The Christmas Spirit

Despite hectic schedules and demanding work projects, Mark and I have really dug in and brought the Christmas spirit into our home like an explosion of tinsel and cinnamon sticks.

The house has been full of Christmas cheer with the kids on their best behavior and looking adorable in festive attire. Yesterday, I whipped up some charming cut-out gingerbread cookies, using beets, kale, and blueberries to make all-natural dyes for the decorative frosting. Today, we took a magical Metra ride downtown to take in the wonderment of Chicago at Christmas, then came home to cuddle and talk to the kids about the true meaning of Christmas. Mark and I are now enjoying a quiet evening on the couch with a bottle of Merlot, and I just confirmed the baby unicorn we ordered for Lainey will be weaned from her mother in time for Christmas morning.

OR...because of hectic schedules and demanding work projects (and brutal head colds), Mark and I have been pretty snippy and impatient with the kids and each other. Nick, the originator of the household colds, is still fighting through his, leaving Lainey primed and ready to come down with hers in about 48 hours. No one is sleeping well (three of us because of colds and one because she's Lainey), and we're all exhausted.

The picture below features Nick as of 6pm yesterday. He had been officially wearing his PJs for 24 hours and had gone nearly 72 hours without a bath. But, he is wearing Christmas-themed pajamas, so this is in the Christmas "win" column.

"Mom, are you evening trying any more?"

We did bake and decorate cookies yesterday, but the icing was tinted with straight up Red 40 and the sheen you see may be from Nick's nose (gross, but not far from the truth). Also, I may have done a poor job of rinsing out the bowl before I used it to whip the frosting; this may have created a slight aftertaste of dish soap. Let's just say no one is buying these at the bake sale. But, we had fun, and no one yelled or cried, so another win for the Brandi clan!

Wish I could say they taste better than they look

And today we did take the train downtown to check out the Macy's windows and watch the ice skaters at Millennium Park, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. The weather was great, the streets amazingly uncrowded, and everything went smoothly. Pretty awesome day! Until we returned home and Lainey threw an epic tantrum prompting me to name her "Best Day Ruiner Ever," and for her to dub me "Meanest Mom Ever," before slamming her bedroom door on me. (Shout out to Maggie--it's not just an "only child" thing.) Despite the at-home antics, I think this trip has officially become our first family holiday tradition. So, again, winning at Christmas!

Enjoying the Macy's windows...light crowds,
so I didn't have to toss an elbow to get them up front

After Lainey calmed down, I went in to read her a story before nap and she greeted me with, "Mom, who's God?" My smooth reply, "Uh...well...hmmm...Mark?!"  (More to come on this later.) I choose not to rate this moment.

Finally, the kids are snug as bugs in their rooms right now, but instead of Merlot on the couch, Mark and I are fighting for the last dose of NyQuil and heading straight to bed. Fa la la la la!