but it is NOT MY fault.

So i wake up this morning to beep, beep, beep, beep, well u get the idea. Now my half awake brain is telling me that it is not my alarm clock. Where could it be coming from? himm I wonder Hubby gets up and runs out of the room also in a fog. then the beeping becomes more incessant and turns into a ear penetrating siren. Now I'm fully awake and my head is hurting... ahh the sound is reduced... and blessedly stops. What could it be... I hear angry mumblings from my hubby outside and I go investigate.

My dd1 says but Mom I just was getting the calendar down for L. It's not my fault. yeah right... you sound like Eve honi... So when the whole story comes out. A is insisting its January L said no its not, yes it is, no its not... yada yada ... A climbs up on Moms comfy Ikea chair.. not the most stable piece of furniture. And grabs the calendar also while she is up there she discovers our house alarm. Which was disabled but set with a pin. She managed to convince it she was a burglar. L was soooo funny when I was telling them what it did and how it worked. L said "But Mom A is not a burglar doesn't it know that??"

So that was my Morning I'm wondering if having the alarm is worth it. So I don't pay as much for my home owners insurance.. but is it worth 50$ a year in savings when weighed against 2 hours of sleep... 4 divided by 50 is 12.50 himmm my sleep is worth way more than that... (I'm counting hubbys sleep time as well.)

I think the most fun this morning was watching my dd1 try her darndest to avoid getting in trouble. Responses like "I was doing it for her... I can't hear you, what did you say? I'm confused, I don't know, My ears are clogged, I don't understand." all of these were responses to just one question... "Was it fun to play with the alarm?" does she really think I'm buying what she is selling! lol Man o Man I ended up having to tell her if she wouldn't answer properly she could go be alone outside (yes in a safe place)... I'm sure glad the wind picked up and storm clouds blew in once that happened... Suddenly she was willing to come in and tell me the truth and answer all the questions with real answers not delaying look at me answers. ;-) Gotta love it when the Child's heart decides cooperation is the better part of valor.

So I'm thinking a good discipline is for her to clean an d check all the smoke detectors in the house. I mean since she loves to climb on counters, dryers, chairs, pianos. Why not learn to use a step stool properly. ROFL

Parenting should always be fun.

Christmas blues

Nothing like listening to jazz at Christmas time. Chex cereal put out a cd ages ago and we still listen to it every year. My latest favorite is a joke present from last year. Red neck Christmas.. favorites like I'm "gettin nothin for Xmas" and Grandma got run over by a reindeer. They make me laugh.

L is super excited about Christmas this year. She almost believes in Santa I need to take her to sit in his lap and ask for a present. Tee hee that will cinch it.. Not that I want her to believe in Santa but she is so "enchanted" with Christmas. Its hard not to let it go whole hog.. Since it's her first, and she is so un-jaded.

I'm finding making Christmas work this year hard it is just not happening.. 3 days of lets make cookies and no cookies have been made. Part of me is dreading the mess cookies will make of the kitchen. Where will they all go? and will Hubby eat them the no no cookies... Himm

I been feeling sorry for A. A relative came for a visit and played up all her "acting out" behaviors as being "great and good", Not rather annoying and rude, which they can be. So she was like "I been right all along I am perfect!" When she had friends over to do some community service project stuff. She pulled out all the stops. Lets all watch me dance instead of working she "acted out" like she did before but instead of praise... It only annoyed her friend. Mom knowing this would happen had to pull her into another room for a "talk." Sigh.. I'm really not into false praise. I am into real praise. Ya do it right Ya get praised. I'm also into criticism but I'm trying to drop that, I don't see it getting the results I really want. Some times I think false praise is more damaging than criticism. You create unrealistic expectations in a child and when they fail they crash. And eventually stop trusting Adults they think "they say what you want to hear not what is true."

I like to say what is true like "This will hurt but not to much, only like a pinch for a second." as opposed to the nurse who lies and says it won't hurt a bit, and then jabs you 3 times with a needle. I'm sure my children will rise up and say Mom always told us the gory details I wish she had spared us. ;-)