, arrogantly thinking I could fix Flash and have him back to Andrew in no time. I just needed to remember to collect the pieces after the kids went to bed, fix the toy, then stage him with Jingles to complete the illusion. Before I headed to bed, I actually remembered to grab the pieces, and initially thought I could just pop the knees back into place. 

Oh, was I wrong.

Apparently, there are little pegs which hold the bottom parts of Flash's legs in place...or, there were little pegs. They seem to have broken completely off. So, now I have to figure out how to repair Flash. Hopefully glue will work, but then Flash probably won't have legs that bend at the "joint". 

Of course, Andrew noticed that his beloved super hero was missing today, and reassured me that Jingles would bring him back after he was fixed. "Maybe Santa will even put a button on his chest, so when I press it, Flash will run super fast around the house!"

Crap. That, I can't do. I love that the kids still believe in the magic of the holiday. If I can replace this action figure, I think they will continue to believe. No pressure, right? ;) Perhaps it's time to take to the internet to search for a replacement.

Break

Just two more days left in the kids' break from school. Thank goodness. I might just make it...

The Return of Jingles

Our elf returned last night to spend the holidays with our family. The kids were elated to see Jingles waiting for them this morning, and promptly set out an elf-friendly breakfast of Hershey kisses and Smarties to welcome him back. 

Cute, right?

It really was, until I realized I had to quickly eat those candies to keep up my ruse. I stealthy unwrapped the candy, shoved it in my mouth, and arranged the wrappers around Jingles. 

Cute, right?

It was, and the kids giggled in delight when they discovered that "Jingles ate" his breakfast, and I was pretty proud of my ninja elf skills. But, they continued to "feed" Jingles all day. 

Seriously. All. Day. I don't know how I didn't get caught, sneaking the treats away each time. 

Later, they asked if they could sleep in the living room tonight (they think this is great fun). Being the weekend, of course I agreed, and then immediately wanted to bang my head against the wall. With them in the living room, I would have to stage the elf for tomorrow in the kitchen, and very quietly at that. Blurg. 

But, I managed to do it, again without getting caught. I've got mad elf skills, I guess. 

The things we do for our kids...

Shopping

As I sit here watching the ridiculous Black Friday commercials, I am feeling quite thankful that most of my holiday shopping is finished. I just can't imagine standing in line with a bunch of cranky people who are willing to throw a punch to save $5. (No judgement if you're a BF shopper; it's just not my thing.)

 

Be Nice, Shoppers

Before our Thanksgiving dinner is even digested tomorrow, my husband will be off to work to prepare for the 5pm open of his store. Many of his employees will also have to leave their families to join him at work. 

So much for a holiday. 

Whether you choose to shop tomorrow, or Friday, or anytime during the holiday season, please remember to be nice. The people working in the stores have little control over your wait time in line, nor do they decide how many of each item should be on the shelves. They are tired, their feet hurt, and they've listened to the same holiday Muzak since Halloween. They are doing their best, and you should be kind to them. 

Speaking from experience, it just takes one jerk to ruin an entire holiday season for those who work in retail. Don't be that jerk. 

Happy Thanksgiving, and merry shopping to all. 

Night Off

We spent a much needed evening at home, watching tv. The finale of Dancing with the Stars was entertaining enough to hold everyone's attention, and we were quite pleased with the outcome. 

Here's hoping everyone sleeps in tomorrow. 

Cards

Holiday cards are finally ordered. Ugh. That task really should not be the most time consuming of all the holiday items on my to-do list, but somehow, it took me days to get it crossed off.

Now let's see how long it takes me to get them addressed when they arrive. I totally should have ordered "Happy 2015" cards.

Or maybe "Happy Valentine's Day"...