- Santa? -

Sigh... here we go...  Z came to me last night and asked if Santa was real.  B got all indignant and frustrated at his imbecileness (yeah, I know, that's not a word, but it's how she looked at him) and huffed that "of course Santa is real!!!" and then looked at him like "how can you be so smart, yet ask such a dunderheaded question????".  I had a hell of a time not chuckling at her total devotion towards Santa and her complete vexation with her brother.  She was sick with the flu, so her patience with him was extremely low. 

I told Z we could discuss it all he wanted but to please wait till bed (we were  5 minutes away from bedtime).  I later curled up with him in his bed and explained to him that he has a right to believe or not believe in Santa, but he needs to respect B's beliefs and not discuss it around her, as he could see it got her terribly upset.  I then asked him what he thought about the whole Santa idea...  he said that the cookies being eaten and the half eaten carrots found outside on the sidewalk the next morning proved nothing, Hubby and I could have easily done that... and the presents... Hubby and I could be buying them...  and that Santa coming down a chimney makes no sense at all...  the whole time I smiled at him, and waited, not saying anything, letting him talk and then after a pause he looked at me and laughed and said "I'm right aren't I???".   I replied that the magic and spirit of Christmas and Santa is in our hearts, and that it indeed lives very strongly in my heart. I reminded him that I've always said that exact thing to them over the years.  I added that what we choose to believe at various stages of our lives is up to us, but that keeping the magic alive in our hearts, keeps Santa real for everyone...  He smiled and nodded, he thought a bit more, hugged me back with a big smile and then changed the subject to Pokemon. A tactic he does when he's done talking about a certain subject or wants to avoid talking about something. 

 

Suddenly, the subject was closed, he was much too close to the truth and he didn't want to totally loose Santa in that moment.  I know this year he still 'wants' to believe in his heart but now wisely knows better.  He'll go along with the charade, like he does with the tooth fairy (he found out the truth about a year and a half ago about the fairy, but for B's sake continued to pretend she's real.  Just recently he asked me if he could be the tooth fairy for her and do the coins/tooth exchange.  When I pointed out that it had to be after she fell asleep and that he always falls asleep before her, he said he couldn't wait till he had his own kids and could do things like the tooth fairy for them).  Amazingly, he somehow continued to believe in Santa for over another year.  

It would appear we've come to an end of an era...  My baby is letting go of Santa...  I'm relieved at how he's handling it...  It's always been a worry that kids at school would tell him and he'd argue with them that Santa was real and then feel bad or feel totally betrayed when he later found out the truth...  Fortunately, he's figured it out on his own, and he's handling it wonderfully.  Phew!  Now if only my heart could just handle it better...  :'O(

 

- Disturbing cakes o.O -

Oh my gosh...  I came across these cakes this morning, and had to blog...  What on God's green earth were the cake decorators thinking...  and better yet...  the poor Mom's to-be who received these cakes?!?!?!  :OS

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2011/7/22/the-search-for-the-worlds-most-disturbing-shower-cake-ends-h.html

Um yeah....

- Light shows -

Call me crazy, but I'd love to live across from one of these houses (especially the Christmas one).  I think they're so cool and fun.  Puts a smile on my face just watching them...  Yeah I know, they must cause a lot of traffic from people coming to see it, and it must be loud, and really bright... yeah, yeah, yeah.  But it's a heck of a lot nicer than being around houses that don't decorate at all.
I love the spirit.

I've watched these for a few years now, and they get better and better.  There's a lot more of these on Youtube.  :O)

- Penguin Sweaters -

Oh my gosh, this is both sad (because they have to do this) and so sweet/adorable.  They put sweaters on the penguins to keep them from preening (poisoning) themselves.  Kudos to all those people taking care of the penguins and putting forth so much effort. They're doing an awesome, wonderful thing.  By the way, there's a world wide call for any knitters:  http://laughingsquid.com/worldwide-call-for-knitters-to-make-sweaters-for-penguins-affected-by-2011-new-zealand-oil-spill/  

Gotta love that tuxedo knitted sweater, little guy looks proud to be wearing it (or pissed off, not sure which)...  :OD

- "Wake Up!!!", "Flock off!!!!" -

This made me smile this morning.  This kitty looks so much like my Kira and I love how patient it is with that insistent little bird.  Most cats would just leave a few feathers floating in the air...  These two are too damn sweet.  LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah5L1RfyPz4&feature=player_embedded

- Oddest birthday present for a 6 year old -

Ok, this has got to be THE oddest birthday gift for a 6 year old girl.  LOL!!!  

Yes, that would be a door, standing in the middle of our living room, as a birthday gift to our girl.   :OD  

Back when I was pregnant, we had a cat and a dog.  I feared for the safety of the baby at night with a cat who loved to snuggle against a warm body and usually up around a head... and a rambunctious dog who we loved dearly but knew she was an animal foremost, our fur baby secondly.  I hated the thought of closing a hard door and muffling any sounds the baby might make (I didn't fully trust baby monitors), and for either of my babies to be closed in a room with not much way for the air to circulate (it could get awfully stuffy)...  So I came up with the idea of building screen doors for their bedrooms.  Very much like a farm house screen door, solid but latches closed like a normal door.  Hubby liked the idea, and built them exactly as I had envisioned them (you can't buy screen doors the size of indoor room doors, they only come in the large size of a front door.)   They turned out to be awesome!  Here's a photo of it in my son's room.

I used to creep up to their doors, and peer through the screen and see that the kids were still sleeping, or playing quietly in their cribs, and I'd creep away, never having to open their door and wake them from the sound of the door.  I could hear the kids easily in their rooms at any time, eventually the baby monitors were removed, and it's been nice over the years to hear them when needed.  One night my silly Dude was jumping on his bed, fell and split open the side of his head on the corner of his dresser.  If he had had a regular door on his bedroom closed, I don't think we'd have heard him right away.  It had been a pretty bad wound, needing stitches. 

I loved that our two fur babies couldn't get in the rooms, keeping their doors closed almost all of the time, yet air was circulating wonderfully through the screen in the doors.  As the kids got older, they loved that they could have their door closed but not feel closed in.  Z still loves his screen door, and has no desire for privacy yet and likes that a dim glow of light comes fully through his door at night, even though it's closed.  He likes being able to hear what's going on outside his room at night, yet not being closed off.  B on the other hand is ready for a solid door, ("with a lock!" she says, Z's had a lock on his for about 2 years now).  LOL 

Hence the door standing in our living room.  She's been asking periodically for a new door and really liked this white door for some reason.  Hubby installed it yesterday and B is thrilled.  We tossed the original old crappy hollow flat cheap doors ages ago, saying that we'd buy new doors when they were ready for them.  Well, one has been bought.  :O)   Happy 6th Birthday Baby Girl!  Love you oooodles!!!!  <3 :D

- Percolating -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdx_SjxXhmY

So do any of you remember this 1950's Maxwell House Percolator commercial?  I loved this commercial when I was a kid and it's stuck with me all these years.  It must have been repeated in the 70's, since I don't recall any of the other commercials that I found on Youtube...  Odd I know and you can quit with the age jokes!  ;O)  (if the video isn't showing up, just click refresh, or the link below it, it has been flaky).

Anyways, lately I've been doing the "dooka dooka dooka... dook dook" percolator tune from the commercial each time I start making coffee in our percolator (my Dad gave to us a few years back).  Hubby's been giving me humorous smiles while shaking his head, not knowing what on earth I'm singing.  I finally did a search on Youtube today to play the commercial for him.  He's now been enlightened but doesn't recall that commercial or tune at all...  am I the only one????  LOL