We got a bit more snow than I thought—-this is not then we’ve had all season thus far. Tom also realized he needs a bigger snowblower—-it was so deep it took him about two hours to clear the driveway and sidewalks!
She built a seat and drink holder on the side of the driveway. She also built a slide.
Not pictured: the mini snowman and the grave of the snowman that didn’t survive. I give her major points for creativity!
We got a bit of snow today so David offered to take the kids sledding. Yay!
Waiting for their ride!
I had to go turn off an alarm on Owen’s phone that he set for PM instead of AM so since I was there anyway…
Yes, he picked that color bedding.
Long story short, a neighbor friend and I decided to switch beds. She had a Queen that due to previous circumstances had been cut into but was still good (but you couldn’t really sell it) and we had been talking about getting Owen a new bed…so we agreed to trade and she took his bed and headboard for her youngest!
We borrowed another neighbor’s truck and moved everything Clampett-style around the corner (they’re on a different street but only like 12 houses away).
I missed the pic of taking Owen’s old twin bed to their house but it was similarly precarious.
Owen had to help a little.
And both kids enjoying hanging out on it that night.
When you don’t pay attention to who you’re texting and you text your son where the ginger beer is at Binny’s.
I felt today was momentous enough I needed to do a patriotic eye look! But hmmm… What red lippy to wear for this momentous day?
It was a tough call between Fly Girl and Hurricane Red…but I went with Fly Girl! Let’s get this inauguration going! (If you want any of the awesome products I used for this look, check out https://www.senegence.com/livinglippy!)
I’m not a political person at all, but after the last four years, I felt like I needed to watch in solidarity. And it was honestly more emotional than I thought it would be. At one point during the ceremony I was crying—and Owen noticed and came and held my hand (which made me cry a little more because the last time he did that was when he was little and came to hold my hand during one specific scene in Tangled).
Of course Owen being Owen he had a million questions but I was trying to listen to everything so I had to keep telling him I’d answer everything later!
So I forgot to mention…Katie’s room got fully cleaned out about a week ago.
We had given her chance after chance (after chance) to get it picked up even a little. No it didn’t have to be perfect…but I couldn’t even make it to her bed without stepping on who knows what so I was just D.O.N.E. done. We finally gave her the final ultimatum on a Friday night. We reminded her multiple times throughout the weekend. Reminded her she was going to lose everything if she didn’t make a dent.
She kept putting it off and putting it off. So Sunday afternoon I gave her one last chance. And when she decided that continuing to lay on the basement couch and do nothing was her best choice…it was time. I grabbed the roll of garbage bags and off I went.
There wasn’t much sorting—everything from the tops of her dressers got swept into a bag. Clothes from the floor? In a bag. Toys? Bag. She made it upstairs about three minutes behind me and I already had about two bags full.
She proceeded to sit on her bed and bawl. Not even making any move to, you know, pick anything up or put anything away.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!” You know why. We’ve asked you to pick up your room for a month now. I reminded you all weekend and you didn’t do anything. We warned you what would happen—and you saw us do this to Owen’s room so you knew we were serious. This is happening because you made bad decisions.
Tom had been napping but all the drama woke him up, so then he started helping. I think it took us about 45 minutes to get it cleaned out. We did sort some stuff like Legos and took out a full bag of garbage. We found a pile of dishes. Innumerable candy wrappers. Clean clothes mixed with dirty clothes. And under everything? Horrible stains on the carpet that she had NO CLUE what it was from.
So this is about what it looked like when we were done. Bed, dressers, desk, chair, mirror, bookshelf with books, and some toys.
I wanted to take out more but I was mentally and physically exhausted. She was not happy that she lost her nightlight and Alexa. I told her if she had been that worried about it, she should have picked it up.
And then, for as upset as she was, after we were done, she was downstairs laughing and having fun with Owen. Like nothing ever happened.
Fast forward to the next day and I don’t remember exactly what triggered it, but I’m sure it was a combination of her sassy I-can’t-believe-she’s-not-a-teenager mouth and more bad behavior… after I spent the entire day trying to get those unknown stains up and failing…but I went up again and removed even more stuff. She lost the makeup mirror, most of her books, more toys, and anything that was on the floor (you thought she’d have learned that lesson, but no).
In the end, I had taken out about the equivalent of 10 garbage bags. Here it all is stacked in the guest room.
And you know what? She really doesn’t give two craps about any of it. She hasn’t asked for any of it back…except for her Alexa.
She knows why she lost it. She knows she has to earn it back.
I have made her do all the laundry we pulled out—but it all goes back in the guest room (she was allowed to pick two pieces per load to keep).
We’ve told her she can earn some other things back but she hasn’t even cared enough to attempt that. This includes Christmas presents she just got!
Of course her job is to keep her room picked up now—which shouldn’t be hard because it’s literally empty, right? Ha. She still manages to have her floor almost covered every day.
So we have no idea what’s going to happen. Do we just really get rid of everything? Make her sort through it? Make her earn stuff back?
Sigh.
We opened up the panel on the basement wall and HOLY CRAP! There’s the rest of our basement! Why oh why wouldn’t the builder have just made this all actual usable space instead of a crawl space?! It would literally double the size of the basement! I mean, we knew it was a small basement for the footprint of the house but seeing it really just blows your mind. If only it was cheap to excavate. HAHAHAHAHA!!
Tom will eventually put some flooring down so we can put some shelves in there. I’m not quite sure what we’ll be storing in there (since it has to fit through the opening plus we have to climb in) but I’m sure we’ll find something.
She always wants to help me and it’s often not workable but tonight it is! So she gets to spin the prize wheel for everyone who earned it during my huge sale earlier this month!
It’s a never-ending battle to have her keep her desk area picked up. It’s horrible. And frustrating beyond belief. You ask her to pick it up and 30 seconds in she’s off doing something else because she thinks she’s done. GRRR.
So this is happening.
Why, you ask? Let me tell you.
We have been seeing Anna and David quite a bit but didn’t have plans to see them today. BUT! We told the kids (like we always do) to get their stuff done early, just in case because you never know what might come up.
And imagine that—Anna invited us over for a last minute dinner. But I said we couldn’t go because Katie hadn’t gotten anything done that day that she was supposed to.
Cue tantrum tears.
Katie, pissed: YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD US.
Me: I didn’t know. I warned you to get your stuff done in case.
Katie, pleading: CAN I JUST DO SOME STUFF QUICK?
Me: No. You haven’t showered, haven’t done one minute in your room, and haven’t done your missing homework. There is no doing something quick at this point.
Katie, channeling Owen: I’M A JERK. MY LIFE SUCKS.
Me: No, you just didn’t listen or didn’t want to do the work. We warned you. I’m taking a picture so I can show you the next time and you might remember.
Good times. Good times.
Taking a break on prepping orders (since the mail has come for the day) and indulging in some self care with the kids. Owen and I are doing the Hollywood Magic Mask and Katie is just doing the Detox mask.
Yep, I’m back to babysitting the kids at the kitchen table because they were both caught watching YouTube instead of being in class. Again. After just two days back in school after holiday break.
We thought Owen was in class. Had the chromebook out and looked busy. As usual. Then we got the email from attendance asking where he was. And the email from his teachers asking where he was. After some questioning and change of heart, Owen finally admitted he had been watching YouTube for two straight days.
So he got assigned to the table.
Katie felt all high and mighty because she didn’t have to sit at the table (the known punishment) and then got caught on YouTube an hour later. Hence them both being at the table.
Yes I am thankful that I have an at-home business where I can work at the table with them. Or at the very least walk through the kitchen or by their desks throughout the day. But this is exhausting.
I posted in a Facebook group and I am not alone. By a long shot.
Technically it’s “just look at this cool ass pre-teen we have here in his new hand-me-down Ray Bans” but that was too long of a title.
The kids got a full series of Lego Minifigs in their stockings. These are Katie’s favorite two. At least I think it’s two. It might be one with accessories.
We’ve been wondering when we’d start getting snow…and tonight was it. We are supposed to get 4-9″ but it has thus far stopped at about three. Hopefully there’s still enough tomorrow so they can go out for HOURS.
So long story short, the kids didn’t get anything for Tom for Christmas because I told them it was up to them to give me some ideas and tell me when they wanted to go shopping. It never happened because, well, kids. And it’s always all about them.
Of course we don’t care if we get anything from them, but we’re trying to teach them to think about others. ON THEIR OWN.
So when I asked on Christmas Eve what they had gotten for him, they both looked so sad. I suggested they make him cards with coupons in them—which they both liked but didn’t get around to actually doing until today after I’d reminded them TWICE. And when they eventually did sit down to do it, they still didn’t really grasp the concept of coupons. And of course they didn’t really want to listen to me because they know everything. And I kind of hoped that a lightbulb would go off for Owen (because he hadn’t gotten me anything and was sad about it when he realized it) but nope. No lightbulb whatsoever.
So anyway—look at all the options Katie gave him of things he can choose. Yep, they’re pretty much all stuff she wants to do. Merry Christmas?!
Sidenote: Owen went shopping with Tom to get Katie something but didn’t think to get me anything. Gramma Jean asked him what he got me and he just hung his head and looked ashamed.
I had to take a quick photo before Buddy came down for the season. I always said I wasn’t a fan of blow up decorations but I finally gave in when I saw this one!
I take these pics every year. This year they just aren’t working. The hat didn’t fit. Someone can’t find their hat. They have the wrong hat. They aren’t in the mood. They don’t look cute. The lighting is off. The pics don’t turn out. They have to have the tiny hands in them…
Sigh.
So this is what we have thus far.
Tom and I had both taken Tylenol PM so we were both zonked in the morning when the kids came in together at 7:15 with a loud MERRY CHRISTMAS and hopped in bed with us! We always leave their phones outside their doors so they can let us sleep longer but apparently 30 minutes was all they could handle!
I must be slacking on my old age because I didn’t take any pictures! But they started with their stockings and were thrilled to find a ton of Lego Minifigure packs so they started building those right away! Before we knew it, this is what the room looked like (and I think this is after one mid-opening cleaning).
Santa brought the kids a few things they asked for so they were thrilled—Owen got a game for his computer (he was super sneaky and actually installed it on the computer!) and some video game cash and Katie got some dolls she asked for.
Katie was proud of her wrapping job. And she knows me…it was a stemless wineglass that said BEST MOM EVER.
Then we video chatted with both sets of grandparents AND had a zoom call with the Schwalmlettes. (We might have been a little unprepared since we were thinking it was noon our time. But it was noon Eastern. I am never going to get used to being CST.)
If I haven’t mentioned it, we have created a bubble with our good friends Anna and David. Each family quarantined for two weeks and we always wear masks when we are with anyone outside our bubble—and even try to avoid prolonged visits with anyone outside the bubble. So we do hang out with each other a lot.
We usually share Hello Fresh dinners but decided to splurge tonight on not one, not two, but three orders of our favorite octopus appetizer from our favorite restaurant (Primo) and a homemade charcuterie board. That was seriously all Tom, Anna, David, and I wanted. Easy peasy.
We didn’t take one single picture of our amazing dinner, but it was delicious. We might also have drank an entire batch of Dave’s amazing rum punch and watched Christmas Chronicles with the kids. I’m not naming names but someone fell asleep.
Then we got ready for Santa!
We left out Girl Scout cookies because Katie texted Santa and asked if he liked them and gave him a choice and he picked the chocolate and peanut butter ones. The candy cane is for the reindeer.
I absolutely love the letters both kids left for Santa. Owen thanked him for being awesome (and gave him a spot for a Robux code) and Katie wanted Santa to write his name.
And this was where Maggie was. Maybe sneakily waiting for Santa, too?
We did a thing tonight!
I let her wear LipSense now and again and today was one of those days—and she always picks Skyline! So tonight I decided to just start adding some makeup…I’m not great at it (I’m barely good at it on myself) but she didn’t care and loved everything. I can’t believe she’s only 8.
I even made her do the full makeup removal and face washing routines to hopefully show her it’s not all fun so she won’t want to do it. We’ll see.
She has loved fake nails forever and always plays with them so I finally I let her buy some…and they were actually super cheap and didn’t stick so I eventually got her nail glue. I tried to get her to use the shorter ones she had but she wanted these. She is in heaven.
I helped Katie build a fort today and she loved it so much she played in there all day and then invited Owen to sleep in there with her tonight!
We haven’t done cookie decorating because I just don’t have the patience. Buuuuut Anna wanted to do it so we tried. And even though there was a bit of a shaky start…Katie was actually pretty good at the whole thing. I was impressed. Owen doesn’t like sugar cookies so he did like one cookie and that was it. Tom and I even got into it.
Parenting is always an adventure!
Tonight Tom and I were going to bed about 10:30 and I heard voices upstairs. What? Tom snuck up and caught Katie FaceTiming with Gramma Jean! GRRR! She knows devices aren’t allowed at night. She knows her bedtime. (That said, it was cute but she’s such a stinker to think she can get away with it. On a school night no less. When she knows she’s not really even supposed to have her device.)
I called Gramma immediately and she just told me yes they were talking and Katie was helping her with something on the iPad. I wasn’t mad at my mom for sure but just frustrated with Katie. Neither kid makes good decisions when it comes to technology and Tom and I are at our limits. (I don’t think I mentioned this, but about two weeks ago Katie lost her devices for an indeterminate amount of time because she downloaded TikTok and Instagram on her phone!)
Gramma said: Busted! Katie has been calling me on Face Time pretty late in the evening, certainly past her bedtime. Last night she was trying to teach me how to record a video instead of typing. Jen and Tom were downstairs watching TV and then started turning off everything to head to bed. Tom heard some noise and they discovered Katie on her iPad. OOPS. Jen called me immediately and Tom said “gramma is grounded!”
