I broke down and bought this advent calendar this year from Pottery Barn Kids. I have loved it from afar in the catalog for years, but have never loved the price tag. This year, for some reason, I justified the price and bit the bullet...and I'm so glad I did. Now that Addy is 4, she totally gets this stuff and is super excited every morning to pull out the activity for the day.
At first I was trying to figure out how I was going to find 25 little presents, but a girl can only handle so much chapstick. So then my friend Carrie posted on her blog all the activities they were going to do in December and our Activity Advent Calendar was born. (Thanks Carrie!)
We've had some fun activities this month and I look forward to this annual tradition at our house. (Carrie, if you could just continue to list all of your activities at the end of November, it sure makes my brainstorming MUCH easier.
Confession: Sometimes when Addy pulls out the activity for the day and I'm just not feeling like it, I make something else up.
For the record, Santa does NOT motivate Addy to be any better. Here was a bit of our conversation yesterday:
Me: Addy, if you don't listen to what Mom says and you stay on the naughty watch, then Santa will bring you a big black rock called coal to put in your stocking.
Addy: Well, you need to stop saying that because it's a bad word and I'll put hot sauce in your mouth.
(What?!? FYI: never have put hot sauce in her mouth, but not a bad idea)
Me: What is a bad word?
Addy: (yelling now) Black rock. If you say that again then I'm not going to do anything you say and I won't let you go to any meetings.
Me: (Totally confused and have no idea what to do or say at this point. Went from trying to persuade my daughter to be obedient to getting yelled at and losing permission from my 4-year-old to go to meetings.)
Sigh.
This is just one of MANY of these conversations we have had this month.
Any good parenting tips, books, classes?
I may take up drinking, just to take the edge off.
Such a cute Advent! I'm loving it from afar :) Addy must have gotten the hot sauce threat from us... sorry! Griffin & I have several of the exact same conversations. Me: "Griffin, if you do that again you're grounded!" G: "You'll be grounded!" what?! So glad I'm not the only one! Hope you guys have a Merry Christmas. We love you!!
ReplyDeleteLOL I am so glad I am not the only one who tries discipline their child and some how it turns into me being the one in trouble. If only they would send me to my room to take a nap:)
ReplyDeleteHave I ever told you about 123 Magic? Read the book, or better yet get the movie from the library. You and Jonnie can watch it together so you will be on the same page. It is highly entertaining.
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't help, by all means, drink. :) PS. Love and Logic is another good place to start.