Naughty or Nice????

Well isn't that the million dollar question these days? The kids, they are truely good kids, but that doesn't mean we don't fall back on the whole "Santa is watching......." every once in a while. Well this year we are using a lot more of "little Nicky" is watching...... ELF ON THE SHELF (thank you Grandma!) What a great concept! It is this little elf that you hide in a different spot of your house everyday and he is Santa's spy to tell him if they have been naughty or nice...... The kids love searching everywhere in the morning for it and it comes with a story that explains that you can't touch Lil' Nicky, but you can talk to him and explain things......he has been strategically showing up in the greatest spots...... where we get dressed in the morning (when not a lot of people are apt to cooperating, peering over the kitchen table (when we don't want to say "two more bites") ah the trickery of it all.......But seriously I feel like Lil' Nicky has been peering down our backs lately....perhaps we need to be careful on how NAUGHTY we are being.....but come on most of the NAUGHTY gets rationalized out with a lot of the NICE right?.....Cases in point.....

1. A neighbor of ours did some fancy lawn art on our grass this summer - well we told them it was coming, payback that is......They happened to leave for the weekend when snow storm 2008 hit.....perhaps a bit NAUGHTY.........

opps I have never used a snowblower are you supposed to go the other way?

Bringing in reinforcements....Just spreading good holiday cheer....

but like I said when they came home and realized they didn't have a front door key and the only way in was the garage door - we let their kids stay in our house while they shoveled.....NICE right?

2. I served my kids fish sticks for dinner tonight MAJOR NAUGHTY especially when I had something way better to eat! As I watched Brooke's face contort to many faces that I so clearly remember and when the shivers and goosebumps appeared from the memories and the smell - I immediately said, Brooke you don't have to eat it - can I make you a ham sandwich? NICE right? Because as Chris liked to point out any other meal it would have been eat what's on our plate or no asking for anything else......

3. For someone that loves the snow - my kids don't have much of a choice - get outside and enjoy. Brooke no problem...... its hard to drag her in sometimes......Brady doesn't exactly have the stamina yet - especially when the snow drifts are bigger then he is - so I feel kinda NAUGHTY as I try to have him brave the cold when he doesn't even move that much and they come in with cheeks as red as Rudolph's nose.......but I wrap them in blankets, serve them hot chocolate, rub some vasaline on their chubby cheeks, and plop their frozen little bodies in front of "Santa Claus is coming to town video" NICE right???......
4. The last NAUGHTY thing that is coming to mind is to show my mom a picture of what she will be arriving to in 2 days........I know your 80 pairs of long johns are already packed......but just to be NICE we will furnish you with flannel sheets, your abominable snowman jacket and I will bribe Chris to keep the heat above 70! Safe travels!
So all in all any Naughty can come out Nice........at least the way I see it :) Go easy on us Lil' Nicky!