Lord of the Crumbs

Okay - I really had to share this with y'all...because I love Lord of the Rings....and Sesame Street...and cookies...   Um.  Yeah.

Enjoy.

MOMday: A Week of Elf on the Shelf Ideas

For the month of December, I am going to share our Elf on the Shelf ideas and hope they help some of the moms out who are having trouble.

With the Elf this year, I actually mapped out what to do each day on a calendar that lives on our fridge.  None of the ideas are terribly time consuming, but some do require a little prep.

December 1
On the day Libby came back to our house, we staged a North Pole Breakfast.  The original printables I wanted to use went with our red and aqua theme this year, but a few days before the breakfast, I went online to get them and the blog had closed up shop.  I'm a graphic designer and totally capable of creating my own, but I just simply did not heave enough time (I was a bit busy writing a book in November) so I turned to Etsy and paid a few bucks to a nice printable (sometimes it's just worth investing a few bucks to take the stress off).  It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was pretty good none the less.  I dressed it up with a tablecloth, plates and wind up trains from the dollar store and a paper table runner that I found at Homesense.

Libby became the centrepiece.

We left the bunting up on the painting afterwards.  It's been a good reminder.

December 2

I saw this one on Pinterest done with just a little round ziplock bowl lid and loved it.  But, when we had the plastic candy canes I bought at the dollar store - I was inspired to tape them to a rectangular lid and make a whimsical toboggan.

Libby was held on with a hair elastic(under her skirt) and safety pin (on her hands).  To hold her to the banister, I used photographers Gaffer tape (I have come to realize this year that having a roll of that around is every Elf Mom's friend - it holds strongly and doesn't peel paint if you take it off in a day or two)

December 3

I saw this one on Pinterest, but not like this.  I saw it as a felt Christmas tree costume...and then I couldn't find green felt at our Dollar Tree!  So I improvised with some white felt I had bought for another project and never used.   I held the two pieces together and put Libby on top of them and drew out the snowman shape.  I cut it out and then cut a "U" in the top of the front piece for her face.  I didn't stitch all the way around.  Just at the top and a few stitches in the middle of each ball.   I was just going to draw on buttons, but the marker didn't look right, so I stitched on some black beads as buttons instead.

Libby knit the scarf herself last year. :)

December 4

This one is super easy for last minute - just grab a holiday book in a smaller size and gather the toys around under the tree. The hardest part was getting Libby to sit.  I didn't want her to be standing and rigid in the bud vase I'd used for the breakfast and the snowman.  But I managed to get her positioned on some bead garland and that ended up working fine.

December 5

This one was probably the most awkward of this week.  I ended up crafting madly and making the hubby help when it was getting late and the girls wouldn't go to sleep etc.  But we got a length of paper chain made and then I couldn't figure out how to string it up around the mirror so I could just lodge her into the rings.

I ended up using the gaffer tape to hold it to the ceiling and then gathering them under the mirror into a hammock.

And wrote her special message on the mirror in a red lipstick I got as a freebie at Sephora (red looks so nasty on me)

Unfortuately, when we got home that night, it was a mad rush and Hubby had to get ready for an appointment and I needed ingredients for dinner and the twins were alone downstairs getting into trouble for three minutes.  Guess what they did.

Yeah - so be forewarned if you are doing anything that involves markers or lipstick and it might be left within reach.   Especially lipstick and girls. (But they did do an impressive job of applying that bright red...too bad it also ended up on all of their clothes)

We didn't know if Libby would be back the next day, since it was impossible to get the lipstick without touching the elf......but...

December 6

The incident on Thursday led perfectly into my plan for Friday.  Instead of simply scribbling on the picture with a dry erase marker - Libby sent a warning message.

I tried to use the gaffer tape again to Tape libby to the frame, but she kept falling off all night.  In the morning, I had to act fast to get a toilet paper tube onto thee frame to hold her better for the day.

December 7

Libby must have been feeling bad about calling the twins naughty. Because she was back with kisses the next day.  I had initially just planned to do the elf kisses (free printable here), but then I couldn't figure out how I would position her with them.  Enter Pinterest and the free printable kissing booth.

To give the booth some substance, and to hold Libby up, I affixed it to a cracker box.  The Breton Crackers come in the perfect size box, though you need to be creative in cutting out the window because the printable is a bit wider.  I kept the flaps on one end of the box so I could tape it to the counter for stability.

These were a big hit - probably because of the chocolate.

December 8

This one is pretty easy too.  All you need is some cardboards, straws, paper and twine....and something to tie the elf onto - I used our paper towel holder.

Tie the elf to the 'pole' using twine, string, yarn, whatever.

Just print the messages onto paper (or cardstock, if you want to make it even quicker - no need for cardboard if you do it this way).  Glue or tape them to the cardboard.  I actually used peel and stick fun foam for my backing which was quick and light and on hand.

The biggest trouble I had was finding toys that could stand up.  Luckily, I found some small halloween size tubs of playdoh and had an epiphany.  Those would not only serve to hold the toy, the weight would keep them in place!  Worked perfectly.

One toy revolt, coming right up...

So, there they are - a week's worth of ideas.  Feel free to steal and make them your own.  And if you like them - please pin them and share with others.

A Week of Streak - Week One

One week down, three to go.  So far so good.

This week brought subarctic conditions to Calgary.  -30C was normal.  Windchills were -40.  It was miserable.  And I opted for my treadmill instead of risking life and limb outside.  You know it's bad when I'd rather be on my mill.

Sunday

I almost gave up before I technically started to streak!  But I hit the treadmill for a peppy little 2k to kick things off right.  So boring.  I knew I was going to need to find something to distract me better.

And I decided to see if compression might help me bear this pounding on the mill...call it an experiment for the week (or month)

Monday

Thank goodness for Netflix - distraction found.  I fired up season 6 of Gossip Girl and 5k flew right by. Blizzard and super cold snap made the treadmill a necessity...

ahh - the be able to run in shorts and a sports bra while the rest of Alberta is in 1000 layers...

Though, I started to realize that day that I need to have hubby move his weight bench.  The new layout of the workout room leaves me in a prime position to be impaled by that olympic barbell.

Tuesday

Repeat of Monday.  Not fast, but considerably more enjoyable.

Wednesday

Only had time for a quick 2k...

Thursday

Decided to give my body a rest and walked my 2k.

Friday

I made myself a deal - 5k on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I wouldn't need to get in a long run this weekend...Friday kicked it off pretty good.

Saturday

But then Saturday hit.  I started off fine, but then a sharp pain in my hip drew me up short.  Pinched nerve.  Soon it became too painful to run and almost too painful to walk.  I ended up slowing my pace to below 12 min/km.  I couldn't get off the mill fast enough when 2k hit...so painful.

Sunday

Today, I woke up without pain.  I decided I'd see if I could fit in the distance today.

Rainbow socks FTW! I needed some happy colour.

I had to run errands in the afternoon so ran a quick 2k at lunchtime and figured I'd try for another 6k in the evening.

Good thing I ran when I did, because we ended up having dinner at my MILs and didn't get home until after 9.  So much for that second run...

But at least I got in my mile for the day.  Streak mission accomplished, even if I didn't get in a decent long run distance - I still got in a higher mileage week than any I've run recently.  I call that a success.

Friday Reads: Merry Christmas Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad is a sweet story about a little critter who just wants to be helpful over the holidays, but every time he tries, something goes wrong - either because he is too small or too "helpful".  As always, Mercer Mayer's illustrations are adorable and full of colour and life.   The story is a good length for a bedtime book.

My girls loved the illustrations and showed remarkable empathy towards the character throughout the book - they laughed when he did something funny, the "awww"ed when he did something breakable, etc... This isn't a book they have been reaching for a lot since, though.  It's not like the Sofia the First one that they "read" over and over to each other since.   That being said, I could see this one being one they will enjoy reading at Christmas time and will probably look for for their own kids one day.

And the Bad Run Blogger Award goes to.....

ME!   *insert wild applause here*

I kid.

I've just been feeling that way as I have been so busy finishing my novel and then Christmas crap ramped up and I vanished from the map.

Yet - I am still running.  In fact - I have run every day since THURSDAY!!!!!

Whoa.

I know!

Thursday, I got in a quickie 4k Runch with Tina 

Thanks, Tina for this pic I stole from your Instagram ;)

Friday - I hopped on the treadmill after my Kettleworx cardio workout and knocked off 2.5k as Run Streak practice

Saturday - I met up with Tina, Michelle and Saskia and we hammered out 8k before we met up with the rest of the Strides Streakers for the kickoff...and then I ran the 1 mile for the kickoff with my Runner Girl, JS! (who I haven't seen, let alone run with, in MONTHS!)

Mid-Run with Michelle, Tina & Saskia (thanks Michelle for the running pic)

The Strides Streakers

Sunday - After the twins were asleep, I got on my treadmill and had a dreadfully boring 2k

Monday - a horrible blizzard struck Alberta.  I went to work in the morning, got in my Core Kettleworx workout and ran out of time to hop on the 'mill in the office gym.  Then, my boss sent us all home early (the storm was REALLY bad).  Finally, I grudgingly hit the 'mill in my home gym expecting it to be as bad as Sunday...fired up Netflix and turned my planned 2k into 5k!  Slow but much more bearable!

Best of all - I weighed in for my Dietbet on Sunday at a whopping 188.9lbs!

Thank goodness I'm tall.

and then, because I have been running in the evenings instead of Pantry Grazing, I am down to 184.4 already!

So I guess I have myself a bit of a Dietbet strategy.  I can probably get there by just staying the heck out of my kitchen!  So that's the plan.  It's not news to me...I just needed this happy little loss to make me remember how important that one rule of dieting actually is.  and I am actually contemplating joining the 6 month Dietbet that starts in early January...

Besides, my Doodle drew this of me today...

It is me going to the beach...I look pretty skinny in that one so hopefully that's how it'll be at the end of May when I head to the beach.

Want to know the funniest part of this run streak thing is?  It's only day 3 and I am looking forward to another 5k on the treadmill tonight.  LOOKING FORWARD to it.  Weird, considering how *insert giant thumbs down with raspberry background noise here* my mojo has been recently.  Almost magical weird.  This may or may not have something to do with Gossip Girl.  I'm just gonna go with it.

Winner! Winner! (Veggie) Chicken Dinner!

I know - I still haven't posted about my last 2 runs, but I'll get there.   Friday and Saturday nights this weekend were concentrated on some serious word count boosting for NaNoWriMo.

I had a stupid derailment to my writing earlier in the week.  Starting last Sunday, I was having barely controllable cluster headaches.  The thing about living in Calgary is that the winter weather systems can wreak havoc with people who are prone to migraines (like me)...by Tuesday, I wasn't writing and I was completely sidelined...until Thursday.  And I still had over 9000 words to write if I expected to win this year.

Friday, the second I put the girls to bed, I locked myself away and started writing.  I managed to eke out 5500 words before I fell into bed exhausted.

Then came Saturday - I ran in the morning and then the afternoon was nuts!  The twins wouldn't nap and they kept me on my toes all afternoon!  I didn't get to sit down to write until almost 8pm.  And with nearly 4000 words still to go - I knew I was going to be cutting it close for a midnight validation.

But I wrote and wrote and wrote some more and, even though my character threw in a plot twist at the last moment, I hit 50,000 words, compiled, verified and...WON!

This book will never hit the shelves, though I may actually get a printed copy done since so many companies offer that in the winner goodies usually...and I really regretted not having gotten The Loracian Stone printed before I started to edit it.  This book is a flaming pile of poo, but it was an awesome creative writing exercise.  I have a few passages I may be able to reuse in my other books but this story sucks ass.  I don't even think it is redeemable as a first draft.

and I'm okay with that.  As always - NaNoWriMo got me writing again and made me realize that it is time to spend some serious time working on The Loracian Stone.  I am thinking that 2014 may be the year I actually self publish that one and that makes me very happy.

In the meantime - I am happy to have my life back for a while...and once again, I proved you can write a book in a month - even if you don't write at all for a week (I missed 8 days total and didn't write the minimum 1667 words on 7 other days).  You just need to make the most of the time you do have to write and actually do it.

Friday Reads: Sofia the First - Holiday in Enchancia

My daughters are HUGE Sofia the First fans so the second I saw there was a holiday book, I knew it would need to be on the roster for this year!

From Amazon:
A snowstorm prevents King Roland from returning home in time for the holidays. Sofia leads her family on a brave expedition to find him, and shows Amber that spending the holiday with loved ones is better than any present. This beautifully illustrated hardcover jacketed picture book is perfect for the holidays, and includes a special appearance by Princess Aurora!

The story is a really simple one:  The holiday is upon them and the dad goes missing.  Because it's a family time, they must find him and they decide to go together.  In true Disney fashion - they find him by listening to the animals.

The girlies really enjoyed - I knew they would, Sofia is their favourite character this year.  I think they were a bit confused about why the holiday was called Wassailia in the book, but they understood the gist of it being a special time.  I liked the lesson in giving that it had when Sofia chose to give her gifts to the children of the Woodsman who had helped the king.  The girlies thought it was very nice that she would do that.

There are no religious undertones to the book, simply messages of tradition and togetherness.  It fits well with the values we have tried to instil in our small family.

After reading the book, the girls were interested in looking at the pictures again for about 4 minutes and then lost interest.  I will probably read it to them a few more times through the holidays but I am not sure it is in the running for favourite book.  The first person dialogue felt awkward in a children's book like this and I almost wonder if it might not have had more impact written in third person.

All in all - if you have a little Sofia fan in the family, this might make a nice holiday treat for them, but find it for as low of a price as possible (I think amazon.ca had the cheapest price so I bought ours there) as I think it is a little steep at over $10 - even if it IS a hardcover.