Tinker Toys = Gift of the Year / Arctic Blast 2008

Today I worked from home with the kids for day number 3, and I see days 4-7 in my future. Things aren't perfect, but I'm managing. There is no sign of Lawrence having a snow day, and as a family we are making due. I've lowered my standards significantly as far as the house being a free for all-with TV every day, though I'm happy to say we are sticking with Sesame Street-snack when you want-brush your teeth when we get to it. My boss informed me that we are still expecting a quarter of the years revenue to come in the next two weeks, so that should be nice and easy to do at home, alone with both of our children and a nanny that can't make it to work!

Tinker toys are the best toy ever. They are even better than when we were kids. My children LOVE them. Yesterday they played with them first thing when they got up, before milk even, and if you know my kids and their milk, this is big time. Then Lily took them into quiet time, and then the family played them together as settling down activity before bed. I actually enjoyed helping Lily to build a swing set for her bear.

This morning, again, first thing. Lily noticed a girl singing into a microphone on her new TT box and I helped her copy a microphone, then she made one on her own for Addie. Again, all Tinker Toys went up to Lily's room for quiet time, and as instructed, she was perfectly quiet, WITH pretend microphones running around. Very impressed. This certainly is not indicative of my amazing mothering. We are in a state of emergency-anything goes-and watch out for my short fuse mommy. I could, and might, write a whole blog on that later, but let's just say we are all in PJs until noon; eating orange play doh on my no eating zone carpet has been perfectly acceptable, not listening the first time I say 'come to the table', has not. I'm not proud, but that's the truth. You'll notice the pictures, one sock on, in their pajamas, cheap entertainment in a box. Anything goes this week.

Daddy got home an hour early due to the inclement weather. Have I mentioned "Arctic Blast 2008" is here. As annoying as the news stations around here are, interestingly enough, it is the first time since I moved to Portland when they have been right on about a extreme weather forecast. This is unfortunate, usually we "brace ourselves" only to get a half inch of snow in a shut down city, and that back to business as usual. In a very bad year we might be shut down for 2-3 days, but tomorrow we hunker for day four with another BIG ONE expected on Sunday. Lawrence "fixed" the mic stands for the girls and their Tinker Mics, and then took them outside to sled on our sheet of ice hill and build a snow man.

We are considering canceling our much anticipated Christmas in Joseph. While I haven't asked him yet, I plan to bribe my brother with an Amtrak ticket and a sprinkle of Christmas guilt to come to Portland should we cancel Joseph. This will SLIGHTLY ease the pain of not going to Joseph, and give us some of the same relief of the workload my mom would have provided. It also means we will go get a Christmas tree and decorate the house a bit more.

Last night I got free from our hill (chauffeured by Lawrence) to get my permanent crown to replace the temporary one from the worst dentist ever (see previous post -Am I numb?), and I lied to them as I walked out the door about keeping the appt tomorrow to fix the second filing! Once the weather let's up, I'll get to work finding my poor old filling filled teeth a new dr.

Then we went to Toys R Us, (I had this awful feeling that this was my one trip out of the house before Christmas) we had one return to make and I had to get Addie a gift, with all this lock down, it's been making me nervous to think, not only are we not going to Joseph possibly, but we don't have anything Lily asked Santa for (via mailed letter for now, we were supposed to visit him Sunday-didn't happen-or this weekend-doubtful). She's such a sweetie to pick 3 easy things under $20 for me. You know Santa only allows three things. Right? Of course beside the boatload of crap that the dollar store provided a few weeks ago.
Here's her list...
1. 3-D side walk chalk - don't ask me, but yes they make it, she saw it at the PaperZone underneath the dentist office while I was stopping for some scrapbook glue - Actual Retail Price $8.49
2. Pretty Purse - We got it for Lily's cousin, Cassie, for her bday. It's a little purse that has a bunch of little things that would go in a purse, keys, cell phone, pretend chapstick. I thought she already had something slightly similiar, but Lily couldn't bear to let that gift be mailed, she stared at it in the box for hours and wished it was hers, wished she could just open it and play with it, wished she could be at Cassie's house to play with it once the box was opened. She decided to make it number 2 on the list (she also put it on Addie's list) - Actual Retail Price - $12.99
3.Sticker Maker - Actually I believe this might have been item number one when the Toys R Us book came out. Once I got the gift home, I saw that it came with 20 ft of sticker making ribbon. "She'll go through that in one quiet time" I joked to Lawrence. In reality, no joke. - Actual Retail Price -$19.99. Done and done!

Addie got a Little People airplane from us (the kids have been Little People crazy-and have the next Hanukkah gift of a Little People Happy Hanukkah set from gma and gpa complete with menorah and yarmulkes) , and a Cabbage Patch Doll from Santa (along with a matching purse to her sister's). We did not have one thing for her, and had several things for her sister, (mostly books and games, and a stool of C-list) but still. The fact that Lily takes good care of her toys is one thing, the fact that Addie is the best girl ever, should get her a place on Santa's list SOMEWHERE!

My friend Carrie made me laugh. so. hard. In her blog she said she wondered what would happen to her daughter if Santa didn't pull through this year, only leaving a note that said, "sorry kid, your house is too cluttered, better luck next year". I could so relate. Our kids need no new toys. They play with and take good care of, every thing. We've cleared out all possibilities of clutter without throwing away good toys.

So today, I am thankful for my well behaved, and slightly neglected children, I'm thankful for PERFECTLY orchestrated naps by me just in time for a silent conference call at 1pm with my boss and Ernst & Young, our auditors. I'm thankful for tinker toys, and for snowsuits, and for good listening friends (Robin, today that was you!), and for daddy's who play in the snow-sledding and building snowmen- with their little girls, even after a hard and frustrating day in the office. I'm thankful for the snuggle king of our family, who always knows just how to tuck...shirts, socks, boots, and gloves...so no one gets any snow on their skin. I'm thankful for the sloppy joes cooking downstairs and for a mother in law who appreciates my blog and picture taking, as much as I love doing it. I'm thankful for bedtime, and kids asleep before 8pm.

Time for QT with that great hubby of mine!