We made Christmas cards today. You’re thinking, “How proactive SAJ is…” but you would be wrong. Usually I put things off to the last minute because I work better under a little bit of stress. But in the case of these Christmas cards, we started them early because I wanted something fun to do with Baby Bug.

I’m not sure I would recommend this project for all mothers of nearly-two-year-olds. You can definitely do it but it did involve a lot of clean-up throughout the whole process. Of course I didn’t plan very well so I was carving the potato stamps while Baby Bug was awake and scrambling up on a chair so she could climb on the counter and try to grab the knife and “cut like mommy.” I definitely don’t recommend doing that.

My initial idea was to use a head of cabbage, cut in half, to stamp. I had this vision of a highly detailed red tree on cream colored paper… not unlike the coral designs that have been showing up on so many pillows these days. That idea failed miserably. I’m sure it would work but not with washable kid paint. The paint was too thick and it just glomped on the paper like a soggy wet dog nose. It was fun to play with but not very tree-like at all.

The only vegetable that really worked was the baby bok choy. Chopped near the base, it made a very pretty rose. Not a tree… but still nice. I love bok choy. Not only is it tasty but it makes a pretty stamp! I know you all think it tastes like some kind of green cardboard or kale or something but you would be wrong. It’s like lettuce but with a hint of spice. Chop it up and put in your next stir fry and you will thank me for how healthy you feel.

But we weren’t talking about dinner; we were talking about a Christmas card project! We were talking about a messy project. I finally gave up on the vegetables and decided to use the potatoes I had left over from Thanksgiving and make good old-fashioned potato stamps. I know everyone has done this and it’s so not original BUT cut me some slack because I am doing an art project with a nearly-two-year-old!

A nearly-two-year-old who likes to make big messes! She didn’t want to stamp. She wanted to paint. She painted the cards, she painted the table, she painted the potato stamp (the side you need to hold when you are stamping, of course). She painted some brussels sprouts and some rocks and even the pumpkins I still have left over from halloween but just don’t the heart to throw out. She even painted her feet! Give that girl a paint brush and she will paint the town red, literally.

I was bellyaching to Toby about how messy she is and how I don’t know why I do these things (this was after she threw the star potato stamp off the balcony and gouged a hole in the snowman stamp with her fingernail), and he chuckled and said, “Admit it. You love this. You’ve been waiting your whole life to make messes like this.”

I had to admit he was right. I do love this sort of thing. The hours in the day flew by while we were in the thick of it. I’ve been doing these sorts of projects for years with borrowed kids—kids I babysit, nieces, kids that people brought to work and then sent to my office so they could get some work done… It’s about time I finally got to do this sort of thing with my own kid.

I can’t wait to send them out and brag about her.

If you noticed this post was not riddled with as many errors as usual, it is because Bethany Actually edited it for me.

It was kind of nice to have a nothing-to-do-all-day sort of day today. I like to have at least one outing planned a day to break up the monotony that is our house as a daycare center but after the last few whirlwind weeks, I was thankful for some couch time.

I did take Baby But out for two walks, all bundled up. That was sort of fun. It hardly ever gets cold here, so wearing a coat and a jacket (if you call a heavy cable knit sweater a coat) is kind of a novelty. We poked around our neighborhood hoping to find a book case in the trash* but of course there wasn’t one. Nobody ever throws out a book case. I guess I’m going to have to break down and actually buy one.

I did happen to stop into a dog store that just opened near by and asked them if they would like to buy my last few paintings. They said no. I should be insulted but I’m not, thankfully. She told me she’d buy some if they were pink or had leopard print on them. I declined. I’m just not into dogs anymore.

And that was pretty much my day. Kind of a yawner. But yawns are good. Especially when you are a toddler and you conk out and go to bed a whole hour earlier than your usual bedtime.

*Yes, I admit it. I’m a trash digger. But have you heard? There’s a depression coming. Time to save your pennies!

So I cooked thanksgiving dinner today and I am one tired mother something-something. It was great though. As I was editing all the photos I uploaded onto flickr, I was overwhelmed with how wonderful everything turned out and how lucky I am to have a mom who will slave away in the kitchen with me from morning until night. Of course there were lots of other relatives helping helping helping but my mom really did make it happen. If she weren’t here I think I would have ordered a pizza and run for the hills.

I’m not the world’s worst cook but I just don’t love it. I love cleaning better. I would rather wash five countertops filled with dishes and sigh that big happy sigh of relief that they are done than cook a great big thanksgiving dinner and know that I made a table full of people happy. I don’t know why. I’m just weird that way. I just really really like that feeling that everything is clean and orderly.

So you can imagine that the thought of a kitchen over-flowing with dishes and half-unwrapped ingredients and chopped-up vegetables and trash bags and pots bubbling over and things dripping on the floor and children running in and out… could run me a little ragged. I’m not type A but I like things in “my office” (the kitchen) to be just so. And “just so” would be how the kitchen is when NO COOKING is going on. That’s how I like the kitchen. Clean and tidy.

Heh. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Do you know what I do when I feel a little insecure about something? I call my mom. When I used to do wedding flowers my mom was my right-hand man. We’ve worked so hard on so many projects together that she’s used to my constant running worry-wart commentary. She just rolls her eyes when I freak out about something and reminds me of the zillions of other times we’ve pulled off the impossible.

This year I carted her out a day early and we braved the crazy madhouse grocery store together. Did you guys go shopping on Wednesday? It was a AWFUL!!! I seriously felt like my cart was a bumper car at the carnival. All we needed was some loud Calypso music and maybe a wild wig or two and we’d be ready for the circus or the funny farm or something. It was downright scary. I’m usually very orderly in my shopping, always starting in the produce section and working my way east but this time it was all I could do to scramble here and there and make my way down my list. We forgot a million things but what can you do? It was either that or throw down some WWF wrestling moves.

The best part of getting Thanksgiving dinner ready was fulfilling our family tradition with Baby Bug for the first time. In our family it is a time honored tradition that the youngest family member stuff the first handful of stuffing into the turkey. I don’t how this started (maybe Grandma can fill us in?) but I do remember it with all my many cousins. I don’t remember doing it myself but I may have. I was probably too little to remember. Who knows. It’s just something fun we do and I was not one bit disappointed with Baby Bug’s glee to do her part.

It was all a blast. The relatives arrived early and the cousins shrieked with glee. Baby Bug and her cousin Super Chic are two peas in a pod. They are BFF for sure. I love to watch them play together.

The Dads took the kids to the beach and even though I was sad to miss out on that fun, it really helped with getting things done in the kitchen. It’s amazing how hard it is to cook or get anything done when you have a toddler who wants to help and/or be held at the same time.

Thankfully Toby’s brother (Uncle George) took a ton of great photos so I got to live that moment vicariously. I love that we are starting traditions like this in our family. It’s a very strange role that I’m now playing as the mom and person who is in charge of organizing these sorts of events but I’m thankful for it too. I know it’s a lot of responsibility but I’m up for it. There is nothing better than realizing these moments are the memories your kids will always look back on. Just like I look back on all the many thanksgivings I spent with my family.

At the end of the day, the food was good and everybody was happy. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. Well besides a cup of coffee and a big fat slice of apple pie.

I would definitely do this again.

***update***
Grandma does have the origin of this tradition! Check out her blog and leave her a comment if you think of it. She loves comments. (Doesn’t everyone?)