Busy busy busy.

It's been a hectic week. Last Sunday Jeff and Emma went to church; I stayed home with Maggie and Bridget because we couldn't risk Bridget getting sick (she keeps catching stuff at church.) It worked, she stayed healthy enough that on Tuesday she finally had her broken tooth extracted (and a bunch of other work done.) She'll get her prosthetic put in on Jan. 9 (they took the mold Tue.)

Friday we were supposed to go to Jeff's work Christmas dinner, had my dad lined up to watch the older 2 and anything. We'd been told that we could bring Maggie-- but on Wed. they changed their minds and said no. Okay. Their loss-- I hear with all the people that weren't able to get sitters not there it was rather dull. WE on the other hand had fun; we went out to dinner at Outback instead. After dinner we browsed the Linens and Things going-out-of-business sale and picked up a heated matress pad for half off ($40 for a dual-control, king-size pad.) Oooh, that's gonna be nice with it so cold. Now, to get the apartment complex to fix Bridget's window, which the landscaping people broke last summer and they STILL haven't fixed...

We finally got all our stuff finished for the Hatrack gift exchange (we were running late this year.) Finally got it all together and boxed up and out on Saturday (only one day late...) Yesterday we took those to the P.O. and also got other stuff ready for Christmas (stocking stuffers at Big Lots, using up the $10 coupon we got the Sat. after Thanksgiving, thrift store for the rest. Emma and Bridget are each getting a nap pillow/blanket set; Maggie is getting some new bath towels since our old ones are rather trashed; each girl gets one new dress-- well, Emma and Bridget are getting jumpers with a blouse/shirt under it, and Maggie is getting a dress-- hers is Land's End, quite a find, Bridget's is pink, her favorite, and Emma's has Tinkerbell, she's on a Disney kick. They're all getting books from us and picked out some to give to each other.)

Today we all made it to church (though Maggie had to go home after Sacrament because she was exhausted and cranky but wouldn't nap with all the distractions.) When they got home somehow Emma's dress got ripped at the waist. It's a brand new dress. (It matches her sisters'.) I am Not Pleased. I will have to figure out how to fix it-- I think I'll have to gather it and then tuck it under and sew it under the seam. *sigh*

We were going to assemble the gingerbread house kit Jeff's mom sent but we all took a nap instead. We'll try to get the foundation together tomorrow so we can decorate when Jeff gets home.

I did get some presents wrapped up this weekend (most but not all.) Emma kept coming in and then saying, "I'll try not to look!" LOL! I had to chase her out by saying, "You don't want to spoil your surprise, do you?" She answered, "No, I will not spoil it!" And finally found something else to do.

We still have to get all the out-of-state presents boxed up and sent (I guess we'll visit the UPS store soon) and there's some more present-wrapping to do-- but first I have to find the other wrapping paper, none of what I have left is big enough! And some cookie baking, I am planning Forgotten Cookies sometime soon. I already made Gumdrop Cookies. Mmmm. I think I need to go eat another one now...

Winter Driving Safety

Carol, a Hatrack friend, wrote a great article on winter driving safety. I encourage you all to check it out.

She did it as part of a contest, and so would appreciate your comments, as that's how the contest is judged. But it's just darned good advice, and cleverly written. So whether you live where there is regular snow or, like me, have never driven in snow and hope not to, check it out, because the more you know, the more prepared you can be for any situation.

Hey Mamas!

(Or soon to be mamas!) Enter to win an Ergo embroidered baby carrier! Very easy entry on this one. I like the black. :)

No, dear, I will NOT cook that for your dinner.

We went to the aquarium on Saturday and learned about all kinds of sea life and food chains and such. I guess some of it sunk in, because today the following conversation took place:

Me: "Bridey, what do you want to eat?"
Bridget: "Barcles."
Me: "What?"
Bridget: "Barcles."
Me: "Sparkles?"
Bridget: "No. Barcles."
Me: "Buckles?"
Bridget: "No! BARCLES!"
Jeff: "What does she want?"
Me: "I have no idea..."
Bridget (bouncing in frustration): "BARCLES! BARCLES!"
Me: "Barcles?"
Bridget: "Yes! Barcles!"
Me (after a long pause to think about it): "...Barnacles?"
Bridget: "Yes! Barcles!"
Me: "Barnacles. You want barnacles."
Bridget (waving her arms around): "Yes! I saarfiss, I eat barcles!" (Translation: "I [am a] starfish! I eat barnacles!")

Ay. You see, they had this "Exploration Center" with dress-up costumes, and she wore the starfish costume for quite a while Saturday and enjoyed it, while we talked about starfish...

We talked her into a quesadilla.

In other news, Maggie (suddenly, this evening) started babbling. She had not babbled at all (I wasn't worried about her verbal development at all; at 6 months she had 4 or 5 signs, so she was communicating, she responds to her name and imitates tone of voice.) Now she has started, though, she won't stop. "Uh ba ba ba ba ba ba!" I think she will soon be saying "na-na" (both other kids' first word), "Mama," "Abba," and possibly "Emma." (Who knows what she'll come up with for Bridget's name. "Buh-buh?")

Big Lots Saturday Deals

Just got a couple of great bargains! We got a Graco Video Monitor (normally $199; got it for $50) and an Apex 65 car seat (normally $130-ish; got it for $65.) And got a $10 off coupon for being there early. :D The car seat is to replace the backup Bridget has grown out of; it will harness to 65 lbs. and has higher top slots. Nice. (Of course now that my kids all have backup seats that fit, I think Jeff thinks I should be getting rid of the backups that don't fit...)

The prices are all day though the coupon offer isn't. Of note the Apex, while a nice seat, is a bit wide (we have a Radian to go next to it so I think it will still work for 3 across in many situations but for most people, not so much) and needs a headrest or very tall seat back behind it since the top is not reinforced; it is outgrown when tips of the ears go over the top of the seat back or headrest, not just the seat. But on the other hand it does make a decent booster (it is a combination seat that harnesses and then is a booster.) Again, must have support behind it. But all around I am quite thrilled with it because for the price it's an excellent seat! I mean, when can you usually get a higher-weight harnessing seat for $65?

Now I have to go check out the date of manufacture and stuff. :D

And right now I am thankful...

...to get out of my clothes and into my nightie and lay down!

We had a great dinner with my mom. The kids actually took to heart my talk in the car about being polite and did it! Even Bridget, who I thought was not listening because she didn't say "Okay" like Emma did, instead asking questions about things we were driving past. She must have been listening because she spent the entire dinner asking people how they were doing, did they like their dinner, and how was their day going? LOL!

We got to see my aunt and uncle, my sister Erin, she brought her friend and her friend's 11 year old son, and my grandma was also there. And of course my mom, since it was at her house. :) And the food was great of course! The girls ate very well, and Maggie had a jar of sweet potatoes and some finely-chopped turkey, as well as some Gerber apple wheel snacks. She was very tired and finally conked out, and I even got her to sleep for a while in the play pen.
I got some pics of the girls in their cute jumpers (they all wore jumpers with white long sleeved blouses this year, a very classic look and allowed them to "coordinate" without matching at all.) And Emma even got one of me! But I do not feel like pulling them off now-- so I will try to post them tomorrow or the next day. My aunt gave them markers (washable of course!) and note pads. They adored them. My sister gave us some Shel Silverstein cds the library was getting rid of. My aunt also gave us a pretty dress for Maggie; it's 24 mos. but I think it will fit in a month or 2 because she is so LONG!

For now I am grateful for a nice evening with my wonderful family, my kids and their wonderful behavior (they made me look good for once ;) ) and the blessings of the bounty of food we have, the shelter we enjoy, and the ability to buy clothes for my kids and even get them new ones for Thanksgiving. I just got a new picture of my sponsored child, with his cleft lip repaired, and it is kind of making me reflect on how much I take for granted in being able to provide for my children. And also, that I can now veg out instead of cleaning up since I didn't host Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a good one. Happy Thanksgiving!

Portraits yesterday!

We (finally, now that Maggie is almost 7 months old) got some family portraits done yesterday. We got family portraits done, and I got some of the three girls together, and a few of just Emma and Bridey. (Maggie was not in the mood to cooperate with solo shots, but the photographer pulled some good ones of her from group shots!) It went better than it has before, but we got no really great grins from Bridey. But we got decent shots, so I was satisfied! I had planned to photograph them in their Christmas dresses, but some new dresses came that I got from that Gagas clearance... They were too cute to pass up for Christmas portraits, came with headbands (made doing hair easy) and also, it was easier for Jeff and I to coordinate with! We had a great coupon and got a portrait collage free. We did all our portrait buying for sending with Christmas gifts, etc. We ended up with a lot of portraits! But it was still a great deal because the coupon also gives 20% off. And, they sent me an identical offer that's good through April in the mail. So, we'll be taking them in at the end of December/beginning of January to get those portraits in the Christmas dresses. (Only we won't be in those pictures, and we'll just get 2 sheets of wallets of one pose-- which will be $30 but with the discount, $24, to make it no session fee (regular $15-ish), 2 sheets of wallet size pictures (that's 16 in total), and a portrait collage (regular price $30-ish) for $24. Not bad! Anyway, enough about the great discount and on to what you really want-- the pictures. :D Here you go!
















Now I can change my Blogger image! ;)

Household Tip of the Day

Do not put an unopened (still quality-sealed) plastic-lidded, plastic jar of mayonnaise in the refrigerator. It is shelf-stable until opened and does not require said refrigeration until after you break the seal, and putting it in the fridge before the seal is broken will only cause it to contract and seal even more tightly, making it impossible to open without super-human strength and necessitating running the lid under warm water to warm it up (not the happiest thing to have to do to a jar of mayo) before you can open it for your two year old who is screeching at the top of her lungs, "May-nays! Want may-nays bread kheese!" and getting underfoot as you try to open it to spread it on her bread and make her a cheese sandwich.

(Hear that, Jeff?)

Well, looks like the deal's dead

Don't know if any of you managed to get it! It was sweet while it lasted though! (We're betting someone got fired over that. But they're legally required to honor that price so we'll see what happens!)

Britax Marathon for the price of a Cosco Scenera

If you need a new carseat this is the time!!!

In Granite, $42.99
In Cowmooflage, $59.99

Shipping is free. If you have AAA, go through their website. They have a 10% discount. Don't worry if you don't like the cover. Buy it anyway, covers are available for $70 new or considerably less on eBay or Craigslist. You're not going to get a better price even factoring in the price of a new cover!!! I got 3, one for my niece, two for me (everyone needs extra carseats, right?) I'm going to buy my niece a pink cover. Incredible, incredible deals.

Out of stock but still taking orders. Get them before they change the price!!!

Super Deal Alert!!!

Okay, you all know I'm huge on buying used, not consuming unnecessarily, thrift store shopping, etc.

You also know that that all goes out the window when I find a good deal on matching clothes for my girls. :D

(Okay, let's be honest, I'd buy used if I could and get matching. Sometimes I do, on eBay-- find a Gymboree line a few years old that I like and buy used in all their sizes, for example. But most of the time it's very hard to get what I want in all 3 girls' sizes unless it's new.)

So for those of you who may be interested in dress up clothes (for boys too, not just girls) at incredible prices, check this out: kids' clothing web-rental store Gaga's is going out of business and they have a ton of NEVER WORN dress-up clothes and accessories for boys and girls for sale. You get them to KEEP for less than what their rental price was in most cases, most of the stuff is now 90% off its original retail price. And shipping over $50 is free, no tax; I just got 6 dresses (2 sets of 3 matching/coordinating dresses) plus 3 headbands (to go with one of the sets of dresses) for less than $70 shipped. And these are FANCY dresses. Incredible deal! Go check it out! Be warned that stuff is selling out fast-- I was going to get one more headband, a different kind, for Maggie, and by the time I went to check out it was out of stock. But they still have a ton of beautiful dresses, babies to big girls (and most of them MODEST), as well as adorable suits, tuxes, shirts, etc. for boys! Great time to buy next year's Easter clothes if you're fairly certain of what will fit next Spring, or to buy Christmas clothes if you haven't yet!

(Okay, I know I used too many exclaimation points. But I am SO STOKED about these deals!)

Checkups

Emma had an audiology appointment this morning. All is well, her hearing is perfect. (Now, on to the speech eval...)

Maggie had a well-baby check, too, and shots. We saw a doc we haven't seen before at the clinic. Nice but said things in a weird way. Had to ask her what percentile Maggie was in because she was trying to tell me she's the "weight of a 7 month old" or some such nonsense. (She's six months, so quite obviously, she's the weight of a six month old. She happens to be in the 80th to 95th percentile for weight, that's all. Of course, since she's above the 97th for length, when you look at the weight-for-length chart, she's actually only in the 50th percentile for weight-for-length. She's not really that chubby, just BIG.)

While we were there, I weighed and measured Emma and Bridey too while Maggie was in getting her shots. Measurements are with shoes and clothes so not as accurate as could be but a good estimation.

Here's everyone's stats:

Emma: 41 inches tall, 36 lbs. (That makes her 75th to 90th percentile for height, a little under 50th for weight, according to the CDC. They have her BMI as being in the 25th to 50th percentile. Are they counting kids in third world countries? She's healthy but thin.)

Bridget: 37 inches tall, 34 lbs. (That puts her in the 97th percentile for height, around the 95th for weight, and the CDC claims she's obese based on her BMI. Um, no... She's not as skinny as Ems but not by any means obese. Talked to my mom; she says BMI is spectacularly inaccurate for a highly muscular child, which she definitely is. And both of them go up and down in weight depending on what time it is, when they last ate and how much, when they've had a bowel movement, etc. So I'm not really worried about that; in fact, to the contrary, I take it as a sign all that activity is building some good muscle. When she's charted on the 0-3 weight-for-length chart she's only in the 70th percentile or so, another good sign.)

Maggie: (get ready for this one!) just under 28 inches long, 18 lbs. 13 oz.! BIG girl! And about 14.5 inches of that is in her torso, she is ALL torso. She is already close to outgrowing the Scenera rear-facing by height, which Bridget did not do until, well, around the time she outgrew it by weight! She's almost to the fourth slots on her Radian. I seriously worry about being able to keep her rear-facing until she hits the weight limit! It may not happen!

Anyway, they're all growing well, all tall as they've ever been. I am starting to buy 12 month clothes for Maggie; Emma is a 5T (in tops and dresses at least) or sometimes 6 and Bridey is a 3T, 4T, or sometimes 5T depending on the brand. Wild! I'm taking advantage of them all being in "infant/toddler" sizes at once to dress them in matching clothes if only for a few months, though!

Been busy...

Went trick or treating for Halloween. (May have pics at some point, may not.)

Traded beds with my aunt (her king for our full) and all the attendant cleaning, moving of furniture, and hauling of mattresses to make that happen.

Bridget has a snotty nose and cough; think Maggie may be coming down with it.

Trying to keep the kiddos from going crazy with the candy (which is kept out of reach and rationed out); last night Emma said a prayer before her dinner (they were eating before us) that went, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, please bless that I will grow strong and healthy and not eat too much sugar..."

Grumpiness seems to abound anyway. Emma was making upset noises and I asked her what was the matter. She said, "I'm not going to tell you." I asked why not, and she replied, "Because it's JUST MY answer! I'm not going to answer you because it's my answer!" *sigh* Four year olds...

Keep getting annoying political calls. We voted 2 weeks ago (we're permanent absentee voters.) Can't wait for the stupid thing to be done with.

Maggie is crawling (not creeping, up off the ground; crawling, like a Marine.) She also rolls very precisely in the direction she wants to go. This is quite a leap from a few days ago. She seems to enjoy it. Likes to play with anything she can get her hand on, and shred paper like the cats do. Has destroyed 2 books so far ("We READ the books, we don't EAT the books" has become a common refrain.)

Went to the library two or 3 weeks in a row now. Getting to be a tradition now, after dance class on Thursdays. I think I like it. It seems good for me. Just found out that you can now pay your library fines online (for a long time you could view them and pay by phone, but they've added a credit card interface, apparently.) Coolness.

Finally decided what to make for Christmas gifts. Can't wait for Thanksgiving. Jeff is taking time off that week. Not sure if we'll get out of town or not. Hoping so, really want a change of pace.

Feeling very good some days, weepy and frustrated others. Some days I'm upset with myself and disappointed in how little self-control I seem to have, how I sometimes snap too readily at my kids. I think I need to remember that this is a partnership, not just between me and my husband, but between us and Heavenly Father. They're His kids, too, and I can ask Him for help in parenting them the way He wants it done. But it's hard to remember that when you have a migraine and they WON'T stop jumping on you and they're making messes in the room they've been told not to enter and breaking things and life just makes you want to cry and scream in frustration. Other days they are a joy, helpful and kind and loving with each other, and that makes me ashamed I don't treat them all the time the way I want them to treat each other.

I think the election is adding a lot of stress to our household, on top of the rest of it. I'll be REALLY glad when it's over. Did I say that already? Also dealing with multiple insurance companies and agencies trying to get Bridget's tooth covered. We're about ready to pay for it ourselves. Why do we have insurance if we have to pay for it out of pocket or wait eight months to get a potentially life-threatening condition treated? So annoying.

But then the weather is changing and that makes me happy. I try to find happiness in the small things around me that I enjoy. I try to do things that make me happy and help the kids do them too. Bridget likes to be read to and get to sit in a lap. Maggie likes just about any one-on-one playtime. Emma loves to help me cook. I try to let her as much as possible because that is a GOOD habit to develop. Personally, I would love to get away to a little cafe/bookstore, sip a cup of cocoa, eat a yummy sandwich, and read some good secondhand mystery. Very unlikely that will happen, though... Oh, well, at least I can go to the library and snatch a few words here and there from a good old Mary Higgins Clark (whom I have just discovered, after years of rather unintentional avoidance, that I really like.)

Primary Program

Today was the Primary Program. Emma behaved so well! She sang, she spoke when told to (though when her teacher whispered her part to her she said, "No, you have to say it louder!" LOL, guess we stressed that a little too much...) She needed me to sit with her so I sat with the Sunbeams in the first row. They were SO reverent during the Sacrament! I was impressed. They all sat and folded their arms and bowed their heads, took the Sacrament reverently and did not chatter or play, and even the counselor who was conducting noticed and thanked them for their example and reverence.

Toward the end of the program they got a little restless (they were up and down but didn't go up for some of the songs-- including Emma's favorites); the little boys were drawing and one of the girls was on the floor, and when they went up Emma kept leaning forward trying to monopolize the microphone (thanks for teaching her that, Dad! LOL!) But they got through without major misbehavior and the rest of the Primary (almost all of them were there-- about 22 kids in all) were great too. It was very sweet (and of course we made the bishop cry, I love our bishop.)

Anyway, it was Emma's first time in the Primary Program and I was very proud; she's getting better about things like when she's "moved" by the counselor who never seems to remember that she doesn't like to be touched, and speaking or singing on cue (instead of when SHE wants to.)

It's so hard being apart from each other!

That's what Maggie and I think.

Tonight we left the girls at my aunt's while we went to visit my uncle in the hospital. (After being told he probably was going to die, he is now on his third day off the ventilator and may make it home by Halloween!) The hospital does not allow ANY children under 12 through the doors, period (it's a respitory hospital with patients very susceptible to disease; hand-washing is also enforced. Maggie is eating real food now and will take a little water from a cup so I fed her before we left and hoped for the best.) I had a bit of a panic attack as we drove away without her. I'm still feeling the effects of those first few nights away from her. :( This was my first time away from her (well, I've been in the other room, but not much further than that) for more than half an hour, and that was when she was with Jeff.

I cut his hair for him, and cleaned his nails too. We called on our way out (after a little less than an hour away total) and heard that Maggie had been crying and had just stopped. My aunt had fed the girls but we had not eaten so we drove through In-N-Out. We had considered going someplace a bit nicer but I could not be away from the baby any longer, especially knowing she had been crying. :(

I think the crying was mostly gas. But now she is all fussy again. She doesn't seem to want anything but to be with me (which is hard on my stomach because she also wants to kick me in the gut.) But her crying is better than not being able to hear it.

I REALLY need to tell my doctor next time about all this and that I do NOT want to go through it again. :/

(The fires are mostly contained today, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!)

Thoughts and prayers appreciated:nearby fire, ward members evac'd

So we went to church yesterday and the chapel looked really empty. In Relief Society I heard why: half the ward had been evacuating their homes because of a wildfire in the Angeles Crest National Forest and nearby Lakeview Terrace.

The fire is only 20% contained and we're having Santa Anas. (Santa Anas are a particular kind of strong, dry wind; they're usually warm but right now they're accompanying colder weather.) The wind is bad enough it's keeping me up tonight and my toddler keeps waking and crying because the winds are howling and rattling so hard.

Apparently yesterday smoke and ash was being blown all the way to Malibu (which, strangely, meant we got no smoke only a few miles away because it was all being blown the other direction.) But anyway, the forest is really beautiful, my friends (and their animals-- the area is zoned for horses as well as chickens, goats, and house pets) have been evacuated, and the Wildlife WayStation animals are caged and ready to be evac'd if necessary. It's scary to me to hear the winds howl, knowing they're fueling and spreading the fire and putting people's homes and firefighters' lives at risk (the lives, of course, being more important than the homes, but the homes not being negligable.)

If you've got a moment, please send good thoughts/vibes/prayers for the brave men and women who are battling this fire, and those who have been displaced, as well as the animals and the forest if you are so inclined. It would mean a lot to me to know that other folks are thinking of our area and our firefighters.

Emma's first dinner guest

Today we went to the store after Emma's dance class and she wanted to buy all kinds of veggies. So I asked if she wanted to make vegetable soup. She said yes so I let her choose what went in it (cannelini, potatoes, barley, carrots, celery, green beans, etc.) I chopped and she stood on a stool and sauted and stirred (she also helped wash the veggies.) She wanted someone to come eat it with us! So Grandpa came over and had some veggetable-barley soup and biscuits (she helped put them in the pan to bake them) with some green plums we'd got and I sliced and Dove Ice Cream Mini-Bars for dessert. We all liked it and she was very proud! (Of course she and Bridey spent as much time running around-- we ate outside 'cause it was hot in here and gorgeous outside-- and telling knock-knock jokes as eating...)

She really loves her Abba.

Maggie was laughing and playing with me, nice full tummy, happy baby. We heard Jeff get home; she stopped playing and looked around. We heard him in the other room. She started to pout. He talked to Emma. She started screaming. Not pain or hunger screaming, upset screaming.

He walked in. She stopped screaming and smiled, went to him and laughed.

I guess she's gotten used to him coming in to say hi to her and hold her as soon as he gets home, and she was upset that she was not getting her attention and games and kisses from Abba!

I think this makes him feel wanted. I think it's awfully sweet.

The Christmas Shopping Rules

Since TX Mommy asked, I thought I'd post them here.

I love Christmas, but we try very hard to not bust our anti-consumerism stance or our budget at Christmas. As such I've developed some rules.

Our Christmas shopping rules are that:

-I buy things dirt cheap on clearance throughout the year for the Gift Closet. These include things suitable for baby gifts, adult gifts, and kids' gifts. They're usually things that would cost $10 to $30 that I get for $1 to $5 on clearance/sale/couponing. Also may include things that we recieve and wish to "re-gift" (we put a post-it note on saying who we got it from so we don't re-gift inappropriately.) Occasionally something smaller than $10 like a nice candle that I get on clearance with a coupon. These are also used for baby showers, birthday gifts, etc., and mean I always have something on hand for an "emergency gift" too. After-Christmas sales and the Sears, JCP, and Gymboree clearance-on-clearance are heavy contributors!

-"Santa" brings one new toy or game or etc. per kid. One. Period. If it's really large, it's a joint gift. Budget is about $20 to $30 per kid for this gift and if we can we get it cheaper; that means we need to know who wants what from "Santa" well in advance, and Santa stops listening after about early November most years. ;)

-"Santa" also fills the stockings. Stockings are re-used from year to year and each person has their own, of course. Stockings will contain a tangerine each (it's not Christmas without the tangerine! Like I used to, Ems and Bridey will go for the tangerine before anything else! When we were in Richardson they were Clementines because nothing else could be found but out here they HAVE to be Satsumas!); some candy (including at least one piece of See's chocolate; another tradition), mostly bought on sale with coupons; one or two beauty or hygeine item each (examples from past stockings include dollar store hair bow sets, fuzzy socks, toothbrushes, Disney "magic towel" bath mitts, etc.), and occasionally some stickers or a small $1 toy. This is rooted in what was in stockings when I was young and is very tradition-oriented. Stockings are always opened before presents! Babies of course have special stocking stuffers-- they get a small toy or a paci, maybe a hat or some cute socks or a hair bow, possibly a bib or onesie (thrift store or $1 bin at Target), and a baby food dessert (like Gerber's Dutch Apple Dessert, for instance), which we usually do not buy. Budget is about $5-$7 per stocking per kid, less for adults.

-Kids' gifts from us will consist of some clothes, some books, and a few small toys or some videos. These are all purchased at the thrift store, used, with the occasional exception of a heavily clearanced outfit. We very much do not want to buy new for the bulk of these gifts.

-Kids' gifts to each other may be chosen from the thrift store once they are old enough to shop (Emma started at around 3) or may be picked out from the Gift Closet (with guidance from me) before then. Babies do not "give" gifts to their sibs, this is only for kids old enough to want to give a gift to the others.

-If a situation arises in which kids are giving gifts to friends, they need to earn the money and spend their own money toward it, if it's their own idea. They may choose one from the Gift Closet if it is a socially mandated gift (going to a church party and have a Secret Santa partner, or something like that, would be an example.)

-With the exception of children, all relatives (grandparents, aunts, etc.-- meaning our parents, my sisters, etc.) and close friends get a home-made (or home-assembled, at least) gift of some sort, often consumable. These are mass-assembled as a family project.

-Nieces, nephews, and second cousins' gifts are bought on clearance or chosen from the Gift Closet; on my husband's side the cousins each give to one randomly selected cousin so instead of each kid recieving 2 gifts (since there are 3 sibs with families) they each only get one from the cousins; cuts down on "stuff." We send cards to each other but do not give gifts to each other.

-My darling husband and I don't give formal gifts to each other. Instead, we discuss something we really want, often something the whole family will use, and buy it together, on sale or, preferably, used. Likewise, we don't conspire to have the kids buy gifts for each spouse in secret (unless we happen on something perfect at the thrift store.) We have too much stuff already. (If they wanted to do it in secret and made it or spent their own money we'd let them, of course, but we don't instigate it.) Some years we may choose to save our money and later put it toward a vacation or a date instead.

-As much shopping and planning as possible should be done early! If I can be done with all things that are to be bought and have the materials for our project by November, I'm happy. Usually at least something is done last-minute but it does at least cut down on the haste and stress, and makes for better deals!


We do participate in the Hatrack gift exchange each year, but the limit on that is $10 and make-it-yourself is strongly encouraged, so we never break the bank. Following our Christmas shopping rules for family and close friends of the family means that we have more time and money to spend on something fun like that! We usually go out and do all our Hatrack shopping in one day, box everything up, and mail it. I like to get it done well before the deadline. :)


So in re-reading some of the rules I think some of the wording is not as clear as it could be... If you need clarification just ask! Of course the rules get "bent" here and there-- but we try to stick to them when possible! I really like keeping things as simple as possible. We have found that we all really appreciate the thought behind gifts more than anything, so do our families, and that the kids could not care less if their stuff is used when they get it. In cutting back on the Christmas budget and stress, we are able to appreciate Christmas itself more.

Yep, she's four.

Emma's current favorite joke (which of course, we hear ALL THE TIME):

"Why was Tigger in the bathroom?"
"Because he was looking for POOH!"