Our Top 12 Posts of 2012

Happy New Year!!

We're starting off 2013 with a look back at 2012.  We've gone through our stats and found our twelve most popular posts (according to page views) written over this past year.  Some of these come as no surprise to us, others were a bit unexpected.  We hope you enjoy this look down memory lane as much as we have!    

12.  9 Awesome and Unique Halloween Treats

11.  Bunny Bunting Banner

10.  S'mores Croissants

9.  Pillow[ology] by Sleep Number

8.  50 things (other than candy) to put in your child's Easter basket

7.  15 Ideas for getting rid of the Mommy Grouchies

6.  Shaving Cream and Glue

5.  Hosting a Winter ONEderland Party

4.  Ridiculously Easy Fudge Pops

3.  Crappy Closet turned Crafty Closet

2.  Free Tooth Fairy Certificate Printable

Our number 1 post of 2012 was...

1.  101 Ansers to "I'm Bored"

Our Elf on the Shelf is boring and that's ok!

Meet Tommy Teal, our Elf on the Shelf.  He first visited our house last November 26th.  Tommy isn't as crazy as some elves you see out there.  He's actually quite boring.  That's ok and I'll tell you why!

Yes, I do admit that I get a bit jealous of some of the ideas people come up with for their Elf on the Shelf.  I've seen some cute ones, some mischievous ones, and some just plain wrong ones.  However, not everyone is that creative nor do they have time to make those little scenes.  If you are anything like me, you have to set an alarm to even remember to move your elf each night!

Plus, I thought the point of the Elf on the Shelf was to help your kids be good during the holiday season.  Your elf is suppose to sit somewhere in your house all day and watch your childrens' behavior.  Each night he goes back to the North Pole and reports to Santa how they have been.  This is where I have an issue with some of the ideas I've seen and why I think our boring Tommy is just fine.

1)  If your elf is misbehaving why should your kids be good?  After all, isn't he the one who's suppose to make sure your children are on their best behavior?

2)  You are not suppose to touch your elf.  If you do, he'll lose his magic and ability to fly back to the North Pole each night.  If your elf is fishing in your toilet or making snow angels out of flour on your counters, are you really going to leave him like that all day? 

3)  Again, the whole point of the Elf on the Shelf is to watch your kids.  He can't be watching your children if he's being held hostage or hanging out in the freezer because it reminds him of home.

My girls (ages 4 & 6) have fun just finding Tommy every morning.  First one to find him gets bragging rights for the day.  They even have fun tattling on each other to him (and now they don't bug me--bonus!).  They don't care that he just sits there all day without a pretty scene around him.  Don't get me wrong, some day I might come up with something a little more fun for our elf to do than hanging from the chandelier but for now, I'm sticking with the original idea of the Elf on the SHELF.

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?  What do you do with him?

Halloween Costume Disappointment

For the past 6 years I have either bought my girls' Halloween costumes used from Craigslist or from the thrift store, or have made their costumes.  I tend not to spend a lot of money on costumes that the girls will only wear for a few hours max.

This year is no exception for Tottie.  My sweet, little 4 year old wants to be a zombie.  Where she got the idea from is beyond me, but that's what she wants to be.  Sooo...I took a pair of her old pjs, ripped them up, and sewed some red fabric behind the tears.  I then took them outside and stomped them in the mud.  To finalize the costume I will spray some fake blood on the pjs, put Tottie's hair in crooked pigtails, cover her face in grey makeup, and put a gash tattoo on her cheek.  She can't wait to see the final look and neither can I!!

Nutty, however, is a different story this year.  After being undecided on what she wants to be and searching through multiple used costumes for ideas, we ended up buying the above costume new this evening at the Halloween store just to get it over with.  It was $35 and does not include the boots or the rope!  It's a 4 piece outfit: skirt with attached belt, vest with attached undershirt, bandanna, and hat.  Though it looks great in the photo, it is SUPER thin, and SUPER cheaply made!!  I'm so disappointed!  The worst part is that because it is so thin and because we live in a cold state, she will have to wear thick clothes under it or wear a jacket.

Since when did Halloween costumes get so expensive despite being so cheaply made?  Do you buy your kids' costumes new, used, or do you make them?  And, don't they make ANY costumes for kids who live in cold states??

If You Had Months to Live...

Last week my local news did a follow up story on the family of a woman named Amy Taylor.  Her life was cut all too short at the age of 34 due to breast cancer.  She left behind a husband and two small children. What's so different and special about Amy that she made the local news?  It was her attitude and what she left behind for her children that made an impression on many.   When Amy was told that her breast cancer was un-treatable, she chose not to dwell on dying, but to live and to continue "living" for her children even after her death.    Please watch the video below.  I'm warning you though, you WILL need tissues!  I will be 34 at the end of this month.  I can not imagine leaving my children behind, not being there for all of their "firsts".  This amazing woman found a way to be at her children's "firsts" despite not physically being there.

What if you knew you had less than a year to live?  What would you leave for your children?  How would you spend those last months?

For those that are wondering, here is the follow up story from last week: (bring on the tissues again)
P.S.  Did you know, For every new Like on the Twin Cities Chevy Girls page, $1 will be contributed to the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative?  See our post about it here.

News Anchor Bully Response

You may or may not have heard about the news anchor who publicly responded to a "bully" on TV. If you haven't here's the clip:
Jennifer has gotten a lot of feedback about this clip both good and bad.  Some are calling her the bully for responding to the email publicly instead of privately.  Some are saying that instead of bringing to light the fact that she is overweight and is being made fun of for it, she should have said something about the false images that advertisers send out about being skinny.  Others are calling her a "hero" for standing up against individuals who chastise people for being over weight.

What are your thoughts on Jennifer's clip?  Do you think she sends a good message?  Would you let your kids see this clip and would you discuss it with them?  We'd love to know you thoughts!