At the beginning of December, our Elf on the Shelf returned from the North Pole, and surprised our kids with a Christmas Breakfast! Our Elf, Christopher, has been a part of our Christmas traditions since he arrived a few years ago. Although our kids know the reason for the season, and focus on giving, our Elf adds a bit more fun and excitement to the weeks leading up to Christmas!
This year, our Elf arrived on the evening of December 1st, and set up a Christmas Breakfast for our kids to wake up to the following morning. The North Pole Breakfast is one of our more recent traditions, and the kids always enjoy it. This year, we were down one kid, but next year there will be another seat filled at our table! (We're running out of room!) Since then, our Elf has been entertaining our family each day with his Elf-ish Adventures!
Happy Friday, my friends! The past month has been very busy for me, and I was feeling really overwhelmed. I had so much on my plate that Grant urged me to take a brief blogging break for Christmas, and I agreed. I had only planned on taking a break for a week, but one week turned into two. Although it was the longest blogging break I have ever taken, it was exactly what I needed!
Christmas didn't turn out as expected, but I will save that post for another day! If you follow me on social media, then you already know that Liam got really sick on Christmas, and ended up in the hospital. But in the spirit of easing back into a regular blogging schedule, I'm just going to recap some of the fun things my family did during my long break.
With four kids in school, there are a lot of activities during the holiday season. I'm not sure why that happens, but it tends to make the already busy time of year even busier! I could barely keep up this year!
The Elf on the Shelf. People either love the concept or they hate it! But one thing is certain: It's definitely the most popular Christmas trend these days!
I managed to avoid the hype for so long because the timing just wasn't right. I couldn't really introduce a new concept when certain kids were asking a lot of questions! This year, Dylan and Lexie are both in the know and Lily kept asking why WE didn't have an elf. The timing was right for Lily and Liam (AKA Phase Two). So on December 1st, an Elf on the Shelf joined our family!
Our Elf, whom Lily lovingly named Christopher, arrived with a North Pole Breakfast and a few small gifts for each child. Lily was beyond excited!
But our Elf on the Shelf immediately had some serious competition!
What started out as just a cute picture turned into a fun photography project for the month of December, after our sweet little Liam got into some trouble on the second morning. Liam got a bath, his elf pajamas got a good washing and our Elf on the Shelf project was born. Each day since then, our little live Elf Liam, has been recreating Christopher's adventures!
Here's what our two naughty elves have been up to...
DAY 2
Christopher got into the powdered sugar and made a snow angel!
But Liam, who got into the cornstarch for the second time in one week (once on his Grandma's watch), was the winner. Clearly...
DAY 3
Christopher took a bubble bath in mini marshmallows and Liam decided to join him!
DAY 4
Christopher found an EXPO marker and decided to draw on Dylan, Lexie, Lily and Liam's school pictures.
Liam was just as creative.
DAY 5
Christopher tried to make a sticker picture for the kids and thingsspiraled out of control!
Liam was a BIG fan of this activity!
DAY 6
We celebrated Saint Nicholas Day for the first time and Christopher snagged candy canes from each child's shoe.
Liam decided to snag and EAT the candy canes.
DAY 7
Christopher picked Elsa up and took her for a drive.
Liam took it one step further with some cuddles.
DAY 8
Christopher took the dogs for a walk.
Liam gave up and decided snuggles were better!
DAY 9
Dinosaur ride, anyone?
What Liam doesn't know is that his dinosaur roars, moves his head around, walks and rears up! (Should we use the remote to surprise him?)
DAY 10
Poor Christopher caught a cold...from Little Live Elf Liam!
Thankfully it's nothing more than a runny nose. Every little Elf needs to take a day off to rest now and then!
Stay tuned for more of Christopher and Liam's adventures!
Lily gets so excited to find Christopher each morning and loves telling everybody about his adventures. I bought into the hype, but seeing her reaction each day is absolutely worth it!
Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?
Follow along on Facebook and Instagram to see Liam's Elf on the Shelf reenactment each day!
I am so relieved that the weekend is here! This week was a doozy, to put it kindly. It all started last Friday, when I came down with the flu. By the end of the day, I was in bed with horrible chills and body aches. I was shaking uncontrollably and I kept telling my husband that it was the sickest I have felt in many years. When I woke up the next day, all symptoms were gone except for constant nausea and weakness, which lasted several days.
Meanwhile, Lily got another UTI, I had a 3 day migraine, and we had $1000 in unexpected bills. Needless to say, I was ready to lose my mind. I only blogged once in one week, which hasn't happened in, well...ever!
But I'm back and I'm ready to share a few of my current favorite things!
Life-Size Elf on the Shelf
What started as just a cute picture turned into a fun photo project! We're having so much fun having Liam recreate our Elf on the Shelf's adventures each day!
The Box That Keeps Giving
Anybody who knows me personally knows that I have a chocolate addiction. I could seriously eat it everyday. (Should I admit that I usually do?) Godiva sent me the sweetest gift in the mail: The Box That Keeps Giving! There's one box for me to keep and one box to give away. The gift recipient then gets to keep a box and give one away...and so on! Check out my video to see this fun idea in action. As for me, I'm thoroughly enjoying my own box of delicious chocolates! #GiveGodiva #GodivaInsider
A video posted by Stefanie (@lexieloolilyliamdylantoo) on
Photoshoots
I found a new location for photoshoots today. I shouldn't really say found. I literally drive by the spot at least 15 times a week, but I never thought to stop. It's perfect and I think we're going to go there for our Christmas photoshoot. Lily jumped out of the car because she spotted the fake cat, so I snapped a few quick pictures in one of her adorable holiday outfits gifted to her from Healthtex! That wasn't the plan, but I managed to capture three cute pictures in the 30 second time frame! It was only 28 degrees and really windy, so we got out of there fast!
Thursdays
Thursday is my busiest day of the week. I have to pick Lily up from Kindergarten at 11:40, drop Liam off at school at 12:30, run errands, race home for lunch, pick Liam up from school at 3:00, and race back home to get a few things done before we have to rush back out the door at 4:30. But Thursday evenings are my new favorite!
Dylan has basketball and it's immediately followed by dance for Lily. Grant doesn't get home from the office until 7-8, so my parents come over to watch Liam and Lexie while we're gone. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I LOVE IT. My mom cooks dinner, does all the dishes and cleans up my house. It's such an amazing break after a long week.
Meanwhile, Dylan's best friend is on his basketball team and his mom is one of my best friends so we get to chat for an entire hour. Then, at dance, Lily's best friend has class, too. Her mom is one of my best friends, so we get to talk. I get over two hours with friends, get a break from all of my kids (it's needed at times), and I come home to a clean house and a fully cooked meal. WINNING.
Saint Nicholas Day
We added a new tradition to our list this year: Saint Nicholas Day! My dad's German/Catholic family celebrated it when he was a child, but none of his children carried on the tradition. I decided that it was time for us to carry it on in honor of my dad and his family!
The kids put out their shoes before bed and they were so excited to find them filled with gold coins, candy and a little treat the next morning!
Favorite Reads
Lexie is currently reading a book we received for review called The Briefcase of Juris P. Prudence by J.N. Childress. She is an avid reader and she is loving this book! The book is about J.P. and her friends, who are child lawyers. As I type this, Lexie is nearing the end of the book, so her thoughts will be coming soon! You can purchase this book HERE.
Toddler Must Have
Liam, like many other toddlers, gets into everything! I couldn't take it anymore, so I had big plans to go around my house and childproof the hot spots. Safety Latches from The Good Stuff arrived JUST in time!
I'm not one who was ever big on child proofing. One of the reasons was because I hate all the complicated installation methods. The safety latches from The Good Stuff are a cinch to install thanks to the 3M adhesive backing, and they work PERFECTLY. Unlike many other latches that often take an engineering degree or super strength to open, these latches open with just a light push down on the latch. I highly recommend these to any parent!
Although we don't have the style of cabinets that will work with the safety ties, I have them stashed in my bag for child proofing on the go! Let me just say that they already came in handy at the doctor's office. They were really easy to use!
Scoop Rockers
Lily and Liam got these scoop rockers for Christmas last year. At under $5 each, they are literally one of the best purchases I've ever made. They use them ALL the time!
Snap & Shop
Here's a little sneak peak at a product that is a GAME CHANGER if you have a little kid. I am seriously in love with this amazing, high-quality, genius product! More to come...
Pure Joy!
I always love to end my favorites with a big dose of joy! And who better to spread love and joy than Liam?!?
I hope you all have a wonderful December weekend! What do you have planned?
Happy Friday! Can you believe it's already December and the countdown to Christmas has begun? I certainly can't! This year FLEW by!
Yesterday was a quite a day (to put it nicely) and it kicked the Christmas spirit right out of me. I'm hoping this roundup of my current Christmas favorites does the trick!
SNOW!!!
Okay, so I don't actually love snow. It's pretty to look at, but I hate driving in it and I hate the cold that comes with it! But it is fun for, oh, five minutes!
We had our first snowfall of the year a few days before Thanksgiving, then it went back to 60+ degree weather. The colder weather returned today and snow flurries are in the forecast. It SHOULD snow in December, but after Christmas it can disappear until next year!!!
CHRISTMAS GOODIES FROM TARGET DOLLAR SPOT
Who else is addicted to the Target Dollar Spot? Can't stop, won't stop! They have the BEST holiday items! I can't make it past this section without spending $20. Well played, Target, well played.
HOLIDAY CHEER
This sweet boy of mine is loving all the holiday decor! We're not even a quarter of the way done with our decorating so he's in for a big surprise. Christmas is so much fun when you have little ones around. They just take in everything with so much wonder and joy!
PERSONALIZED ORNAMENTS
We get a new personalized Christmas ornament for our tree each year. I love adding to our collection! This year we got an adorable family ornament from Personal Creations! They have so many cute choices and I love how you can build a family and personalize it. I think this is our new go to for our family ornament and I love the padded storage bag that it arrives in. It's such a great addition to our collection of ornaments on our Christmas Tree!
Personal Creations sent me this ornament to help add some holiday cheer to this post! ( Last name removed for security purposes.)
CHRISTMAS MUGS
One of the few things that I collect is coffee mugs and tea cups. My collection is a bit out of control so I have to pack away the seasonal mugs after each holiday. I love pulling out my Christmas mugs each year and I always add one or two new ones to my collection!
How sweet is that gift basket that I received from French Toast for National French Toast Day on Monday?!? I collaborated with them in September and I was so surprised when this basket of goodies arrived in the mail! Of course, we celebrated by consuming way too much french toast!
LITTLE COSMETICS
Lily received the sweetest mess-free, no transfer pretend makeup set from Little Cosmetics! She absolutely loves it and has been carrying it around for days. You can purchase the makeup individually or purchase the products in gift sets. This set is great for OT, has lots of textures for kids who love sensory play and is the ultimate pretend play toy for a little girl!
DISCLOSURE: Lily is loving this set gifted from Little Cosmetics and we are sharing our love for the product with a blog feature!
WIN SOME NETFLIX!!!
I absolutely loved Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and I'm ready to watch it again! Did you enter my Netflix subscription giveaway? HURRY...it ends this weekend!
ELF ON THE SHELF
Our elf arrived for the very first time today and Lily was SO excited! He brought the kids a North Pole Breakfast complete with little gifts. But that elf, whom she lovingly named Christopher, has some serious competition this year...
What are YOU currently loving right now? I hope you all have a fun and festive December weekend!
Hi! Welcome to Our Five Ring Circus! I'm Stefanie, co-ringleader with my husband, Grant. We live in Pittsburgh with our five kids - Dylan is 15, Alexandria is 13, Liliana is 8, Liam, who is rocking an extra chromosome, is 6, and Coen, our bonus baby, is 12 months old - plus an English Mastiff, two indoor rabbits, and a kitten! In addition to blogging for 12+ years, I'm a photographer, and I volunteer daily for The Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network. You'll also (occasionally) find me on Pittsburgh Mom's Blog! When I'm not too busy wrangling the chaos, you'll see posts about life with littles, what life with Down syndrome is REALLY like, big family living, fashion, recipes, lifestyle, and more! Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to getting to know you!
