Late Night Chronicles

Picture it...

11:00 p.m. - The littlest child crying "Mummy! Mummy!" As I open one eye, I am hoping that he is only dreaming and I that I can snuggle under the covers and get back to my dream. Nope.  That would have been too easy.  Instead, my one eye is looking at my bright doe-eyed little boy staring back at me with the saddest little face known to man...and just then I suddenly catch a waft of ammonia in the air and quickly realize I am laying in a sea of tinkle. Ok. So he tinkled the bed, it happens every once in a while. We get up, clean up, and put him back in his bed (which is in our room by the way) because did I mention he tinkled in mommy and daddy's bed? 

11:30 p.m.- The doe-eyed boy falls back to sleep

11:35 p.m. - Daddy says bump this, I'm going in the living room.  Walks off stage right with this blankey in tow. 

1:30 a.m. - I finally fall back to sleep (after surfing the internet, a little candy crush I passed level 180! Yes! and some Facebook)

4:45 a.m. - The little one is now standing in the darkness, and I can hardly believe it.  I look at the clock then back at him.  I ask "What are you doing up, sweetie?" Silence. I asked the question again.  Silence.  I look closely and his pants and underpants are on the ground.  Seriously? Yes, the same scent I caught earlier, I caught once again. Is it time for me to cry yet?
**My son will surely be quite upset when he gets older for spilling his tinkle stories**

4:50 a.m. - Clean up # 2.  Mumbling under my breath, "What in the heck did Daddy give you to drink tonight?! 

4:55 a.m. - Speaking of Daddy, he is all cozily wrapped up in his blankey on the couch fast asleep.

5:00 a.m. - Oh my gracious the girl is up

5:01 a.m. - The realization that I won't be going back to sleep

6:00 a.m. - Daddy leaves for work and we know what that means...I'm stuck by myself.

7:00 a.m. - Breakfast and 1st cup of tea, they've requested tuna and grits (something that requires a little bit of work)

8:30 a.m. - Might as well begin the Christmas decorating!

A couple of cards done for the advent calendar!

The little one as the scissors, oh my!

The Teenager is up before noon and she's decorating!

10:00 a.m. - 2nd cup of tea (wish it were spiked)

Yummm...my comfort!

And so that's how my Saturday morning is going!


How are you doing on this beautiful Saturday?! 


Signed, 
A drowsy, decoratin' Candilaria

Getting Ready For Christmas!!

December 1st is 4 days away! I can hardly believe it. Can you?!

Before I had my kids I sort of lost my excitement for Christmas, as most of us do. Now that I have children and they are at the age where they understand, their excitement awakens and ignites the feelings I once had as a child.


I will admit that I've been feeling a lot like Christmas for more than 2 weeks now. I've tried my darnedest to refrain from popping in the Christmas CD or breaking out the Christmas decorations. BUT NO MORE!

It is time! And I am READY!

I took the decorations out of storage and I plan on making it into an event to decorate the house (inside and outside) this coming weekend with the children. Even though if it were up to them they would have decorated 2 weeks ago! LOL

In our house, creating an advent calendar has become a festive tradition for counting down the days to Christmas. We love to make them and we enjoy the fun and anticipation it brings to the holidays. They are really a great way to bring the family together and to cherish every minute of the season. Some choose to fill their calendars with treats and/or tree decorations, but we like to fill ours with activities (and treats and decorations!).  What kinds of activities you ask?  Well here are some that we used last year and will more than likely recycle this year but modify them a bit:

1.   Tonight feels like a hot chocolate night!
2.   Bake cookies and give them to your neighbours
3.   Donate one or two toys to a child not as fortunate as you
4.   Go driving to see Christmas decorations/lights. (one of my favs!)
5.   Say 3 things you are thankful for
6.   Christmas Movie night and popcorn
7.   Go and pick out a Christmas tree
8.   Stay up 15 or 30 minutes passed your bedtime (this is a winner for the               kiddies!)
9.   Bake cupcakes or brownies
10. Decorate Christmas tree while listening to Christmas songs sipping on tea! 

You get the picture!  You don't have to do an activity every single day and if you're like me I avoid planning an activity on an evening I know we have something else going on.  Yes, it takes some planning!  The whole point is to engage the entire family and have fun with it!

So this year I've decided to make one that looks like this:

photo courtesy of A Beautiful Mess

This particular calendar is filled with treats, but I will definitely be mixing it up. As the countdown begins on December 1st, I have 3 days to gather the materials and execute the project!

So Stay tuned for when I reveal my version of this calendar! So super excited!



What traditions do you and your family have during the holidays? 


Signed, 
A Christmas lovin' Candilaria

Help Me To Understand?

Courtesy of www.keysmashblog.com

This past weekend I went to a birthday party. It was not a child's party. The hours on the invitation clearly stated that the party was for a grown man. The hours for the party were 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Can someone please help me to understand why there were children there? One child was young enough that the mother was cutting up the child's food to feed them.

This made me think of the movie Sweet Alabama where Reese Witherspoon's character says to her long time friend, "You have a baby...in a bar?" Like why do you have your child here of all places.

Bars are for adults!

I am forty years old. On a Friday night between the hours of 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. I believe I should be able to behave like a forty year old. I should not have to alter my behaviour at an adult venue because there are children present; one who happened to be my second grade student. 

I truly don't understand. 
Parenting 101 Lesson One states this.... Sometimes you gotta stay home! If you don't have a babysitter, sorry, you gotta miss this one. There will be more events for you to attend.

True story, back in 2011, Candi had a birthday party. Chase had just been born. He was not even two months yet. Man I wanted to go and so did Eric. I am not sure why we didn't hit up the grandparents to babysit maybe because I was still breastfeeding(hated that!), but whatever the case, because we both graduated from Parenting 101 after having Channing, I knew, 'Sometimes you gotta stay home!

This is what we did. We attended the party in shifts. I went for the first shift then Eric closed out the party. I did not want to leave but oh well, I am a parent. So I left. Candi and I live so close to one another that after Eric arrived I could hear him having a good time. Literally, I could hear the music and Eric hooting when a good song came on. I sat at home and listened. I had to miss out.

But, according to some women of today, that would have been ridiculous. "Chile pack up Chase and take him to the party in his car seat!" 

WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Tiffany Yvette Hall. Why? Because 'sometimes you gotta stay home'!

I have seen children at parties, at the movie theatre at a late night movie, hanging outside a bar, in a bar. I am sure you have seen them too.

No one told these mothers that 'sometimes you gotta stay home'!

I just need someone to help me to understand why this is the new trend? Why are women not willing to miss out on a good time for the sake of their children?

Jeez!

Never forget, when you bring your child to an adult event, they see adult things.

Don't mind the noise in da market, our kids can't handle adulthood. They are children. Keep them in child-friendly settings so they can be children and adults feel free to be adults!

Until I mash people's corns again!
Tiffany

P.S. And then ya'll complain that this generation of children act too grown or even worse, brag that they are so wise. Wise beyond their years! Not so much people...not so much!

Can You Keep A Secret?

courtesy of www.samsclub.com

What does a 48 oz. container of delicious Planters Cashews have to do with a housekeeper?

Let me tell you...

A very dear friend of mine introduced and got me addicted to cashews. Every day she packed me a small baggie of nuts. To reciprocate this act of love I figured I'd go to my neighbourhood market and purchase a container of cashews so that I may share with her one day. This is what good, pardon me, great friends do!

And so I did. I entered Super Value, yes I am calling the company's name, walked straight to the snack food aisle and grew extremely excited when I glanced upon the stacks of cashews. Perfect! The store has cashews, I did not know if they would be hard to find. I don't do grocery stores, my husband is the food shopper.

Anywho, wap I grabbed the largest 48 oz. container of cashews. I have to get the biggest one because I know my friend and I are going to devour these in a hot minute.

Why is one let me repeat, one bleepity-bleep container, so what it is 48 oz., why is one container of cashews $30.99.... dollars that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously?

I put the cashews back on the shelf. Oh well, I'm not that great of a friend!

And so, plan B, I made a purchase of cashews in the mighty land of America where one 48 oz. container is $15.98. I bought two. Thank you Tammie!

This leads me to my housekeeper. I have a live-in housekeeper who I absolutely adore. This is my third nanny and by far the best. My family is truly blessed to employ her. Since she is a live-in, you know where I am going with this, she has access to our kitchen and all the food that is in it.

And so, I recall the day I gleefully bought the cashews home. I was thrilled. Eric was thrilled. Channing and Chase are not included! Cashews are for grown -ups. My housekeeper said,"Cashews, oh I love me some cashews! Cashews nice!"

In less than a week, I'm talking five days, 48 oz. of cashews were slaughtered, kidnapped with no ransom letter, never to be found again.

Wth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One week?

Did I forget to post on the Hall Family Facebook and Twitter Page that these cashews need to last us until let's say hmm, at least December? Someone did not get the memo.

I took the can of evidence to Eric and interrogated him. Satisfied with his testimony I came to a verdict. My housekeeper has eaten the majority of my cashews!

Now don't get me wrong, I am not stingy with my housekeeper. She can eat whatever is in the house. She can drink anything except our liquor. I do not and never will be mean and not share nor provide for her. I believe when you hire a housekeeper, you have to treat her as an employee and give her boundaries but at the same token you have to treat her as you would want someone to treat you.But my cashews. My $15.98 cashews. My foreign-travel-on-da-plane-in-a-suitcase-gone-through-customs cashews! 

Oh Houston, we have a problem!

courtesy of www.8womendream.com

I have the solution!

Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell my housekeeper but...

I have strategically hidden the second container of cashews!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even Eric knows, well maybe, but they are secured. 

How did I get here? I feel bad about hiding food from my housekeeper but I am desperate. Desperate people take desperate measures. Am I a bad employer? I so don't want to be but it is my job to keep 48 oz. of cashews safe. Who else will protect them from the housekeeper bandit?

Lord help me if she finds them!

Until I eat my cashews again,

Tiffany-still-praying-for-an-I-Phone Hall

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes...

As mothers we all know we have absolutely no privacy!  You try to sneak off to do some chore or activity and within minutes the little crumbsnatchers have found you and take over your life once again.

True Short Story...

Some time ago, as I was getting ready for work in MY bathroom located in MY bedroom both my children busted through the bathroom door with not so much as a knock.  Why you ask? Who knows!  Children just love being around their mothers I guess and it really doesn't matter where they are (I have to lock the door behind me because they just don't get it! LOL).

So putting on the kind of underwear that doesn't cover the buttocks, aka a thong, my daughter says to me, "Mummy why do your panties look like that?" In making that statement my 3 year old son is prompted to come over and investigate for himself.  He walks up to me, then walks around me, looks in the back and then looks up at me with a very concerned expression on his face and says...



"MUMMY, YOUR PANTIES ARE BROKEN!!!"

Courtesy of salon.com

...blank stare....


All I could do was laugh! LOL


What have your children said to you that made you laugh? Or even shocked you? 


Happy Monday Ladies... :)



Signed, 
a broken underwear wearin', Candilaria