Chatty Cathy!

Guess who got in trouble for talking in class yesterday?

Guess who took her rightful place in a long lineage of writing sentences for talking in class?

Guess whose teacher asked her to stop talking yet she still turned to her friend and finished her conversation... many times over throughout the day?

Guess who got a "C" for behavior?

Guess whose Mom wasn't happy?

This one right here. That's who.






She's cute, ain't she? Cute as a button. And chatty as a Chatty Cathy doll.

So, here's the deal. Is it a big deal that Abi talks alot? Probably not. She's kindhearted, thoughtful, tender, bubbly, and sweet. The quintessential girl. The poster child for sugar and spice. So I wasn't upset that she was chatting. But, as she always does, Abi told on herself and revealed more than she planned to, I'm sure.

ME- Abi, I saw you have a "C" in your agenda for today. Mrs. Farren said you had ants in your pants. What's the deal?
ABI- Well, Mrs. Farren kept telling me to be quiet and I would always be in the middle of talking to someone, and I didn't want to make them mad, so I'd keep talking to them anyway. But after I was done, I'd be quiet!
ME- So, let me get this straight. Mrs. Farren asked you to be quiet, but you ignored her and STILL kept talking?
ABI- Yes. I did that alot. Like, all day.
ME- Get some paper. You're going to write 50 times "I will not talk." NOW. And if this happens again, you will write a much longer sentence 100 times.
ABI- (mouth open in shock and horror)Mom, I didn't want to make Hannah or Christy mad!
ME- Who had you rather have mad at you... Hannah or ME?
ABI- Yes ma'am. (leaves the room).

After she left, I had to chuckle. I was SO that kid. Only without the sweet part. And with alot more bossiness. My sister was that kid. Only with a voice 10923432 times louder and a mean streak that scared most middle school boys away. My mom was that kid. My aunt was that kid. It was destined to happen. I'm okay with that. But the thing is, chatting and being disobedient are two totally different things. This was one of those moments I knew would define in Abi's mind that I expect her to follow Mrs. Farren's orders immediately, just as she would mine. After a long and tedious assignment, Abi declared she would never, ever do that again.

I chuckled again.

Because she will.

As we were walking down the stairs to go to bed, Abi said, "Mom, I tattle quite a bit."

My response? "That's a whole other set of sentences, my darling."

Girls. ;-)

Elves have invaded!!!!

So, let's just clear the air about my lack of blogging lately. I've been busy, I've been traveling, I've been lonely since my man has been in Africa for three weeks, I've been swamped, and I've been a slacker.

Moving on.

Christmas is a slight obsession of mine. Seriously. My recurring dream all year long is decorating my tree. I burn pine scented candles in May. I sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" to Abi every single night all year. So, when Halloween gets here, I start salivating about getting down the boxes and boxes of Christmas from my attic. I'm the neurotic neighbor who decorates before Thanksgiving... yes I am. I love the lights. I love the smells. I love the shopping. I love the parties. I love the gifts. I L-O-V-E Santa. Love the cookies and milk. Love the carrots for the reindeer.

And this year, Ellie the Elf has invaded our house.

First of all, let me put a disclaimer out here. THIS IS NOT A FORUM TO DEBATE THE YES OR NO ON LETTING KIDS BELIEVE IN SANTA. Yes, I said that in all caps because I don't want to go there. This is what we do, and we have a blast with it. So, kindly understand that I'm not trying to persuade anyone to become a believer. :-)

Apparantly the newest craze is "Elf on a Shelf," which is a boxed set of a book and an elf. The elf comes to watch kids and make sure they're behaving for Santa, and while the kids are sleeping, the mischievous elf does something bizarre or funny for the kids to find when they wake up the following morning. He or she sits proudly on or nearby her mess. The rule is you're never supposed to touch the elf because she only comes to "life" at night when no one's watching.

I didn't like the elf that comes with the set, so I didn't buy the set. I bought this cute little creature, who is sold separately by the same company.



Anyway, last night (before I actually even bought the elf), I decided that it was time for a certain elf named Ellie to make a scene. So, mysteriously, there were Barbie dolls stuck all in the Christmas tree this morning. And when we went to get Abi's lunch out of the fridge, look what we found in there.....!!!



Abi went to school this morning with a smile on her face and high hopes that tonight, the elf will get into more trouble while she sleeps. It made our ride to school MUCH more enjoyable, as we speculated on what that elf could POSSIBLY want out of our refrigerator and how in the world did she manage to stuff every single Barbie into that tree herself! Abi laughed and laughed.

And I LOVED the twinkle in her sleepy eyes at 7:15 this morning as she shuffled clumsily through the house.

Yes, I know, I know. Christmas isn't really all about the hoopla. People all over the world celebrate this wonderful time of year without a single gift or flashing light. It's not about the trimmings and trappings...

But for those of us fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the way we choose, it sure is wonderful.

Ellie the Elf will become a part of our Christmases from now on. I love reading online at how families started this tradition when their kids were small and now their teenagers look forward to the elf's appearance even still. They might have outgrown the innocent belief in Santa's magic, but one thing we will never outgrow is the need for our parents' involvement in our holidays.

Moms and Dads, work your magic. Stir up some mischief with your little ones this holiday. I think I overheard Ellie saying tonight she's going to toilet paper the living room while Abi's asleep.

That girl is somethin' else! ;-)