Day 1: Elf on the Shelf Begins!

I've been hearing all this hype lately about 'Elf on the Shelf' and thought I'd look into it to see what all commotion was about.  Boy, did I get excited!! So yesterday I stopped at Target to get the Elf on the Shelf book and elf.  And I got suckered into buying the DVD too. :)  Last night, I pulled out the box, showed Austin our elf, read the book, and watched the DVD so that he would be able to grasp the concept.  It's pretty basic.  The elf appears in different places in your house each day, watching the kids so that they can report back to Santa on whether you were naughty or nice.  But they're not allowed to touch the elf or it will lose its magic and not be able to fly back to the North Pole to talk to Santa.  I've seen some awesome ideas on FB and Pinterest for where to put the elf and funny activities to make it look like it was doing.

We told Austin he could name our elf.  After going through a few suggestions on our part, he still insisted on Dori.  Obviously, he's been watching Finding Nemo too much lately.  Oh well, Dori it is.  He wanted to sleep with Dori, but I insisted that he wasn't allowed to touch Dori after welcoming her into our home tonight.  Reluctantly, he agreed.  We put Dori on the kitchen counter when he went to sleep.  We woke to Austin walking in our room this morning, yelling 'Dori, where are you?'.  After searching for a few minutes, he located our elf playing his guitar, and thought it was the funniest thing.  I can't wait to start getting more creative with Dori's locations.  All night he's been talking about Dori flying to the North Pole.  It's a great tradition to start and I'm so excited!

Time for some traditions

Since Austin's 3 now and can really comprehend things better, we're starting some traditions this year!  I have an advent calendar and put a slip of paper in each day with an activity on it.  Some are more fun than others, but it's something different to do each day/night until Christmas.  With that being said, I'm going to try to do a blog for the next 25 days for each activity.  Although, I can't promise that it will be posted timely. :)

So, here we go with 24 days of fun until Christmas!!!

Giving Thanks.......Day #7!

Okay, here we are at Day #7.  And I think today's thankfulness will include many things.......the little things in life.  Some may seem silly, while others are more serious.  But I'm thankful for each of them (in no particular order).

I'm thankful for..........

1.Seat warmers in my car on a cold November morning.
2. A gap-toothed grin from Chase greeting me when I pick him up from school.
3. 25 cent Diet Dr. Peppers in the coke machine at work.
4. $8 bottles of wine to share late at night with the hubby.
5. Seeing Austin's face light up when we put up all the Christmas decorations.
6. A sister who can be completely honest with me about how I look in something.
7. A fantasy football team that is kicking butt in my league at work with the girls.
8. Co-workers who tolerate me bragging about my kids and showing off pictures all day long.
9. A beagle who curls up next to me on the couch.
10. Pinterest that has given me way too many craft ideas and delicious new recipes.
11. Only one more month of buying baby formula.
12. A job that didn't kill me when Austin knocked my laptop off the couch and required a new hard drive.
13. Kidd Kraddick in the Morning to get me through my commute in the mornings and provide me with celebrity gossip.
14. Overall general good health for me and my family.
15. Great teachers for my boys at school, who even watch them outside of school hours.
16. Trips to the grocery store with no kids.
17. Waking up to find a 3-year old cozied up to me in the bed.
18. Knowing that my child-bearing days are over with.
19. Great neighbors who feed my dog when we stay overnight somewhere.
20. My great staff and seniors at work that make my job a little easier.
21. Parents' Night Out once a month at the boys' school.
22. A fancy camera and Photoshop that allows me to take my own pictures now.
23. Being married longer than anyone else I know my age.
24. My crockpot that allows me to make easy fuss-free meals.
25. Knowing that in 6 months, my car will be paid off.
26. For days at work when I get to participate in various community outreach programs that quickly remind me how blessed I am.
27. Even though I don't attend church nearly as frequent as I should, that the Lord loves me anyways.
28. Great in-laws that welcome me into their family as one of their own.
29. An upcoming wedding that is going to force to me to finally start working out and eating better.
30. Days when I can work from home in my pj's.

Giving Thanks.......Day #6!

Here we go, Day #6!  Today I'm thankful for my family and friends.  I come from a pretty small family.  Well, I think of it as small.  Most of my mom's side of the family is up north in the New England area and I rarely see them.  And my dad, well, we're pretty estranged, so I don't see much of that side of the family either.  So, the family I do see often is pretty special to me.  And I've also got some terrific in-laws, too! Two important people in my life are definitely my sister and Logan.  I'm thankful that she found a great guy and can't wait to officially welcome him into our dysfunctional family in July.  I'm thankful that they're here for me, Jordan, and the boys anytime we need them.  They care for our boys just like their own.  My sister and I didn't always get along when we were younger, but now that we're older, we're pretty much attached at the hip.  I greatly miss her living upstairs in our house, but we still see each other nearly every weekend. 

As for friends, I have a great group of friends.  And while work, family commitments, and just a crazy schedule may prevent me from spending alot of time with them, I know they're always there for me when I need them.  Even if it's been a month since I talked to one of them, it's like we picked up right where we left off!  High school friends, college friends, work friends, friends I've made through difficult times, I'm thankful for you all!

Giving Thanks......Day #5!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (a.k.a. my five readers!)!  Today I want to give thanks for our home.  We're fortunate enough to live in beautiful home that is cozy, warm, and welcoming to family and friends.  This week also marks our 4th year in this house. 

While there are still a few things I wished I had picked out differently in the design phase, I love our home!  And not only do I love our home, but we live in a great neighborhood that is full and active with kids everywhere.  When we were picking our lot to build on, we specifically chose this one because it was a corner lot on a cul de sac.  Now that we have kids, we really love living on the cul de sac.  It's a safe place where the kids can have some extra space to play.  And we've been fortunate enough to have terrific neighbors.  We visit with each other often, have a block holiday party, and sit in the driveway to sip on adult beverages from time to time. 

We love where we live and wouldn't trade it for the world.  Yeah, it's a hassle sometimes to sit in traffic to get to work, but it's worth it in the end. 

Giving Thanks......Day #4!

Okay, fine, I'll get a little mushy on giving thanks today. :)  I'm thankful for my great hubby, Jordan.  We've been together nearly 10 years now, and there's never a dull moment.  I think we're a pretty good match and compliment each others' personalities well.  I'm the mature, responsible, organized one, and he's the life-of-the-party, spontaneous, people-person.  We've had our fair share of ups and downs over the years like any married couple, but we always persevere.  I can always count on him to cheer me up when I'm feeling down or upset, and he's always good for a laugh.  And most of all, he loves me unconditionally, despite my faults. :)He's pretty sweet (most of the time!) and an incredible father to our boys.  I couldn't have asked for a better mate.  So, today, babe, I'm giving thanks for you!  Love Love!

Giving Thanks.......Day #3!

Today, I'm thankful for my job.  I know my job/career can get a bad rap sometimes with busy season and long hours.  Those challenges that come with my job most times seem worth it, with the perks that I get in return.  For the majority of times, my job is flexible.  If the boys have a holiday party, Easter egg hunt, Muffins with Mom, etc., 99% of the time I will be able to attend it during the day.  And if one of the boys are sick and I need to stay home or take them to the doctor all of a sudden, it's usually not a big deal and I can work from home as needed.  With my trusty Blackberry (which I have a love/hate relationship with!) and laptop, I can usually work wherever or whenever if I need to adjust my hours.  Although I am considered 'part-time' and take a proportional pay cut for that, I feel that I'm fairly compensated.  And the six weeks vacation time is a great perk. :) Overall, even though I'll be griping about having to work 60-70 hour weeks come February and March, I'm thankful for my job.  It's allowed me to provide for my family, in a time when there are so many unemployed right now.  And somehow we keep getting named to the 'Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For' and 'Working Mother Magazine's 100 Best Companies Top 10'.  That's gotta count for something!

Okay, now that I've given KPMG a great plug on my blog, do I get an extra bonus? :)