Archive for December, 2011

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the Pink Pig passes. I am going to announce our Elf on the Shelf Pink Pig pass giveaway winner tomorrow morning. She posted so many great photos that I want to publish them all the blog and I don’t have the time the morning to get it all up the way I want it. So I will work on it tonight and you guys can see all her great ideas in the morning!!

Keep posting your mischievous Elf photos. We will be going through Christmas! I know it’s helping me with ideas!

Continue reading Pink Pig passes will be announced Friday morning! »

The group class gift seems likes a smart idea. The class sends in $5 or $10 cash. The money is pooled for one big gift card that the teacher can actually do something with instead of a $10 to Red Lobster and $10 to the Olive Garden and $10 to Cracker Barrel.

However efficient and useful the giant class gift card is, it just doesn’t seem very personal.

I guess because Rose’s teachers looped up I kind of feel like I know them well enough to choose a good present for them. The one teacher loves to read and loves Julia Child so I thought it would be nice to give her that book “ As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto.” I think she would enjoy reading it over the holiday break.

Her other teacher has small children so I think movie passes would be greatly enjoyed on the new Muppett moive or “Arthur Christmas.”

I asked Rose and she just wants to participate in the class gift.

What do you think: Are you for or against the class gift? Do  you think it’s easier …

Continue reading Would you rather do a group teacher gift or go it alone? »

A friend with a new baby has posted lately several funny notes on Facebook about what not to expect from her at Christmas.

She is letting friends know early that you probably won’t be getting a Christmas card from her.

Then she posted that she wouldn’t be using any tags and only wrapping some presents. She said she would mark the kids’ presents with Sharpies so they knew what belonged to whom.

So it made me wonder, what do you leave off the Christmas to-do list when time crunched?

Another friend loves to bake for neighbors but then always complains about how it’s too much to do. I try to convince her just don’t do it anymore! It’s OK. There’s enough on your plate that you don’t have to bake for your street or just pare down to your favorite neighbors. But she keeps on baking.

Do you cut back on your charity time, your baking, your crafting, the holiday cards? What are the first things to go when you’re time starved at the holidays?

Continue reading When time pressed during the holidays, what do you cut out? »

I was surprised to read yesterday on the blog how many people still had housekeepers, and I wanted to relate a dilemma to you from another mom.

This mom has been using a regular cleaning service for a while. She has a team that comes to clean but the owner/manager doesn’t come to the house much.

A few weeks ago, after her cleaning, the manager/owner called her and told her that one of the maid’s mother had died and she wondered if the mom could loan her $500 to give to the woman. (I guess to help her get home for the funeral.)

My friend was shocked that she would ask for a loan and especially that much. Her compromise was to offer to pay for two cleanings in advance and give her $200. That is still a leap of faith because if they don’t do the cleanings, she is out the $200. But at least she wouldn’t be hounding them to give back the money, just the service.

But now she feels like they crossed a line by asking for the money and despite having paid for future cleanings, she …

Continue reading What to do when ‘the help’ asks for money? »

Where is Theresa and why is there no post?

I am running around the house like a crazy person trying to prepare for out-of-town relatives. We did a big pick up on Sunday, including an epic charge led by Michael on the playroom. He did an awesome job making the children clean! I got all the groceries last night – I swear it took four hours to buy and put away! And now I  have to clean! So I am doing bathrooms and sheets in the “guest room” (Rose’s room!) first and then cleaning the kitchen and floors! I just cleaned out the minivan for the airport pick up and swept the garage.

How do you get your house ready for company — are there things you at first, things you save until the end? Do you have a dedicated guest room or do the kids get thrown out of their rooms? (Poor Rose always gets booted. Walsh has bunk beds and Lilina has an antique toddler bed so Rose’s full bed is the best choice.)

What is your favorite part of hosting? (My favorite part is cooking for company and making …

Continue reading Getting ready for early holiday company! »

Elfie had some fun at Nancy's house marking up their family photos! Don't panic: the markers are dry erase. Pretty smart I think!

Sandy's elf Happy-Bing-A-Ling had to have a private conference with Santa. They enjoyed a beverage.

Update: We need to tweak things a bit to stay within certain guidelines. You can still posts your photos and people can still like them. And we will pick randomly a lovely family to give the passes to based on those who expressed interest by posting a photo.  We will use the same timeline mentioned below.

I have two passes to ride Macy’s Pink Pig to give away for our favorite Elf on Shelf photo during the next two days.

Here’s how we are going to play:

Between noon on Monday and noon on Wednesday, you guys can post photos of your elves’ activities on the AJC Momania Facebook page.

Then readers and friends can go onto the page and “like” the photos. The photo with the most “likes” by noon on Wednesday WINS our two passes! (We may get more passes …

Continue reading Free Pink Pig passes for Elf on the Shelf antics! »

Do you know if your teen’s texting shorthand if just efficient typing or is it actually sexting going on right under your nose?

The London Free Press posted 10 sexting codes every parent should be able to translate.

See how you do. I posted the translations further below.

From The London Free Press:

“1. CD9

2. P911

3. PIR

4. 8

5. GYPO

6. GNRN

7. RUH

8. CU46

9. IWSN

10. GNOC”

I found an online dictionary of acronyms and text shorthand – NetLingo — where you can look up texts if you don’t know what they mean. I found a bunch of the ones above. So this seems like a good resource for parents who are trying to keep up.

Here are the translations without having to look them up.

From the London Free Press:

1. CD9 – code 9 parents are around

2. P911 – parent alert

3. PIR – parent in room

4. 8 – oral sex (or ate)

5. GYPO – get your pants off

6. GNRN – get naked right now

7. RUH – are you horny

8. CU46 – see you for sex

9. IWSN – I want sex now

10. GNOC – get naked on camera …

Continue reading 10 sexting codes parents should know: Can you translate? »

Walsh has a new favorite trick that Rose is absolutely hating. He likes to sneak up on her, or sometimes he even lies in wait inside her darkened closet, and then he bursts out yelling “French Indochina.”

The sneak attack is an old gag but what cracks me up about it is the use of the phrase “French Indochina.” I think he got it on Brain Pop watching videos about the Vietnam War. Somehow it has become his attack mantra.

Rose screams as she is startled by him and gets very upset. But she can be equally aggravating to her siblings as well – although less creatively.

She has other little catch phrases like “Wee Wee,” “Honk!,” “Walsh es Tonto”(which she says means stupid in Spanish but I don’t think so).

My brother and I used to pull the jobs together and jump out at babysitters. I remember hiding on top of the refrigerator and a new sitter sitting down at the kitchen table and me scaring the heck out of her. I also recall leaving a lizard in the Mathis milk box to scare the poor …

Continue reading How do your kids annoy each other? »