Err, what? Really?? Sure!
So we spent a Saturday evening listening to Christmas music (Big rule #2 broken, that I once silently growled at other people for doing. "Quit listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving! Commercial stores, stop selling Christmas stuff in October! One holiday at a time!") But it was wonderful and fun and I don't regret it a bit. I think I have just been excited to decorate: A new nursery, Aiyana's big move across the hall. . . and I have absolutely ZERO Thanksgiving stuff and no pre-Christmas budget to buy nursery/bedroom decor with so, naturally, I jumped right into Christmas. That's my story, and here's what I've come up with this year. (I figure if I buy just a few items every year, I'll have an amazing collection of purple and silver decor in five years -- just in time to want to switch it up with a whole new color scheme! Oh well.)
After the first day with ornaments on the tree, it took about 6 time-outs in 15 minutes before Aiyana seemed to understand "no touch!" I felt mean, but the consistency paid off! Every few days, she'll test me and will end up in time-out 2-3 times in a row, but then she'll leave the tree alone again for a while. She's only touched the presents once! I'm pretty shocked.
We had these trees last year, but the glass container with the ornaments was a new idea, and the manger is Dan's addition. The little wood people hot-glued together with cloth make up our nativity. I made it at a fun crafting activity with Carrie's ward. We need a smaller manger though so you can actually see them! Dan was so excited to make it that I didn't have the heart to tell him, at first, that it was too big. If we have time, I think he'll try and scale it down for me. Sweet that he wanted to make it though.
Pinterest-inspired! I don't have a mantel so I'm using the piano. I wish the candle-holders were a bit shorter and maybe chunkier, but that's all I could find at an affordable price.
New place for our stockings over the fire-place in the dining room. Everything up there has a new place as of a month ago, actually.
Our surprise purchase of a new table! We've been very grateful to borrow Pawn and Thomas' old table this past year. I had no expectations to buy another table for months to come. A few weeks ago, we were looking for an office desk and came upon this warehouse nearby. It contained everything BUT office desks . . . and somehow, we walked out with this purchase on our credit card! As we casually browsed, me having a complete non-committal, hardly even interested attitude as we walked around, (I'm too goal-oriented and didn't see any desks, so I wasn't looking seriously), Dan said to me, "You know, the couch is paid off. We can buy a table today if you want."
It was like the Christmas tree set-up all over again.
Err . . what? Really?? SURE!!!! with the extra exclamation marks most definitely present.
Dan found this walnut-dark-cherry piece and after brief haggling, we walked away very happy. And since then, I've been shopping around for decor that I can keep year-round, as well as pass off for Christmas. I'm so excited that it all looks good with our green plates from last year, too.
Unlike the Christmas tree, our table did not make it permanently unscathed by Aiyana. After only enjoying the table for a few days, Aiyana threw the tantrum of her life! Which, at 19 months, is really not much to go on. However, she's not a tantrum-thrower, as I've said before. Short-lived outbursts until she calms down or I figure out what she wants. Well, this particular day, she was over-tired at lunch and did not want what I offered her. She did the whole arching of the back, red-faced screaming, kicking, "I'm an exhausted toddler" thing -- all from her booster-seat. I removed the food she would have inevitably thrown to the floor, unbuckled her, and put her on the floor. She squirmed and rolled around screaming, crying unconsolably. I even tried to hug her and be loving and kind, rewarding me with a smack to the face, and consequencing her with a time-out in a closed bedroom. The screaming continued, and I didn't really care. I felt bad for her, actually, but I wasn't upset with her or frustrated. I decided to let her tantrum run its course and ignored her for the next ten minutes while her uncharacteristic rant continued.
She finally emerged from the bedroom (which she had closed on herself willingly to shut me out), and still wouldn't let me come near. She ran over to one of the chairs and pulled back on it. My precious chair wobbled, and I hurried over with an outreached hand. . . But not in time to prevent it from toppling backwards with Aiyana's swift, hard pull. It crashed to the floor.
Knowing the inevitable damage, I finally let out a yell as I assessed the wooden wounds: Three dents and an inch-long gash along the edge of the chair. My brand new chair! I have to laugh now at how mad I was, but whatever unkind words I let fly, Aiyana knew she was in BIG trouble. Her cries stopped the instant the chair fell, and after I let out my verbal frustration, she ran over and hugged my legs, burying her head into my thighs.
Now how could I still be mad at that? Well, I was a bit, and called Dan to vent. But I also felt bad for yelling at Aiyana, remembering times when I've committed dumb things that Dan could be very mad at me for (involving denting car doors, backing the car in reverse and almost cracking off my side-mirror against a pole, losing my wallet . . . ) and how Dan is usually so good about not "shaming me", especially in my moment of pure remorse and regretful stupidity! Even over the phone, he wasn't mad and said he'd fix it. He always does somehow. So keeping my own lessons in mind, Aiyana and I moved on with our day with hugs and playing together.
The table has now officially been broken in by our mischievous toddler. Welcome to the Kiefer Household! May you survive hearty meals and many more crazed tantrums, permanent marker, and anything else our growing little family may bring you.
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