Santa has a Case of Diaper Rash

We have a new family member. He is a great companion for the kids. He sits at the table with us and follows us from room to room while we play. If he happens to "forget" to join us, Faith or Cameron usually recognize his absence and go in search for him. Who is the sixth addition to the family...none other than "Ho Ho" (as Cam calls him) OR "Santa Caws" (as Faith calls him). Yep, MeMe and Poppy continued the tradition and bought their last batch of grands a dancing and singing Santa Clause.

At first, the kiddos were a bit unsure of the new addition. but they quickly warmed up to him. In fact, Santa can work a little bit of magic when it comes to behavior.  The kids now know that "Santa is always watching." I was surprised since I neglected to bring out "The Elf on the Shelf," claiming that they wouldn't "get it." Santa has been SO GREAT that Cameron has decided to take super special care of him. I had a blast watching this kid this afternoon while he pampered "Ho Ho.

 First, Cam decided that HoHo needed a snack.

Goldfish were on the menu.

 Then, Santa needed a new "hiney."

 Uh-oh....Santa must have diaper rash. No worries...Cameron knows what to do! :)

Now, we can't have Santa's hair and beard a mess while delivering all of those toys!

Ahhhh...I had SO much fun watching this. Isn't he the cutest little thing?....and thanks to him, Santa is looking pretty good, too! Ha! ;)



Grocery Store Adventures

So, I am trying the coupon thing. After having grocery bills run over the $200 mark week after week, I decided that it was time to do something...ANYTHING...even if it meant me eating easy mac every night. People are always talking about the great deals you get when you coupon, so I thought I would give it a go.

There are a few things that I have learned about couponing in my short time doing so:

1. You need a considerable amount of time on your hands to coupon...and be REALLY good at it, that is (GREAT...I have so much time to spare).

2. You need to be organized...in my opinion, VERY organized...with lists to various stores and coupons in an easily accessible binder (that's my method) that is clearly labeled (Once upon a time, this was right up my alley...but lately, I am having a bit of a hard time with my organizational skills).

AND....MOST IMPORTANTLY....

3. You may not want to take three children under the age of two when trying to focus and get the best deals.....they may just make you throw your hands up and yell, "I DON'T CARE WHAT IT COSTS....JUST GRAB SOMETHING AND GO!!!"

Let me clarify for #3.......

Ingles had some really good deals this week. With the coupons added, there was no way that I was gonna' miss out. Now, I had forgotten to give Cody the list so that he could go by after work, so we were forced to go Saturday before the sale ran out. The plan was to go to Ingles, pick a few things up, and then head to WalMart.  Yep...fun plan...and it just kept getting better. In order, here are the sequence of events:
1. We load up in the car to find that we have forgotten the Ingles card.
2. We unload the car (and anyone who has had to load and unload the three can appreciate the effort that it takes to do so) at Ingles to find that Mallory's seat will not hook to the buggy (so Cody has to go BACK out to the car to take Mallory out of the seat).
3.We get into Ingles to find that I have forgotten some of my coupons outside in the car....so OUT Cody goes again.
4. Faith and Cameron can not sit within the buggies of Ingles since they are so shallow (they usually sit in the back)...so they walk...WELL.....
4. Faith and Cameron decide the aisles of the grocery store are speed tracks...therefore, they are no longer walking.
5. I can't find a couple of the things that are on sale...and I really don't have the patience at this point to search.
6. When I turn around (and I really wish I had a picture of this), Faith has picked up a bottle of Corona from a six pack carrying it around the store...and...NO I was not in the beer and liquor section (although maybe I should have been). I was walking through there to get to the milk (because you know we go through at least three gallons a week, here!!!).
7. On the way to WalMart, I dropped Cody and the kids off at Pat and YaYa's. :)

To end on a good note, my son sure knows how to unload the groceries. I thought that this was super cute. Cameron put away Mallory's baby food for me. I love these kids.

On my next coupon extravaganza, I now know to be a bit more organized and to leave the kids at home! I may have the odds stacked against me with very little time and my mind being a bit loopy these days, but I am determined that I will CONQUER!!!

Mallory Joins The Madness.....

....of bath time, that is. Yes, bath time is madness...pure chaos. Well, maybe not the actual PLAY part of bath time...but the bathing and dressing part of bath time. It IS definitely nothing less than MADNESS. Water everywhere, screaming for all sorts of ridiculous reasons, diaper and pajama throwing between Cody and I...MADNESS.

Although I would rather take a beating than attend "bath night," the calm part of it (well...I wouldn't say CALM...but you know what I mean) makes it bearable....and always makes me smile.

So, Mallory usually takes a bath in her own tub, but she has taken a REAL interest in the big bath. She gets excited to see big brother and big sis getting all clean, so we thought, "Why not?" She LOVES it. I must say that I have a THIRD water duck. She could care less about getting water in her face. That's a good thing since Faith insists on terrorizing her. Mallory thinks that it is all fun and games and laughs and plays away.

Having SO MUCH FUN!

The Three Stooges

Ah...and here is Faith in action...just about to dump a cup of water on Mallory's head. Mallory does not mind a bit.

...and then she dumps a cup on herself. Why? Well, mature mommy did that to her trying to teach her a lesson....I know...not the best parenting tactic (but I try a little bit of everything with this girl). You can tell that it really did a whole heck of good. So much so that she did it to herself before I could. Now, what am I supposed to do with this girl?!

Prayer Request

To all readers, I have a very important request to make!

Please, please pray for a precious little girl named, Michaela. She is two years old and was diagnosed with a malignant tumor yesterday. He mother is a former teacher at my school.  Please pray that the cancer is localized and that she be completely healed. Pray for strength, courage, and faith for her dear family.

Prayers ARE being heard and answered for the sweet family that I wrote of last week. The little girl, who still remains in ICU, IS making some improvements. She has actually opened her eyes and moved her fingers. Please continue to pray for this precious life and her family.

Go, Mallory Go!

Mallory is REALLY growing up! It seems that she has taken off in the last couple of weeks. She is a speed demon, getting anywhere she wants VERY quickly. She can dance and she even pulled up!  Today, she repeatedly said, "Da, Da."  She thought it was very funny and would laugh proudly.  Loving me some Mallory! I am so proud of my girl...now if she would get some teeth!!!

Do You See Something Wrong with this Picture?

Take a LONG look. Do you see it?......if you look carefully, you can see ornaments placed within the tree that should NOT be there. Well, actually, they are not ornaments at all....they are balls from the kids' ball pit. Yep, the kiddos call the ornaments on the tree "balls," so why wouldn't the balls from the ball pit go there, too?! Ha...I thought it was too cute so I did not bother to get them out! :)

Oh, and they also like to place goldfish on the limbs, as well. Maybe they are hiding them for later snacks??? These kids crack me up!

Keeping Things in Perspective

Christmas can be a stressful time of the year, no doubt. With so much to do and too little time, it can cause much worry, frustration, and exhaustion! I often ponder (for a long time) over what to get each person....will they like it?  Having children has brought more added stress....will I find the "hot" items and what on Earth will I do if I don't? Crazily, I worry, "Did I buy them enough?" Yes, Christmas can be stressful....BUT...I have really had some occurrences that have put things in perspective for me....

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a child within my classroom wearing less than suitable shoes. He showed me the sole, which was practically worn, bare, and cracked open. I examined them, noticing that  they were too small. Having my attention, he began to complain. "Mrs. Patrick, my feet hurt. Mrs. Patrick, I wish I had some new shoes." Yep, it definitely put things in perspective for me. Here, this child, did not have a suitable pair of shoes and will likely get no or very little Christmas....and I am worried if I got my children ENOUGH. 

There is also a family in Eatonton that needs your prayers urgently. Over Thanksgiving, the family was in a car accident. Unfortunately, the three-year-old was critically injured. It is my understanding that the little girl is now on life support and is paralyzed from the neck down. The mother is  left with a very difficult decision. She lost her husband in years past.  The ethics committee met today. Again, it REALLY put things in perspective.

At this time, I ask for prayers for the little boy and especially the little girl and her family. I can not begin to imagine the pain and heartache. Hug your little ones a little tighter and count your ever many blessings.