You know, this picture begs the question: Do my children ever get dressed? Or do they live the whole of every day in pajamas?

Well, that is an interesting question really. I'm not sure I have a satisfactory answer. Photographic evidence seems to suggest that they actually don't own daytime clothing, only fire retardant, pseudo-polyester, garish-character-printed sleepwear.

I plead the fifth.

Yesterday I gave Curly the first Miquon Math book. I'd heard good things about this hands-on math curriculum so I ordered the book and let her try it. In general she seems to eat up numbers and counting like candy, but I have held off on getting a formal math curriculum (other than a couple of Wal-mart workbooks) because I felt she was too young and did not want her to get frustrated.

I needn't have worried. She dove into the Orange book and in one day did fourteen pages. She only quit when her neck started hurting from sitting at the table too long. This kid loves a mental challenge and math tickles her brain like nothing else. I was worried when I started homeschooling that she would drag her feet at formal instruction; instead I cannot seem to keep up with her.

You don't have to be very big to participate in family dinnertime around here.



"I'll just take a bottle, please."

Late last night two excited children walked downtown with their parents to watch the Christmas Lights Parade. As usual we barely made it there in time to see it, too late to find our friends who were also there watching, but our neighbors came with us, so we had some friends anyway.



Although elves walked by handing out candy, Curly Miss was interested in something else coming down the road.



This!



Little Mister joyfully collected peppermints and candy canes, chocolate balls and Tootsie Rolls.



Baby Bear snuggled down in his warm coat and went to sleep. After the parade was over, we popped in to the Mexican restaurant downtown and treated ourselves to fajitas. What a fun evening!

What mother doesn't dream of owning a camera that not only captures the amazing faces of her beautiful children but also does the dishes? I think every single one of us has drooled over the cameras on Amazon, traded stories of Kodak Moments and gnashed our teeth when a perfectly beautiful expression was ruined because the picture looked grainy or blurry or the battery died.



For years, I used our middle-of-the road point-and-shoot camera, figuring that if I took enough pictures a few would turn out good. I never wanted to invest money in a nicer camera because I didn't think my eyesight was good enough to learn to actually do photography the "professional" way. My sister lent me her nicer camera and I found my photography improving somewhat, but I still didn't think I should bother with a good camera.



More recently, I have been reading blogs like the Blind Photographers and realizing that with advancements in auto-focus and image stabilization, I could probably take some pretty decent pictures. And having kids around provides for an endless array of interesting subject matter if you have a quick trigger finger and a camera sitting out handy.




I saved my "fun money" for nearly a year until I had enough amassed to get a good camera. On a trip to faraway Costco, I got one, brought it home and discovered it did not have some of the features I needed to be successful, particularly live preview. So back to Costco it went. Now my piggy bank is full again and I have yet to get a camera. I guess I'm a little nervous.



I need to get on it soon as my sister wants her own camera back and I am not sure I can go back to my little Sony. But I'm not sure what to get and I'm scared to drop that kind of money on something just for myself. Hmmm.....

It gives me great pleasure to report that for 11 straight days Baby Bear has slept from about midnight to 7:00. I find this sort of behavior unexpected and wonderful, given the fact that Little Mister didn't sleep that long until he was nearly two. Hubby and I are beginning to feel human again.

I'll enjoy it until teething begins.

Today, I remembered to take his picture on the correct day!

Just to compare, here is the one-month:

This year we went with some friends out to the Forest Service land beyond Deary to get a real, wild Christmas tree. Not only was the adventure appealing to me, but the $5 price tag couldn't be better!



The kids decorated it almost entirely by themselves. Their work doesn't look... symmetrical, but it certainly has personality. Curly Miss claims the red balls as her special property since red is her favorite color.



I spent some time putting up some of the traditional lights, wreaths, stockings and such. I love decorating for Christmas because the house feels so cozy and pretty!



Little Mister left his mark on the tree as well. This was the branch he could reach. Part of me wants to spread the balls out evenly all over the tree. But another part of me wants to leave the one branch full of gold balls because every time I see it, I smile.

Today for fun, the older kids got to fix their own lunch with minimal input or assistance from me. When Hubby heard the plan, he predicted that that they would fix "fruit snacks on a bed of fruit snacks garnished with fruit snacks."



They got out a chair to stand on and, towing it around the kitchen, they got to work.



I, too, was curious what they would choose. Initially Curly wanted to fix macaroni and cheese, her absolute favorite, but when she found out it took fifteen minutes along with reaching pans and boxes and milk, she opted for something easier. (I can totally relate. It's how I cook too.)



Lately I have had an awful time with her bossing her little brother unmercifully (what big sister wouldn't?) so for this venture I put her in charge. For once she was able to use her leadership skills in a position of character strength rather than weakness. To my amazement, rather than ordering him around, she served him first, fixing his plate and helping him get settled before she even gave thought to what she would fix for herself.



Eventually she decided on freezer waffles, an apple and a cheese stick.



Mister added chicken nuggets to his lunch and they happily set to it.



During the whole process I stayed as far in the background as I could, mostly being available for consultation and picture-taking. Curly felt her responsibility keenly and bustled around like only a five-year-old can. I'm proud of my big girl!

Saturday night we hosted a birthday party for a good friend of Hubby's...the first time we entertained since Baby Bear came. One of the guests had a baby boy who was 2 days younger than Baby Bear. We had a lot of jokes about the two, how they are destined to grow up as either best buds or mortal enemies. Baby Bear was a bit shorter than Baby E, but quite a bit heavier.

My friend Ann tagged me with her Theta Mom meme. While I don't usually participate in memes unless it's 4:00 AM and Facebook is open, I also don't want to let her down. The trouble is that I am still trying to figure out what exactly a Theta Mom (True Authentic Mom) actually IS. It seems to be a sort of tell-all insane Mommy-moment meme as if confessing to carrying poopy diapers in your purse is actually unusual. As far as I can see I am supposed to name five things I do as a mom that I never thought I would do in my innocent pre-parental days of uber-sophisticatedness that was me back when I did Marching Band. The trouble with that was that I helped raise my little sister. Yes, folks, I got a load of baby poop in the face at age eleven. I was broken in young.

So I guess I'll think of five random embarrassing things and pretend they are as shocking as finding the toddler anointing the business end of my cat with lipstick. Here goes...

1. I bribe my children. Repeatedly and gleefully. It's how I get them to eat, to pick up toys and to use the toilet. Chocolate is God's gift to mothers in so many ways.

2. I used to store my breastmilk in ziplock baggies. The Glad brand. Unsterilized. I suppose Little Mister is doomed to have some sort of toxin-induced glandular disease later in life. I hope not.

3. When my daughter belches, I laugh rather than correcting her.

4. Since I hate to cook, I get take-out as often as I absolutely can. If I had my way, I would never, ever cook a meal. That being said, though, when I do cook, it usually turns out really good.

5. I am terrified of strangers. Well, all people in general, actually. For this reason, I encourage my children to talk to people so they won't grow up as paranoid as I am. So far they are all really outgoing and I have never had to force the issue. I have yet to solve the problem of stranger-danger; I just keep them close.

There you have it: a glimpse into my inner sanctum. A tiny peek into those self-defining actions that will shape my children's entire futures. These are what Mommy-ing is REALLY all about.

To spread the love, I tag:
wholarmor
shellie
zachaboard
kelley