elf on the shelf ideas: week two

last week brought our first installment of "elf on the shelf" ideas. if you missed last week's post, you can find it here. 

elf on the shelf ideas: week one

i don't know about you, but with our "charlie" i can use all the help i can get. i still find myself having to set an alarm on my phone like heather does to help me remember each night. there may or may not have been one night this week when i completely forgot and the questioning looks began. #winningatchristmas. this week i'm determined to do better. i also need to be realistic about what i am planning to do each night. if it is too elaborate, i may just throw the towel in. here's to you all of us having a successful week!

day 1: reading the christmas story

we have a great book that my parents gave the kids that has the christmas story read in their voices. my kids pour over that book for hours. each year our elf and his friends spend one quality night with that book as well.

day 2: the elf needs a shave

this is one of my favorites because it can be done in two seconds. it's especially perfect for those occasions when you have forgotten to move your elf and are in a panic one morning. buddy the elf had to shave. we figure "charlie" can shave too.

day 3: do you want to build a snowman?

who doesn't want to build a snowman? our elf cannot get enough of all things winter.

day 4: time for snow angels

snow angel day follows perfectly after snowman day. the "snow" activities continue with our elf (either in flour or powdered sugar) making a snow angel on the countertop. 

day 5: mischievous elf in the printer

our printer has the copy feature so our elf takes one day each year to photocopy himself. we keep the copies "G" rated and the kids love walking around with their funny pictures. (note: it's probably best to print a couple of copies of your elf so each of the kids can have one. you can thank me later when you have avoided the fights over one lonely copy. not that i am speaking from experience or anything like that...)

(note the wrinkles in the copy...pretty sure this was ripped from one child's hands into another's. happy, merry, bright and all that jazz.)

day 6: watching shows with friends

some days a mom just needs a break. this one gives me just that. grab some stuffed animal friends and be the first person to the tv in the morning before the kids are up. turn on a christmas movie and you are all set. the kids will be happy and you can relax for a day.

day 7: a day at the races

this one takes a little time to set up but is fun for the kids to see. buddy always is on the winning car each year (though i'm never quite sure how he manages to beat batman).

there you go! week two, done. enjoy the merry making. i am working to remember it passes quickly so i should enjoy it all and find joy in the process. happy december!

a week's worth of elf on the shelf ideas

it is officially december 1st. you know what that means. moms across america are taking out the elf on the shelf for another year. love it or hate it (or choose to ignore it), the elf has become a part of our christmas culture. i'm going to be honest. i have not had a stellar track record with moving "charlie" on a daily basis. i've learned to write out a calendar with ideas for each night so i can eliminate all thinking as to what to do with him once the kids go to bed. preparation has become key. heather has an "elf" alarm set each night at 9:00 to remind her. my goal this year is to avoid letters written to santa claus by my children in years past. they looked something like this:

"dear santa, could you please ask our elf to move to a different place. it's been three days and he still hasn't moved. from addalynne to santa"

in an effort to help moms everywhere. here is your first week of elf on the shelf ideas. good luck!

day 1: the arrival 

our elf usually arrives on december 1st. if you haven't started yet, don't worry. bust him out this evening. we usually include a letter from our elf reminding our kids to "be good." 

the letter

day 2: the dry erase marker

this day takes very little work. color on the glass frames of some of the pictures of your kids around the house with a dry erase marker. the marker will wipe right off with a bit of index. we leave our elf guiltily holding the marker for the kids to find in the morning.

day three: drinking maple syrup

whatever is good for buddy the elf, is good enough for our elf on the shelf!

day 4: time for tea

if you don't have a child's tea set, put out a couple of tea cups of your own around some stuffed animals and let them have a tea party.

day 5: the bubble bath

this one does require a bag of mini-marshmallows. the kids will love it, though and it is easy to put together. light a candle and play some relaxing music for when the kids come downstairs.

day 6: donut day

i reserve donut day for the weekend. who doesn't love a special holiday weekend treat? this one the elf gets to enjoy too. we hide the donuts and let the kids find them in the morning.

day 7: going fishing

this one requires some goldfish and a bowl. we used a kebob stick, a bit of twine and a paperclip to make the fishing pole. the total prep time is about 10 minutes.

that's it! week one is planned for you! enjoy this crazy time of the year and the magic you get to create for our kids. the time really does move much too quickly. come back next week for seven more ideas!

the fall of the elf on the shelf

i had the highest aspirations this year. i was going to be one of those crazies who has a plan for what "charlie", our elf, will do each night. i scoured pinterest. i made lists. i was organized. i even had a pretty good run. charlie was more creative than ever. i felt like a rock star.

here are some of my efforts. trust me, you'll want to save your applause until the end.

i was pretty proud of myself. i thought i was the toast of elfing mothers everywhere. 

then i got busy...and tired...and sadly forgot all of my best laid plans. the kids didn't seem too upset...until i found this note from my daughter in our office.

in case you had trouble reading it, it says: "dear santa clause, please ask our elf to move to a different place? it has been three days and he still hasn't moved. from addalynne. to santa."

yep. greatest letter ever. sadly, that is my favorite thing that has come from the elf on the shelf this year. i did move him after this...but i think i set my own standards for charlie a little too high. there was no where to go but down. so sorry, charlie. better luck next year. 

no more mean girls

i'm always shocked at how mean kids can be. for my daughter, it started in her three year old preschool class. you read that right, it started when she was three. kids started to say that they didn't like each other anymore. one girl refused to play with her. an older girl down the street called her a baby because she still loved to play with disney princesses.

for my oldest son, mean kids have come in all shapes and sizes. some have picked on him because he is younger than they are. some pick on him if they think they are better at sports than he is. i see it more often than i want to and it always spurs in me my "mama bear" protective mode. if i was being honest, i would just tell you that i want to tear those mean kids to pieces.

then i remember that once upon a time at different stages of my life, i have been less than kind. i don't remember being one of those people who go out of their way to exclude people, to bully, to leave people out. i have too much of a people pleasing nature (and excellent parents who taught me better) to do that. i do, however, remember laughing at people behind their backs. i remember my girlfriends and i in college using phrases like "there's your boyfriend" to draw our attention to a guy whose appearance didn't meet our oh-so-lofty standards. i may not have been a bully, but i was certainly a bit of a snob and i can look back at my younger self and feel ashamed of how much i judged people i didn't know.

the sad thing is, i still know adults who act this same way. mean girls still exist, well into adulthood. i've heard unkind words about how people dress, how they parent, how much they weigh, what their make-up looks like (how shallow can we be?). i've heard mother's criticized if they have kids who are misbehaving. i've heard people's unkind words based on nothing other than outward appearances. mean girls are alive and well. i'm starting to wonder when it will end.

when my own kids come home crying, i am reminded yet again the power of our words. i don't fight back. i don't post horrible things about the offending child on facebook. i don't encourage my kids to fight back. i certainly don't encourage my kids to use unkind words in retribution. i look my kids straight in the face. i tell them how wonderful they are. i pour compliments over them. i tell them ways they excel. i tell them how their unique gifts and talents were designed just for them and that they were created the way they were for a purpose. i tell them that it doesn't matter what someone else might say. i tell them that, whether they believe it or not, no one is exempt from mean girls. most importantly, i ask them to describe how they feel to me. when they share what is inside them, the hurt, the disappointment, the insecurities, i tell them to remember what that feels like so that if they are ever in a place when they have a chance to be unkind, they will chose the high road. if they can recall how bad it feels, i have found that they are less likely to inflict that pain on someone else and more likely to come to the aid of someone being picked on.

kids can be mean. i'm pretty sure i can't stop it from happening. i may just be one of those crazy people who hope that it happens to my kids at least once. i want them to learn compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. i want them to learn from any pain they are caused. i want them to learn that their worth is not dependent on the words of others. most importantly, i want to lead by example. i want them to find me being kind, appreciating people for what they are like inside, and recognizing that someone who makes me laugh is way more important than someone who wears designer clothing. i'm putting an end to whatever version of a mean girl once existed in me...and teaching my kids they can do the same.