Homemade Snowglobes

If you have lots of baby food jars hiding out in your pantry and little kids who love glitter, this is for you.

Add a mini tree or any other tiny Christmas object, and there you have it: a cheap, fun snowglobe.

After cleaning a couple jars, I hot glued some mini trees to the lids. 

Of course, Maddox wanted "to shoot the gun too." So, he helped.

(please ignore the rooster on my head)

I supervised as Maddox dumped the glitter (or "snow").

 I think that was his favorite part.

They turned out quite pretty, even though the 3-tree one didn't hold up through all the shaking. 

I definitely think this could become one of our pre-Christmas traditions.

Tomorrow the boys meet Santa. Their friend Ava is coming too. Hopefully having a Santa buddy will help with the trauma.

Something Naughty, Something Nice

Something Nice:
We made the Rice Crispy Trees today at 8am. I was desperate for entertainment and we all needed a little sugar. Even though more M&Ms ended up on the floor (and in their tummies) than on the trees, it was a success. No breakdowns; no fights. We talked about green and red and triangles, and we counted the candies as we stuck them to the trees.

It was an educational moment, but the boys didn't realize it. They just saw the M&Ms and were instantly happy.

Something Naughty:
I found out the source of Maddox's very stinky room. It used to be an orange, but after weeks or months (who knows) of hiding under Maddox's bed, it was black, molded and stuck to the carpet. I think Maddox is still on Santa's nice list, though. Just barely.

I think Santa would approve of these reindeer.

Hello December!

Christmas is 24 days away, but the madhouse has already started. I'm glad I got on the ball early.

We ventured out to Destin today. The Commons had the biggest tree I've ever seen (other than on tv). Christmas music blasted in the stores and the chilly weather went right along with the season. The boys were all giggles.

I'd like more days like this, please.

Tomorrow the Christmas crafts start. I'm kicking off with Rice Crispy Treat trees. I think the boys will approve, especially when they see that bag of M&Ms.

Rudolph

Christmas is especially magical when you have kids in the house. I love playing Santa Claus and hiding their gifts. I can't wait to see their faces when we decorate the tree, drive around looking for lights, or show them the Nativity and read The Christmas Story.

Rudolph came on tv lastnight. It was a childhood favorite of mine, along with Frosty the Snowman. The boys watched about 15 minutes of it before resuming their game of "let's climb on the bed when Mom's not looking and jump, jump, jump."

But, they'll eventually appreciate it.

Maddox didn't even ask about Rudolph's red nose. He only had two things on his mind:

"Mom, why is that toy sad?" (referring to the misfits)

"Mom, who is that? I wanna see that again!" (referring to the big, bad Abominable Snowman)

BBQ Chicken was a hit!

Andrew told me that my BBQ chicken was better than Jim n Nick's BBQ. And that's saying a lot, because he goes crazy for some Jim n Nick's.

The recipe comes from Pinterest and it's so easy that I had it in the crock pot ready to go at 6:45 am, before I even pressed the coffee button. I'm always looking for tasty recipes that are quick enough for me to make without the boys killing themselves in the meantime. And this one fits the bill.

Crock Pot Chicken BBQ
4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (i threw them in frozen... even easier!)
1 bottle BBQ sauce (sweet baby ray's all the way!)
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

That's it. And it's so, so delicious.

I served it with fresh green beans, salad and rolls. I'll definitely be making that meal again. 

This picture has nothing to do with BBQ Chicken, but how hilarious is it that my wild escape artist climbed in the laundry basket and thought he was trapped?!

He can climb up and down chairs, couches, tables...but laundry baskets? Apparently that causes him great anxiety.

Nakina Drive, Here We Come!

We have a house!

It's smaller than our old house on base and it doesn't have a screened porch, but hey, it's got a fence and once I'm done with it, it will be warm and cozy. For the next ten days, I'll be packing my butt off. I'm a pro by now. 

The boys were a little crazy today. They thought everything in my house was a trampoline. 

It's a good thing our furniture isn't too nice. 

The Hoard

It's true. My child is a hoarder. 

This is his biggest hoard yet. 

It's a collection of toys, water bottles, snacks, socks, and underwear. Oh, and ALL of our washcloths. 

Today, I didn't get as much done as I wanted because a Twilight marathon came on tv. (that means: no packing)

But, I did get to hang out with a great friend, drink a caramel brulee latte, buy some paper towels and make chicken mushroom alfredo. 

Maddox ate four bowls and told me, "Now that's 'dewishes'."  Even super picky Jude liked it.

Tomorrow is a big day. We visit housing on base to see what they can offer us. I'm not thinking about it too much, though, because it makes my stomach hurt. Instead, I'm searching Pinterest for a good crock pot recipe. I think I'm going with BBQ chicken, fresh green beans and rolls. If the chicken turns out yummy, I'll post the recipe.

Stay tuned. Maybe tomorrow I'll find out where I'll get to call home.