Two out of three ain't bad

I can tell it's important to you and all....




But Chist on a stick, if you're going to be all high and mighty about it, can you please make an effort on spelling?

The magic of Christmas

N on left, me on right

Boo has been making Christmas cards for a few years now. I'd say three, maybe four. She has always enjoyed doing crafts, so it seemed like a good way to channel her energy for the weeks leading up to the holidays. I always had extra store-bought cards for if/when her creativity dried up. I certainly didn't want to be some horrible mom, forcing the poor kid to make card after card, the tears and the glitter mingling.

It's supposed to be a happy memory.

Which is why I only make Nea do one or two cards a year, since she hates crafts.

Anyway. One step in our creative process is cutting up the more useable cards from the previous year. I give you one such repurposed card, surrounded by more innocent efforts.

I wish you could see the glitter in the fartcloud better.

N and I really egged her on, among our peals of laughter. Her comment was "Are you sure this is appropriate?" Great. Outdone in maturity by a seven-year-old. Ouch.

My best effort for what the inside of the card should say was, "Wow, even his farts smell like Christmas!" I think N's was, "The magic of Christmas lies in your farts," but I could be misremembering. I was laughing pretty hard.

Holiday downsizing ideas

I enjoy reading about other people's perspectives on holiday gift-giving. An idea we are not implementing, but that I like in principle, is the 4-gift Christmas: something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need. Perhaps you can suggest this to the grandparents, if they tend toward the Giant Pile of Plastic every year.

Another idea that I am using comes from Bitch Ph.D. A booklet of certificates for activities, instead of things. Makes a great stocking stuffer!

• good for one trip to the playground
• good for one trip to [local pizza joint]
• good for one trip to the park
• good for one trip to the library
• good for one playdate with a friend
• good for one trip to the pool
• good for one trip to the zoo
• good for one trip to the Morton Arboretum
• good for one hour of cuddle time in bed
• good for one movie with popcorn
• good for one bike ride
• good for one obstacle course challenge
• good for one session of cookie baking
• good for one picnic

I'm going print them out on fancy paper, cut them out and staple them into a book. I'll probably draw pictures to explain them for Nea.

Because, as we all know deep down inside, our kids really want to hang out and have fun with us more than they want another Littlest Pet Shop toy or video game. At least that's what I believe.

Speech therapy games and ideas

Need some new ideas for speech practice at home? Here's a CASANA list that might be useful.