Strike

After a busy weekend and running into some nasty germs, we are under the weather.  Hope you had a great weekend...I did...it just did us in.  We did get the tree up and it is...uh...lovely...with colored lights and everything else mismatching and perfectly impositioned (if that's the correct term).  I'm living with it...I will survive...I told the kids that I may do my own little tree, and sorry, they cannot touch it...is that awful? 

Thanks to some friends, we have discovered the adventures of the Elf on the Shelf.  He made his appearance last night at bedtime.  The kids named him Strike...because we had been bowling.  I asked if there was something that we had done during the day that would help them name the Elf...and we had been bowling so Strike Wilhoit it is.  I had heard of the Elf on the Shelf, but didn't realize what it was all about.  It is a fun, fun idea.  I urge you to seek it out and join in.  I will say I had a hard time finding one locally...I eventually ordered one and my mother-in-law found one in Champaign so I had her buy it as well.  My nephew is getting one for his birthday this week!  (They run about $30 for the storybook and elf.)

So you read the storybook to your kiddos, name your Elf and the fun begins.  Every night while the kiddos are asleep, the Elf on the Shelf goes back to the North Pole to report to St. Nick your behavior (good or bad) and then appears every morning somewhere different in the house.  Sometimes the Elf is mischievous and he makes messes or does something silly when he comes back in the morning.  This morning Strike's first act of naughtiness was turning our milk in the fridge green.  He is so silly.  Lane is eating this up.  Madolyn thinks it's cute too.

I think there are blogs and websites that have suggested activities for your Elf.  I hope to look those up soon.  Right now I'm getting ideas from our friends, who are very creative, by the way.  An Elf at our friends' house made snow angels in the flour on the countertop, and at the other friends' house, their Elf decorated their Christmas tree in underwear and was hiding in a pair of undies!!

It is very important that only adults touch the Elf.  He appears after Thanksgiving and disappears on Christmas Eve...St. Nick takes him back to the North Pole with him.  It is such a cute idea.  Why can't I think of stuff like this?!