christmas – the fairly good mother

Elf Enmity

Published on December 23, 2013December 23, 2013 by thefairlygoodmother5 Comments

There sure are a lot of Elf Haters out there … It’s kind of baffling to me. And also slightly amusing that my posting elf pictures to social media sites creates such a strong reaction in people. I guess it’s the part of my personality that wants to keep poking you when you ask me to stop poking you. I’m not hurting you, but it bugs you & seeing your anger rise gives me a sick, twisted thrill. I’m evil.

I love the magic of Christmastime, this we already know. I enjoy it even more so these days because The 4-year old Boy is wide-eyed and imaginative when it comes to discovering the intricacies of this holiday. Believing in Santa is fun. It’s a choice. I still believe — not in a big fat smoker who breaks into your home to leave you gifts in the dead of night, but I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus: spreading joy and happiness to friends, family & strangers even. It’s nice to be nice.

So why are a big chunk of my, (mostly childless,) friends so scrooge-like when it comes to this little elf? The Elf On The Shelf has caused a big divide amongst friends – you’re either Pro-Elf or Anti-Elf, and it has spurred on many a facebook post/rant. It’s funny to me, too, that the majority of the friends who are so irritated by the elf are the same ones who will post political memes ad nauseam for months leading up to an election. I don’t (usually) whine about it, rather, I quietly remove them from my news feed. They are my friends, after all – I like them for many other reasons besides their backassward political views – and they are free to post whatever they wish on whatever social media platform they choose.

And I’m free to post what I want, too … like pictures of our elf, Kermin!! So, bring on the elf! I love this guy … another Christmas character to amuse the little one & feed my creative appetite. I will admit that there are nights where I feel like it’s just another responsibility, another christmas chore that needs to be handled.

But usually I look forward to conjuring up some fantastic scene that The Boy will just go nuts over when he wakes up the next morning. I do it all (ok, mostly all) for him. One thing a friend of mine suggested is that the elf be a “kindness” elf & give the kids tasks to complete that involve doing kind deeds. I like that & tried to incorporate it into our elf experience this year sending notes from Kermin to The Boy.

I don’t think that the elf should be evil or naughty – I’m trying to teach The Boy good manners & destroying my kitchen to make cookies is not good manners! Kermin is an elf who is a lot like The Boy: kind, funny, silly, and always up for playing with friends. As The Boy gets older, I can see myself doing more sinister elf set-ups – another friend of mine does this with her teenage boys & it’s pretty hysterical.

Here’s Kermin & A Few of His Shenanigans This Season:

Did you know that elf pee smells like peppermint & they poop marshamallows? — Did you know that elf pee smells like peppermint & they poop marshmallows? Of Course, Sniper The Cat needed to check out the situation 🙂

elf_candyland — Playing Candy Land with Friends

elf_halloween_candy — Found the stash of Halloween candy & sampled one of each!!

elf_midnight_snowball_fight — Snowball Fight with the Toy Story Crew!

elf_nightmare_before_xmas_scene — The gang from Nightmare Before Christmas came by with Elf Cookies!

elf_note — Wrote a note to remind The Boy to be good … a little reinforcement never hurts 🙂

elf_on_toaster — The Husband conjured up this scene … I think Kermin is warming his buns upon returning from the freezing North Pole

elf_sunburst — another one The Husband came up with … I’m not quite sure what is going on here 🙂

So tell me … how can someone be annoyed with something so fun? I’m reminded of one of my favorite Christmas characters, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. At first, the other reindeer didn’t like him & wouldn’t let him play. Awa – how sad. So people, don’t be a hater, it’s no fun … instead spread a little cheer this Christmas & find it in your hearts to enjoy this little elf and his elfkin games.

Merry Christmas!

She’s Crafty

Published on December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 by thefairlygoodmother1 Comment

Actually, I’m really not that crafty. I mean, I try … and I try not to compare myself to my friends who are super crafty moms, but every once in a while I come up with something good. And every once in a while, the planets align & The Boy is game to participate three minutes longer than it took to set it all up.

Today was one of those days.

The Boy generally doesn’t enjoy coloring, painting, cutting, gluing or doing anything that gets his hands sticky or messy, (it’s a sensory thing,) but we’ve been working on it. And, bonus: I finally found a use for all the wine corks that I had set aside for some sort of future craft project! Instead of having The Boy get his hands messy or use a paint brush, why not dip the end of the cork into paint? It will help with his grip as well as keep his hands a little less paint-laden.

We made a stocking for Dada,first with paint & then glued on fuzzy pom pons. The Boy enjoyed it so much that we ended up making ones for Grandma & Grandpa as well! Sometimes I feel like I’m fairly good at this mothering thing 🙂

a blurry iPhoto pic of the finished stockings!

A Little Christmas Magic …

Published on December 12, 2012December 12, 2012 by thefairlygoodmother2 Comments

I have always loved Christmas. When I was a little girl, it was my most favorite holiday. Rudolph was my favorite Christmas character because he was Santa’s loyal companion & Santa could not have delivered all those presents without Rudolph leading the charge. I loved him so much, that when I was four years old, I insisted that everyone call me “Rudolph,” and wouldn’t acknowledge anyone unless they did so.

I was the child whose eyes lit up at the sound of jingle bells, who never questioned why there was a “Santa” at every mall or parade, the little girl who never thought twice about why Santa’s handwriting looked identical to my mother’s. I wanted to believe in everything & I did. And my parents made Christmas, (and every holiday,) fun and festive. We cut down our own Christmas tree in the mountains of Northern California, my mother and I baked cookies and candies for friends, we left a plate of cookies & some milk for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph. It was magical.

Around the age of 9 or so, kids started spreading horrible rumors about Santa & how he wasn’t “real.” I got into several verbal altercations with bully-boys about the subject of Santa. Finally, when I was 11, my mother sat me down & told me that the rumors were true, Santa wasn’t real, but the magic of Christmas was real … I cried and cried. I didn’t want to stop believing in Santa. I didn’t want to grow up & become that jaded adult who couldn’t see the magic & beauty in our world. I promised myself that even though Santa may not be ONE man who delivers presents via a reindeer-driven sleigh, Santa was alive in my heart & in the hearts of many, and that I would never stop believing.

When I met my husband, he and I enjoyed celebrating the holidays, (even though he is Jewish, but not religious.) Every year, we’d get a fresh tree, exchanged gifts, (some from us, some from Santa,) and we always got the kitties gifts from Santa, too. We put little treats in each others’ stockings & made a special Christmas Eve meal … the magic of Christmas was still alive.

But the fun really started when we had The Boy. Of course the first year, The Boy was oblivious to the goings on, and the second year pretty much the same, although he knew something was up … then the third year, which was last year, he was a little more than 2 years old & started to really get it. Now, at age 3, he reminds me of myself when I was his age – his bright hazel eyes sparkle with wonderment, just in awe of every little bit of magic that surrounds him. He sings Christmas carols, counts down the days until Santa arrives, bakes cookies with me, and loves all of the classic Christmas programs: “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty The Snowman,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Last year we got the Elf On The Shelf. We had fun with it, The Boy named him “Kermin” (probably because he was very much into Kermit the Frog around the same time the Elf arrived!) While he enjoyed Kermin’s visit with us last year, this year it has been even more fun! Every morning, The Boy wakes up and asks where Kermin is, and then runs around the house to find him.

I am a creative mom, (I learned from the best,) but I’m not one of those, over-achieving, elf-obsessed mothers who has the elf bake cookies in the middle of the night, only to leave a big mess for me the next morning. (Considering that The Husband is the one who gets up with The Boy every morning and makes breakfast, I’m pretty certain he wouldn’t appreciate a huge mess like that.) And it’s supposed to be fun, not a chore. I read a list of elf ideas, and one of them was: “Elf makes a Rudolph nose — Use red lipstick or a red sharpie to color on the kids’ noses & leave a note near their bed that reads: go look in the mirror.” First of all, The Boy would most likely wake up if I were to try and rub his nose with lipstick or marker. Second of all, the lipstick would leave an awful mess on the sheets & if you used a sharpie, hell, you’d never get that off! Has anyone really ever done that?!?

Most of the time, we just move him from place to place … occasionally, he will be involved in some silly elf hijinks like a snowball fight with other stuffed animals or figurines, or writing messages on the bathroom mirror. The Boy particularly enjoyed when Kermin forgot to flush the toilet & he discovered that elves pee green! (*I know in the picture above it looks blue, but it was actually green!)

The magic of Christmas is alive and well in this house & it is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas!!

Cranberry Apricot Sauce … YUM!

Published on November 20, 2012November 28, 2012 by thefairlygoodmother2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I am not a big cranberry fan. It has to be coupled with something sweet … like, I really dig Cranberry Grape Juice. And that’s about it. Hahaa … I never liked the cranberry jelly that was always sitting on the Thanksgiving table like a jello mold of a tin can. No bueno!

I went on the search for a deliciously sweet cranberry side dish. And I found one about 3-4 years ago. I copied the recipe & I’m sorry that I cannot credit it to the proper source, but I did make a few adjustments, so I’ll say it’s kind of sort of my adopted own.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Apricot Sauce
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsps finely grated fresh ginger (just use your microplane)
16 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen, I prefer fresh if possible)
2/3 – 1/2 C granulated white sugar
1 C fresh orange juice (I’ve used store-bought OJ & it’s fine to use, and FYI: 2 large navel oranges produce about 1 cup of fresh OJ)
½ C – 3/4 C Apricot Preserves / Jam

Method:
In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, sugar, OJ & apricot preserves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens – about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm.

Make-Ahead Note: The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to re-heat.

Voila! The house smells Dee-Lish! And people rave about this dish. Now, you can mix it up by using different preserves & juice – the sky is the limit with these cranberries. Enjoy.

Note: In my store, they sell 12 oz bags of cranberries, so I have to get two bags … I use 1/2 of the other one to put in the bottom of a vase & fill with white roses or mums … or any kind of holiday-type flower. Very pretty & the cranberries last for a while.

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