The truth

Miles and I were having a conversation about Santa today. She asked why Santa brings presents. I told her that Santa brings the presents so that every child can celebrate Jesus' birthday. I don't understand why some people think it is not religious to do Santa. Why don't they just do like me and remind them that the whole reason for Christmas is that it is celebrating Jesus' birthday but that they get gifts for his birthday, too?

Santa's been very good to the Brown household

I try really hard not to go overboard. I really do. I shop early, to avoid the pitfalls of over-spending. However, Santa did well for our kids' stuff this year.

Santa brought the kids:
Joint gift: kitchen play set where they can cook, wash dishes, bake and store things in the fridge. Oh, and a phone. It has a pretend cordless.
Miles: Skateboard, real guitar, Fancy-schmancy Doodle Pro, two sets of Cabbage Patch doll clothes, huge koosh-style ball
Lola: Doll carriage, doll playpen, doll highchair, Fisher Price toddler Doodle Pro, monkey hat, huge koosh-style ball, Little People bus, tutu, leather ballet slippers

Both stockings can not hold another ounce of toy-goodness. Each got Silly putty, two coloring books, special crayons, mini M&M's, little stuffed animal, big snowman straws from Dollar Tree, etc. Lola got a toy truck, Miles got some dominoes and more.

Help me, please! I had to take a huge box of good toys to Goodwill today to justify it.

Ready set go

I am sooo ready for Christmas!! Santa was good to our family! Phillip also already let me open a present from him...a TV for our room to hang on the wall. YAY! I let him open his new turntable, too! We are listening to a vintage Elvis Christmas album that belonged to my parents as we speak!

Nighty night!

My kids. Are in the bed. At 5:59 PM. On a Friday night.

I can't believe it. I stand amazed at what a trip to the park on a nice afternoon can do.

Papa don't preach

Jamie Lynn Spears is on the cover of OK magazine with an exclusive interview. Though shocked and scared, she's pregnant and she's keeping her baby. This isn't a real big shocker, is it? Won't it be strange if she's a great mom and Britney looks even worse?

The virtually unknown story of the American airmen who, in 1945, marched 600 miles in 86 days during one of the cruelist winters on record

Randomly today, I thought about an experience of which I heard great details as a child. I had read an article about Japan intercepting a test missile in Hawaii, and I found this strange. It just seemed a little strange that our military would be allowing the very country that caused Pearl Harbor to be testing missiles in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor. Thus this made me think of the WWII Death March though Germany. My uncle, John Rogers, was sadly one of the soldiers who was forced to march 600 miles across Germany in the ice and snow for 86 days during one of the most grueling winters in Germany's history. They did have shoes at the beginning, but it didn't take long for the soles to wear out and then they were barefoot. They bartered cigarettes with their captors for fresh water on the rare occasions that they got it and often slept crammed so tightly into barns or shelters along the way that they slept standing up.

Doesn't that sound so far removed? Yes, it does. However, he is still alive. It was ONLY 62 years ago. That isn't that long ago in relation to our lifespans.

About the Death March, which is often overlooked bc the same name was bestowed upon a POW event in the Philippines in WWII, this site (http://www.b24.net/pow/march.htm) said this: Though often overlooked by history, the death march across Germany ranks as one of the most outrageous cruelties ever committed against American fighting men. Fittingly, a memorial to these soldiers now stands on the Polish ground where Stalag Luft IV once stood.

And THAT is your history lesson for today, students, cause I am dorky like that.

Update on Baygo

Miles pushing Baygo onthe swing, Jan. 7, 2008...

"Baygo" did not go to the play with us tonight. He stayed at his house, which we learned in the car on the way home is actually one of Milesy's drawers in her chest. His parents don't live there with him. They live in a motel. When questioned, she answered that yeah, Baygo's parents do have their green cards. If you are confused, you probably don't know that Baygo is Milesy's imaginary friend. He is Mexican, and his name is supposed to be Diego.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Tonight's Christmas play was amazing. Miles came through like a champ. Daddy gave her a fresh floral bouquet after it was over to congratulate the little thespian. We were a little concerned, as she announced following Wednesday night's practice that she did not want to participate. Since then, she has flip-flopped twice regarding her participation. Each time that we reminded her that she would be wearing a special dress made by Mawmaw and a halo and wings, she regained her confidence.

Yesterday, she saw the outfit Mawmaw made. She stood amazing at the site of the white satin skirt trimmed in gold lace and white long sleeve shirt. Once she'd seen the skirt and top, she was back on track. Then we had a momentary refusal to participate late last night. However, tonight when she put those wings and that halo on, she was ready to perform. It was truly like a television show or a book.

She proudly marched to the front with the rest of her group, knocked on the manger's gate and prayed for baby Jesus.

The doors might be locked but that's not stopping Miles.

Today, I had to go upstairs to 'help' Lola go to sleep. This usually means laying down with her, snuggling her so tightly that she can't escape to get out of bed. Then when she falls asleep, I'll transfer her to her bed. I always make absolutely sure that the little lock and the dead bolt are locked as well as the chain. Today I reinforced to Miles, as I always do about this time, not to go near the door, not to open it, not to even touch it, no matter what.

As I heard the downstairs commotion, I wondered what in the world she could possibly be doing. Racing *Baygo to see who could jump the farthest off the bar definitely crossed my mind. I heard several banging noises, and to be honest, felt fairly confident that my kid was just jumping up and down on something to see if it would break. Then I heard what sounded like knocking, the gleefully joyous expression, "I got it!!!!!" and a door open and shut. It was right about now that I realized the banging was my child trying repeatedly to open a door only to be stopped be the chain. I raced downstairs, hollering her name. I got no reply, and I rounded the corner in a panic, scanning the room. No sign of her or *Baygo. I rushed to the foyer in pure panic only to hear some meager little knocks coming from the porch. She had gotten a step stool and undone the chain up high.

As I flung the door open, she says, "Mommy, I was jus' lookin' fa you!" I reminded her that she knew good and well where I was and she tried to snake her way out of trouble, regardless. So I point out that someone could have snatched her outside all alone. Do you know what this child said, "Oh, no, Mommy. I looked all around and there is nobody out here to snatch me!"

We had a looooong talk about going outside alone. Then I plotted my intentions to install an extra lock...you know, the kind that only works with a key and has no knob. Yeah, Shirley, Shirley, can I get one of those locks, ASAP! (This last part is an inside joke!)

*Baygo is Diego. You may be familiar with him from the Dora the Explorer series or his own spin off? Yeah. He lives at my house. He races Miles round the house nonstop and particularly likes his own helping of her favorite snack foods.

Walmart panty debacle

What exactly is a Walmart panty debacle, you might ask? Well let me explain...

Poor, *evil Walmart has done it again. They put an offensive product on the shelf...in the junior's panty department. The offending items have a slogan printed across the crotch, "Who needs credit cards," and, "When you've got Santa," across the butt. While I agree that my first reaction to the front slogan was questioning whether they meant who needs credit cards when you can pay with your privates, I don't think that Walmart intended to insinuate that at all. The message on the back surely means that these were intended to be whimsical...which brings me to my next point.

The solution to this whole ordeal would be to no longer print any messages on our skivvies, much less our adolescents' drawers, don't you think? I mean, I always think it is cheesy or tacky, even when it isn't at risk of having the sentence misinterpreted. Aren't you at risk of giving the wrong impression anytime you decide to wear a sentence on your crotch? AHA! That's my point!

*Walmart is not evil. This is sarcasm at it's best. Walmart helps me afford to stay-at-home with my kids. In an ideal world, of course I'd love to do my paper towel shopping at Neiman Marcus. However, this ain't Dallas, and this ain't Dynasty. This is just a man and woman holding this thing together. Oh, and Walmart. A man and a woman and Walmart holding this thing (the budget) together.

Yada Yada Yada

Sometimes I am just too lazy to think of a headline. This is one of those times.

I am just worn out. This past weekend was FULL of stuff. Friday night we went to Fuji for Stephanie's birthday. Saturday, we went to Phil's office Christmas, excuse me, holiday party. Sunday, we took the kids to the Christmas parade, went to Publix and decorated the tree.

All of this...while the weather couldn't make up its mind about whether to be cold or warm. My allergies have taken a beating...migraines, pain in my top teeth, a stopped up ear through which I could not hear...

This weekend was just nonstop. I can't get enough rest and I can't quite seem to kick a nagging headache and the pain in my top teeth. Hey, at least I got my hearing back.

Christmas Eve...

This year, we want to celebrate Christmas Eve while remembering our super special family vacation to Disney World. I ordered each of the girls a fleece Minnie Mouse gown with their name embroidered above an embroidered Minnie, Lola gets a Mickey plush and Miles gets a Minnie, and I also ordered Disney's Holiday Classics on DVD, featuring Mickey's Christmas Carol plus a few more titles. Our plan is to let them open the gowns and plush dolls on Christmas Eve and then watch Mickey's Christmas Carol.

Well, plans have to be altered sometimes. Today the UPS package came while Miles was at Mother's Day Out. I opened it and let Lola see her "Mouse" doll. She calls Mickey Mouse just plain old "Mouse". She absolutely adored him. She walked around singing sweet, unintelligible nothings to "Mouse" while hugging his neck tightly. "Mouse" might say it was choking him, but she meant nothing but love for that doll.

When my parents left after a little visit, I put "Mouse" back into the package and into the closet while her attention was on the grandparents' departure. Well, just a few minutes later, she began to look for "Mouse" and through her gibberish, I realized that she was mumbling on and on about Pop Pop (my dad) taking her "Mouse". She mentioned it numerous other times today! She thinks my daddy stole her "Mouse"!!!

I am not sure if I can make that baby wait until Christmas Eve believing Pop Pop stole her "Mouse".

Just a moment to wax on....

So a few weeks ago, us LSU fans thought that the Tigers had blown it for good. We thought our chances at another national title were gone. Oh! How wrong we were! YAY! Obnoxious ol' UT lost to the Tigers and now we just have to go up against Ohio State for the title. Yay! Yay! Yay!

My baby is an angel

My baby, Miles, is an angel, and I can prove it.

Miles has been cast as an "angel with wings" in the church Christmas pageant. Along with three other angels, she will approach the front of the stage and say, with hands folded, "We have a prayer for the baby Jesus. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

Precious. And don't even try to argue with me about that. Don't even!

The NCM show flopped.

Well, I am here to sadly report that the Nashville Craft Mafia show was a total flop for me. I was anticipating big sales and hundreds of dollars but that just didn't happen. There was a basic trickle of customers all day, but never a crowd, and my sales were in the range of my lowest ever. Boo!

The weekend...

IS GONE ALREADY. Can I cry?