"Oh Fuuudge"

picture from here

"Every family has a kid who won't eat. My kid brother had not eaten voluntarily in over three years."

----Ralphie.

This would be little mr. j- at dinner. He does love lunch, fyi. Breakfast is a toss up.

My mr. loves this movie.

So, when little mr. j puts on his puffy red coat or does his dinner routine, there's usually a laugh with the little guy being typecast.

But, tonight, I believe that my little mr. j might have changed his character association.  You see, tonight he said,

                                Picture from here

And he hasn't even see the movie in his nontodder/movie coherent short life.

This is what happened:

We were finished with the dinner battle of the evening.  He was in the bathtub and the doorbell rang. One of his little friends and his family were out delivering yummy treats (oh, and they were yummy). I hurried and got him out of the tub and wrapped tightly in a towel.  He said hello and "what's in the box?"

We opened the box.

He said, "Oh Fuuudge," (just like Ralphie in the movie) grabbed a piece and ate it.

He also said thank you.

And just in case you were wondering what else my children were doing to emulate this holiday film, I give you the following in reference to a certain 10 year old boy:

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               picture from here

The Tree

Our very first Christmas tree was decorated with a small string of white lights and some bows I tied on the boughs.

Following years brought a popcorn string or two, some ornaments made with applesauce and cinnamon, gingerbread cookies and candy canes.  I have some apple ornaments that my mom gave me, I think she might have felt bad for our simple tree. 

Sometime when the little misses were pretty young, my mr.'s mother was working at a Hallmark store.  For a few Christmases, she gave us ornaments.  They are treasures. In fact, when she didn't work there anymore, my mr. and I continued the tradition of getting a special ornament for each of them each year.  (Thank you my mr.'s mother for starting this tradition!) This year we have a flamingo, a cookie, a football that's a jingle bell and a soccer ball. Oh, and one dog ornament.

After 19 years, our little tree is pretty full.

Yeas ago, I wanted a pretty tree.  I wanted it to look all matching & froo froo.

I don't want that anymore.  A few weeks ago, after I put the lights on the tree, the kids opened their ornament boxes.  Then they decorated the tree-by themselves.  It was such a joy to listen to them banter, to hear them talk about all the ornaments past, and to "remember when."

I wouldn't trade this tree or this time in my life for anything.

Compassion?

Picture from here.

Little mr. j went to his second friend birthday party this past Saturday.  It was held at a gymnastics place.  He had a ball, especially in the foam pit.  The kids were all so cute running and jumping in, throwing the foam at each other and trying to crawl around in it.

At one point the young lady running the party asked the preschool crowd to join her over on the big blue mat for some activity.  Little mr. j got out and went and sat down right by her.  He was totally into this party.

Then we heard a little voice say, "I can't get out."  The young lady said, "Use your muscles."  Little mr. j got right up, ran over to the pit, laid prone near the side, stuck his little four year old hand out in earnest and helped another little boy out of the pit.

Awwwww.  (I didn't say anything to him then, but oh how his little choice made me grateful to be his mom.)

On our way home, I said,  "Hey, mr j, I saw you help that little boy out of the foam. That sure was nice of you."

He said, "I know. I am being good.  Do you think I am being good?  I think I am being good. I think I am going to get a present."

And then it dawned on me.  He has been really good lately-he's usually good, so that's really no change.  He's just been a little extra,extra good and I believe there might be an ulterior motive.

On that note, did you know that Christmas is only four sleeps away?

Awesome Training

Photogenic

Hiding from the camera is a favorite pastime of mine. I have issues.
But when it is time to put together the happenings of our life to send to our dear friends and family this wonderful Christmas time, I put my brave foot forward.

I put on lip gloss.

I am not photogenic. I am ok looking in person, but oh -the lens. Yuck.
And I don't get it either, because in my much younger years, a catalog came out with a model that looked a lot, lot like me. Some friends of ours totally thought I had a side job that no one knew about. And-there is a magazine ad out there right now with a picture of a girl who could be a much younger version of me. I think I am going to get her haircut.

The little miss teenagers at my house were merciless.
"Mom, quit smiling like that."
"You look like your mad at us."
"You look like you're in pain."
"Just do this."
"Put your chin up"
"Put your chin down"
"Don't smile like that."
"Smile like this."
Those girls are posers. Those posers made me laugh and laugh.
It was harder than taking little mr. j's pic.

So, I watched those little misses. You know what they were doing? Posing in the mirror. Funny. Funny. Funny.
Do you think if I practiced, I could get more photogenic?-I highly doubt it.
I'll just enjoy catching their poses and laughing.
And maybe someday I will grow up and let someone catch a picture of me.