Merry Christmas!

Atticus wasn't sure what to think of Santa when he met him in person, but it didn't take him long to figure out what Santa was supposed to do: bring toys. Last week we heard "I do Santa toys" almost nonstop. When I said Santa only comes on Christmas, it changed to "I do Kiss-muss" nonstop. Ah, the joys of childhood. :)

And Santa didn't disappoint. He brought Atticus train tracks and 10 engines from the Thomas series to put on them. I have a video of him pulling each one of the the box and saying their names, but I've had trouble uploading video for some reason.

He's been entranced all morning, only occasionally taking a break to play with another toy or eat. He wouldn't even pause long enough to look up for a photo. I'd say, "Look at me, Atty!" and I'd hear "No lookamee, no tanks." This was the closest I got:

I'd say this Christmas was a hit.

James and I are having fun watching him play. Oh, and shooting birds at pigs in glass houses in the "Angry Birds" game for iPad and iPod. Man, that's addictive.

I hope all your Christmas wishes came true.

Free iPad???

Go to Frugal Family Fun Blog to enter to win an iPad and an assortment of children's books courtesy of Target!

Sweetness

It's 10:04 a.m., and Atticus is asleep with his head in my lap. The poor boy has a double ear infection, and although he slept soundly last night, either the infection or the antibiotics is making him sleepy. Part of me wants to slide out from under him and go do something productive, like change the laundry or do the dishes, but the rest of me just wants to sit here and listen to him breathe.

Confessions of a wannabe urban hippie

I confess, sometimes I covet what I call the catalog life: I want to be a trendy, fashionable mom who wears whimsical, coordinated outfits and lives in a house full of Pottery Barn furniture, drives an SUV to go grocery shopping at Costco or Whole Foods, and has beautifully dressed, well-behaved children. Oh, and a dog. I want to eat in boutique restaurants and buy gorgeous little boxes of gourmet macaroons as thank-you gifts for my friends. That just looks fun.

But then something happens that brings me back to my real life and reminds me why I love it. Yesterday I went to pick up our first share of food from the community co-op. I'd been thinking about joining for a long time, but it just never seemed that convenient, and I wasn't sure it would really save us money. But I think I may be hooked.

The primary purpose of the Community Food Co-Op is to make it economical to get fresh food into lower-income homes. But anyone can join, and the distribution runs from Nephi to Ogden. You order once a month, and because they're buying in bulk, it ends up being cheaper than the grocery store. Here's what we got for the standard $24 share:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 2 lbs chuck roast
• 1.5 lbs boneless pork spare ribs
• 5 oranges
• 5 apples
• 5 pears
• 1 large celery
• 4 yams
• 1 head romaine
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 5 lbs onions
• 2 lbs carrots

Plus there are optional "add ons" each month, and we got a half gallon of local apple cider for $2 and 2 lbs local honey for $6.

Even better than the great prices was the feeling of community I experienced. When I went to pick up the food at 8 am (practically in my jammies), the people were so friendly and welcoming and seemed happy that I was there. Then when I was checking out, I ran into a woman from our ward that I've been wanting to get to know better. We chatted for a minute, and she told me about a clothing/supply drive her roller derby league is having for a women's shelter. Then she invited me to try out for roller derby in a couple weeks. I might just do it, even just to see what it's all about.

Then when I was driving home I passed the houses of friends, and waved to a friend walking her dog. I've lived in this neighborhood for over 10 years, and I feel like part of a community. I like this feeling, and I wouldn't trade that for anything, not even a cute pair of ballet flats or a case of organic Oreos.

A quieter moment

Meltdown

Last night Atticus was in full meltdown mode, and it was a little scary. He's had meltdown moments, but this went on for over an hour, and it wasn't nearly close enough to bedtime. Luckily I have a creative-thinking husband.

It's like Atticus's brain short-circuited and he got caught in some kind of memory loop (to get all sci-fi): he kept sobbing and asking for help putting on his pants, even coming up to me and saying "hep! hep!" So I'd say, "Do you want me to help you put on your pants?" "Yeah!" But as soon as I made a move toward him, he'd freak out and scream "NOOOOO!"

Like I said, this went on for over an hour, him going back and forth like that over putting on or taking off his pants, eating or not eating something, sitting on my lap or not, etc. Twice I calmly took him to his room and put him on his bed with his blankie and pacifier ("passa") and told him that he didn't need to go to sleep, but he couldn't come out until he had calmed down. Once, thinking he was just attention-starved, I snuggled him close and sang to him. Both times he calmed down, but as soon as he tried to talk or move into the living room again, he'd melt into the same cycle.

James and I were both at wit's end, so James decided to take Atticus out somewhere to give me a break. But Atty freaked out about me staying home without him, so I went along. He was still melting down as we put him in the car seat, but once we got in the car and turned up the radio, his sobs lost some steam within a few blocks. By the time we got to Trolley Square, he might have actually smiled.

Miraculously, he remained in a fairly pleasant and cooperative mood while he ran around the mall. He was flat out chipper when we went to Hires for "fwench fwies." Needless to say, he crashed hard when we got home, and he went to bed earlier than normal.

I do love being a mother. And I'm so glad I don't have to do it alone.

Fy Truck!

On Saturday we saw a fire truck in the parking lot at Costco, and Atticus flipped out. No one was around, so we asked him if he wanted to touch it. Oh yeah, he did. He ran up to it, then touched it with one finger, all careful like. As he went along he got more adventurous and excited, and he was thrilled when we put him on the front bumper. We could barely get him to stand still long enough to take the picture.

Oh, and he's wearing his favorite shirt. When he saw me pull his "wo-bot" shirt out of the dryer, he tried to pull off his jammies so he could put it on right then. Unfortunately it was time for bed, so he had to keep his jammies on. But he got to wear it the next day, and the next two days after that. Three days is my limit.

My goodness, I love this kid.