2 bedroom heaven!
After 3 long, messy weeks I’m happy to report that we are back to 2 functioning bedrooms. And boy, does it feel great. I think at this point we are a 2 bedroom family. One for us and one for the kids. With the size of the bedrooms here I’m sure we could fit a few more in the kids room…but I think I never want to downsize again! While amidst the craziness of having only 1 room I’ve been thinking about how much I like having 2 bedrooms. I think I could survive with 2 rooms for quite a while. Here are a few things I love about a small apartment.
1. I always know where my kids are. (which, surprisingly, makes parenting a toddler easier…not a lot of room for getting into stuff without me knowing!)
2. No hauling my laundry up and down stairs.
3. We always feel the need to de-junk so we aren’t cramped.
4. Fewer things to clean up.
5. Fewer things to clean up…did I say that twice? You get my point. 🙂
Every year I try to recreate the Christmas of my childhood. (I think I’ve done a pretty good job this year.) I want my kids to think it is magical. I want them to be bursting with the songs and stories of the Nativity and Santa Claus. I want them to gorge themselves on good ol’ fashioned FUN! The partying starts this weekend! Merry Christmas!
Did you ever…
-make your kid go without undies for a half and hour ’cause all hers were in the washer?
-go out to eat even though you have all the ingredients to make what was on the menu?
-enjoy visitng teaching a little bit more ’cause you knew your hubby was on kid duty?
-eat almost a whole pkg of graham crackers ’cause you found a new delicious cream cheese recipe that was just calling to you?
-feel relieved when your neighbors moved?
-stay up late watching cooking shows even though you know they make you hungry and everyone knows you shouldn’t eat late at night!
-use a huge whole in your ceiling as an excuse to let your house be a little extra messy?
-Delay calling the dentist about a toothache ’cause you really, REALLY, really hate going to the dentist? (don’t worry I finally got brave and set an appointment!)
-get all your Christmas shopping done by the second week in December? (It feels great BTW)
Never done any of those thing? Hmm. 🙂
TV…
Have you ever noticed that if your kids watch TV first thing in the morning that they “can’t” do anything else all day? It is like as they are watching all their own creativity is being sucked out of them. At least that’s how it is with Lanette. Usually I’m pretty good about how much TV she watches, but when she wakes up REALLY early or she is sick it get’s a little harder! But I’ve noticed this little trend and I’ve decided that I’m going to have to start being a stickler. No watching TV until after her nap. So far it seems to be working like a charm. She is playing with lots of her toys…doing lots of crafts…singing lots of songs, etc.
Speaking of keeping her entertained I found a really great book at the library that has 
little lesson plans aimed at preschool age kids. For each lesson it gives introduction ideas, a list of books, fingerplays or songs, art and craft ideas, and a food suggestion. It is so awesome that I decided to buy a copy for myself! Check out the website for other info!
Santa encounter
The Govenor of the State of Utah gave all state employees a half a day off for free (you know…it doesn’t count against thier PTO)! So Aaron took yesterday off and we decided to have a little Christmas fun. Luckily it was just raining yesterday and not a blizzard like it is today! We drove to IKEA and had lunch walked around a bit and then decided to see if Lanette would be willing to play in their little playroom. She was a little shy at first ’cause they took her shoes and she didn’t like that. She barely made the height 
requirements (38 inches), but she ended up having a blast in the ball pit and we got to stay a little bit longer. We spent more than we were planning to but we got some of their cute kiddie utensils and plates and I can’t wait to give them to Lanette for Christmas!
On the way back home we stopped at Cabela’s. Lanette love the aquarium. She also had 
a blast feeding some fish in another area and seeing the animals and the airplane! While we were there they had free Santa pictures. It was so cute and this Santa looked like the real thing..beard and all! Lanette was a little hesitant at first, but the promise of a candy cane was enough to get her up there for a picture. Then we had our ward party and she got to see Santa again! Today she couldn’t stop talking about Christmas and the 2 candy canes she got. I love to see her getting older and starting to understand the idea of Christmas. One of the best parts of having 2 kids is that I get to enjoy her being grown up and at the same time bask in the cuteness that is Parker! So if you haven’t done something to get yourself into the Christmas spirit – get to it!
Parenting…and food
So last night Lanette threw a fit. Why? Her show wasn’t over when it was time for dinner and we made her pause it and eat with us before she could watch the rest. That was a mild description. But as she was screaming in her room during her time out I started realizing that the whole melt down was as much our fault as parents as it was her acting out. If I would have made sure that her show only had 10 minutes left or if I would have zipped forward so there was just a few minutes left then it would have ended and she would have been fine. Have you ever had that moment of clarity when you REALLY realize that your kid is reacting to what you are doing? In some ways it is nice ’cause it makes me feel like it isn’t just that she is throwing a massive tantrum. I mean, how many of us like to have what we are doing interrupeted? Be honest…we all hate it and if we are a little sleep deprived? I guess I can see how her meltdown was justified. (We still didn’t cave and she had to give into our demands to wait and watch her show after she ate dinner…she was sweet as sugar the rest of the night!)
So I’m perfecting my menu. In a perfect world I would have about 30 dinners that are delicious and easy that I could call on anytime. Right now I have about 10. So I calling out to bloggers everywhere help me out please! If you have a recipe that is just so easy and wonderful that you have to have it at least once or twice a month – please post it! (On your own blog or in the comments) I’ve been trying some new recipes from books and it has not been working very well. I want some tried and true recipes. The kind that have 4-6 ingredients and normal ingredients. If you are looking for some like this here is one of my favorites!
Chicken Fajitas
4-6 frozen chicken breasts
2 1/2 c. chunky salsa
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
**tortillas, cheese & sour cream**
Slap all the chick, salsa, peppers and onions in a greased crockpot. Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 10-12 hours. Just before serving shred chicken. Devour with pleasure! Seriously these are so juicy and tender. If you like it spicy…add hotter salsa!
Have you ever been?
Back in 2002 when we’d just been married for half a year or so we went on a Lambert family vacation to Jackson Hole. We were newlyweds so we rode up with Aaron’s parents and it was a blast to hear all about their first year of marriage and their experiences living in Jackson Hole over the summer. That was one of the highlights of the trip. The other was going to the Bar J Wranglers. Usually you either love or hate country music, but these guys are hilarious and talented!
Last night we got to see them again and they were so good I felt like we probably didn’t pay enough for our tickets! (How often does that happen?) My sis and her hub watched our kiddies while we went with Vicki to remember those good times. There are few things better than a really good laugh and we were cracking up! Have you learned to appreciate a good fiddle player? The guy they have rocks! They did some good old fashioned songs like “16 Tons” (which totally reminds me of Aaron’s Dad) and lots of Christmas stuff too. It was a great way to kick off the season. What are you doing to get into the spirit of Christmas? If you are ever in Jackson Hole going to hear the Bar J Wranglers is a great way to spend your money and your time!
Does anyone else hate having to come up with a ‘title’ for their post??
Wanna learn how to make yummy things like these crepes? Visit my sister-in-law Kim’s food blog. She has very good taste!
Want a parenting tip? Don’t want your kid out in the freezing cold weather, but want them to be able to enjoy the snow? Put some in a bowl in bath tub or fill up the kitchen sinks with snow. All the cold fun, with out the frigid wind! (Thanks to Parents magazine!)
Wondering if we are still sleeping in the living room ’cause there is a honkin’ hole in our ceiling? Yep. The weird thing – it has kinda been fun. Like we live in a one bedroom apartment again. The not so funny part…we paid our rent for December before this whole thing happened. Oh, and winter is here in full force…and we have a hole in our ceiling. 🙂
Funny Things 
