Slacker

I'm a bum. I admit it, I've been preoccupied and too lazy to post. I didn't even post for Jacob's Birthday! (Hangs head in shame.) I've just been tired and BUSY. Since I can't seem to post any real entries, here is a list post about what we've been up to, because I love lists (and they're easier-again, LAZY).

1. 4 is a good age. Definite  improvements in my little guy has made days with him fun again!
2. The boys are playing so nicely together, it's awesome. Probably due to #1.
3. The dog is driving me up the wall. Seriously, he needs to be entertained constantly. It's very annoying.
4. Trying to get the house ready to sell.
5. Busy trying to get Christmas all taken care of. The decorations are up, some gifts, bought, cards ordered, so we are getting there. I make Christmas cookies in the second half, so I need all my time for that.
6. Trying to keep Drew, who is 6 1/2, to believe in Santa Claus. It's getting really dicey, he keeps asking very sensible questions. My favorite was "I don't know if Santa Claus is real. I don't think he would come down the chimney, ours is so dirty."
7. Trying to remember to move our Elf each day. Remembering is hard, yo.


Uh... that's all I have for the moment.... More to come, I promise!

An open letter to Santa Regarding my Son's Wish list....

Dear Santa,

I'm writing you regarding my son's wish list. I have written what each picture was as I was told by Drew, to make it easier to read. Drew has been a good boy and I'm sure all of his gifts will be used with good intentions. Did I mention what a gentle, nice boy he is? I'm sure that he will use the chainsaw and laser shooter wisely and the shovel will only be used to plant flowers and help dig up weeds, but if you want to stick to the books and globe on his list, I'm sure he will understand. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Janna

P.S. I am going to try and make cookies for your arrival. Do not judge me if they are not homemade!

P.P.S. Drew informed me that the knife is for me.

P.P.P.S. The House is not for me, I swear, but if you are feeling giving, the whole family wouldn't mind a new house. Just sayin'.

P.P.P.P.S. No, we don't let him watch violent shows, you can ask Boodle. I blame his classmates.

So I tried something new... Also Blog makeover Contest!

Something different, and I don't know if it was a success or a failure or something in between. Anyway, I hope those that read today's post at least find it somewhat amusing. I will have to out my sister, Amber in the comments who noted that "there is something very very wrong with [me]". I think she thinks that anyway, but I don't know if my last post helped my case.

Ah well... I added a little spot for if you don't want to comment... so if you want to go ahead and click a button, I will have an idea if you liked something (or not) without you having to reveal yourself. It's right down by the comment spot.

Also, if you read this and like this, please follow me. I need the self esteem boost, what can I say?

If you have been reading for a while, you have probably noticed that my blog has changed it's look several times. This is because my template is somehow corrupt and I have been trying to fix it, and no one seems to know what is wrong (and you can't email someone, you have to subscribe to a help forum. Really starting to HATE blogger). So on that note, I am plugging a blog makeover contest that Angela is having over at Bringing Creativity. Because I really would like to have a customized header at least, and her blog is very pretty. I would tell you to enter it, but darn it, I want to win.

My Interview with Boodle, My Elf on the Shelf

So I thought you might be sick of hearing about the four of us, I thought you might want to hear about our temporary fifth member of the household, Boodle, our Elf on the Shelf. To learn more about Boodle, click here. Warning: there are major puns and bad jokes located within this text. Proceed with caution.

Me: Okay Boodle, thanks for chatting with us. I know you aren't supposed to speak to the families you stay with. Are you going to get into trouble?

Boodle: No, it's just the kids I'm not supposed to talk to. You adults just ignore me, so I ignore you.

Me: Sorry.

Boodle: Whatever. Not a big deal. *sniffs*

Me: So tell me something a little bit about yourself.

Boodle: My real name is Gavin and my job is very demanding during the Christmas Season. During the off season, however, I write novels, under a pseudonym of course.

Me: Really? Anything I have read?

Boodle: Have you heard of Harry Potter?

Me: Yeah!

Boodle: Well, I didn't write THAT but I wish I had. Man I would be RICH! I also went to Lollapalooza. Yeah, you are lucky I didn't tell Santa about what I saw you doing at Lollapalooza. Drink beer much?

Me: Yeah, I think we should, um...move on. So how long have you been a Christmas Elf?

Boodle: Well, you are my third family, so about 20 years.

Me: Oh, wow- how old are you?

Boodle: 65.

Me: You look so young!

Boodle: Yeah I get that a lot. Felt and plastic doesn't really age. Plus candy cane diets are very good for you, believe it or not, and I get a lot of exercise running from Homes to the North Pole.

Me: I bet that's difficult.

Boodle: Well thanks for covering for me the other day when I forgot to go by saying that you forgot to move me. I totally fell asleep.

Me: Um... no problem? So, since you "observe" our family all day, is there anything you can share with the readers about our family?

Boodle: Of course at an interview about me, you ask about yourself. You bloggers are a vain bunch.

Me: I'm not vain! A little self absorbed, maybe.

Boodle: Riiiight. Okay, so something about your family? You guys wear pajamas a LOT. And Mom, you swear under your breath often.

Me: Thanks for that.

Boodle: Well, Santa knows already, he's known for years... you were swearing back when you were 8, you know. Picked it up from your Dad, he's a champion swearer.

Me: Hey, don't say bad things about my Dad!

Boodle: I like your Dad! What's wrong with swearing? Elves swear all of the time, part of the reason that we don't talk to the children. I'm really cleaning it up for the interview, you know.

Me: Well thank you, the readers appreciate that.

Boodle: You mean all 11 of them?

Me: Hey, aren't you supposed to be a nice Elf?

Boodle: Who told you that?

Me: I just assumed.

Boodle: Well, assuming makes an ass out of you and me.

Me: You said you wouldn't swear.

Boodle: Sorry!

Me: What is Santa like?

Boodle: He is everything you've ever imagined. Jolly, generous, has trouble staying away from sweets. Kind of reminds me of Oprah. I don't see him every time I go to the North Pole. I see his Personelf Assistant. Santa is a busy guy. I will see him when he comes down your chimney on Christmas Eve. Speaking of that, you might want to move the toys that are in front of you chimney. Do your kids really even need toys?

Me: Okay, I think we need to wrap this up, it is going downhill quickly. One last question- who would you rather be stranded on a deserted Island with, Tinker Bell or the tooth fairy?

Boodle: What kind of BS question is that? Tinker Bell was made up by an JM Barrie. The tooth fairy, however is very REAL. On that note.... Tinker Bell.

Me: Really?

Boodle: Yeah, the Tooth Fairy is a little long in the tooth. *Snickers*

Me: Oh hardy har har.

Nablopomo burnout and Elf Martyrs....

I am getting a little bit of Nablopomo burnout. I know it's early in the month, and how sad is that? But for the past 3 days I have been sitting alone in my office for ten hours, hurrying home and putting the kids to sleep, and then going to sleep myself (or cleaning) neither of which make for exciting material.

So a little anecdote. For Christmas last year we got the Elf on the Shelf. For those that don't know about this, well, click on the link to get an explanation. We started the tradition by pulling out the book the day after Christmas, and put the Elf (we named him "Boodle") out and hinted to Drew on how to find him. Every night you have to move him. So every morning, I ask Drew "Where did Boodle go?" and we have to find him. Drew never remembers.

Until yesterday, when Drew remembered for the first time on his own and asked "Hey, why didn't Boodle move last night?" Yeah, we forgot. The first time he remembered.

"Boodle!" I exclaimed. "Did you fall alseep last night and forget to see Santa? Geez Boodle, you have to remember to see Santa every day and tell him Drew is a good boy!"

"Yeah!" Drew exclaimed.

For a recap, yes, I blamed a stuffed Elf named "Boodle" for my mistake. We are reaching a new low here people... and it is not pretty.