The one where Baby Jesus was denied a ride on the bus

So. We sold our house.

Remember when I was complaining about the 8:30 A.M. showing? Yeah. I still don't think early morning showings are okay, but these early morning visitors bought our house, so I sort of still like them.

So. Hooray. We're moving on December 23rd. I'll be 38.5 weeks pregnant, or I'll have an infant. Either way. Crazy.

With a few minor things up in the air, our Christmas decor is simple. No tree, no stockings hung by the chimney with care. Our Christmas decor comes down to this:

 

The Little People Nativity Set. 

If you're not familiar with The Little People---they're toys, and the "Little People" are interchangeable with other Little People toys.

For instance, this morning I found the "angel" rockin a sweet mustache, necktie and holding an apple: 

Later, I found the real angel driving some kids, a wise man and his camel to school:

It was this motley crew that caused a bit of a ruckus this morning. Brynne thought Baby Jesus should get on the bus, and Hadley vehemently denied him entry. Maybe she was confused, because Baby Jesus has blonde hair and pale skin. I don't know.

As plastic people and animals flew everywhere, I tried, amidst shrieks of protest, to make it a teachable moment,

You know girls, this isn't the first time Baby Jesus was denied entry. His mama and papa weren't allowed a space in a house or hotel, which is why he was born in a barn. Can you believe that someone wouldn't let Jesus come inside their house?!

Admittedly, timing has never been my strong suit. 

Hadley would have none of it, despite my brilliant impromptu recap of the Christmas story, I mean, everyone knows Jesus doesn't have blonde hair, right?  This Baby Jesus was NOT getting on her bus.

Brynne cried. And I did what any mother of toddlers would do (after taking a deep breath and rolling my eyes)---distract and redirect.

A little bit later, a camel drove by. I noticed little Baby Jesus, cradle and all, had managed to get himself a ride, like a second-class citizen, with a bus full of sheep, donkeys and a cow.

Maybe Hadley knew that Baby Jesus would be more comfortable surrounded by animals. Or maybe she conceded to let her sister give him a ride, despite his historically inaccurate blonde hair.

Welcome to the Christmas season, friends.

Mama Loves: Large Canvas Floor Totes

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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Lots of great ideas, again this week! Thanks so much for linking up your ideas here, friends!

• Katie loves these splat mats to go under the space where kids eat. Aren't they super cute? They actually go with decor in your home! 

• Laura shared one of her favorite parenting books. There's a boy version of this too.

 

• Krista shares the joy of rotating toys, so that old toys become "new" again. 

• Mandy shows us this very cool geometry activity that she came up with for her girls. They were entertained for an entire hour with this! 

 

•  Along the same lines, Marcia's twins loved working on this activity. Geometry, and hand-eye coordination----love it! (isn't her photography beautiful?!)

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Before I get going, I wanted to take a second to thank all of you who stopped by with your prayers and well wishes for our family on Monday. I feel so blessed by this big, beautiful blogging community. Oh, and I realized that I forgot to say that we'll be expecting our little "Pat" sometime around 07 January 2013, or if my husband had his way, sometime before the end of 2012. We'll see, Husband, we'll see.

Anyway, without further ado....

When the girls were born we were given a $50 gift certificate to Pottery Barn Kids. It took me a really long time to decide how to spend it, I wanted to get something practical and useful, because if you've ever shopped Pottery Barn Kids----$50 doesn't go very far.

I decided on the Large Canvas Floor Tote. At the time, the girls' toys were being kept in the living room, so I was pleased that the brown polka dot design blended with our decor.

A bonus, if you're interested, I noticed that Pottery Barn Kids does have these totes on sale this week, so your $50 gift card will go a bit further than normal.



I have to tell you-----these things are HUGE! When we first got the tote, we didn't have that many toys, but now, it's full, and let me tell you----it holds a lot. The girls thought it was hilarious that their mama was making such a big mess. But it did serve a purpose. Here's a size comparison for you (the girls are about 37.5 inches tall:

Ah! I do love organizing the chaos just a little bit!

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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Mama Loves: Flashlights

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!


Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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Be sure to check out these great Mama tested, Mama approved ideas!

• Bumbo seats aren't just for babies! Check out how this mama's babies use them!
• Make teeth brushing time fun for your toddlers!
• Give a child a cape and help him make a crown, and unlock a world of imagination!
• Shutterfly photo books are a great way to preserve memories, and you can make learning books with them too! Check out all these great ideas!

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At some point, I read some article, I can't remember when or where. I know, great story so far, right? Stick with me!

Okay, so, I read this article about how kids today don't have enough responsibility, and this cripples them, because they fail to grasp an understanding of duty, pride in their work, and care for their belongings. Further, they feel entitled to everything, because they've been given everything without earning anything.

We took this seriously! We wanted the girls to have responsibility, and not to be one of those spoiled, entitled children!

So---we stopped picking up their toys and books. Each night, whatever they got out, they put away. It is their job to return all their books and toys to their designated "homes" before bed. 

Now, just because we give them responsibility doesn't mean that responsibility can't be fun!

Enter the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flashlights!





Our girls take these flashlights every night, and look under the couches for stray toys and books. Anytime there's even a thought that there might something under the couches, out come the flashlights! The girls lay on their tummies and shine their lights into all the dark spaces making it their job to find any and all toys that might be lurking there. They love their flashlights!

I can't take credit for teaching them this----it was all my husband. There's a really cute video of Brynne in action over here.

Can't wait to see what you're loving!

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Mama Loves: Spray Bottles

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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Hi mamas! Forgive me for being a bit a lot tardy with this! Husband wasn't around much last weekend, and this weekend he had to miss part of his Father's Day here with us, so we took full advantage of the time he was here to hang out and enjoy family time.

Before I move on, a quick, and perhaps slightly cheesy shout-out to my husband:

Thank you for tirelessly giving yourself to our family. For taking care of us. For protecting us. For providing for us. And for being a whole lotta fun. The girls are so blessed to have a hands-on papa, who works hard all day, then plays hard when he gets home, feeds them supper, and then helps with bath time. And I couldn't have a better partner to walk through this parenting gig with. You rock; I love you.

I was aiming for this sweet picture of the three of you this weekend, but this was as good as it got:

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Please take a moment to check out these loves!

• This fabulous granola recipe! Great opportunity for you little ones to help out in the kitchen!
• Every mama needs to feel stylish! Check out this awesome new purse Ginger got on sale!!

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 This summer has been heating up around here! I confess, that I get a little anxious when the girls cheeks get flushed on hot days.

The other day, I randomly filled up two water bottles. I did this, so that they could help me water the flowers without them getting completely soaked.

Turns out, they enjoy spraying themselves in the face. And, amazingly, they do it without even flinching. They absolutely love it!

What's been great about this is that since they've started doing this, they've been more comfortable putting their faces in the water when we swim in the pool, and they don't mind (as much) getting water in their faces/eyes during bath times.

Just look at those beautiful wet faces!!

Plus, I know they're cooling themselves off when they need to. And, it's only a fine mist, so they aren't getting drenched.

Spray bottles are cheap, and a great thing to add to your outside arsenal of toys--especially on hot days!

Can't wait to see what you're loving!

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Mama Loves: Window Clings

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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This is a quick one. Mostly, because they speak for themselves! 

A couple weeks back the girls received some window clings from one of my dear friends.

One rainy day I decided to get them out.

My friend did warn me that they tear, but the texture is something that her child likes to explore, so she lets him. Honestly, the texture is pretty cool. I enjoyed exploring it as well!

The girls really enjoyed playing with them, especially the letters and numbers they can identify.

The best part about them---you can find them in the dollar bins at Target! Woo hoo! We are definitely going to be stocking up, because they are a hit around here!

 Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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Mama Loves: Cats

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what it's all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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If you're ever looking for a quick way to make a meal festive, try using cookie cutters to jazz up sandwiches, pancakes, or french toast, like my husband did.Thank you, husband, for linking up, for making me shamrock-shaped french toast, and mostly for letting me sleep in. 
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Real cats make me sneeze.

This cat though:



is dander-free and loves to rock.

I was a bit hesitant, because there are many opportunities to make noise with this thing.

BUT

I caved, and have been pleasantly surprised!

The Meowsic has taught my girls whole lot about music. They are able to control the tempo, the instrument songs are played with, and let me tell you----my girls have their preferences! And---once they have all the settings just the way they like them---they boogie down!

The Meowsic has quickly become a favorite around here! 

I love that it has a keyboard! I took piano lessons when I was a child, so I'm looking forward to teaching the girls a few notes.

I really do love that it plays music. The girls can be their own maestro, choosing their personal favorite songs, in the tempo and sound that they want---inspiring creativity.

And Mama doesn't have to cue any music for them.

I can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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