The wonderful Christmas season is here again! I love nearly everything about Christmas. The Smells, the food, the presents:) but most of all, the traditions. It is so tempting to spoil our children rotten and buy them everything on their 3 foot long list, but is that what it is all about? Jesus is the reason for the season!(I bet this is the first time you have heard that) In our house it is important that our kids understand why we celebrate, and its important we teach them to be giving. One thing I love to do every year is take each kid separately to the dollar store to buy their siblings, dad, and grandparents gifts. I especially love watching the grandparents open these hideous dollar store gifts. But the point is that the kids pick things out specifically thinking of others. And it doesn't have to cost a lot.

Back a few years ago we instilled a tradition for our kids and their gift getting. I don't know about you, but my kids pretty much want everything they see on TV. Last year my daughter could just hear the commercials and yell "I want that!" It became the joke in the family to yell it before she could, which meant we had dibs on it:) One way we have tried to simmer down the gift-o-rama at Christmas is having the kids make their list based on a NEED~shoes, clothes (my boys hate clothes), etc., a WANT, toys, toys toys,.and my favorite part of this whole thing is the
GIFT OF CHRISTMAS TIME.

The last couple of years I have dabbled in "adventy" type crafts, but it's usually thrown together last minute and I am usually a swearing, sweaty mess by the time the stupid craft is done. (See my "Someone almost died the last time we did a craft" post for more details on how my kids we're almost eaten alive). Anyway, every year it seems like it's mid december before I remember "Oh yeah, I was going to make an actual advent calendar this year."
Well not this year... thanks to my new crack like addiction, Pinterest , I've gotten a few ideas to help make the month of December special and full of fun darn it! (My eye is already twitching and my pits are sweating profusely as I type... this is how UN-CRAFTY mama really is:))

So, whether you get your craft on and make some schmancy calendar -OR-  you're like me (and Gena) and your calendar consists of gluing paper together... here are 25 days of crafts and activities to fill those calendars up:) [WARNING: this is just what I'm doing with my children, I don't know if I'm doing it the "right" way, but my point was just to spend more time together and make memories... hopefully I won't scar them in the process:)]

• Dec. 1st Read: Luke 1:31-32, Make an angel ornament.
• Dec. 2nd Make Christmas Tree Decoration
• Dec. 3rd Read Christmas Story 
• Dec. 4th Make Snowflake Marshmallows
• Dec. 5th Watch Polar Express with hot chocolate
• Dec 6th  Read Luke 1:33 & Rev 19:16 King of Kings, Decorate Crowns
• Dec. 7th Read Matthew 2:1-6 (Wise Men) Make a glittery ornament
• Dec. 8th  Read Luke 2:1-7 Joseph and Mary going to bethlehem... play hide and seek and pretend we're on a long journey [yes, this is a stretch but mama couldn't handle another day of stinkin crafts!]
• Dec. 9th Watch St. Nick Veggie Tales
• Dec. 10th Luke 2:6-7 Build forts with blankets to look like a stable... where jesus was born.
• Dec. 11th Luke 1:38 {Servernt} Choose someone (friends family neighbor) to serve and serve them as a family.
• Dec. 12th Read a new Christmas book
• Dec. 13th Read the whole christmas story [yes, again] this time add a Baby Jesus Craft
• Dec. 14th Read Philippians 4:4 {Joy} go get hot chocolates and look at Christmas lights
• Dec. 15th Read Matthew 2:9 {Star of Bethlehem} Make star sugar cookies... [here's a great GFCF recipe]
• Dec. 16th Watch The Santa Clause Movie (or whatever it's called with Tim Allen) ohh and drink hot chocolate!
• Dec 17th Read Luke 2:8-14 Color a coloring page of shepherds in a field [mmmhmmm because right about now I'm sure all I will have the brain power to do is print a coloring page... don't judge!:)]
• Dec. 18th Read Luke 4:3-8 {Bread} Make fresh cinnamon bread and take it to the local teen shelter.
• Dec. 19th Read Philippians 4:13 {Strength} Pull kids around the house on a blanket ... works best on wood floors [WARNING: your BUTT will be on fire and you may not be able to move the morning after you attempt this... well if you have more than one kid anyway]
• Dec. 20th Get hot chocolate and go look at Christmas lights... again... hey we like christmas lights!:)
• Dec. 21st Bake Christmas cookies and take to neighbors
• Dec. 22nd Read Roman's 12:9 {Love} make a love tree... hmmm that doesn't sound right but oh well... draw a tree on a big piece of paper or wall (if you have a chalk board wall:) and then have your kids list off all of the people they love... write the names like leaves on the branches.
• Dec 23rd  Read 1 Tim 4:10 {Hope} Decorate picture frame ornaments with your child's pic in it that say hope to remind them that Jesus is their hope.
• Dec. 24th Make a baby jesus in a manger out of a wooden ball and a mini cardboard box and most likely way too much glitter.. then have your kids give them to you.. hey it's Christmas Eve people baby jesus wasn't born yet... hellooo??:)
• Dec 25th Merry Christmas! Make a scavenger hunt for your kids looking for their baby Jesus'. At the end place him (or all three of him if you have three kids) in your nativity scene...

Being myself is all about true confessions… and in this particular instance the confession is about not being thankful. Well, at least not being sincerely thankful on a daily basis. I’m hoping, dear reader, that you will understand and maybe even relate to this sad state of affairs.
My youngest son is now 15 and my oldest daughter is 32. My role as mom has morphed into one of part time counselor, observer, gym buddy, and friend.

Men, for some crazy reason, have come up with this idea that women are complex, hard to figure out, or just plain nuts...well, the nuts part may be right, but the others???  I beg to differ!  You see the problem is, we only need a few simple things, but by the time we have to remind you for the 5380th time, we start to look difficult.  All the while, if you would have gotten it the first time we said it, you would see how simple we really are...am I making any sense???   Just a little side note: I am in no way "male bashing"...I love men, OK that sounds weird, their are 3 "men" that I really love, (maybe 5-8) and the rest of you, I usually like you better than females...oh geez, now I'm really getting in trouble.  Ok, so before I confuse the heck out of all of you, and lose the men because I'm exceeding my daily allotment of words, Ill get to my point.

Please feel free to add to my list in the comments below ;)and men out there...I so want to hear from you on this one!!!


Just in case you are new around here...I'm Gena.
These are my adopted angels and my hunky man! I like to have fun, laugh, and joke around even though I do sometimes have to force myself off of my soap box... so glad you are here for this crazy ride!!

Ahhh Pinterest... I swore I would NEVER be a fan... I didn't understand it at first and then once I understood it I thought it was useless and a complete waste of time. UNTIL... dah dah dah... one day I sat down and didn't feel like working and my house was a mess but we all know I didn't feel like cleaning either. So I logged on... and 1.2 nano seconds later I was hooked. No longer could I pass my computer or my phone without getting sucked in to finding the perfect 50s housewife saying taking a quick peak to see what new pins might be calling my name. In the tub, cooking dinner, at a stop light, picking up my son from school... are all now 1000% occupied by pinning! Everything from nasty crocheted man shorts to chubby 10 year olds with mullets end up on my boards. Sometimes I go straight from pinning the workout and body I want to have, to finding a creamy, cheesy, full of butter Paula Dean bacon potato dish.  There's just so much AND really, I can actually justify spending my brain dead time this way because... hey there's tons of crafts and DIY's and great recipes for the family... I'm sure I'll even do one someday...maybe... hey, it could happen!

If you're reading today thinking... wait, is this the same woman who just wrote about being present with her family last week?? Let me just say 1) Un-wad your undies... I still love my children and they have not become orphans to this site yet AND 2) I have set up a fool proof safeguard to ensure my kids don't set the house on fire whilst I'm elbow deep in pictures of 17 pairs of dreamy boots and jeans combos... here it is... I can only hit {SEE MORE PINS} 2x's in any given pinning session .... I may or may not go very slow to make sure I see every last pin as I get closer to the bottom... but darn it I have vowed that my kids won't become tragic victims of their mother's crazy addiction!

So without further ado... adu... adoo... crap, I have no clue how to spell that! Anyhoo... here are my favorite pins for the week!

{Funny Shtuff} this made me laugh out loud in the Dr's office... sitting by myself... 


{Cute Hair} I may or may not have attempted this...


{Cool Stufff!} Ummm of course, is there anything cooler?? I mean really!


{My Style} and favorite category... a girl can dream right?


{For The Home} The caption on this says... I don't have a dog but I have a 4 year old... AMEN!


{FOOOOD!} OK I lied I think this is my favorite category!


{Keeping my monkeys occupied and out of trouble} who doesn't love a nice explosion?


{Christmas} ANNND possibly next week's blog post....


{LIFE} because I am... and so are you...


{How To's} I think even the Anti Martha I can do this one!


Yup... those are my faves... for this week anyway! Wanna win an E.M. T-shirt??? Leave a link to your #1 pin of the week in the comments... and I will choose one random winner at some point this weekend... unless i get busy pinning and forget.. Pin On Ladies!

Pin It

A single wild pitch or errant throw can be enough to let the go-ahead run get that much closer to home plate. Just as a fraction of a second change in the speed at which a bat is swung can be the difference between a hitting home run or only a very, very long out. No, I’m not actually a baseball person, but as the only female in a home of baseball loving men, in Texas no less (Let’s Go Rangers!), I’ve found that “America’s favorite pastime” has become a pretty large part of my life, and in ways I never thought possible…

I made a deliberate choice to build a relationship with the boys in a way that I thought wouldn’t “encroach” upon their mom’s territory. This balance was a tricky thing and as tensions were high (as I imagine they are even in the most civil divorces), my decision was not to risk adding any extra stress to situations that were supposed to be all about the boys, not their parents. So their mom went to the games and watched them play, but I got to listen to the boys tell me everything that went on during the game the next time I saw them. No - it wasn’t like being there, but in some ways it was better. It was special because it was our ritual and it worked for us. I have never regretted making that choice, and I think that it helped bring us to this season.

When opening day rolled around this year honestly, I was probably more nervous that the players. This would be the first event at which the boys would not only have their dad on the field helping as an assistant coach, but also their mom and stepmom in the stands to watch (insert ominous music). So, at that first game I turned into a total chicken and called my sister-in law and her fiancé who graciously showed up to go the game with me. Yes, it was the easy way out, but the funny thing was that the boys’ mom showed up with a girlfriend from work too! Could have been a coincidence or maybe we were both after a little bit of a buffer…. Fast-forward to the end of the season in which we’ve both been in attendance, have cheered our monkey through strikeouts and homeruns, but have not yet actually spoken to each other. The tension builds – what (if any) will be the first words uttered????

Well, the question was answered on our way to the parking lot after the game. While carrying a cooler, lawn-chair, and purse that my 7 year old could probably camp in, she slipped a little and bobbled the cargo. Without even thinking (as my brain was basically tired from the possible scenarios of doom that had been playing in my head for most of the evening) I asked, “Do you want a hand?” and then immediately froze – uh oh!
I think I know what a deer in headlights actually feels like because at that moment I was acutely aware of my world coming to a complete halt as she slowly turned to look my way. Brace for impact!

And the response was….“No thanks, I think all this stuff is balanced so if I let go I’ll probably tip over” spoken with the sort of smile/grimace that all mom’s have at the end of a long day. Then shockingly enough I spoke again, and she replied again, and we continued on in this pattern. We were basically just having the kind of typical, boring conversation that you have with relative strangers who share the common task of hauling the essential supplies of childhood (i.e. junk) home from little league games. Nothing profound was said, however I’m pleased to report that no biting comments were exchanged either. I really don’t even remember much – except for the ever-lengthening stride of my husband (who looked as though he was trying out for the Olympic race-walking team) as he headed to the car in front of us. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one worried about the “initial contact”!

Needless to say all parties safely reached their vehicles and the next few minutes were spent busily loading gear and kids, and doing the parking lot goodbyes that are pretty common for kids with two families. Once safely ensconced in our car (sans kids, as it was one of their nights to stay at with their mom), my husband turned to me and in a voice that was a equal parts curiosity and horror, and had previously been reserved only for evaluating my attempts at culinary creativity, asked,

“Um – Noooo, I don’t think so.” I replied easily and enjoyed my first real laugh of the evening. No, we don’t fit the definition of friends, but I don’t think we’re mortal enemies either. At the end of the day we are polite, civilized adults who don’t particularly have anything in common except for wanting what’s best for our kids and well… that’s good enough for me.

While I’m probably never going to be able to quote ball game statistics or understand the beauty of a 6-4-3 double play. I do think there are cases in which life is kind of like baseball – sometimes the anticipation is tougher than the actual pitch and a solid base hit is enough to move the game, or (in my case) the conversation forward.

Meet the Author...
Katie... is an "extra-mom" of two amazing boys and married to very own her "prince charming". She is definitely one of the smartest mama's we know, she has her PhD in Physiology of Reproduction and is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at A&M in College Station, Texas. Wowsa, she's one busy lady, and we're so blessed to have her visit today!

For some crazy reason, I decided that I needed one more thing to do with my time, so I took up knitting. I don't know exactly how or when this inspiration came, so I'll blame it on Pinterest....apparently the hundreds of hours that I have logged into searching for inspiration finally caught up to me, and now I am a "one stitch" knitter...meaning I know one stitch and I'm not afraid to use it! This new "talent" (I say that lightly) caught my husband by surprise the other night when instead of just chilling on the couch while he surfed between Fox, CNN and ESPN (a past time I loathe) I was whipping together a lovely scarf...(alright, so the shape looks more like a square that my 3 year old would draw, but you get the point...) when my husband realized that "sexy has left the building!" So that kinda got me to thinking...after 8 years of marriage and 2 kids, a dog, a guinea pig and some frogs, was it just a momentary lapse of excitement, was it just a picture of what's to come, or has Sexy REALLY left the building??? So here you go...this is what I came up with to figure it out. I won't however be admitting that these are things learned from personal experience, or if I can give credit to Matt and Sarah some friends that will remain nameless ;)
7) You sit around and knit while your husband watches political news programs!


I put in this little JT video to help us all bring sexy back! Good night...I got to go fish out my lingerie ;)
and remember that if you love us...please share us with your closest 1000 friends! ;)
Just in case you are new around here..I am Gena, one of the crazy Earth Monkey Moms...I am a mama of two little adopted angels (and I use that term because of how much I love them, not because how they behave ;))...I love to learn, grow and laugh a lot...I'll always be honest, like "yes, those jeans do make your butt look big" and I'll never stop trying to come up with new ways to not loose my mind.  Thanks for jumping on our crazy ride!!!

• Kids fed... Check
• Kids bathed in the last 3 days... ish... Check
• Did something fun with each of them today... honestly somedays I don't get the Check for this one.
• Homework Done... Check
• Dinner Made... Check
• Husband greeted... Check
• Jammies on Kids... Check
• Kids to Bed ... Check
• Time with the hubbs... Check

Recently I was listening to “Veggie Tales” in my car (listening because I can’t watch it while driving) and I have found that this is indeed my favorite way to screen children’s movies. Simply because I pick up so much more of the dialog and the dialog is usually the most important part. In this “Veggie Tales,” I believe it was Bob the Tomato that instructed all children everywhere to “listen to your parents, because parents know best!” I chuckled as I heard this and then began to wonder why that was so funny to me?

Do all parents really know best? I’m sorry but no, no we don’t. At least I don’t! There are plenty of topics and issues that I know nothing about, my list starts with long division and should end somewhere around me freaking out at the sight of ANY spider! I don’t really know what I’m doing, I read magazines and books and listen to the children’s doctor, but do I know how to do any of this stuff? NO! Every morning that my children sleep longer than I do (which has happened all of 3 times in the last 6 years) I freak out and decide something must be horribly wrong with them. I sneak into their room ninja style- dodging toys on the ground, jumping cat-like over the rocking horse in order to not wake them. All just to make sure they are still breathing. This whole display usually ends with me doing something totally klutzy like stubbing my toe on their bed and silently whaling a few curse words, as I hobble out of their room, thinking to myself “Oh my gosh I can go back to sleep!” I bound toward my bed (with a slight limp from my gimpy toe), slide under the covers, close my eyes, breathe deep...and then hear the crying as it echoes down the hall. These are my days and seriously most days I’m just surviving, and praying that my kids do too.

                                      I do know some stuff…

     Before I became a mother, I used to sit in restaurants and watch toddlers run around, or listen to babies cry, and totally be thinking..."I will NEVER be THAT parent!"  My toddler will NEVER run around and not listen to me...I will NEVER let my child eat things off of the ground...I will NEVER...(you get the point).  I was that completely annoying person that had this crazy image of being the perfect parent with perfect kids..you know, that person I'm talking about right?  Oh and don't even pretend that you weren't the exact same way!  So now, I guess I am totally eating my words, because I am THAT parent.  (check out that link if you want to see what we said before we were parents!) My kids run around out of control, and they do totally gross things I used to wonder why parents would allow...Anyway...now that I have young kids, I kinda think that I am that annoying person again that looks at older kids and parents of older kids and once again I'm thinking...
Sooooo I have compiled a list of things I say now, that I'm sure will make me eat my words in the future (you'd think I'd have learned my lesson hu? but noooo..)


~My child will absolutely not carry a cell phone until they are 16!!  There is no need for a CHILD to have a phone at least until they are driving.  And even then, it will be LIMITED.

~I will never feel like I have to be at every single sporting event, and when I do miss a game, I won't feel a bit guilty!

~I will never tell the mother of a 3 year old boy to "enjoy these times, they go tooo fast!"  (I'm sure there will be a day when I will forget the "I want to pull my hair out feeling" frustration that this age brings out in me)

~My kids will NEVER wear  those stupid tight skinny jeans...or any other ridiculous trendy clothes! (like jeans hanging off their butts! arg!)...mostly because I was such an example of class and sophistication in the 80"s...RIIIIIGHT!

~My kids will NOT date before age 18!  And in addition to that, they certainly wont get married before age 25...they will certainly listen to my advice!  (did someone just laugh at me???)

~My kids will not play so many sports that we spend our weekends doing only sporting events...I have serious issues with never getting to do anything fun ever, because kids only play sports (I'm so gonna eat my words on this one!)

~My daughter will not wear strapless, or short dresses for dances!  I'm a fanatic about covering up my girl...I might even throw a wrap on any girl that shows up to go to a dance with my son if she is hanging out!  (you think I"m joking?)

~I will always be a COOL PARENT...meaning, my kids will never be embarrassed by me. And they will want to spend time at our house, with their friends...yes, we will be THAT COOL! (can you be mean and cool???)

~My kids will NEVER have computers, tv's or video games in their bedrooms!  (I kinda think this one might stick, check back in 5 years ;))


~And last but not least...My teenagers will NEVER backtalk or argue!
Bwhahahaha....I'm even laughing at myself for that one!!!

Have any you want to add???  Or maybe you are already eating your words!  We would love to hear about it!!!  And please remember to share us...if you love us ;)