Another Unofficial Chatterbox Thread- Everyone is Welcome!

[staley7580]

It's a Hyena Christmas party!

Indeed!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Ours is almost gone.. It is rapidly melting.

Yeah, my parents, brother and sister all said it was slushy yesterday down south (Kent/Federal Way areas), so they were a little taken aback when I said we still had snow, and lots more coming down! I'm glad they braved it, though. Yesterday I was feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed, and kinda hoped they'd all agree to reschedule to tomorrow. But once they were here it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad they were all able to make it. If we'd had to postpone my DNiece9 and DNephew11 wouldn't have been here.

 

[sameyeyam]

I cooked our ham, but after getting it in the oven, and puttering around in the kitchen I was to tired to make the stuff to go with it.. So we had ham sandwiches for dinner. Delish!

I got a spiral ham last week and we made sandwiches and munched on it all week. Last night I used the rest for cheese, ham & crackers. This week I will use the bone and last little scraps for a big pot of navy beans.
DH made prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner and we went to his sister's house for turkey dinner this afternoon.

And I'm sure that the Wii Fit will have a few words to say to me tomorrow since I've only exercised for about 3 minutes today.

 

[sameyeyam]

Yeah, my parents, brother and sister all said it was slushy yesterday down south (Kent/Federal Way areas), so they were a little taken aback when I said we still had snow, and lots more coming down! I'm glad they braved it, though. Yesterday I was feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed, and kinda hoped they'd all agree to reschedule to tomorrow. But once they were here it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad they were all able to make it. If we'd had to postpone my DNiece9 and DNephew11 wouldn't have been here.

I was supposed to work tomorrow but the snow plows haven't ran for the last two days, so our road is pretty bad (my car is still at the bottom of the hill). I figure they will run tomorrow, so hopefully the roads will get all clear. We're supposed to get up to the 35-38 tomorrow afternoon and stay above freezing. So I'm going to stay home tomorrow and then go in for a few hours on Saturday and a few on Sunday. I'll take the kids with me, then they can take the car and go see a movie, spend their gift cards, etc. while I get caught up with work things.

 

[staley7580]

I have to tell you... it was SO NICE to have the day for just ourselves today. We should have tried this years ago. My kids both stayed in their jammies all day, even after they bathed... they hopped into new jammies. They spent all day playing with their new toys, and watching movies, and Alex learned Uno..

AND... there is nothing sexier then watching a grown man on the floor playing My Little Pony for hours.

 

[sameyeyam]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2036155&referrerid=

 

[staley7580]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2036155&referrerid=

Is it bad that I read that whole thing with my hand on the mouse???

 

[Alex2kMommy]

AND... there is nothing sexier then watching a grown man on the floor playing My Little Pony for hours.

Too true!

DS8 used to love playing with My Little Ponies in preschool. He'd come home and say, "Mama, I played the ponies today!"

I tried to find little boy Ponies, but there are none to be had. Too bad, they're missing a great marketing opportunity!

In fact, we were at McDonalds one day last week, and DS4 wanted the Pony instead of whatever manly boy-toy there is. It took awhile to convince the gal at the counter to give us a pony, and then she told us as she was handing over the bags (as if she still wasn't sure she got it right), "So one boy Happy Meal and one girl Happy Meal..." Great, thank you!

DS4 was so happy with his little Pony!

 

[sameyeyam]

I have to tell you... it was SO NICE to have the day for just ourselves today. We should have tried this years ago. My kids both stayed in their jammies all day, even after they bathed... they hopped into new jammies. They spent all day playing with their new toys, and watching movies, and Alex learned Uno..

AND... there is nothing sexier then watching a grown man on the floor playing My Little Pony for hours.

We didn't get out of our jammies until about 2pm. I enjoy just having a nice quiet immediate family Christmas. We were kind of bummed because I make a special breakfast casserole and due to the snow Safeway was out of Tater Tots so I couldn't make it. Oh well, next year.

I put pre-cooked bacon, sausage & ham in the bottom of a pan, top with a small bag of tater tots, pour eggs over the top and then bake at 350 for about an hour, add a layer of shredded cheese and eat. I usually make it the night before and then just pop it into the oven while we open presents. But this year I had to make scrambled eggs w/ham & cheese after we opened the presents, not nearly as convenient and way more dirty dishes. You can bet next year I'll buy all the ingredients 2 weeks ahead of time.

 

[staley7580]

Too true!

DS8 used to love playing with My Little Ponies in preschool. He'd come home and say, "Mama, I played the ponies today!"

I tried to find little boy Ponies, but there are none to be had. Too bad, they're missing a great marketing opportunity!

In fact, we were at McDonalds one day last week, and DS4 wanted the Pony instead of whatever manly boy-toy there is. It took awhile to convince the gal at the counter to give us a pony, and then she told us as she was handing over the bags (as if she still wasn't sure she got it right), "So one boy Happy Meal and one girl Happy Meal..." Great, thank you!

DS4 was so happy with his little Pony!

Oh heck yeah!! Alex loved them when he was little. He used to get them when Mcdonalds had them too! He was right there on the floor with Frelan and Mikalah playing ponies today in fact.. She got a rock band pony set, VERY exciting!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Dang it! I had this long PM (airing dirty family laundry), and lost it!

OK, didn't want to post it publicly, but here's the Reader's Digest version.

I talked to my mom last week on the phone, and she was sounding very tired, because my niece and nephew were over. I was puzzled, because it was a weekday, and shouldn't they be in school?

Well...!

Turns out my ex-SIL, whom I'd always thought of as a good mom, took off on a Caribbean cruise with her boyfriend/fiance, and planned to leave the kids home alone while she was gone! We're talking longer than a week! She thought it would be OK, since she'd arranged for her 18yo stepbrother to come to their place after work and spend the night with the kids. OMG! They are 9yo and 11yo, and quite frankly, the 11yo is a doofus, nowhere near being a child I'd leave home alone for a few hours, let alone over a week!

 

[staley7580]

We didn't get out of our jammies until about 2pm. I enjoy just having a nice quiet immediate family Christmas. We were kind of bummed because I make a special breakfast casserole and due to the snow Safeway was out of Tater Tots so I couldn't make it. Oh well, next year.

I put pre-cooked bacon, sausage & ham in the bottom of a pan, top with a small bag of tater tots, pour eggs over the top and then bake at 350 for about an hour, add a layer of shredded cheese and eat. I usually make it the night before and then just pop it into the oven while we open presents. But this year I had to make scrambled eggs w/ham & cheese after we opened the presents, not nearly as convenient and way more dirty dishes. You can bet next year I'll buy all the ingredients 2 weeks ahead of time.

We had christmas cookies for breakfast.

 

[sameyeyam]

My DS has not been allowed to play with "girl" toys. He unfortunately has an older sister that freaked out if he even looked like he was going to touch a girl toy. She would have been the first one to yell in the middle of McDonalds "NO, you can't have a girl toy!!!". Now me, I couldn't care less, but apparently it's a problem for little girls if little boys play with girl toys.

 

[staley7580]

Dang it! I had this long PM (airing dirty family laundry), and lost it!

OK, didn't want to post it publicly, but here's the Reader's Digest version.

I talked to my mom last week on the phone, and she was sounding very tired, because my niece and nephew were over. I was puzzled, because it was a weekday, and shouldn't they be in school?

Well...!

Turns out my ex-SIL, whom I'd always thought of as a good mom, took off on a Caribbean cruise with her boyfriend/fiance, and planned to leave the kids home alone while she was gone! We're talking longer than a week! She thought it would be OK, since she'd arranged for her 18yo stepbrother to come to their place after work and spend the night with the kids. OMG! They are 9yo and 11yo, and quite frankly, the 11yo is a doofus, nowhere near being a child I'd leave home alone for a few hours, let alone over a week!

Are you freaking KIDDING ME?????? OMG. With an 18 yo watching them overnight?? Wow.

Well... I was babysitting when I was 11. But a week is a bit much. A weekend, with someone staying overnight is one thing..

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I have to say DS8 was a bit embarrassed, making sure to tell his brother that it was "a girrrrl toy, not a boy toy!" But my lovely DH said, "It doesn't matter, son. If your brother wants a pony, he can have a pony!" and then insisted to the girl at the counter that we needed a pony.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Are you freaking KIDDING ME?????? OMG. With an 18 yo watching them overnight?? Wow.

Well... I was babysitting when I was 11. But a week is a bit much. A weekend, with someone staying overnight is one thing..

I know, I thought of that, too. Latchkey kids are 12yo... I babysat at 11yo, but it was for the neighbors, and my mom was always home when I babysat, just in case some emergency came up.

But as a mom I thought back to those days; would I let an 11yo watch my kids? No freakin' way!!!

My niece is the smart one, but she's also the younger one. My nephew is big for his age (huge, actually, he's graduated to men's sizes already), but he just doesn't have a lot of common sense. And you know darn well they'd be fighting, and he certainly wouldn't listen to a word she said, even if she was right about something!

 

[staley7580]

I have to say DS8 was a bit embarrassed, making sure to tell his brother that it was "a girrrrl toy, not a boy toy!" But my lovely DH said, "It doesn't matter, son. If your brother wants a pony, he can have a pony!" and then insisted to the girl at the counter that we needed a pony.

Yeah... it has never been an issue for us. When he was in pull ups, he wanted princess pull ups. Doesnt bother us. Princesses are pretty.. who wouldnt want them on their butt.

He has been BIG TIME eyeing Mikalahs lip smackers, but wont touch them, because he knows they are for girls.. So I bought some flavored chap stick for his stocking. He was thrilled.

 

[sameyeyam]

Dang it! I had this long PM (airing dirty family laundry), and lost it!

OK, didn't want to post it publicly, but here's the Reader's Digest version.

I talked to my mom last week on the phone, and she was sounding very tired, because my niece and nephew were over. I was puzzled, because it was a weekday, and shouldn't they be in school?

Well...!

Turns out my ex-SIL, whom I'd always thought of as a good mom, took off on a Caribbean cruise with her boyfriend/fiance, and planned to leave the kids home alone while she was gone! We're talking longer than a week! She thought it would be OK, since she'd arranged for her 18yo stepbrother to come to their place after work and spend the night with the kids. OMG! They are 9yo and 11yo, and quite frankly, the 11yo is a doofus, nowhere near being a child I'd leave home alone for a few hours, let alone over a week!

Wow! Honestly, I wouldn't leave my 10 & 16yo alone for even one night. I can guarantee you if we went somewhere they would either be staying with their aunts & uncles, grandparents, etc.. That's just crazy! So did she change her mind before she left or did you mother find out and go over and get them??

We had christmas cookies for breakfast.

You should try Fluffy's Surprise, easy to make the night before. It's been our Christmas tradition for the last 5 years or so. But of course everyone was hungry right after opening presents, so we grabbed out the leftover cheesecake to eat before breakfast.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

He has been BIG TIME eyeing Mikalahs lip smackers, but wont touch them, because he knows they are for girls.. So I bought some flavored chap stick for his stocking. He was thrilled.

We have used flavored Chapstick on the boys, but had to stop. They both get super-dry lips in winter, and even get a red rash around their mouths. The flavored Chapstick made it worse, because they kept licking them!

So we have to get the plain Chapstick so they'll leave it alone.

 

[staley7580]

I know, I thought of that, too. Latchkey kids are 12yo... I babysat at 11yo, but it was for the neighbors, and my mom was always home when I babysat, just in case some emergency came up.

But as a mom I thought back to those days; would I let an 11yo watch my kids? No freakin' way!!!

My niece is the smart one, but she's also the younger one. My nephew is big for his age (huge, actually, he's graduated to men's sizes already), but he just doesn't have a lot of common sense. And you know darn well they'd be fighting, and he certainly wouldn't listen to a word she said, even if she was right about something!

Yeah.. Its a bit different when the boys are the older ones. Girls generally have more sense. Well.. not in MY house, but in general.

It would really depend on the kid... My niece and nephew are both OLD enough to watch my kids, but they drive me nuts when they are dealing with them. They have no idea how to take care of them, and have NO PATIENCE at all with them. Its not their fault, they have no experiance with little ones.. But if a kid had grown up helping with little ones, I would be a lot more confident having them sit. THAT being said... I havent had a sitter since Mikalah was a few months old.