Christmas Unwrapped

Ugh, it's Monday, and that means I'm back to work after 9 days of vacation. It would be nice to stay on vacation and just receive a complementary paycheck, but no such luck.

I sincerely hope that you had a wonderful Christmas.

Here at Busy-Dad-E, we had a very nice holiday in the comforts of home, with visits from friends and family alike, thanks to Mom-E's travel restrictions.

As I reflect on the past 9 days, I've compiled the following list (in no particular order) of remembrances and observations about this Christmas-time.

1. It's never too early (or too late) for HOT CHOCOLATE.

2. Diego = CRACK for 2 year-olds.

3. My favorite new way to ask for dessert, thanks to Little Brother, "I want CHOCK-IT in my mouth!"

4. Almost-5 year-olds have enough experience with Santa to know they'll probably get the item atop their Christmas list. Each time he opened a present, Big Brother asked, "Is this my Batmobile?" And every hour, on the hour, over the entire weekend, he asked, "What did Santa get me this Batmobile for?" Hmm, I wonder...

5. A TENT is absolutely the best gift for creative, imaginative play for boys under age 5, except when they want to park it in the middle of the kitchen while Mom-E and Dad-E are cooking.

6. Children who are obsessive about their jammies will eventually figure out that when Mom-E and Dad-E are tired enought, they can successfully demand to wear "regular clothes" OVER their jammies.

7. For children under 3, obey the 3-foot rule when it comes to Christmas trees: Only put those ornaments which you wouldn't mind being pulled off (and broken) 3 feet off the ground and below.

8. Boys will wear sweater vests to church in exchange for Scooby-Doo fruit snacks.

9. Coming home from church on Christmas Eve with one child with a bloodied lip and forehead bruise, and another child who dropped 2 Legos in the potty constitutes a "success." And Legos are magnetically attracted to toilet bowls.

10. Everything in moderation sometimes includes children. I must admit that the hour of peace and quiet I earned by going to the grocery store on DAY 8 of my vacation was a nice present.

11. On Christmas morning, it never fails that 1 child will want to play with new toys outside, while the other insists on staying inside to play. (See #6 above to make the "inside-child" willing to play outside.)

12. A Dustbuster is an acceptable gift for a full-term pregnant lady, so long as she's lying on the couch eating chocolate while you're using it.

13. If your children watched it for the first time over the vacation, forever and ever "The Wizard of Oz" will be a Christmas movie.

14. The best way to make a child lose interest in a toy they already have is to buy the same thing for their sibling.

15. Remote-controlled Thomas the Trains should be required by law to state on the package in BIG, BOLD, CAPITAL LETTERS that they require 6 SIX! AAA batteries to operate.

16. Be sure to ask Pa-pa just how big the toy garbage truck is before giving the "ok" to order/ship, only to find out that it's 12"x14"x24".

17. Children are very attuned to other kids making a "mess" in their rooms, but oblivious when they themselves are the perpetrators.

18. Some children will attempt to strip in church if they think that they'll get to wear their Pupp-E Jammies.

19. Even a 2 year-old knows that you need to dip your "scotti" in milk (Thanks to Kid-neE for the gift of home-made biscotti!)

20. If Bab-E's only knew that their Mom-E's would give them ANYTHING they want FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES if they would only allow themselves to be born about 2 weeks early, everyone would deliver at 38 weeks without an eviction notice.

And lastly, the best part of being a Dad-E at Christmas is the expression on your children's faces when they wake up to see that Santa has arrived (and taking Little Brother to his first movie at a theater.) I didn't need any other presents.

Have a good week as we close out 2009,
Cheers,
Busy-Dad-E