Embrace the Chill

The weather forecast calls for more snow. I hear groans and whining from various sources (most of them from the power behind the snow shovel) but I love the cold! Snow is beautiful! There's nothing like breathing the frigid air in through your nose and having your nostrils freeze shut. And as you're snowed in, there are all sorts of online toys you and your chilly offspring can peruse whilst dreaming of warmer weather.

Instead of complaining about something we can't change, let's all just give in. And how do we do that, you might ask? By eating ice cream.

Specifically, by eating ice cream we made ourselves and then creating various tasty combinations with toppings and such. To aid you in these efforts, I'm giving away a mini ice cream maker and a sundae kit.

This midget ice cream maker uses only a few batteries and freezer space to make your very own ice cream; no salt and no cranking. The sundae kit includes, a scoop, 4 cups, 4 spoons, sprinkles, mini marshmallows, chocolate sauce, paper hat, and ice cream ideas. Nothing like giving yourself a continuous brain freeze to help you adjust to cooler climates!

To enter, do one of the following, leaving a separate comment for each entry:

• Comment here, telling me your favorite ice cream flavor.
• Follow my blog.
• Follow my cake blog.
• Mention this giveaway on Facebook (sorry, I don't use Twitter).
• Blog about this giveaway (for three entries).

Contest closes Sunday, January 17 at midnight.

Should I be worried?

The Boy is fascinated with Lady Gaga. The other day, he burst out singing her new song, "Bad Romance," while we were shopping at Wal-Mart. No worries, right? Stranger things have happened, especially at that place.

Friday, while he was getting ready for school, I set out his clothes for the day. He glared at me, then insisted that the jeans were "no good." What? Last week, he wore them nearly every day without comment. They are his only pair of carpenter pants, which, I am told by other sources, are no longer cool.

But this morning, I came downstairs, wearing my awesome silver dress and new red shoes with kitten heels. He takes one look at me and says "Mom, those shoes are adorable!"

And it wasn't just once! He's repeated this declaration several times today...in front of other people.

But they really are adorable.

**Stay tuned...I will be having a spiffy giveaway next week!

An FHE Post?

Don't you just miss those weekly FHE posts?

Not really? Oh.

Well, one of my New's Years Resolutions (obligatory post still in the making) is to be better about having Family Home Evening. I've been slacking off for the past several months, what with the stressful-event(s)-that-cannot-be-named taking up my entire Autumn and getting my Winter off to a lousy start.

But there will be one tragic difference in our weekly meetings...

The Boy no longer demands that we sing Twinkle Little Star.

I know! I nearly cried! My baby is growing up!

Instead, he had a new song, taught to him by my good friend who owned a day care. It goes like this:

Starkle, starkle little twink

How I wonder what you think.

Up above the world so high,

Think you own the whole darn sky!

Starkle, starkle little twink,

How I wonder what you think.

how to get on your Mom's nervs

No, that's not a typo. Just before Christmas, da Boo was busy for nearly an entire afternoon, writing away in her notebook. Whenever I asked what she was doing, she said she was making a list. Finally, she showed me. (Click on the picture to bigify.)


It's a pretty accurate list! And I wondered why she asked me how to spell "whining."

Soaking it up

Despite the fact that she's now past the one year marker, Baby had yet to have a bath in the Big Tub. As an infant, bath time in the little plastic tub that fit over my sink was not a pleasant experience once she discovered her lungs. My ears would ring for a good hour after. So instead of that torment, Baby got a shower. She was much more content in a downpour than in a puddle of water. However, as she's gotten bigger, she's gotten more wiggly.

(Baby + soapy water)wiggles = very slippery situation.

Although we decided weeks ago that she needed to upgrade to the big tub, I was still slow in implementing the process. Tonight, I bit the bullet. After Boo's shower, we filled the tub and let Boo stay in so she could help.

Once she saw the bath, Baby was very excited. I had a hard time getting her out of her diaper before she was trying to plunge head-first into the tub. I'd include pictures, but I'd rather not get arrested. She had definitely outgrown her crying fits! Maybe it was all that time at our local water park this summer...

Even though she's a strong sitter/crawler, I had Boo hold her up from behind and minimize the wiggling while I scrubbed. She wiggled, as was to be expected, and Boo lost her grip a few times. Nothing like a face full of water to help Baby learn the tub ropes. But she loved it. Actually, that might be an understatement.

Baby loved taking a bath so much that it took TWO full-grown adults to hold her back from joining her brother in the tub. I'm still worn out from that wrestling match!

But hey, at least it's no longer a screamfest.

How did your kids handle the Big Tub?