elf antic - day 19

our older son's favorite antic: the snowball fight (which only took me about 5 days to clean up...)

our younger son's favorite: "when he juggled marshmallows blindfolded swinging from an electric light...I want to practice that too"...no, please don't, sweetheart.

p.s. a lot of hoopla that the elf was sporting his gifted goggles too...

elf antic - day 18

the elf burst out of his (2-day) hiding place (someone was a little overzealous there...) and found peace and quiet in one of the teacher gifts we made yesterday

lid was left ajar so the kids wouldn't be traumatized that the Elf couldn't breath...and to appreciate today's placement, here's what we were up to yesterday!

elf antic - day 17 (or lack thereof, as the case may be...oops)

Hmm, Elf didn't move last night... did he forget or was it because the kids forgot to do the pen project he requested? (Oh, and all of you moms will appreciate that our dining room table is still covered in powdered sugar. I kid you not. Why did I think that was a good idea-- I mean, let the Elf do that?!) By this afternoon, our Elf had put quite a dent into the gingerbread house. Apparently, Elf also had a prime viewing spot for both the pen clean-out (finally) + our first hour of the gift making extravaganza. So far, a dozen tins of our-made-up-spice-rub are made and 6 large bean soup kits have been assembled. Later this afternoon we're going to make an enormous batch of lemon sugar scrub, then let the kids decide who gets what and tag everything. Hopefully...

elf antics - snowball aftermath + day 16

so, he leaves town...and then comes home that afternoon with chocolates if the kids clean up the playroom? interesting.




note that he broke into the gingerbread house of our most easy-going child...

elf antic - day 15

elf lesson of the day: it's risky to forget your homework at home... wish I could see his face when he opens his notebook to turn it in this morning.

(thankfully, his teacher has a good sense of humor...)

elf antic - day 14 (snowball fight)

Kids are tucked in, and now I have to (achem) help the elf clean this mess up.

Creating messes has been fun, but I think the elf's going back to spending a little more time encouraging nice manners, completed chores and whatnot while we have 11 more days together...

elf antic - day 13

if you'd like to see more of what elf's been up to around here, here's the elf antic archive...

and for that gingerbread recipe, click here.

now i'm going to go peel him off the ceiling after all that sugar he ate last night.

elf antic - day 12

elf antics - days 10 & 11

it should be abundantly clear that the elf antic creativity wasn't my top priority this festive holiday weekend...

even if there weren't notes, huge messes, or death-defying acts, his antics still elicited excited squeals both days.

when the elf climbs down from this latest spot, hopefully he'll spot the sticky half-eaten candy cane my little one has lovingly left for him...

elf antics day 8 & 9

an elf treat for mom too

completely forgot to mention that the elf also left me a treat today

catch all of our elf's antics here....oh, and i promise to write a meal-related post soon too...it's just that there are only so many hours in the day, and the elf has been hogging them!

"you're not real" + elf's antic day 8

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"The elf is not real. He is plastic, and his clothes are sewed, and I just threw a bouncy ball right next to him he did not even blink or say 'ow'. I do not think he is real. I am going to do more stuff to him and see if he is real or not."

- our 4-year-old (who was home sick...and spent the better part of the day looking at the elf)

On this topic, I have put a link at the bottom of this post. Parents, that part is for your eyes only. Anyway, this (lengthy) note the elf left this afternoon did the trick. These are details that only an elf who is keeping track would know...

By dinnertime, we were all back in agreement that the elf is, indeed, real. (My 8-year-old needs no convincing.) I cannot locate the note the kids wrote before bed, guessing his age. But lest there be any linger doubt, we pulled out the big guns tonight, or rather, the elf located toys that had long been put away...

A note for parents: If you have a non-believer and you wonder what to say, this is one of my absolute favorite responses. I have bookmarked it for when that (dreaded) day comes.

our elf - day 7

elf antics - days 5& 6

There was a lot of chatter at breakfast about what else the elf was going to say. The suggestion was made that maybe they should clean their toys up to find out? I am writing to you all from the cleanest playroom and living room ever.

elf's antics - day 5

the goggles were a hit, but pool ended up being closed today. you know why.

our elf apparently has very good hiding skills. handy, as I was able to get a batch of Christmas cards addressed while the kids searched for him... for almost an hour.

want to see what else our elf's been up to? here are all past elf antics.

what the elf's been up to, days 2-4

It has come to my attention that we have some children following our elf. And quite a following he apparently has, after 2 short days of antics. This poses a little challenge, as I sometimes shared how I thought he ended up in these pickles or why he wrote the notes he did.... hmmm. So, to preserve the elf's antics, from here on out, you'll just have to read the notes back and forth and come up with your own back story....

He will continue to make my kids giggle in amazement at how naughty he can be...

and he will uphold standards more similar to mine-- than to theirs-- when it comes to clean-up and the like.

My kids know that as mundane as he may look, his messages may appear any place...and I mean any place, including a Metro North train into NYC.

And should any child (or parent) wonder if Jack and Ollie's mom is just pretending and making up this elf stuff, you explain how our elf made his own skates and put on an ice show while we were in the city all day...?!?!

Clearly, my kids still believe. Completely.

20 more elf days.

Lucky elf. Happy swimming little guy.