Merry Xmas!

I was very nervous about our cross-country trip to Las Vegas.  But we couldn't miss it because of the Great Family Reunion Extravaganza.  Considering how badly things can deteriorate when traveling with a toddler, our trip went smooth as silk.  There were no bouts of uncontrollable crying while trapped on the plane and Mr. Destructo had a nice nap during the long leg of the flight.  The only annoying bit was having to haul all our stuff and the kids across the whole airport for the connecting flight only to be told when we got to the gate that the gate had been changed.  Back to where we had just been.  Super.

We spent the afternoon and evening with my immediate family.  Then after dinner, we headed over to Car Guy's parents' house.  This is the house they acquired recently in anticipation of their retirement.  We had never been there before.  They were spending Xmas at home in South Carolina so the in-laws gave us a set of keys and told us the code for the keypad to open the garage.  Even though we have seen photos of this house, we couldn't tell which was theirs just by looking since every house on the street looked the same.  The house number was not on the map Car Guy printed out but he said he remembered the house number.  We pulled into the driveway and Car Guy opened the garage door with the code.  We left Mr. Destructo asleep in the car thinking that we would unload before disturbing him.

Penguin Girl went in to look at the house with Car Guy while I stopped just inside to adjust the thermostat.  When I first stepped inside, I thought, "Man, when Car Guy's sister said her folks hadn't kept the place clean, she wasn't kidding!"  The Laundry room was filthy.  There was garbage strewn around and blue detergent drippings on the floor.  After I was done with the thermostat, I stepped into the hall to the living room and I heard Car Guy on the phone with his mom saying, "Why are there dog bowls on the kitchen floor and pictures of a dog on the fridge?"

Ruh-roh.  We were in someone else's house!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Car Guy got the house number wrong.  He transposed the last 2 numbers and the neighbor just happened to have the same keypad code!  After we high-tailed it out of there and got into the right house 3 doors down, Car Guy said he suspected something was wrong when he saw there was a big screen tv, a Playstation, and the dog stuff in the kitchen.

What a Christmas adventure.

Letter to Santa

My limit for Xmas activities is pretty much talking about Santa and exchanging gifts with family.  Penguin Girl of course is all about Santa and gifts.  We were thinking that she was outgrowing all the Tooth Fairy, Santa, etc. business because she has been suspecting that they are all just Mommy in disguise.  But while we were doing our Halloween countdown house, there was one night when I forgot to fill the next little door with something.  The next morning Penguin Girl said the Halloween Fairy did not come.  I told her to look again after breakfast because she probably just opened the wrong door.  I managed to get something in there and stick something in without her noticing.  Ever since then, she has gone back to thinking magical beings who bring cool stuff really do exist.

We wanted to know what she actually wants for Xmas.  When Car Guy asked her what she wanted from us, she just said for us to get whatever we want because she wanted to be surprised.  So we told her she had to write a letter to Santa so he would know what to bring, otherwise Santa would not bring anything for her.  On her list:  Nintendo DS, a make up set, blendy pens, pix-os, various Webkins related stuff, a couple of Little Pet Shop items, smelly lip balm, a book about art, and a jeweled nacklace.  I found the list very amusing.  Most of the stuff probably got into her head because she rides the bus with middle school kids.  I know that's where she has played the DS.  Santa will be bringing her a couple of art books and lip balm.

The Wonder of Candy

Penguin Girl has been eating the candy she set aside for herself from trick-or-treating.  For some reason, she has been limiting herself to one selection per day so it's taken a full 2 weeks for her to eat it all.  She announced to me last night after dinner that she is out of candy.  A couple of nights ago, we talked about that day's selection as she was getting ready for bed.

PG:  Mom, the lollipop I ate had something in the middle!

Me:  Was it a tootsie pop?

PG:  Yes, a cherry tootsie pop.

Me:  Did the stuff in the middle taste a little like chocolate?

PG:  Yes! (her tone suggesting she thought it was amazing that I could even guess what was in that wonderful lollipop)  It was like chocolate but it was not chocolate.

Me:  Was it kind of chewy?

PG:  Yes! (again, Mom's knowledge of candy is mind-boggling)

Me:  Well, you know, a toosie pop has tootsie roll in the middle of it.

PG:  Oh!  That was tootsie roll?!?!  I thought tootsie roll was like a chewy stick!

Me:  Well, sometimes it is but they take a little tiny bit and put inside the tootsie pop.

PG:  Oh!  It was really good!

Indeed.

Happy Halloween!

As she has for the past couple of years, Penguin Girl picked out some candy from her Halloween stash for herself and left the rest for the Halloween Fairy.  The Halloween Fairy takes the candy and leaves a gift commensurate with the quantity and quality of candy she is left.

On Halloween night while we walk back home after T-or-Ting, Car Guy walked ahead pushing Mr. Destructo in the stroller while Penguin Girl walked with me.

Penguin Girl:  Mom, what kind of candy do you think is the Halloween Fairy's favorite?

Me:  Oh, I think the Halloween Fairy really likes gummy bears.

Penguin Girl:  How about lollipops?

Me:  Definitely.  The Halloween Fairy really likes lollipops.  And sour candy.  And fruity candy.

Car Guy:  (looking back with a smirk on his face)  Really?

Me:  Yep.  And the Halloween Fairy doesn't like all the chocolate ones so much.

Once we got home, Penguin Girl set aside a pomegranate tootsie pop for the Halloween Fairy.  That's my girl!  I just ate it and it was good!

Happy Birthday!

We had Penguin Girl's birthday party on Saturday.  It was an exhausting day.  First, we went to her preschool's carnival.  It was wet and drizzling the whole time.  The kids each had a pony ride.  Then Mr. Destructo went to camp out in the fire engine that the local fire department brought to display for the kids.  Penguin Girl had to play all the games.  We started going to this annual event when Penguin Girl was 2.  This is the fifth year she's played these same games and she's still not tired of them!

We got home and had lunch.  Then I was thinking that the kids are all going to show up and see Penguin Girl's face painted and her hair all funny colors (from the carnival) and think that that will be part of the party fun.  I actually had some spray on hair color that I dug out.  Car Guy insisted on going to Michaels and getting face paint and he took Penguin Girl with him.  The first guests got here before they made it back!

Luckily Mr. Destructo was napping most of the time because it was such a madhouse doing the main activity of smash shirts.  I sent the girls out to tramp around the wet, drizzly yard to collect leaves and such.  Then we set up under the covered porch and let the girls smash imprints of nature onto t-shirts with rubber mallets.  Then I took the shirts to quickly fix the chlorophyll in a solution of alum and toss them in the dryer.  Activity and favor all in one!  They turn out pretty nifty.

Then we did hair coloring out on the porch.  The girls thought it was really cool.  You actually could not see that much color on most of the girls because the color is more subtle on black hair.  Then on with the cake.    Everyone really liked the cake.  Half the girls had seconds!

That night, Car Guy said the party was too exhausting and that next year we have to have it at a party place.  I told him we can do that but it'll cost $250 or more.  He had no idea how much the local party places charge.  He backpedaled pretty quick.  I think next year I'm going to try and convince Penguin Girl to invite two friends over for a sleepover and lock the girls in her room for the evening.

Gearing up for the Birthday Party

I always look forward to Penguin Girl's leftover birthday cake because I order it from the Bruster's in town so the ice cream is freshly made.  In the past she has always asked for yellow cake and strawberry ice cream.  This year I took her with me and actually went to Bruster's to order instead of calling it in.  They said that since they had 5 days until I wanted to pick up the cake, we could pick any flavor they make and they would be sure to make it for the cake.  Penguin Girl chose Cotton Candy Explosion, pink ice cream with red and blue candy bits. 

This year, I am not looking forward to the leftovers.

First Day of First Grade

Car Guy got Penguin Girl to school on time!  I met her teacher at the open house last Friday.  She seemed very serious and kind of stern.  Penguin Girl says she agrees because they spent so much time today going over the rules and talking about doing your best.  "But Mom, nobody's perfect!" says my kid to me.

But we try.

Bye Miki

Moving On

After today I will no longer have a kindergartener!  She'll be a 1st grader!  How did that happen!  There will be a class party this afternoon with cake and crafts.  When I asked Penguin Girl if she was excited, she said, yes, the party will be fun, but she will miss her teacher (and almost broke out in tears!).  I wish I had had more time to go to her school and do stuff like I did when she was in preschool but that was before Mr. Destructo came along.

Cheers to my big girl!

Drama Queens

I had no idea social drama starts this early.  Or maybe it's just my kid because she is the youngest of her peers.  She has two friends from her kindergarten class who ride the same bus with her.  Every few weeks, one of the girls will tell Penguin Girl that she does not want to be friends.  Penguin Girl is always reduced to tears.  I tell her that if they are being mean like that, she does not want them as friends so ignore them for a day.  And they will all be friends again the next day anyway.

Today I called Penguin Girl before her friend L had been dropped off.  She was all sad because L told her she didn't want to play (they treat the bus ride like a playdate).  Penguin Girl sounded all depressed saying she had nothing to do on the bus because of that.  While we were on the phone, I hear L saying she wants to show Penguin Girl something when she's done talking to me.  But Penguin Girl does not want to go back to being friends just yet so she asks me what to do.  I tell her she can say that Lexie was mean and hurt her feelings so she wants an apology.

Two minutes later, Penguin Girl calls me because she is supposed to call when L gets off the bus.  Then I know I have about 10 minutes to meet the bus.  She is in tears because L would not apologize.  The drama goes on until I need to leave to meet her up the road.

All this drama just from kindergarteners riding the bus.  What will happen when she is--gasp--a teenager!

Girls on the Town

Penguin Girl and I had mommy/daughter outing today.  We started out getting her a haircut at this place that specializes in kids' cuts.  I had a coupon and it's near the other stuff I thought up to do.  It was very fun for her.  She sat in a little airplane for her cut.  Then we went to Rita's for some ice slushies.  Again, I had a coupon.   Penguin Girl picked raspberry.  I had lemonade.  We both got too cold to finish our ices and had to eat them wearing our coats.  Then we went to Ulta and sampled perfume.  I always let Penguin Girl choose one at the end for a spritz.  She picked something called Blue Hawaiian made by Demeter.  I tried their Pomegranate.  Both good!

Then we met the boys for lunch.

Brainwashed - Part 2

At the supermarket today, Car Guy got himself Cheetos and Fritos.  Penguin Girl saw that in the shopping cart and demanded in a really disgusted voice, "Daddy, that is all junk.  Why are you buying junk?  Why do you want to eat that?"  Car Guy replied with a lie, "Oh, it's not for me.  I'm bringing it to work for the people there for a snack."  And then I said, "I think you should bring some potato chips too."

Brainwashed

I have Doritos on the brain because we were at the in-laws' house and my father-in-law really likes Doritos.  It's his one vice.  It's such a yummy shot of MSG, salt, and fat.

Today we were at the supermarket and I was eyeing the Doritos flavors.  Penguin Girl sees what I'm looking at and said, "Ewwww.  Junky!  We have the red and the blue kind at school for snack.  Junky!"  She doesn't get to eat the communal snack unless it's a child's birthday because it's always junk food even though the teacher asks the parents to send in healthy foods.  I send good stuff like fruit and trail mix.  So I asked her if she would like to eat the Doritos on occasion.  She's had them at the ILs' so she knows what they taste like.  She said no, she prefers Mommy's snack.  Good girl!

How could I buy Doritos right in front of her?

Maybe tomorrow when she's at school.

Penguin Girl and I have been working on a little dollhouse.  It's made from a unfinished wooden CD holder from Michaels.  It needs some interior details but it's mostly done.  Penguin Girl picked out the colors.  You can't see it but some parts of it are glittery from a coat of sparkly Mod Podge.

Things Learned at School

On the bus yesterday, a 2nd grader, taught her the Batman Smells version of Jingle Bells.  Penguin Girl was really surprised that I knew the words also.  

And instead of wearing her typical uniform of pants and long-sleeved shirt, she started layering a white short-sleeved polo over and navy long-sleeved polo for contrast.  I asked her why she put on the 2 shirts and her reply was that it still counts as uniform so she can.  I don't think I tried being that kind of stylish until high school.