Simple little Christmas {and some festivities}

Here in the Jubis household, there were three very sweet and very appreciative little girls that shared a very simple little Christmas day with their mama and daddy.

*The girls...Giddy & Bright*

*BUT I will now share this tidbit*

I was utterly EXHAUSTED from the night before.  Actually, that would be a complete UNDERSTATEMENT as to the way I physically and emotionally felt.

My darling husband and I hosted the family Christmas party this year.  It was something we decided to do because my most gracious AND self-less mother-in-law is the one that normally takes on this giant task with no 'pre' OR 'post' help.  Plus, I love her dearly.  We have a great relationship.  She's so special and sweet and loving and she gets me.  I'm lucky.  And she's almost 72 years old!

Heck, I'm 34 and I was totally spent so I CANNOT imagine a women of my MIL's age doing all that alone!

(insert passive aggressive sarcasm here)
All I have to say is that I have THREE daughters and you better BELIEVE that one day, they will be assisting their mama with celebratory pre AND post help.  No.  Excuses.  Period.

SO, since we did not go out of town this year (last year we were in Oregon with friends), we made it our task to host.  The truth is that we love having people over.

The most exhausting part was preparing the entire party alone.  Stuff gets really crazy with three children and limited hands.  Nope, I never grew that third and fourth arm.  Shucks!

My AMAZING and BRILLIANT (yes, I gloat about him with no shame) husband took the three girls and spent the entire day with them while I prepared and did what I had to do to get the house in tip top shape.  He was my secret weapon.  I love you, crazy! ♥

Naturally, my guests arrived at eight o'clock p.m. sharp and I was STILL in black leggings, flip-flops, a sweaty tee-shirt and my hair looking like I had stepped out of a whirl wind machine.

My dear friend (& sitter) saved my delayed self by brushing the girls' hair and keeping some things in check while I got ready.  She was also my shoulder to cry and vent on when I was about to lose it in my bathroom as well.  She brought me a decadent chocolate treat to ease my anxiety.  Yum!  She's awesome.  Thank you, Grachu!

One hour later, I made my 'hostess' entrance.  Finally!

All in all, the party was a sheer success! Yay! Everyone ate, laughed, talked, danced, children ran around giddy and shrieking happy sounds and then it was over.  Thank.  Goodness.

If you're wondering if I'd do it all over again then your answer is, Yes!  I WILL do it again because as long as my sweet MIL does NOT have to work, I'm happy to host but hopefully with a WHOLE lot more help next time.

Enjoy some Christmas morning moments of my three sweet little girls now...

*Sabrina was anxious for THAT Monster High girl*

*Hubby and I spent an hour putting that little house together the night before*

*Luna loves laptops*

*Sponge Bob Lego madness*

*Felt food is fun*

*Liv Girl craze*

*Kalina has La La Loopsy fever* 

*Monster High Madness*

*For the Architect in him*

*The aftermath*

Seriously considering going 'paperless' next year.

*Love*

*tiny doll fun*

*Miss Goldie was part of the fun too!*

It was simple. 

It was fun.

It was quiet.

Now my work is done.

Til next Christmas! 

Parenthood and the traveling Elf

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This was our first Christmas with the funny and a bit creepy little Elf on the Shelf (AKA-'Jack')  

It was fun to play the 'traveling Elf' game with the girls.  

I was actually pretty impressed that they totally bought the entire gig! (Shhh!)

Here are some shots of our crazy little Elf on the Shelf 'Jack' 

and the wonderful things he did while waiting for Christmas.

**I dedicate this series to my lovely, sweet and talented niece, Chelsea ♥**

Cliff hanger Elf

Basket case Elf

Nutcracker patronizer Elf

Yogurt Pretzel hogger Elf

Potty time Elf 

Cavity fighter Elf

Boyfriend killer Elf

Dog whisperer Elf

'Keebler' Elf

Kleptomaniac Elf 

Keith Richards wannabe Elf

Today we say 'Good-bye and till next year' to our adorable, creepy and sometimes silly little 

Elf on the Shelf, AKA 'Jack'

Brilliant and paperless

I was talking to a super sweet and super duper awesome mama friend of mine the other day and she was sharing with me how she handles the whole 'wrapping' of the Christmas 'morning' gifts.

(insert Light Bulb-'Tink')

She doesn't spend any time whatsoever wrapping ANY of her kids gifts!

None.

Zero.

Zip.

Zilch.

Nada.

I thought: BRILLIANT!  A paperless Christmas!

Her theory is this: If 'Santa' brings the gifts, he doesn't NEED to wrap them plus, it looks nicer to see all the lovely items decoratively displayed under the tree for the kids to be delightfully expressing 'Oohs and Aahs.'  Good point, mama friend! Kudos to you on that!

I'm out of luck on that idea because I've already wrapped every single gift for the girls.  Plus, I would totally hate to rip apart all of that paper all by myself.

So much better for them to do it themselves!  

I must confess, I do feel bad about wasting paper but the sound of tearing off paper from the gifts on Christmas morning kind of makes the anticipation of seeing their little faces so much more delightful.

I may just ditch the wrapping altogether next year.  We'll see.

It would ACTUALLY be a laid back Christmas for me if I didn't wrap ANY gifts but then I'd have to deal with the 'I saw it first so it's MINE' drama.  Pass.

PLUS, the girls are totally buying the idea that this creepy little dude, aka 'Jack', aka 'Elf on the Shelf', is the one helping 'Santa' wrap all of their lovely gifts.  

Our 'Jack' hanging upside down from a corner wall by the tree.  What a weirdo! 

Who knows, my kids just may have ME totally buying 

that THEY are totally buying the whole 'Jack' thing? 

I shall continue to wonder...

That's what I told her...

Yesterday I wrote about my worries and/or phobias with mothering my daughters and how I need to be transparent with them.  Naturally, there are moments where I'm 'tested' to see if I stand for what I 'say.'

My eldest is at that age where she's much more in tune with her surroundings and my conversations and the f-bombs tossed around (I know, I know, I really have to work on my French!)  She's also a Christmas junkie! She loves the music, and lights, and 'fraser fir' scented candles and putting santa bells on Miss Goldie's neck and well, you get it.  My Sabrina LOVES Christmas!

{My homemade Christmas wreath ♥}

Sometime at the onset of this holiday season, she asked me, 'Mommy, when you were my age, how was YOUR Christmas?'

I cringed inside.

I crinkled my face and forehead and nose and made my eyes really, really, really small and said, 'Do you REALLY want to know?'

No duh you idiot, that's why I asked you! Is what she must've thought but she was too concerned over my contorted facial expression.  Plus I knew that I HAD to tell her.

Deep breath in and out came...

'When I was seven, I woke up on Christmas morning and there was a Christmas tree in the living room.  It had no lights, no ornaments, no tree skirt and no presents under the tree.'  I said.

'WHAT?' she gasped.  I simply looked at her surprised beautiful big blue eyes.

'Why?' she asked.

'I don't know why.'  I responded to her.

Because I didn't know why there were no presents under the tree.  Okay, fine I kind of DO know why there were no presents under the tree.  My mother was involved with a drug dealer and from what I could remember, most of his cash flow went up his nose.  My mother never apologized for a present-less Christmas that morning.  I remember she had woken up late and basically acted like it was an ordinary day.  All I worried about during the remainder of my school break was trying to figure out what were the 'cool toys' that I could lie about at school that I 'got' for Christmas.  I think they were 'My Little Pony', 'Rainbow Bright' and 'Cabbage Patch Kids' but now I'm not too sure.  

*I DID NOT want to tell my seven year old daughter that a cocaine addict/pedophile had tarnished my Christmas.  Or how her Grandmother seemed to 'not care' about that day for me.  My daughter will find out soon enough.  It'll be written right here on this part of the blogosphere *forever*  Just know that I love my mother despite the negative moments I experienced under her control.  It's a tough position to be in.

'So was it your worst Christmas ever?' she quickly asked me.

'Kind of...' I said to her.

She lowered her head but I could still see one side of her sweet, translucent face and she looked remorsefully sad, heart broken, angry and confused.  I hated the feeling of the entire exchange because as it was, I felt like a LIAR and CHEAT and so BROKEN in front of her.  Not because I 'believe' myself to be any of those things but because I cannot bring myself to be 'fully' transparent with details and facts and moments of 'truth' with respect to my childhood.  Not when she's only seven.

It makes me angry.  Not sad.  Angry.  For her.

The interesting thing here is that I WAS seven when what I DON'T want to share with my daughter happened to me.  I simply don't wish for her to be consumed with my unfortunate childhood experience while she's the same little child that I 'needed' to be.  I know her well enough that she WOULD encapsulate herself with sad parts of mommy's life.  No.  I cannot do that to her.  I won't.

There have been times when she's actually told me to pretend that her and I are the same age so that I can have the moment back.   She's self-less and sweet...

I feel the need to protect her from these horrid things.  I know that I cannot save her from EVERYTHING (I'm not delusional) but dammit, I CAN salvage any part of her emotional hurt for MY childhood.

She hurts for it.  I see it.  I feel it.  I know it.

Even if I don't articulate it, she picks up on my body language and how my eyes shift.  She's connected to that sensitive and raw side of 'me.'  I find it fascinating and scary.

Here's what I know I can do: I CAN tell her 'partial' stories and I CAN choose to 'limit' what she learns about me and what may or may not have happened to me at the age of seven while she's seven herself.  But I WILL always tell her how I felt, the thoughts that came to my 'child' mind and the way I bounced back from it.  I quickly added my own emotional consoling to this issue.

'Sabrina, it doesn't matter how my Christmas was when I was your age.' I added.

She looked up at me and I smiled at her.

Her face was home. Her gaze was love.  Her heart was peace.  

'Do you want to know what my BEST Christmas is?' I asked.

'What?' she responded.

'You are.'

That's what I told her.

Dear Santa

All I want for Christmas is

to quietly watch my children sleep,

possibly dreaming their spectacular dreams,

anticipating their Christmas morning

with their tiny noses snug next to their pillows

so that I can hear the beat of my heart

as I stand there...

in perfect silence...

in awe of their beauty...

in love with the life they have...

holding and hugging

the love of my life

as he watches

along with me...

100th Post Giveaway WINNER!

Thank you to all whom participated in my very first Giveaway! It was fun and I'll be looking forward to hosting more giveaways in the near future.

Without further ado....the winner of my hand made 'Cozy Christmas Mittens' is....(insert drum roll)

TRINA MARIE 

Congratulations Trina!   

My top 10 Etsy Holiday 'Kids' Gifts under $25

There's something to be said about a 'handmade' gift.  Someone took the time to construct, assemble, design or simply stitched every piece of the item with care, passion and love.  I love this about Etsy.  Etsy shops are the home of a true artisan and artisan lover (I believe I am both.)  While I've stumbled upon many, many lovely, inspiring and creative shops loaded with incredible doodads, you can never peruse Etsy enough and not be overjoyed with your 'new' discovery.

Today I've compiled ten of my favorite little potential holiday gifts for children all under $25.  Most of my finds are for girls (sorry, I can't help myself having three of my own!) I hope you find some or all of them interesting! Happy Etsy'ing'!

Super Hero Capes by Super Fly Kidz shop.  

My girls are HUGE fans of super heros (yes, even if they are girls).  

How cute are these hand made capes?! $19.99 is an 'super' deal! 

A sweet 'Holiday' pillow case dress by Mommy & Mia-My Grandmother's Closet shop

I happen to LOVE pillow case dresses 

PLUS they look so adorable in a family 'Holiday' photo! 

$18.00 for a dress sewn with love...

Lalaloopsy custom made doll dress by Alisha's Creations shop. 

My girls LOVE these adorable dolls & Hello Kitty as well.  

For $14.00 I'm sure any little girl will have a BIG smile on her face! 

I love felt ANYTHING so when I saw this by Mom Engineered shop 

I was practically sold especially at $9.00.  

A great gift for any child that loves art! 

Felt Fruits by Little Fruits shop. 

My three year old is a lover of imaginative kitchen play 

so these are great for little thinkers like her! 

$8.00 is fabulous! 

Simple wooden guitar puzzle by Grandpa's Woodshop.  

This is a perfectly simple educational toy and the best part is that it's 'natural' wood.  

Lovely at $14.95

Crochet finds are so special and this little beret by Crochet A Smile shop is a darling gift for $15.00

'Peace' matching tees for a sweet girl and her doll is a two for one gift by Ring Salad shop.  

American Girl Dolls are the rave in this household. At $21.99 it's a bargain & handmade!

We cannot have enough hair accessories with all the hair dos going on here.  

These shabby chic barrettes are TOO CUTE 

by My Lemonade Dream shop .  $4.00 is too good to pass up! 

Custom made kiddie apron with accessories by Kid Threads shop. 

A wonderful gift for the playful one or the chef in training! $15.00 is a 'sweet' deal!  

 Hope you've enjoyed my little Etsy finds! Happy Etsy'ing' everyone! 

Holiday crafts for little hands: Pin Ideas!

If you're looking for my holiday decor Giveaway you still have time to enter! Hurry, go here!

I'm always trying to find fun, easy and totally 'doable' crafts for my kids to engage in.  My girls are craft fiends like their Mama, so I wanted to share a few of my fun 'craft finds' with all of you.  I've mentioned how insanely FOND I am of Pinterest.  Here are some ideas straight from the Pin!

Enjoy, have fun, be creative, go wild, laugh, chuckle, make a mess, switch it up, over do it, 

but most of all, create sweet sweet memories 

with your little darlings...♥

Colored Rice Now how cute is that?! Rice feels great in the hands and it's a lot less messy than sand. So simple to create too! (click the link to view instructions) 

I would do Red & Green colors for xmas.

Googly eye ornaments! This 'looks' like so much fun.  I'd guess a plastic clear ornament and dabs of paint with crazy eyes set in each dab.  Fun, simple and SO adorable! 

My daughter, Sabrina, fell in LOVE with this plastic cup ornament.  I may just have to try it too! 

Paper snowflake garland! So simple (& for the scissor savvy bigger kid) 

Just fold and cut away different parts 

and then open up your paper to see what you ended up with.  

I would do a variety of colors and then hang them on bakers twine.

These are mini terra cotta pots! How adorable and easy as well.  

There is so much that you can create once your creative juices start bubbling out.  

Hope you've found some 'holiday' crafty inspiration! I'd love to hear where you find ideas too.  

Happy crafting with little hands! 

♥♥♥