Christmas was so much fun here. Even though we were completely across the country from our entire family, we tried to make Christmas as much like it would’ve been as if we were home. It started off on Christmas Eve. Usually, well, for the past 3 years, Santa Claus has come to visit our house on Christmas Eve. It was our opportunity to take their photos with Santa, and let them get used to the idea that Santa was cool. Well, this year, Santa didn’t fit our new schedule, so we got a direct link ichat to the North Pole.. I’m not kidding. We got on iChat with Santa! It was perfect considering the circumstances… My girls, being of digital minds, loved the idea. Of course, nothing is as good as seeing Santa in person on Christmas Eve, but this was a close second!

Even Santa thought it was cool! He was able to show the girls his lists, and talk about what they wanted for Christmas. The girls were having so much fun that they didn’t even realize it was almost bed time. They didn’t even know that we had done some super secret shopping and had been able to find just about everything on their Christmas Lists. Including the infamous “Green robot, with a controller, that’s a girl” as my little Monkey See would put it. Actually, her sister bought that one for her. It was so sweet.

So, yeah, every special gift day, well, birthday and Christmas I guess, we take the girls shopping. Mommy takes one and Daddy takes the other. Anyway, we go to TRU, and we let them shop for gifts for each other. Any gifts they want,  within a certain, pre-set budget… and it’s really funny. Daddy and I have our phones, we peek around the corners, and make sure sister isn’t in the aisle we’re about to walk into. It’s kinda a big dance… but it’s so worth it when we see them open the presents they bought each other.

So anyway.. Christmas morning came, and the girls were sooooo excited to go downstairs and open up presents. We hooked up the webcam again, and my family joined in on opening presents with us. I tell ya, whoever came up with this technology is amazing. Well, they got to see the girls opening presents live and (almost) in person. They opened their presents as well, and it was just… a fun Christmas morning. Don’t get me wrong. it would’ve been so much better if everyone was together live and in person.. but this was just fine for a first Christmas away.

The girls screamed and giggled and went crazy as they opened their presents from everyone. I loved watching and listening to every moment of that. The joy and dare I say it… Glee.. that was experienced that morning was enough to bottle up and save up to use over the next year of tough mornings. Thank goodness… because what was left after those bright smiling moments was just sheer devastation of the living room… or as what I call.. the Christmas Aftermath..

By the way… we went from this…

To this…

oh, and this…

Yeah… I love Christmas..

I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted to Mommy Moments… I apologize to all of my readers, and hope too many of you didn’t leave me.
Things here have been super hectic, and here’s why.
Since becoming one of Walmart’s ElevenMoms, my other blog, Mommy Brain Reports, has just gained in popularity so much! I’m so excited that it’s really taking off! I’ve been working on reviews, giveaways, a Blog Talk Radio show with one of the other ElevenMoms, and so much more. 

Monkey See and Monkey Do are 3 1/2 yrs old, and have attitudes that won’t quit. Their brains are little sponges that just want to learn everything they can. They’re learning to read and write. Spelling will come with the reading. 

I’ve taken on a client as a Virtual Assistant, and have been having so much fun with it. I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could about market research and so much more. 

It’s the holidays, and things have been very hectic getting ready for visiting family, and preparing to cook Christmas Eve dinner. Not to mention my birthday coming up.. Yes.. my birthday.. I turn 30 in just a few days..  There, I said it.. I’m turning 30… I know, it’s not that bad… but after finding that grey hair a bit ago.. I think it’s actually hitting me… I’m not in my 20′s anymore.  :)

I promise I’m going to keep you updated a lot more in 2009. I’m working on organizing my life, and getting my schedule in order! Lots going on next year, hopefully Mommy Brain won’t set in too badly

If I don’t write again before, Merry Christmas!!! and Happy New Year!!1

We got all of our Christmas shopping done today… we got the last couple of gift cards, and grabbed an extra one for good measure… just in case someone brings an unexpected gift… you never know..

I’m so glad it’s done and over with. We actually did most of our Christmas shopping online. It saved so much time and energy.. We also put together a couple of gift baskets for a couple of family members who told us not to get them anything because they weren’t getting us anything.. Just to give them a little bit of a guilt factor… Probably won’t work, but hell, I can try right?

Now… if I can just wrap everything… Blah.. I hate wrapping…

This has nothing to do with my girls… sorta..

I’m just flustered with all that is commercialized Christmas now. The ads boast the best prices for the best gifts, because you know, Christmas is all about how many gifts you can get now. UGH. Anyway. It’s not like I can really go shopping to all of these places. I take the girls with me, and if I want to have much control over them touching things, I have to put them in the stroller…. Oh, and did I mention the double stroller won’t even fit through the door to some of these stores? and if it does, it sure as heck isn’t going to fit down the aisles, or in between any of the clothing racks. The stores are so packed with stuff, you’d be lucky to get out alive if the place caught on fire!

The latest advertisement on tv for Walmart boasts their “site to store” shipping, where shipping is free if you order on the website, and you choose the store they ship it to so you can pick it up. Well, that’s all well and good, but don’t expect to get it in time for Christmas. I purchase a small item, a stove guard to keep my girls from getting burned, during off peak times, and it took a MONTH.. no I’m not kidding.. it took 4 weeks to get to the store. So I saved $8 by getting it from Walmart, but I could’ve had it faster if I would’ve just gone to Goore’s in the first place. Why oh why didn’t I do that? I wanted to test out their service. I even emailed them to inquire as to why it took so long, and I never did get an answer. Disappointing to say the least.

And then there’s the fear of being killed while shopping at the mall. With the latest mall shooting (God bless those people and their family who were senselessly killed), it’s gotten too scary to even go to the mall. Not that I can fit my stroller through the stores at the mall.

All these commercials.. Blah.. Yeah, so we’re getting sucked into the buying frenzy, but we’re doing it online for the most part. We’ve purchased from Apple.com, and Sams Club online, even Costco.com… It makes things so much easier. If it wasn’t for some of the last minute gifts that I’m sure we’re going to have to get, I probably wouldn’t have to go to a store at all!