Merry Christmas to You and Yours!

The time is upon us....the Phillips family is about to go traipsing around the globe in search of holiday joy and festivities. Before I take a holiday blogging break, I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Although intended to be joyful, the holidays can be a hard time for many. If that happens to be you, I pray that you are blessed this season and find something that makes you smile even in sorrow or pain.

Although we will be in and out of casa de phillips, we do plan to travel extensively by car and plane this season. Oh yes, there should be many a tale about our journeys considering we haven't even pulled out of the driveway yet and there is so much I would like to share already(For instance, how the husband and I spent a great deal of time masterfully backing in the in-laws van into our garage only to discover we had forgotten to remove the suitcases from the attic first. This whole event went down with Isaac on the other side of the back door crying because we would not let him come into the garage due to the extremely cold temperatures. He sat crying, with his little hands reaching out through the cat door...don't ask...begging to come outside. ). Check back soon, dear reader, because I am sure there will be some drama to recount.

Until then, Merry Christmas and God bless.

...and because it is the season of giving, here are some random Christmas photos. Your welcome.

Pass the Biscuits!

I need a shirt which reads, "I *heart* breakfast" because I really might love the morning meal almost more than my family some days (Don't panic...I said almost).

That being said I usually eat wheat toast and fruit most mornings to maintain a boring ol' healthy lifestyle.

However, on those special days when I welcome such things as butter, sugar, and more sugar into my breakfast genre, I like to whip up fun breakfast creations. Lately such breakfast creations have involved some type of biscuit making as I am attempting to teach myself the art of baking tasty breads.

This is a great biscuit recipe because you can make it at night and then toss it in the oven in the morning while you are still bleary-eyed and waiting on the coffee to perk.

Ingredients:

*4 Cups SELF-RISING FLOUR (must use self-rising and not all-purpose)

*2 Tbsp. sugar

*2/3 cup Shortening

*2 cups butter milk

Directions:

*Sift together flour and sugar into large bowl (don't skip this or you will have lumpy biscuits)

*Cut in shortening until mixture resembles a big bowl of crumbs (don't you love my explanations....I should really write a cookbook one day )

*Stir in buttermilk with a fork until soft dough forms

*Place the dough out on a floured surface and knead 20 times....20, no more, no less. I count out loud which makes me look a bit crazy but perhaps my children are learning something in the process.

*Feed large amounts of raw dough to your two year old to feed his dough addiction

*Here is where you are faced with a decision: You can either cover the dough in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge until the morning or you can go ahead, roll it out (one inch thickness), and cut out your biscuits. Then you simply cover the cut-out biscuits with a towel and head off to bed for a solid eight hours sleep.

*In the morning stick those bundles of yumminess into a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

***Yes, the picture does not match the post....but it sure is cute!

Share Your Story

Since birthing two babies of my own, I have come to seriously contemplate the birth of Jesus. I know the whole no-room-at-the-inn-had-to-use-a-manger birth of our Savior story....but now my questions and contemplations revolve around the actual process of his birth.

Mary was young, pregnant with her first child, she and Joseph were in a barn far from home. Then there is the little detail of the immaculate conception. None of these things equal a positive birth story in my book. Was there pain, fear, or angry words uttered? I wonder if the Lord provided these two young people with peace and wisdom to make it through such a tiring....yet miraculous....event.

Recently someone encouraged me to share my stories with my children....stories of childhood, stories of meeting my husband, and the stories of giving birth. Obviously I could ramble on about such things for hours with Evelyn and she would be content to hear Mommy talk and tug at my hair. It has become a recent experience with Isaac to share such family tales. I retell these stories on a two year old level and Isaac is enthralled. He does not fully understand such concepts of marriage, of Mommy and Daddy being young, of what it actually means when a baby is born....yet the stories are more magical and powerful to him than any tale Disney can create.

I wonder if Mary told little Jesus of the glorious night that He was born. I wonder if he sat at her feet as a small child, loving to hear details of how He fit into their extraordinary family. What a story Mary had to share.

It is this time of year that we are reminded of Mary's incredible story....of the adventure of two young people and the birth of one baby who would bring Grace to the world. I encourage you to share this story and as you do, share the other stories of your life with your children. They will be blessed.

JOY!

Isaac learned a hard lesson today....is not so much better to give than to receive.

Today was the big Christmas party at his preschool, which included a book exchange. I have been hoping that all fever would reside so Isaac could be in attendance. He went off to school this morning...the picture of good health....back-pack, wrapped book, and party supplies in hand.

He left school, red-faced and teary-eyed. Seems that despite my countless efforts to explain that the book we wrapped was for someone else, Isaac thought the Curious George book he had carefully helped me decorate was his. His little two year old heart was broken for most of the afternoon.

Teaching a child to give with a happy heart is a struggle, especially in a society that is frighteningly becoming completely "me" focused. Yesterday I saw a shirt for a baby that read, "I *heart* Me!" Seriously? People want their sweet faced baby toddling around proclaiming an intense love for themselves?

Oprah the other day was about a group of women who stepped out and put themselves first, rather than others. I am all about have personal time, but this mentality of "Me first, all you other people a distant second" scares me.....especially when it comes to raising children. I fear that we are rapidly running away from that very basic Sunday School principle of "JOY" (Jesus first, Others Second, Yourself Last). It seems like quite the elementary concept, yet holds such value.

Tonight Isaac went to bed with a big smile on his sweet little face, despite the fact that his massive home library was still without "Curious George and the Snowy Day." The wonder of being two is that although minor events in life can cause major drama in 0.6 seconds, one quickly recovers and continues on with their day.

...that is until the next world-stopping catastrophe hits and the tears start all over again.

Drumroll Please.....

For those of you whose address I do not possess and for those of you who I might not actually know, here is our 2007 Christmas card. Kinda at http://www.mykindacard.com/ did a fantastic job. (By the way, this is copyrighted material....just FYI in case you were contemplating copying it and sending it out as your own holiday greeting....which not only is illegal but quite odd as well.)

The little girl in the picture felt the need to cry for hours on end late, late Sunday evening (or perhaps early, early Monday morning???). Good thing she is so cute. Nothing was wrong, she just wanted to make sure I was still around. Perhaps I should be flattered, but there are not many neural connections going on in my brain at 2:45am.

The little boy in the picture is battling a fever and informed us at the dinner table last night that his "sup-ter was boring." It was leftovers, so yes indeed it was boring, but we are not sure where these phrases are coming from.

Last week at preschool he actually used the ba*hroom on the pot*y (another girl is pot*y-trained....peer pressure can be a wonderful thing in some situations). I had put off all discussion of such training until after we are done traveling for the holidays, but he has taken a vested interest nonetheless. Yesterday morning after breakfast, he requested a visit to the facilities. Armed with a mini-library of books, he set up camp in the ba*hroom. Every few minutes I would poke my head in and ask if he was finished, to which he would reply, "Not quite yet."

His phrases slay me some days.

After a good twenty minutes of reading, he finally accomplished his task and went on with the day....until he realized that requesting a second trip to the restroom was a great way to delay naptime. This morning he again experienced multiple successes in the ba*hroom, so it appears that this holiday season we will be toting around two pack-n-plays, sippie cups galore, festively wrapped packages, and a portable pot*y. Good times indeed.

As he was finishing up a leisurely lunch this afternoon (all meals are leisurely with our boy), he started questioning as to what happened to the bug. Not really understanding what he was talking about, I kept dismissing the question with a casual "Um, don't know...let's eat (so Mommy can enjoy quiet time while everyone naps)." Isaac was relentless, looking for his "lit-le bug." I was unaware to the fact that he had been dining with a friendly insect, whose apparent sudden disappearance was becoming quite troublesome to him. I looked around the table and (thankfully) found no "lit-le" bug, so I did what any mother who was attempting to get her kids down for a nap would do....I told Isaac his "lit-le" bug must have returned to his "lit-le" bug home for a "lit-le" nap his own self. Whatever works, my friend.

Christmas Tour of Casa de Phillips

I am playing along with BooMama (whose blog you MUST read because it is nothing short of hilarious) and hosting a Christmas tour of my home.

So pour yourself a steaming cup of hot chocolate, overflowing with marshmallows and sprinkles because that is the only way to drink it, and welcome to casa de phililps at Christmastime.

First, the tree....We purchased this little tree during after-Christmas sales the year we were engaged. Sadly, this is the final year this Christmas tree will be with us. It has been faithful for seven Christmas seasons, but is getting old (and is currently being held up with a few back issues of Sports Illustrated) and is going into retirement.

I must point out that I only decorate and wrap presents in red and gold....mismatched paper and decor make me a tad anxious.
Saturday night, husband and I attended a Christmas concert by our local symphony orchestra. Apparently we also enrolled in the "Sweater of the Month" club as well....
The Christmas we were engaged, I made ornaments with each of our names on them. For those Days of Our Lives fans...does this remind you of anything? For some reason I decided to make Tobe's silver and blue (and have an unintentional Dallas Cowboys feel), which does not match the whole red and gold theme. I have offered every year to make him a new one, but he wants to stick with the original.


Isaac and Evelyn's ornaments




The Rocking R....the farm brand from Tobe's Grandparents farm. I made these one year for his entire extended family.Our tribute to our respective home states....these always hang side by side on the tree Our Piano

The fireplace....eagerly awaiting two more stocking holders so Tobe and I can hang our socks next to the children's.

Because we live in an area that doesn't see much cold weather, there really is no reason for us to have a fire roaring in the fireplace. I chose to place greenery, large ornaments, and Christmas lights in there instead. My Santa collection....each year I purchase a new Santa. I always write the date on the bottom of his foot so I can remember which Santa was purchased during what year. I began a snowman collection for Evelyn this year, which means she has better come to love snowmen or she is going to dread her holiday decorations each year.
The Kitchen Table...which I keep "set" during the month of December. The tree on this table is decorated with cookie cutters and is often redecorated many times during the day by an unnamed toddler.
Something new we started this year is eating dinner by candlelight every night in December. Although this can be a bit tricky with a curious two year old, it does set a relaxing and mellow mood for the evening.
This is just a sampling of our Christmas decor....we have decorations throughout the house, including trees in each of the children's rooms, our room, and the guest bathroom.

Because you were so kind to stop by and tour casa de phillips, I want to share the (in)famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cookie Recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (Use the real stuff....your cookies will thank you)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

48 red M&M's (approx.)

96 mini chocolate chips (approx)

Pretzels, broken into 96 1-inch pieces

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees

*Beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars on med. speed for about two minutes

*Add egg and vanilla..beat until combined

*Sift together dry ingredients, then slowly add to wet ingredients

*Roll dough into one inch balls and place one inch apart on baking stone

*Press down light with hand, then get ready to decorate

*Broken pretzels are the antlers, chocolate chips the eyes, and the M&M's are the nose. I had better results decorating before baking, although you can do it immediately after cookies come from the oven if you prefer.

*Bake for about 8-10 minutes

Merry Christmas!

Bring God Your Broken Cookie Pieces

Yesterday I spent a great amount of time in the kitchen baking in preparation for a holiday cookie exchange at my monthly MOPS meeting. Isaac was my sous chef in the dough making process (I am a bit hung up on the whole "sous chef" thing, as you might have guessed). Baking with kids is a great way to teach various math skills and enjoy quality time together and I attempt to have Isaac help me in the kitchen whenever he can. In the morning we poured, mixed, stirred, and chilled large amounts of dough.

As soon as nap time began, I set about baking and decorating my cookies. This, too, would have been an enjoyable activity for my two year old, but I wanted my cookies to look cute. Two year olds don't know how to do cute.....just messy and destructively messy. I baked and decorated 3 dozen reindeer cookies, painstakingly placing mini chocolate chips as eyes and red M&M's to serve as the nose. Pretzels were cut with a serrated knife to serve as little antlers atop the peanut butter cookie head.

Two hours later I surveyed my masterpieces, deciding which were the cream of the crop to be placed on my cookie exchange platter and which were the rejects to serve my family. I wrapped my platter in decorative cellophane, tying it with a coordinating ribbon, snowflake ornament, and tag.

This morning I gathered both children, two diaper bags and a purse, and my beautiful cookies and off we went to MOPS. Isaac and Evelyn were both deposited into their respective classes, then I rushed back out to the car to get my festive platter, brimming with cute Reindeer cookies.

I bet you can imagine what happened next....

I dropped them.

Upside down.

On the gym floor.

Antlers were broken off in sad little pieces, noses were without a face, and that beautiful ribbon/tag/ornament combination was askew.

A perfectly good nap time wasted.

Because I am feeling introspective this afternoon (must be the weather), here is the little lesson I learned from my experience (aside from not hurrying while wearing boots and a skirt in wet weather): I missed out on a perfect opportunity to spend quiet time with one of my children because I was seeking perfect cookies simply to impress others. I missed out on some family time last night because I was still packing away my cookies and cleaning up the major mess I had made in the kitchen during the creative process. I missed out on a nap because I devoted my free time to making sure eyes were even and antlers were straight.

Sometimes I put too much focus and energy into making my plate of cookies look beautiful and flawless which causes me to neglect the important areas in my life. God does not ask that our life cookies resemble a Martha Stewart creation. Rather He asks us to bring him the broken pieces, because He is the only one to make us whole and perfect.

As the holiday season is beginning to hit crunch time, take a minute to check your priorities. Make sure that your focus is set on God, your family, and creating a sense of peace in your home and not on attempting to make everything cookie-cutter perfect.

And to the Mommy who received my broken cookies at the exchange this morning....just pull out a spoon and dig into those crumbs. I am sure Rudolph is just as tasty in little pieces.

Surviving Dinner

There was a time...not too long ago...when dinner preparation involved complex recipes, the news on in the background, and my ability to chop up an onion without having to search for the missing Pirate from our Little People collection. Those days are gone, my friend....and in its place is sometimes 45 minutes of pure chaos.

I am a lucky wife...for many reasons...one of those being that my husband usually arrives home from work before 5pm (We won't discuss the unheard of hour he leaves for work each morning to make this possible). He is barely inside our house before he begins pitching in with the children and helping me in the kitchen (despite a deep hatred of cooking, he is always willing to serve as sous chef). This helps ease the 5 o'clock crazies that tends to be programed into children's little brains

"Oh, its 5pm....I must now demand everything, then cry dramatically when I receive it. I must somehow manage to fall, bump my head, or bang my elbow every 2.7 seconds. I must cry that I am hungry and then refuse to eat when dinner is served."

Two year olds can go from sweet, angelic little things into a whirlwind of crazy in 0.3 seconds once that clock chimes 5pm.

Some days dinner preparation is a breeze. And then there are days like Tuesday. Tuesday Tobe phoned me to say he was just leaving the office at 5pm. He has about a 30 minute commute on good traffic days. Tuesday was rainy, foggy, and cold which makes even the best city driver reverts to his early defensive driving class days. I did not expect to see Tobe before 6:30pm, which meant I was tackling supper....and the 5 o'clock crazies....alone.

Because I get quite anxious when things are not planned (this does not surprise some of you in the least), I plan out each week's meals in advance. Tuesday night's dinner was chicken pot pie (using leftover chicken from Monday night's Inside-out Chicken Enchiladas....smart, huh?), which is simple enough. I set up some toys for Isaac before he had a chance to request Mommy as a playmate and plopped Evelyn in the exacauser. Then I went about mixing and rolling out the pie crust. Isaac's sixth sense kicked in when he realized there was raw dough available in the kitchen. After ingesting an unhealthy amount, he returned to the "giving room" (you likely call it a living room) to play, after attempting to "help" by unloading the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I made the pot pie and stuck it in the oven, only to realize five minutes later that I forgot to add the broth and cream. Out comes the pot pie. I try to channel my best surgical skills as I remove the top pastry, pour in some liquid, and return it to the oven. I then return to the "giving room" to play with the children while our supper cooks.

It was then that I noticed the tell-tale smell of a dirty diaper. I pinpointed the culprit as Evelyn and took her off to the changing table, promising Isaac a quick return. As I was removing E.'s pants, I noticed that this was not a normal dirty diaper.....it was an explosion. So much of an explosion that I was forced to call my 2.5 year old in as an assistant. By the time the offending diaper and soiled clothes were removed, Evelyn was pretty much covered in the mess. Somehow Isaac managed to knock over the wipes warmer, which sent our new free wipes spiraling to the floor in a jumbled mess. In his quest to help, his hand became soiled. Off he went to wash them while I started a load of laundry (it was that bad, dear reader). I checked on dinner, redressed Evelyn, and went in search of Isaac. Apparently "washing hands" had morphed into "cleaning the entire bathroom with copious amounts of water." I dried him off, went to wash my hands in my bathroom, and returned to Evelyn's room. She must have looked quite bored because Isaac had removed half of the bathtub toys from their designated colander and placed them around Evelyn....complete with leftover bath water and soap scum.

This is a sampling of our struggle some nights to make it to the dinner table sane, in one piece, and with enough of an appetite left to choke down a meal. I believe in the importance of the family sitting down at the table each evening to share a meal together.....I also believe some evenings after I have said, "Eat your supper", "Don't stick applesauce in your ear", "Only one sock per foot" a minimum of 63 times each, I want fake a sudden onset of the stomach bug simply to hide out in the bathroom for the rest of the evening.

Of course all of the bathtub toys have been relocated to Evelyn's room, so what's the point?

How do you survive cooking and eating supper on those crazy days?

If You Thought Lead in Thomas was Bad.... **Updated

Being the medically involved person that I am, I receive email updates from WebMD (okay, I am really not that medicine-oriented. The truth is I do not know how or why I recieve emails from WebMD). Apparently the latest recall is 1 million doses of the Hib vaccine distrubed by the fine people at Merck. Most likely if your child is on a set vaccine schedule, then they have been given this series starting at 2 months. The recall was prompted by the notion that the vacinine may have been contaminated with bacteria while in production.

Check out this link for more details.

Because we currently are vaccinating Evelyn on the recommended schedule, she was just given this vaccine a few weeks ago at her six month check-up. I am not worried, but I did call the pediatrician's office a few minutes ago to inquire if their stock is part of the recall (if so, do I mail Evelyn in for a replacement baby?). I win the "Paranoid Parent of the Day" award because the receptionist had not heard of such a recall and acted like I had a touch of the crazy Mommy syndrome.

UPDATE: I have since talked to our Pediatrician's office and they did not have a contaminated batch of vaccine. Looks like we get to keep Evelyn for Christmas rather than shipping her off to China to be fixed.

A Boy after My Own Heart

The other day I walked into the kitchen to find Isaac standing in front of the pantry, the doors wide open.

I asked what he was doing (and cursed the fact that he finally figured out how to open our handle-less cabinet doors), to which he casually replied, "I am lookin' for some cookies."

Because we are mean parents over here at casa de phillips, he had to settle for some organic cheddar bunnies (We love our cookies....however our waistlines do not, so we keep no junk food in our house).

Yesterday afternoon after naptime I asked Isaac what he wanted for snack.

He sweetly replied, "Um....just some dough."

It was then that I was 100% sure had been no mix-up in the hospital nursery 27 months ago and this little boy is completely mine.

Soup's On!

This little girl turns seven months old today:
(This picture was taken last Thursday morning, when I found Evelyn sitting up in her bed all by herself. She has been sitting unassisted for about a month now, but I had no idea she could pull herself into a sitting position.)

Seriously, the time is sprinting by at unforeseeable speeds. I handed her some toy rattle today and she just looked at me as if to say, "Seriously? You want me to play with this old thing? Where are the Little People? Let's break out some crayons. Anything, but the baby toys." Sigh.

Because I can tell I am about to spiral into a post discussing all things Evelyn (how she is working on perfecting the "little girl squeal", how anything Isaac holds she must have now., how she can wear any bow and look baby fabulous, and how her little legs are not quite so little anymore and nine month clothing is on the short side these days), I will demonstrate a bit of restraint and instead share something else.

Since I am going to show such discipline and not speak about my children, I must then speak about food.

It is currently quite chilly where casa de phillips is located, which means the perfect opportunity for me to pull out all my "Cold Weather Recipes." Below is a favorite dish to warm up a chilly night.... which we happened to dine on last night. Enjoy!

Inside-Out Chicken Enchiladas

Courtesy of Alison

4 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 lb of Mexican Velveeta (try the Pepper Jack Velveeta instead to add some kick)

1 can Rotel

Shredded cooked chicken (save time by purchasing a Rotisserie Chicken at your grocer's deli)

1 Carton Half and Half

Enough Milk to fill Half and Half Carton

Salt and Chili Powder, to desired taste

Combine all ingredients. Cook over medium low to low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over crushed corn Doritos. Yum!

All Things Christmas

Saturday morning began bright and early with Isaac asking me repeatedly for batteries for his airplane while I made Christmas tree shaped biscuits and me repeatedly attempting to explain his 4 inch long airplane did not require batteries. This conversation went on for about thirty minutes, until my morning cup of coffee cleared the sleep-induced cobwebs from my brain and I remembered that such talk with a two year old is futile. I then gave him a set of batteries and he entertained himself for quite the while as he attempted to place them in the airplane. Being the mature Mommy that I am, I refrained from saying, "Told you so." when I found the batteries abandoned on the counter later in the day.

This weekend was all about Christmas at casa de phillips. We love the holiday season at our house and try to fit in as many festive activities as possible. The struggle is making sure our quest for ultimate holiday fun does not backfire and we wind up with a family of Grinches, overstimulated on Christmas lights and hot chocolate. Poor Isaac has been asking since November 24th, "Christmas on Saturday? Christmas on Wednesday?". He hasn't quite figured out the whole holiday season leading up to Christmas day, although now he does say, "It Christmas time, not Christmas day." Who knows if it will all come together in his little head on the 25th or if in March he will still be reciting his "It's Christmas time" mantra.

This weekend, we saw Santa and the crew (which involved lots of crying and shying away....so no pictures were taken), ponies and horse drawn carriages were ridden, Christmas lights were viewed, goodies were consumed, holiday trains were watched, and we even managed to squeeze in a trip to a local holiday hotel hotspot.

Saturday afternoon found us shopping at my all-time favorite grocery store, Central Market, for a hostess present needed later that night(Tip: Gourmet pancake mix and specialty syrup make a great hostess gift for your next holiday party). While Tobe and Isaac paid for our stash, Evelyn and I set out for the boutique next door to find suitable wrapping for the hostess present. As we were checking out, the girls behind the counter were all talking to Evelyn (who was in the Bjorn). One inquired as to what her name was. When I said, "Evelyn" the check-out girl gasped in delight and said, "OH, After Pearl Harbor!!!!"

It took me a minute to comprehend exactly what she meant because I was thinking of the actual Pearl Harbor and did not see any connection between this terrible event in our nation's history and my six month old daughter. Then I realized, this sweet girl was a teenager and she was referencing the Ben Affleck movie. The girl went on for a solid five minutes about the love triangle in Pearl Harbor, in only a way a teenage girl can without taking a breath or really ending a sentence before moving on to the next one. She finally stopped long enough to ask if I had indeed named my child after a character in the movie. When I told her we had chosen the name simply because we liked it and I had never actually seen the movie Pearl Harbor, she looked at me as if I were suddenly the oldest, uncoolest woman she had ever encountered.

Our Christmas spirit spilled over into today as we completed some holiday crafts and then bundled up to put our Christmas cards in the mail. Each year I select a verse from a Christmas carol to adorn our card. As we hopped in the car this morning to set off for the post office, the carol from this year's card was on the radio. Convinced it was a sign of all things happy and Christmasy, we drove to the post office....only to find complete and total chaos. Apparently our local postal service felt like December was the perfect month to tear up large portions of their parking lot, leaving few parking spaces and narrow driveways for cars to navigate. Intending to simply drive up to a free-standing mailbox and send our letters on their way, I was stunned to find out that the mailboxes were now positioned on cars' passenger side doors due to the designated flow of traffic. Neither child had on a coat, Isaac's hair was not combed, and I was sporting shoes that did not match my outfit. There was no way we were going to all get out and go inside the post office.

I circled our car round and round the tiny lot until a space eventually became open. I then grabbed my letters, turned the car off and locked it, and ran as fast as I could to the outside mailboxes before someone notified authorities that two small children were left alone in a car. As I was running back, in shoes that were not meant for such athletic endeavors, I somehow managed to fall in the busiest parking lot in town. Lovely. Fortunately nothing was bruised but my ego.

Despite our post office mishap, Christmas cheer is running crazy here at casa de phillips. We still have quite the list of holiday activities to complete in the upcoming weeks before the tinsel and lights are tucked safely away in the attic.

I am pretty sure "falling in front of 50 angry postal customers" is not on your Christmas activity list......however, what are some things your family tries to do during this holiday season?

Temporary Good-bye to Mommyville

Last night I traded in my Mommy uniform of track pants and coordinating jacket for green satin. That's right...I tossed the non-athletic tennis shoes for heels and hit the town with my cute husband for his work Christmas party....minus the children.

A good time was had by all, especially since the buffet line consisted of Mexican food and there wasn't a chicken nugget in sight. Because I spend the majority of my time with the under three-foot crowd, I attempted to brush up on my current events beforehand in order to have something other to discuss than spit-up, diaper rash, and the theme this week at library story time. Everyone was quite gracious and I enjoyed watching my husband doing his thing among his co-workers. Sometimes I forget normal adult conversation can consist of topics other than figuring out the word's to the Elmo's World theme song or if The Children's Place is currently have a sale. It is nice to transform from Mommy into an actual adult from time to time.

Today I have left the role of festive holiday partier and become plain ol Mommy again. The green dress is back on its hanger and I figure the heels would just gather quite a few wood chips at the park today so my feet have found their way back into tennis shoes. I have already discussed how Play-doh is not meant to be stuck in one's ear and how Baby Evelyn is too young to understand the importance of not eating small toys. Seems that no one is interested in discussing such issues as potential frontrunners in the upcoming Presidental election or how to be green this holiday season, so I am stuck with discussing which Little People figures would like to ride the school bus. And that just happens to be fine by me.

Lookin' for Nebraska

"I lookin' for Ne-bas-ka."


This is what Isaac said to me the other afternoon as I entered the living room where he was playing.


Refraining myself from replying, "Aren't we all?".... because I have finally realized that sarcasm is lost on toddlers and Isaac only thinks I am funny when I talk in odd voices or make my hair cover my face.... I simply said, "I bet you can find it."


Yes, my two year old is looking for Nebraska. Yes, he knows Nebraska is a state. Yes, it is a bit creepy.


I might have mentioned Isaac's puzzle fascination awhile back. It begin shortly after he turned one when we purchased his first puzzle that simply had four large farm animals to put into place. He then moved on to your basic toddler puzzles and then to jigsaw puzzles by Melissa and Doug (24 or 48 pieces). He works them over and over again and knows exactly where each piece resides. Most likely, he can complete one of his jigsaw puzzles before I can. The other day, Tobe was cleaning up a puzzle that had been abandoned on the ottoman, when Isaac casually approached him and said, "That not right."


Recently, Isaac has moved on to a puzzle of the 50 United States. He can complete the whole thing by himself and can identify at least 25-30 states by location on the map and by individual puzzle piece. This is why his mention of Nebraska did not phase me in the least. States are a normal topic of conversation here at casa de phillips these days. My geography skills have greatly improved in the last week since the majorty of our dinner conversation revolves around Tobe asking Isaac where certain states are located.


In case you are in need of brushing up on your states or perhaps you happen to be traveling to Nebraska during this holiday season, just swing by casa de phillips and Isaac can help you out.

(***I have a video of Isaac working the puzzle but it is taking CENTURIES for blogger to publish it. Seriously, the child might be in fourth grade before it ever downloads. Check back later and maybe blogger will be my friend. Until then, I am posting this random picture of my children.....just because I can.)

All I Want For Christmas....is a package of diapers

Last night Tobe and I were writing out Christmas lists for Isaac and Evelyn, attempting to decide what they needed. As we surveyed the living room, which resembles a ransacked FAO Swartz after a big sale rather than the Pottery Barn showroom look that we prefer (however , it is minus a basketball goal which was relocated to the garage for the holiday season), we quickly came to the conclusion that there is nothing these two children need this Christmas....except diapers.

When we realized that our family was going to be blessed with children 21 months apart, we longingly kissed our bank account balance good-bye knowing that we were going to be shelling out big bucks to diaper two sweet little bottoms. I have researched purchasing diapers on-line, through diaper services (they don't just do cloth diapers anymore), and price compared the major supermarkets. Basically I discovered the cheapest diaper one can buy is through the large retail chains....when they are on sale....and when you have a coupon. When those stars are in perfect alignment, the cost of diapers is a tad more reasonable.

It is no secret that we love our Pampers brand here at casa de phillips....so much so that Pampers recently contacted us and asked the Phillips family to review their diapers and wipes on our blog. This meant free diapers and wipes arriving via FedEx, which I promptly declared the Christmas Miracle of 2007 (this was the Christmas miracle of 2005).

Because I have two kiddos in diapers, I have had plenty of chances to test these diapers out over the past week. Here is my review:

While pregnant with Isaac, I purchased diapers for him each week at the grocery store. I was not brand-specific at that point. I simply bought what I had a coupon for that week. Fast forward a few months and our home was blessed with a bouncing baby boy....who leaked out of every diaper we owned except Pampers. I am not the Mommy who loves changing a baby's clothes five times a day, so I quickly returned the other brand of diapers and became an avid Pampers fan. Pampers is currently one of the pricier diapers on the shelves, but the cost seemed worth it if it meant no leakage or extra piles of laundry.

Evelyn just graduated from Pampers Swaddlers, which are about the softest thing one could put on a newborn. Again, we never had leakage issues with these diapers except for when it was time to move up a size. Currently both kids are in Pampers Cruisers. These things are built to last and can withstand a 12 hour's night sleep. Also, we have only had minimal diaper rash issues here at casa de phillips. I believe the the lining of Pampers adequately soaks up the wetness and keeps it from baby's skin. If you have ever dealt much with a baby sporting a serious diaper rash, than you know how important such a lining happens to be.

Pampers also sent us two cases of wipes. We have not been consumers of Pampers wipes in the past because they tended to dry up easily in our wipes warmer and were on the thin side. However, the wipes we were sent were part of their new Stages line and are called Swipers. Tobe was using one of these wipes the other day on Evelyn and he proclaimed that they really do swipe quite well. In fact, I have noticed that Swipers get the job done in less wipes than the generic brand that we had been using and have decided to make the switch even after our freebies are gone.

One important thing to remember is that Pampers currently has a variety of diapers on the market, depending on the age and stage of your baby. This is great because it caters to your needs. Also, Pampers has two great marketing tools they utilize. Number 1 is that there is always a coupon in a diaper package for the next stage of diapers (for example, there is a coupon for Cruisers diapers in the Swaddlers diapers package.)to establish returning customers. The key to utilizing such a marketing trick is remembering where you placed these coupons when your baby is ready to graduate to the next stage. The second genius marketing tool is the Pampers Gifts to Grow points. Each bag of diapers contains a code, which you enter into your account on the Pampers website. You can collect points and redeem them for a variety of toys, videos, or Blockbuster coupons. We are currently saving our points to get the Ketrikke Oceana tricycle. If you would rather not mess with saving points and searching the rewards catalog, you can simply donate your points to the Today Show Toy Drive, UNICEF, or March of Dimes (or the Phillips' kids Ketrikke Oceana tricycle fund....).

Thank you, Pampers, for sending diapers our way. Now I just have to figure out how to make the package fit in each kid's stocking....




So, dear readers, what diapers are covering the sweet behinds of your babies?

The Phillips' Guide to Fine Dining

Living in a metropolitan area, we are surrounded by great dining establishments; some of which happen to be within walking distance of casa de phillips. On Saturday we chose to bypass such fine eateries and instead opted to have our breakfast in a fire station and our lunch outside a car dealership. We are a classy bunch.

Friday night when I finally found a moment to sit down, I decided to read our local paper (which we somehow get on an infrequent and free basis). The front page was devoted to an upcoming Breakfast with Santa at our local fire station. The next morning we loaded everyone up and set out for a fine meal of (free) pancakes and some Christmas festivities.

Evelyn enjoyed people-watching and Isaac was thrilled over the idea of eating pancakes while 20 feet from an actual firetruck. Santa arrived in a fleet of helicopters, accompanied by Mrs. Claus (or "that girl Santa" as Isaac has taken to calling her), Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, and a slew of Elves (one who happened to give Evelyn a large piece of chocolate when I wasn't looking....fortunately I noticed and was able to snatch it away. Nothing ruins Breakfast with Santa like your six month old choking on Christmas candy.). We opted not to wait in the terribly long and unorganized line to sit on Santa's lap, but rather were the obnoxious parents who had him pose with Isaac in the parking lot.

Looking for the Helicopter

Random assortment of Christmas characters

Your fire station doesn't have a bag pipe/ drum band?Although we snapped quite a few pictures of our little family dining in a fire station, we did not feel the need to capture our impromptu picnic at the car dealership on film. The Phillips station wagon needed a tune-up and some new tires, so we dropped it off to be worked on. The dealership just happened to be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for any and all customers and we are not ones to pass up free food. I told Tobe that we need to find some random church bizarre to have supper at that evening to round out our day of free dining, but we chose to eat the leftovers in the fridge instead.

If you have been reading this blog for a while now, you might have recalled me stating that I would not attempt the mall Santa because 1. He tends to be creepy and 2. It is ridiculously expensive ($17 for one 5x7 picture that doesn't even come in a paper frame....really?). Today the children and I happened to be shopping at our local mall for new tennis shoes for Isaac (his fit fine on Friday and were much too tight yesterday) when we passed Santa. There was no line and Santa was just hanging out in his big brown recliner. Isaac decided that he did want to speak to the man in red, which he did quite shyly and hesitantly. I decided since both children were being cooperative we would take a few pictures and see how they turn out. The photographer did a mediocre job of barely jingling some bells in an attempt to get smiles from the kids will she managed to hit her camera button a few times. Apparently the task of photographing Santa and children repeatedly has sucked the Christmas joy right out of her. The picture isn't great, but I now have documented proof that Isaac and Evelyn visited an official Santa this year. One day when they attempt to blame their teenage angst on the fact that we never took them to anything fun, I can whip out these pictures and prove that fun was indeed had at casa de phillips.

Finally, because I am the sentimental type, here is a picture of Isaac and Tobe on Saturday and one of the two of them on Isaac's first Christmas two years ago. These pictures melt this Mommy's heart every time I look at them.

Friendly Reminder...

It is December 1st and we have our first Santa picture of the season. I believe it was December 22nd of Isaac's first Christmas that I was still scrambling to find a decent and cheap Santa, so I am ahead of the game this year. This first meeting with Jolly Ol' St. Nick went quite well with no tears and only a smidge of hesitation. However, later in the day we encountered a Santa on stilts and a Santa/Captain Jack Sparrow (unfortunate) combination which proved to be quite confusing for Isaac as neither of these resembled the Santa with whom he ate breakfast with earlier that morning. More to come on that in another post....

As I mentioned, it is December 1st, which means it is time to get those Christmas cards out to friends and family. Check out Kinda's cards at http://www.mykindacard.com/ for some super cute designs and highly competitive prices. I submitted our order on Friday, which she promptly completed and then designed a second option for us as well (which we liked better than our original idea and ended up ordering.). Check out her cards and drop her an email if you see something you like. Then run to the post office so you can stand in line for 4 hours waiting to purchase festive holiday stamps.

Merry Christmas!

(By the way, this is my 300th post! 300! Think of how clean my house could have been had I not been typing away at 300 posts!)