Everyone,
I've had a rash of bad luck with the boys lately. Monday, while I was taking my shower, they decided that all of my clothes in my drawers needed to be pulled out. Six big drawers were emptied of everything. When I opened my bathroom door to see what they were doing (after the shower, I am blissfully unaware in the shower) they were rolling in the clothes and laughing. It took me an hour to resort, fold and put away all those clothes.
Tuesday they decided that they were going to turn on all the electronics in my room. My tiny TV that I use to do my exercise videos on, my cd player, etc. They actually got a cd out of the player and have lost it. I've looked everywhere for it in all the normal places; drawers, boxes, bathtub. This prompted me to put the electronics on a power strip out of their sight so if I want to use those things, I just have to flip the switch. Plus, it might also save us a tiny bit on our electricity bill.
This morning they found Butterfly's markers and drew all along the bottom of my bed. My bed is in a big wooden box so they just drew on the wood. I was able to wipe it all off (thank goodness for magic erasers) but still!
To make it even worse, I did try to lock them in our extra room while I was in the shower but they somehow managed to get that door open before I even got into the tub. And then they wouldn't go near it after that. It's like they remember or something.
All of this daily destruction has really got me thinking. Christmas is coming. Christmas = tree. Tree = disaster! My house is tiny. I can't put it in the main room and block it off. There's not enough room TO block it off. And with what would I block it off with?! The couches they climb over, the chairs they get on, they are even starting to scale the toy cube thing I have.
I have ornaments from when I was a baby. We add to our ornament collection every year. You can't replace some of these! I would be heartbroken if my old ones broke. Juice and I and my Mom (who was on the phone at the time for our weekly call) had a good time brainstorming some ideas.
- different rooms to put the gated tree in...not very practical
- not putting up the tree at all this year...sad!
- putting up the tree but putting no ornaments on it...feasible.
- hanging the ornaments/lights from the ceiling
- making a cardboard tree
- putting the tree in another room
- renting a house and putting the tree there so we could visit it daily
- cutting down a tree limb and putting it in a bucket in our living room like poor sad Charlie Brown's tree
- doing an outside tree this year and not hanging up our yearly ornaments...still kind of sad.
- having a table top tree to hang this year's ornaments on and putting it up out of the boys' reach, hmm...best one yet!
I think what we finally decided on was to get a tiny tree to hang this year's ornaments on, and set up our big tree with lights and tinsel and nothing else. Also, I intend to tie it down somewhere. Bolt it to the wall or something.
I love our tree. I can't imagine not having it out since it's older than I am. This will be it's 30th year.
I think it might be nice NOT to have to retire the tree this year because of certain someones in our house.
The ornaments will not have changed since last year. They will be the same next year. They are just going to get a year off. I think I'll either get a tiny wire tree or a potted tree for this year's ornaments. I'll probably have to put it on top of the refrigerator to keep it away from curious fingers. At least, hopefully, this will let me keep my sanity!
Safire