Friday, December 13, 2024

Nov from Mary to Mia - Silly tip. No.1


 Yesterday I suggested that she was using the Sharpie Creative markers - and these ferns have a Sharpie look to them. Tap-tap-tap leaves are so much fun to do. I'm very drawn to repetitive motions. 

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Is this Day One of silly ways to cope with the holidays if they tend to overwhelm you? 

The first thing I remember doing, which was very early on, is this. If you have little kids and you have to go somewhere for Christmas Eve, get your base layer on first thing in the morning. In Iowa, and when I still wore skirts, this included putting on the tights. Somehow that was a lot of work. Then, opt for separates so that you can get your top on and find something to wear over the top to protect it from the inevitable spills and glops that little kids distribute all day every day. 

Around 3 pm - or whenever the last nap of the day occurs, do something about your hair and face. Then during final prep for launch, at the last minute, you can quickly put on the final pieces of clothing - this includes the skirt or pants. The toddlers should be corralled so they don't have one last chance to wipe their nose on your skirt or pants.

Also, stick to plaids, prints and anything with pattern to disguise the inevitable glop. And every car should have an emergency outfit for every kid. This is not seasonal. It's for every day. You never know when you will need an emergency outfit. It doesn't have to be fancy but it can save the day. Even having it on hand to share with some other desperate mom is a reason to have it.

3 comments:

  1. Alcohol markers for plants, micron for black, and gel pen for lettering and highlights.
    Great advice Jean! As a professional nanny for many years, my clients would tease me about my "Mary Poppins" bag. It always had spare outfits, wipes, snacks, water, and entertainment(a favorite toy, some twist up crayons and coloring pages, white paper for drawing/oragami/paper airplanes, clay, pipe cleaners, magnets, etc.) and a few different sizes of ziplock bags. These came in handy often, for wet outfits/swimsuits , car sick kids, leftover snacks, things we collected(rocks, leaves, flowers), things we made.

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  2. Thanks for posting this envelope, Jean! I haven't gotten my November exchange mail due to Canada's postal strike, so it's great to see one on the blog. Apparently the government may be ordering postal workers back to work, but small businesses, the north and rural areas, and charities are really hurting and have taken a huge hit.

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  3. Is the above comment Mia, and is she saying she hasn't received this envelope yet? Wow. I try not to take our postal service for granted. Now I feel I really need to extra appreciate them!

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