Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

My holiday wish for my family is that we can enjoy (and survive) spending it at home, alone. With the exception of the time we were in Virginia, we have always gone to Vernal to spend the holiday with our families. But now that the kids are getting older, I think it’s important for them to have Christmas morning at their house. For now. I am sure that will change as they get even older… and we can afford to spend Christmas elsewhere, you know, like Disneyland! So instead of trying to hit everyone’s houses and make everyone happy in a day this year, I hope we can just enjoy the time together with just the four of us. (Who am I kidding??? I’ll be ready to take the kids back to day care and get back to work by noon!!!)

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

Nightmare Before Christmas playing in the background while we open presents. Crepes for breakfast. Making huge messes with wrapping paper and not really caring to clean them up. I have a feeling this will be the year that the REALLY early mornings start from the excitement of little kids. Before, we’d been able to put it all off til 8 or 9 or so. I’m not looking forward to the 4:30 AM, “Has Santa come yet??????” So maybe we’ll have to create some “traditions” to help stall the kids!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

A trip to Paris would be lovely.

But really? A week spent here would be absolutely divine. And unlike the selfishness of Paris, the whole family would enjoy it. But no one more than me! Seriously – LOOK at that bed! And the bathroom!!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Putting Nightmare Before Christmas on repeat. Making silly, crafty kid things with the girls. Listening to Christmas music and trying to do nice, simple things for friends – making cards, baking goodies. (From stuff I already have, not spending money to buy new stuff of course. Especially since this year, that’s just not an option ;) )

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

I don’t really remember playing games around the holidays. As I got older Dominos was a big deal with my family for a while. I think I should start considering that as a holiday tradition for my family. Especially before the girls are too old and think games and family have cooties!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

My parents used to let us open one gift on Christmas Eve and it was always a new pair of pajamas. I have done the same with my kids. We also used to watch some version of The Nativity but we have replaced that with reading The Night Before Christmas with our kids.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

See question #1 and #3. I think there is a theme here. Disneyland. Hands down. Someday I might consider venturing to Disneyworld but I will always be perfectly happy with Disneyland. Disneyland, my family and Christmas… nothing is a better “feel good” combination in the world.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

A Nintendo DSi Pink, of course. Xbox Kinect. And Personal Trainer: Cooking for the DS. Yeah… I could live with those….

Mommy and M's Day Out

Last week I left work a little early and took Miss M over to Gardner Village for a Witchy mini-manicure.  She was so cute about it. She barely breathed the whole time we were there and was so quiet and shy. It was a little strange for that one!

This was her "Mom, you are such a DORK!" expression when I told her to smile for her first salon manicure. 

She chose a skeleton sticker for one hand.

And a ghost for her other.

The best part - she chose red for one hand and purple for the other. She wanted each fingernail a different color. But in the interest of sanity for the poor salon-girl, I convinced her to narrow it down a bit. She was very proud of them after the fact. She LOVES having her nails done. I think she especially loved the stickers.

After her manicure, we went to the bakery and I let her pick a treat. She chose a YUMMY mini-cinnamon roll and then had a terrible fit because she wanted cheetos two bites in. (No, she didn't get the cheetos.)

This was right after the complete and total meltdown. But I still think it's a perfect little picture of M's Mommy time. She doesn't get a lot of it anymore without the evil little sister in tow. So it's nice to be able to spend some one on one time with her. Even if a large part of it is spent trying to CHILL her out because she can't always have every stinkin' thing she wants the cery second she wants it. (SPOILED)

Cutest little girl. From Angel to Demon and then back again in .5 seconds...

All in all, we had a great time roaming Gardner Village and looking in the shops and finding the crazy witches. It reminds me how much I absolutely adore that little girl. When she is good, she kills me with her sweetness. When she's bad, well, I think the witch in the picture with her kind of sums that up perfectly.......