Yesterday in my blog about holiday music, my top pick was A Christmas Together with John Denver and The Muppets. Today I can't resist writing a bit more about those lovable characters who were a big part of my childhood.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
We're listening to...
Holiday music, and lots of it! I have never really been a huge fan of holiday music, probably because what I remember from my childhood was the old and boring music playing on the radio on Christmas Eve. But this year is different, and I find myself in the mood for some great holiday music. Luckily for me, over the years the quality of holiday music has vastly improved, and it seems like nearly every big name in the music industry releases at least one holiday album during their career. Thanks to iTunes, I can get my hands on pretty much any kind of holiday music I could imagine.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Over the weekend
I thought it might be nice to bookend my weekends with photos. For me this serves two purposes: to get me to blog more often, and to get me to take more pictures. So, on Friday I'll still be posting along with Andrea and others in Foto Friday, and then on Monday I'll post a few scenes from our weekend.
This weekend was holiday card picture weekend. Every year since Little Dude was born we send out photo cards with his mug on them. Normally we include our dog Athena, a 5 year old rescue, but this year we decided to seek out some cool locations in our little town and I figured it would be too much for her. We happened upon this great old building with a phenomenal red door. This served as the backdrop for what will be our photo for this year. Below you'll find a few outtakes from our "session" yesterday. Can you tell I've discovered Flickr and Picnik?
How about you? What were you up to over the weekend?
This weekend was holiday card picture weekend. Every year since Little Dude was born we send out photo cards with his mug on them. Normally we include our dog Athena, a 5 year old rescue, but this year we decided to seek out some cool locations in our little town and I figured it would be too much for her. We happened upon this great old building with a phenomenal red door. This served as the backdrop for what will be our photo for this year. Below you'll find a few outtakes from our "session" yesterday. Can you tell I've discovered Flickr and Picnik?
How about you? What were you up to over the weekend?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Foto Friday
Fun with Dad at the end of the day. I love the joy on his face - Little Dude sure loves his dad!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Our Elf
Add this to the list of things I swore I'd never do as a parent - we are soliciting good behavior from our child with the help of an Elf on the Shelf this year.
Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? Basically, it's a little stuffed elf that you put up on the shelf in your house. He (or she) watches over your child during the day and reports back to Santa at night. Then, every morning your child finds the elf in a different location in your house and the "game" starts anew. You can read more about it here.
Before we had children we had big aspirations in terms of how we would raise our child. I'm sure that bribery, exaggeration, and fibbing were just a few things we swore we would never engage in. Three years in, I can safely say that all that has gone out the window and we are now simply making it up as we go.
Last year when I first learned about The Elf on the Shelf, I had mixed feelings. We had always planned for Santa Claus to have a part of our Christmas traditions. Personally, I think there's not enough magic in the world these days, and I really want my child to hold on to the wonder and fun of his childhood as long as possible. But in my mind, telling him about a mystical man who mysteriously brings presents on Christmas Eve seemed a little different than trying to convince him that a stuffed elf sitting on the shelf was actually flying to the North Pole at night to report his daily behavior to said mystical man. Plus, shouldn't we be teaching him that good behavior is important all year long, and not just in time for presents (we are, but it does bother me a little that there is an emphasis on being extra good for Christmas)? I know - it's all totally outrageous and I was overthinking it. So I just decided to go with it and see what happened.
Our elf is visiting for the first time this year - last year I didn't get him until 3 days before Christmas, and I figured a two year old who was barely talking wouldn't really notice or care. This year is different though. The second Thanksgiving was over I was bombarded with questions about whether it was Christmastime yet and when Santa was bringing presents. So out came the elf and the advent calendar. I can't say that the presence of our elf (who remains unnamed - Little Dude refuses to give him a name and instead says "Please Mommy, what's his name?") has made any significant difference in his behavior to date. But that's okay, because he's pretty well behaved normally, and I would be a little suspicious if all of the sudden the presence of a stuffed elf changed his behavior drastically. Mostly, he's enjoying the game of finding his elf' every morning (which means not only do I have to remember to move him, but I have to be creative!).
I believe that, for kids (and probably for all of us), Christmas should have a little mystery, excitement and wonder to it. So I'm leaving all my questions and concerns about good parenting at the door and focusing on the fun little tradition we've started and the spirit of the season.
Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? Basically, it's a little stuffed elf that you put up on the shelf in your house. He (or she) watches over your child during the day and reports back to Santa at night. Then, every morning your child finds the elf in a different location in your house and the "game" starts anew. You can read more about it here.
Before we had children we had big aspirations in terms of how we would raise our child. I'm sure that bribery, exaggeration, and fibbing were just a few things we swore we would never engage in. Three years in, I can safely say that all that has gone out the window and we are now simply making it up as we go.
Last year when I first learned about The Elf on the Shelf, I had mixed feelings. We had always planned for Santa Claus to have a part of our Christmas traditions. Personally, I think there's not enough magic in the world these days, and I really want my child to hold on to the wonder and fun of his childhood as long as possible. But in my mind, telling him about a mystical man who mysteriously brings presents on Christmas Eve seemed a little different than trying to convince him that a stuffed elf sitting on the shelf was actually flying to the North Pole at night to report his daily behavior to said mystical man. Plus, shouldn't we be teaching him that good behavior is important all year long, and not just in time for presents (we are, but it does bother me a little that there is an emphasis on being extra good for Christmas)? I know - it's all totally outrageous and I was overthinking it. So I just decided to go with it and see what happened.
Our elf is visiting for the first time this year - last year I didn't get him until 3 days before Christmas, and I figured a two year old who was barely talking wouldn't really notice or care. This year is different though. The second Thanksgiving was over I was bombarded with questions about whether it was Christmastime yet and when Santa was bringing presents. So out came the elf and the advent calendar. I can't say that the presence of our elf (who remains unnamed - Little Dude refuses to give him a name and instead says "Please Mommy, what's his name?") has made any significant difference in his behavior to date. But that's okay, because he's pretty well behaved normally, and I would be a little suspicious if all of the sudden the presence of a stuffed elf changed his behavior drastically. Mostly, he's enjoying the game of finding his elf' every morning (which means not only do I have to remember to move him, but I have to be creative!).
I believe that, for kids (and probably for all of us), Christmas should have a little mystery, excitement and wonder to it. So I'm leaving all my questions and concerns about good parenting at the door and focusing on the fun little tradition we've started and the spirit of the season.
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| Our elf, chilling out on the airplane that hangs above our fireplace. |
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