Happy New Year! 2011 was a great year, what will 2012 bring?
My predictions:
Charlie will run faster than me.
Gracie will pass swimming lessons.
Libby will not change one bit.
Sandy will grow more gray hair than I will.
Lexie will turn 21 and start buying beer for me.
Katie will announce a new baby on the way.
Henry will walk, talk and yank the gate off the wall.
Me, I will get a year older, a year wiser, but end 2012 with a youthful big braceless smile on my face!
2012 Resolutions:
1. I will read 12 books this year! But, I won't buy any for myself.
2. I will complete 12 sewing projects this year.
3. I will conjure up some willpower to resist temptation to fast food and sweets, most of the time. I'll also get off my tush and get some much needed exercise once in a while.
4. I will seriously consider going back for my teaching credentials, or my masters, or update my resume for a job hunt.
5. I will be brave and be tough at the dentist.
6. I will make sure to keep Gracie up with her homework.
7. I will let Libby spend the night away.
8. I will try to hold it all together when Fenna leaves us in June. I am not looking forward to that part of 2012.
9. I will use more sunscreen. Gotta remember this one, I'm getting wrinkles before my time!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Who keeps New Years resolutions anyway?
I tried to keep my 2011 resolutions, but like everyone every year, I didn't manage to do it. I gave it a good try though and for that, I feel pretty good about it. Shoot, I'm happy for remembering that I made resolutions and where I wrote them down! That in itself is an accomplishment to be proud of.
How I ended 2011:
1. Read 12 books this year.
I read ten and a half! I was doing great until our household went from 4 to 7 in a matter of a few weeks. Suddenly, I was a lot busier and my reading time was greatly reduced. Yeah, I'll blame the kids.
2. Do more sewing and get my serger fixed (or me, one of us isn't doing it right). I'd like to end 2011 with my current PHDs (projects half done) all finished!
Well, I had problems with my serger and my two sewing machines off and on all year long. It was a struggle to keep them running. I actually managed to get quite a bit of sewing done for the little bit of time that I have had to spend doing it. I sewed Halloween costumes and I sewed a couple of Christmas gifts and new stockings. Plus, I altered a dress for the neighbor and for my daughter. I made baby blankets for my second grandson and for a baby of a friend. I am happy to report that I made a huge quilt top out of the baby clothes! All in all, I think I had a good sewing year. PHDs are just going to always be a part of my life, I resolve to embrace the unending projects!
3. Get my kids to school on time (most of the time).
We're doing better! This is not easy. I think there is a time warp in my driveway. We step out the front door and by the time I turn the key in the van, 10 minutes has gone by. Where does it go?
4. Potty train and wean Libby, yes, folks, I promise to quit breastfeeding after nearly 5 years.
Almost potty trained the kid. She has a weak bladder when she sleeps so she is still wearing a pull-up at night, but she doesn't want to. I have to sneak it on her after she falls asleep. She wakes up mad and yanks it off, but it is usually soaked. Occasionally, she wakes up dry. I think she just needs to grow and then her body will figure it out. I quit breastfeeding in May. Done! Went a little over the 5 year mark so it took some adjusting to get back to normal for me. Libby had no problem weaning, but she did have to learn to eat more real food and how to fall asleep and console herself. These were harder for her, but she's doing just fine. I'm not sure I would be a good cheerleader for extended nursing, it just sort of happened.
5. Get my money's worth out of our Disneyland and Zoo passes (meaning lots of fun!). Might even get a SeaWorld pass this year!
Oh yeah! We are stretching our dollars spent on our entertainment passes. Fenna purchased passes too, and she's getting the most out of hers as well. We bought Sea World passes and used them three times. I wish we would have used them more, but we did our best. We used the zoo passes a handful of times. Mostly, we spent our outing days at Disneyland. We were blocked out in July and most of August, but we had a few days that we were allowed in August, but it was too hot. When it is over 100 degrees, it's hard for an outdoor all day outing. We opted not to go in August. We went in Sept, Oct, and three times in November. Plus the first five trips of the year in Jan-May. I think we did well using our passes. Gracie's pass expired in December and it costs $199 to renew. If I renew her pass, I'll want to renew mine when it expires in March, and now that Libby is three I'll have to get her a pass as soon as she looks like a three year old or opens her mouth and gives her real age away. Another $199. And $99 for a parking pass. $700 for our family! I decided to explore other amusement parks instead. As much as we love Disneyland, I prefer not to go broke getting in the gate. We went to Disneyland 11 times in 2011. Loved every trip!
6. Send my 2011 Christmas cards out before Christmas.
Didn't happen.
7. Do something with all of my photos and videos. Print them, back them up, put them on dvd, make photo books, I don't know, but something!
Nope. Didn't happen.
8. Keep blogging. I would like to archive my Momathon blog since I kept it up for three years, and I'll have to keep this one alive. Often times, I just blog mentally and never get around to actually posting.
Well, here's a blog post! I might try to do more family updates since we killed Schuworld.com this year. It is being redirected to my blog now.
9. I will try not to destroy or lose any of my electronic devices. You heard that right! Cell phone, bluetooth, camera, laptop.... I wish you all the best of health and happiness in the new year. And may you all stay out of the crevices of the furniture and survive the year! Good Luck.
My poor electronics. This year I lost my bluetooth, destroyed my camera, wore out my laptop and replaced all of those. I didn't replace the bluetooth, I just use my phone on speaker and set it on my shoulder or I hand it to one of my passengers. My phone is still in good shape! One electronic device survived the year! Not bad.
How I ended 2011:
1. Read 12 books this year.
I read ten and a half! I was doing great until our household went from 4 to 7 in a matter of a few weeks. Suddenly, I was a lot busier and my reading time was greatly reduced. Yeah, I'll blame the kids.
2. Do more sewing and get my serger fixed (or me, one of us isn't doing it right). I'd like to end 2011 with my current PHDs (projects half done) all finished!
Well, I had problems with my serger and my two sewing machines off and on all year long. It was a struggle to keep them running. I actually managed to get quite a bit of sewing done for the little bit of time that I have had to spend doing it. I sewed Halloween costumes and I sewed a couple of Christmas gifts and new stockings. Plus, I altered a dress for the neighbor and for my daughter. I made baby blankets for my second grandson and for a baby of a friend. I am happy to report that I made a huge quilt top out of the baby clothes! All in all, I think I had a good sewing year. PHDs are just going to always be a part of my life, I resolve to embrace the unending projects!
3. Get my kids to school on time (most of the time).
We're doing better! This is not easy. I think there is a time warp in my driveway. We step out the front door and by the time I turn the key in the van, 10 minutes has gone by. Where does it go?
4. Potty train and wean Libby, yes, folks, I promise to quit breastfeeding after nearly 5 years.
Almost potty trained the kid. She has a weak bladder when she sleeps so she is still wearing a pull-up at night, but she doesn't want to. I have to sneak it on her after she falls asleep. She wakes up mad and yanks it off, but it is usually soaked. Occasionally, she wakes up dry. I think she just needs to grow and then her body will figure it out. I quit breastfeeding in May. Done! Went a little over the 5 year mark so it took some adjusting to get back to normal for me. Libby had no problem weaning, but she did have to learn to eat more real food and how to fall asleep and console herself. These were harder for her, but she's doing just fine. I'm not sure I would be a good cheerleader for extended nursing, it just sort of happened.
5. Get my money's worth out of our Disneyland and Zoo passes (meaning lots of fun!). Might even get a SeaWorld pass this year!
Oh yeah! We are stretching our dollars spent on our entertainment passes. Fenna purchased passes too, and she's getting the most out of hers as well. We bought Sea World passes and used them three times. I wish we would have used them more, but we did our best. We used the zoo passes a handful of times. Mostly, we spent our outing days at Disneyland. We were blocked out in July and most of August, but we had a few days that we were allowed in August, but it was too hot. When it is over 100 degrees, it's hard for an outdoor all day outing. We opted not to go in August. We went in Sept, Oct, and three times in November. Plus the first five trips of the year in Jan-May. I think we did well using our passes. Gracie's pass expired in December and it costs $199 to renew. If I renew her pass, I'll want to renew mine when it expires in March, and now that Libby is three I'll have to get her a pass as soon as she looks like a three year old or opens her mouth and gives her real age away. Another $199. And $99 for a parking pass. $700 for our family! I decided to explore other amusement parks instead. As much as we love Disneyland, I prefer not to go broke getting in the gate. We went to Disneyland 11 times in 2011. Loved every trip!
6. Send my 2011 Christmas cards out before Christmas.
Didn't happen.
7. Do something with all of my photos and videos. Print them, back them up, put them on dvd, make photo books, I don't know, but something!
Nope. Didn't happen.
8. Keep blogging. I would like to archive my Momathon blog since I kept it up for three years, and I'll have to keep this one alive. Often times, I just blog mentally and never get around to actually posting.
Well, here's a blog post! I might try to do more family updates since we killed Schuworld.com this year. It is being redirected to my blog now.
9. I will try not to destroy or lose any of my electronic devices. You heard that right! Cell phone, bluetooth, camera, laptop.... I wish you all the best of health and happiness in the new year. And may you all stay out of the crevices of the furniture and survive the year! Good Luck.
My poor electronics. This year I lost my bluetooth, destroyed my camera, wore out my laptop and replaced all of those. I didn't replace the bluetooth, I just use my phone on speaker and set it on my shoulder or I hand it to one of my passengers. My phone is still in good shape! One electronic device survived the year! Not bad.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Prep
I think we've been shopping every day in December. I can safely say I'm sick of shopping. Probably not done with it, but tired of going to the stores! I still don't feel ready though. I'm sure I will be out shopping again today. Sigh.
We went to several malls, Targets, Walmarts, and other stores. Of course, shopping around means eating out too. Girls need some shopping sustenance! We've walked a lot of miles through the merchandise and down the malls, except Libby. That kid has it easy! I want to ride in the stroller for once.
Christmas shopping is fun though. Crowds, lines at the checkouts, picked over merchandise, things out of place, filthy public restrooms, no decent parking spaces... ah, good times.
I love all of the Christmas trees and decorations in the malls. So very pretty! Really, you can't get that experience online. The stores are all decked out with pretty ornaments and displays. Christmas music playing. I love that.
What I didn't find in the crowded malls, I found online. I only ordered from three stores, but all of my shipments came in plenty of time, all correct, and none too expensive. Love it! The problem with ordering online comes when the package arrives. Luckily, they are wrapped well and nobody can see what is inside. But, the kids are excited for packages. The first box arrived and I told the kids "It's soap", of course, they wanted to see it. Darn, that was supposed to work! "It's toilet cleaning soap". Ohhh, never mind. Excitement gone. The next package, I said it was for Dad. Well, no excitement in that! The next package arrived while we were all in the driveway so the kids saw the box. It says Disney on it, has Mickey and Pluto on the box... it was hard to squelch the excitement over what was in the box. I just shoved it into the van and locked the doors, in fact, it is still there. Apparently they forgot.
We saw Santa twice. Once in Disneyland in mid-November and yesterday at Shakey's Pizza. I saw him in the malls, but steered the kids away from looking in that direction. I just didn't feel like standing in line to visit Santa after we'd already seen the best Santa on earth at Disneyland. The Santa at Shakey's was great though. He could have been more animated, but his costume was the best and his authentic hair and beard couldn't be beat! He even had glitter in his beard! His visit with Gracie was magical so I'm glad we went to see him. Two great Santa visits this year, sweet!
Make that three. I almost forgot about the Santa that comes through our neighborhood to collect food for the needy. We ran down the street to meet him. Gracie noticed that he wasn't the real Santa Claus and she had a lot of questions about that! He didn't have a real beard, that's the tip-off. Faker.
I've been sewing every chance I get! I'm not done yet, so I will be at the machines burning the midnight oil the next couple of nights. I made stockings for the whole family about 6 years ago. We have five stockings. We've been doubling up in them to make them stretch for all of us, but with ten of us this year (and the dog) I decided we just need new stockings. I set out to find just the right fabric and lining to make ten stockings, plus I should make a few extra since Katie will probably give us lots of grand-babies in the future and I'll never find matching fabric again. I had to go to three stores to find exactly what I wanted, but I found it. I have five done, several more to go! I also could not find a yellow dress anywhere. I did find some very pretty yellow fabric, so I bought two yards, which is more than enough.
The kids did a few crafts. It's hard to do crafts with a wild toddler who loves to jam crayons in his ears. Luckily, we got Henry to paint his hands and feet and make some tree ornaments. My gift from my grandson. I love my new decorations!
Once again, I didn't get Christmas cards sent out. I love Christmas cards; I had every intention of getting them all done, but it didn't happen. Maybe next year. I didn't do any baking neither. I'm not much of a baker, so this should be no surprise. I am pretty good at buying baked goods at the grocery store, and I did that pretty well!
One of our favorite things to do before Christmas is to just drive around to see the pretty lights. Some neighborhoods are lit up nicely. Our neighborhood is fairly dark, just a few lights and inflatable yard decorations. We found a cul-de-sac of 13 homes on the other side of town that were completely lit up and set to music. They were all connected and had a radio station for the music, plus speakers as you walked. The neighbors handed out candy canes. It was wonderful!
Christmas will come whether I am ready or not, and I'm mostly ready. Plenty of food, presents, the whole family will be here. The house is clean enough, the sewing machines have been running and whatever I don't get done, I'll finish in later days. Maybe.
We went to several malls, Targets, Walmarts, and other stores. Of course, shopping around means eating out too. Girls need some shopping sustenance! We've walked a lot of miles through the merchandise and down the malls, except Libby. That kid has it easy! I want to ride in the stroller for once.
Christmas shopping is fun though. Crowds, lines at the checkouts, picked over merchandise, things out of place, filthy public restrooms, no decent parking spaces... ah, good times.
I love all of the Christmas trees and decorations in the malls. So very pretty! Really, you can't get that experience online. The stores are all decked out with pretty ornaments and displays. Christmas music playing. I love that.
What I didn't find in the crowded malls, I found online. I only ordered from three stores, but all of my shipments came in plenty of time, all correct, and none too expensive. Love it! The problem with ordering online comes when the package arrives. Luckily, they are wrapped well and nobody can see what is inside. But, the kids are excited for packages. The first box arrived and I told the kids "It's soap", of course, they wanted to see it. Darn, that was supposed to work! "It's toilet cleaning soap". Ohhh, never mind. Excitement gone. The next package, I said it was for Dad. Well, no excitement in that! The next package arrived while we were all in the driveway so the kids saw the box. It says Disney on it, has Mickey and Pluto on the box... it was hard to squelch the excitement over what was in the box. I just shoved it into the van and locked the doors, in fact, it is still there. Apparently they forgot.
We saw Santa twice. Once in Disneyland in mid-November and yesterday at Shakey's Pizza. I saw him in the malls, but steered the kids away from looking in that direction. I just didn't feel like standing in line to visit Santa after we'd already seen the best Santa on earth at Disneyland. The Santa at Shakey's was great though. He could have been more animated, but his costume was the best and his authentic hair and beard couldn't be beat! He even had glitter in his beard! His visit with Gracie was magical so I'm glad we went to see him. Two great Santa visits this year, sweet!
Make that three. I almost forgot about the Santa that comes through our neighborhood to collect food for the needy. We ran down the street to meet him. Gracie noticed that he wasn't the real Santa Claus and she had a lot of questions about that! He didn't have a real beard, that's the tip-off. Faker.
I've been sewing every chance I get! I'm not done yet, so I will be at the machines burning the midnight oil the next couple of nights. I made stockings for the whole family about 6 years ago. We have five stockings. We've been doubling up in them to make them stretch for all of us, but with ten of us this year (and the dog) I decided we just need new stockings. I set out to find just the right fabric and lining to make ten stockings, plus I should make a few extra since Katie will probably give us lots of grand-babies in the future and I'll never find matching fabric again. I had to go to three stores to find exactly what I wanted, but I found it. I have five done, several more to go! I also could not find a yellow dress anywhere. I did find some very pretty yellow fabric, so I bought two yards, which is more than enough.
The kids did a few crafts. It's hard to do crafts with a wild toddler who loves to jam crayons in his ears. Luckily, we got Henry to paint his hands and feet and make some tree ornaments. My gift from my grandson. I love my new decorations!
Once again, I didn't get Christmas cards sent out. I love Christmas cards; I had every intention of getting them all done, but it didn't happen. Maybe next year. I didn't do any baking neither. I'm not much of a baker, so this should be no surprise. I am pretty good at buying baked goods at the grocery store, and I did that pretty well!
One of our favorite things to do before Christmas is to just drive around to see the pretty lights. Some neighborhoods are lit up nicely. Our neighborhood is fairly dark, just a few lights and inflatable yard decorations. We found a cul-de-sac of 13 homes on the other side of town that were completely lit up and set to music. They were all connected and had a radio station for the music, plus speakers as you walked. The neighbors handed out candy canes. It was wonderful!
Christmas will come whether I am ready or not, and I'm mostly ready. Plenty of food, presents, the whole family will be here. The house is clean enough, the sewing machines have been running and whatever I don't get done, I'll finish in later days. Maybe.
Monday, December 19, 2011
If I had a job....
If I had a job, and I mean a job in which I would leave the house with my hair brushed and go to a quiet place to sit in front of the computer and write my blog while pretending to create incredibly boring spreadsheets, the boss is an adult, I would wear nice clean clothes, and I would get a paycheck rather than a headbutt to the face... yeah, that kind of job. If I had a job like that, I would get fired every week at least!
The kids have been passing around one germ after another. This year has been the worst ever for the 5 yr old. When she was a baby she was never ever sick. I took her to the doctor for an illness for the first time when she was 2.5 years old. Now, she's got one thing after another. I'm chalking it up to Kindergarten cooties, but really, who knows, it might just be a bad year for germs. Or, a good year (from the perspective of the germs).
All I want for Christmas is a houseful of healthy kids!
Don't get me wrong, I don't really want a job with an adult boss and a paycheck. The lack of monetary pay more than makes up for the lack of job stress and pressure. A greater sense of sanity would be kind of nice, but then I'd miss out on so much with the little ones and they are only little once. Soon enough they will crave time away from their mama and they will wish I would just keep my distance. I know the drill. They turn into snotty preteens eventually, so I might as well enjoy them while they are still cute and loving.
Maybe by then the kids will be more resilient to germs. They should be. They are building up all kinds of immunities this year with one crappy cold and flu bug after another. Maybe then I'll have a job and I won't have to call out sick 3 or 4 days a week like I would have to now, if I had a job.
I've had jobs before. All sorts of jobs. They suck. I've had a job and kids at the same time, several times. It's stressful and difficult on the very best days. I don't miss any of the jobs I've ever had. I do miss contributing to the family income even a little bit; I liked the feeling of helping bring in a little money. But, I never was able to earn much, the financial burden has always been my husband's. Good thing he doesn't value me for my financial contribution! I am a lucky wife.
One of these days, when the girls are too cool to hang with their sparkly haired mom, who drives a mini-van, I'll write up my resume and fill it full of well worded ways to express my mom magic skills, I'll add my volunteer babysitting for friends and hosting an exchange student as volunteer work, and I'll pretend I know how to use Word in a format beyond 2003. I'll be like Nemo's dad going out on a great adventure into the frightening unknown. I might have to learn new analogies; Nemo might not be the most professional way to illustrate a point.
There again, good thing I don't have a job!
The kids have been passing around one germ after another. This year has been the worst ever for the 5 yr old. When she was a baby she was never ever sick. I took her to the doctor for an illness for the first time when she was 2.5 years old. Now, she's got one thing after another. I'm chalking it up to Kindergarten cooties, but really, who knows, it might just be a bad year for germs. Or, a good year (from the perspective of the germs).
All I want for Christmas is a houseful of healthy kids!
Don't get me wrong, I don't really want a job with an adult boss and a paycheck. The lack of monetary pay more than makes up for the lack of job stress and pressure. A greater sense of sanity would be kind of nice, but then I'd miss out on so much with the little ones and they are only little once. Soon enough they will crave time away from their mama and they will wish I would just keep my distance. I know the drill. They turn into snotty preteens eventually, so I might as well enjoy them while they are still cute and loving.
Maybe by then the kids will be more resilient to germs. They should be. They are building up all kinds of immunities this year with one crappy cold and flu bug after another. Maybe then I'll have a job and I won't have to call out sick 3 or 4 days a week like I would have to now, if I had a job.
I've had jobs before. All sorts of jobs. They suck. I've had a job and kids at the same time, several times. It's stressful and difficult on the very best days. I don't miss any of the jobs I've ever had. I do miss contributing to the family income even a little bit; I liked the feeling of helping bring in a little money. But, I never was able to earn much, the financial burden has always been my husband's. Good thing he doesn't value me for my financial contribution! I am a lucky wife.
One of these days, when the girls are too cool to hang with their sparkly haired mom, who drives a mini-van, I'll write up my resume and fill it full of well worded ways to express my mom magic skills, I'll add my volunteer babysitting for friends and hosting an exchange student as volunteer work, and I'll pretend I know how to use Word in a format beyond 2003. I'll be like Nemo's dad going out on a great adventure into the frightening unknown. I might have to learn new analogies; Nemo might not be the most professional way to illustrate a point.
There again, good thing I don't have a job!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sinter Klaas was here!
Sinter Klaas and Black Pete were here! And they left lots of treats!
Poor Fenna. She is living with us. She is halfway around the globe and far far away from the place where Sinter Klaas and Pete give presents and treats to good children. We're in California, the land of "just another boring day". Gracie was feeling sad for Fenna knowing that her heart would break when she didn't get anything from Sinter Klaas this year. He doesn't come here!
We put our shoes by the fireplace just to humor Fenna. Gracie told me later she just knew Fenna would cry when nothing happens.
On Sunday the 3rd, when there was no school and almost everyone was home, I took the little girls to the park for a couple of hours while Fenna stayed home. She was going to her room to pout because Sinter Klaas didn't come during the night. wink wink. She still had high hopes since it was night-time in Holland while it was daytime here.
Surprise! Sinter Klaas rode his white horse all the way around the world just to bring treats to our house! Pete was running along side him. He must have some amazing endurance, not to mention really good shoes.
Speaking of Black Pete... we're just calling him Pete. He's just a weird out of date character and I don't want to go there! In Holland, white people dress like clowns and put on a black face and wig. Umm... we don't do that here! It freaks me out to look at pictures of Pete! Fenna explained: Pete is black because he goes down the chimneys and the soot made him dirty. Ok.... but his clothes are clean! So the old white man on a white horse has the black kid dressed in a clown costume doing all the work? Yeah, um, no. No. NO! She insists that everyone in Holland understands the story and it is not a racist jab. Ok, well, we're still just calling him Pete.
There was a heap of yummy treats from Holland in front of the fireplace. Luckily, nothing in our stinky shoes. We all need to deodorize our shoes; apparently, Sinter Klaas thought so too. Glad no treats were subjected to the dark smelly insides of our shoes. Eww. Most of the treats were chocolate and ginger snaps.
We had lots of traditional goodies plus chocolate coin Euros. Very cool! Also, there were two adorable dolls: Sinter Klaas and Pete. They are super cute soft dolls and they are babyproof! They have embroidered eyes and other embellishments so they should be perfectly baby safe. In this house, that's an important feature in toys.
Being the inquisitive five year old that she is, Gracie had a million questions for Fenna about the holiday, the characters, the treats and the traditions. She must have asked questions for a good solid hour. She was firing them off faster than Fenna could answer them. Fenna listened with patience and gave thoughtful answers to each and every question. I couldn't help but laugh! I would have laughed harder, but my mouth was stuffed full of Dutch cookies.
Sinter Klaas also brought something from his brother, Santa Claus. Our family got an elf. Her name is Noelle and she is magic. She's not a toy, but a messenger for Santa. She just sits in our house watching us and each night, she goes to the North Pole and reports to Santa if we have been naughty or nice that day. She returns each day and perches in a different spot. She's real, people, really! This little bit of holiday magic is a fairly new thing called "Elf on a Shelf", google it. I'm pretty excited that we have an elf to help keep the kids in line. What a good reminder to behave!
We had a really fun and delicious day! Thank you, Sinter Klaas and Pete!
Poor Fenna. She is living with us. She is halfway around the globe and far far away from the place where Sinter Klaas and Pete give presents and treats to good children. We're in California, the land of "just another boring day". Gracie was feeling sad for Fenna knowing that her heart would break when she didn't get anything from Sinter Klaas this year. He doesn't come here!
We put our shoes by the fireplace just to humor Fenna. Gracie told me later she just knew Fenna would cry when nothing happens.
On Sunday the 3rd, when there was no school and almost everyone was home, I took the little girls to the park for a couple of hours while Fenna stayed home. She was going to her room to pout because Sinter Klaas didn't come during the night. wink wink. She still had high hopes since it was night-time in Holland while it was daytime here.
Surprise! Sinter Klaas rode his white horse all the way around the world just to bring treats to our house! Pete was running along side him. He must have some amazing endurance, not to mention really good shoes.
Speaking of Black Pete... we're just calling him Pete. He's just a weird out of date character and I don't want to go there! In Holland, white people dress like clowns and put on a black face and wig. Umm... we don't do that here! It freaks me out to look at pictures of Pete! Fenna explained: Pete is black because he goes down the chimneys and the soot made him dirty. Ok.... but his clothes are clean! So the old white man on a white horse has the black kid dressed in a clown costume doing all the work? Yeah, um, no. No. NO! She insists that everyone in Holland understands the story and it is not a racist jab. Ok, well, we're still just calling him Pete.
There was a heap of yummy treats from Holland in front of the fireplace. Luckily, nothing in our stinky shoes. We all need to deodorize our shoes; apparently, Sinter Klaas thought so too. Glad no treats were subjected to the dark smelly insides of our shoes. Eww. Most of the treats were chocolate and ginger snaps.
We had lots of traditional goodies plus chocolate coin Euros. Very cool! Also, there were two adorable dolls: Sinter Klaas and Pete. They are super cute soft dolls and they are babyproof! They have embroidered eyes and other embellishments so they should be perfectly baby safe. In this house, that's an important feature in toys.
Being the inquisitive five year old that she is, Gracie had a million questions for Fenna about the holiday, the characters, the treats and the traditions. She must have asked questions for a good solid hour. She was firing them off faster than Fenna could answer them. Fenna listened with patience and gave thoughtful answers to each and every question. I couldn't help but laugh! I would have laughed harder, but my mouth was stuffed full of Dutch cookies.
Sinter Klaas also brought something from his brother, Santa Claus. Our family got an elf. Her name is Noelle and she is magic. She's not a toy, but a messenger for Santa. She just sits in our house watching us and each night, she goes to the North Pole and reports to Santa if we have been naughty or nice that day. She returns each day and perches in a different spot. She's real, people, really! This little bit of holiday magic is a fairly new thing called "Elf on a Shelf", google it. I'm pretty excited that we have an elf to help keep the kids in line. What a good reminder to behave!
We had a really fun and delicious day! Thank you, Sinter Klaas and Pete!
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