Christmas Memories

This is the way my husband looked for all of Christmas Day...head behind the video camera...narrating the day! I'll appreciate it one day...right?! Aunt Julie is right there as well...with her camera...as usual!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! There has been no time for blogging with all of the wonderful festivities lately! We were so blessed to have lots of family and friends spend time with us this past week! This year was especially fun for me because LaLa is really getting old enough to understand Christmas. Every time we did something, she was so into the moment and the activity. The excitement is truly contagious. Robert and I were talking how there are some days and some times when you think back to how quiet and easy those day BC (before Children) were! It was a great time where we enjoyed traveling and being on the go! Our lives have definitely changed with two young kids, but we wouldn't change it for the world! Christmas is more special when you share it with children! They have this genuine excitement that you can't help to share!

Christmas afternoon when my family comes over...looks like morning all over again!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the best ever...yes, I say that every year! We spent Christmas Eve making cookies together, going on a drive to look at lights and sing songs, and getting ready for Santa's visit. We read The Night Before Christmas (which we had to read the reindeer names six times!) and the Christmas Story.

All of these wonderful presents...what was Little Bit's favorite? The candy canes, of course! She had one in each hand most of the morning! Once she discovered these in her stocking, LaLa had to open the rest of her gifts (I don't think either minded the 'sacrifice'!) Oh well, it's Christmas!

On Christmas morning, the girls were so cute sitting at the top of the stairs in their Christmas jammies waiting to come down to see what Santa left them! We had two special surprises! After we opened all of our presents, the girls found a special present hidden in another room! It was a baby care center that includes a bathtub, cabinets, a baby doll closet, high chair, and changing table! That's the best kind of surprise when you think all the presents have been opened...only to find one more! Wait, our door bell rang...who could it be? Yep, it was Santa! Although I thought (and inwardly laughed) I heard tires speed away...Santa must have traded his sleigh in for a white denali like my parents..hee hee! The thought of them running back to their truck and speeding away makes me laugh...hard! It's debatable though...because LaLa and Little Bit were certain Santa threw them down from the reindeer drawn sleigh right to their front door! Two wrapped pillow pets were the mysterious door step presents! LaLa really wanted one of these. That commercial certainly must have some sort of brainwashing secretly placed inside of it because I often have the jingle stuck in my head too!

"Pete and Repeat!" LaLa lounging with her Uncle BoBo (coined by the girls for my brother, Jimmy or Jimbo!). She is enjoying her Leapster that Robert's parents and Santa gave her! By the way, Mama enjoys these games too!

Little Bit waits patiently for Uncle Bobo to open the cookie monster that he and his girlfriend, Katie, bought her! Did you notice her cute, little Elmo slippers her Mimi and Gumpy gave her? She would keep them on 24-7 if she could! It's several days later and she has them on!

Okay, patience only lasts so long when you're one! Let me help you...BoBo...I need my cookie monster!

LaLa enjoying her new Lego table.

Robert, LaLa and I after LaLa's preschool play. What a cutie?!

LaLa at her Christmas Choir performance at Church. Whatever will we do when Little Bit gets as many activities as LaLa? Mama will definitely need more sleep by then!

Later that day, family came over to open presents and enjoy lunch. Mimi (my mom), LaLa and I even had the opportunity to sneak away and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks...the sequel! My three year old keeps singing Beonce's "All the single ladies...".  How am I going to explain that one at preschool!:) This seemed like a really busy holiday season. I think the older your children get...the more running and celebrating you do. It is a lot of fun...but really exhausting at times trying to juggle it all! So, after dance recitals, several weekends out of town, traveling, Preschool parties and activities, church parties, services, and activities, family and work parties, etc...I am glad to say that Christmas Day was a nice, relaxing day.
Now....to get Christmas decorations and all of these new, fun toys put away! Wish us luck!

Mama Drama Rule #93: Two rules for one!  Instead of dreading the putting up all of the holiday decorations, take an opportunity to enjoy and savor each item!

Sweet Thanksgiving Moments...

Sweet Thanksgiving Moments...

LaLa and Little Bit being sweet!

Thanksgiving Table...I really want a bigger table...one day...hint hint!

Dessert table...yummy!

Robert and his family.

Me and my family. Did you notice the sweet GIVE THANKS banner that LaLa and her daddy made last week. It turned out really cute!

My little brother and his sweet girlfriend, Katie (especially for putting up with my brother!).

One of my children actually posed for a picture...or stood still for a picture...amazing for kids this age! How fast my sweet girls are growing up. One of my favorite moments from this year is Little Bit saying gobble gobble when you point to her shirt!

What a wonderful day...to Give thanks (as Little Bit's shirt reminded us) and to be Full of Thanks (as LaLa's shirt reminded us too). It was a great day with lots of food and family!...Hmmm...now to plan out my tactics for BLACK FRIDAY! Best of luck to you all as you hunt down some wonderful deals!

So very many people in our world cannot say the same...

The food is prepared. The house is clean. The table is set. Family are on there way to celebrate. Our day will be thankful and full of blessings. Our day will have peace and good health. Our day will be joyful.

So very many people in our world cannot say the same...

It makes me wonder how far we have ventured from where President Lincoln desired our great country to be through his Thanksgiving proclamation made so many, many years ago.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God...

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

 Our country is still great, but how I wish that we would place more of our faith and decisions in the "ALMIGHTY HAND". How I wish and pray that our leaders, in all areas of our government, would give such a sincere speech and devotion to the "MOST HIGH GOD". How I wish our country's purposes were consistent with the "DIVINE PURPOSES".

Pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray for restoration toward where we originally founded this great country. Pray for those that President Lincoln mentioned this thanksgiving..widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers, etc. We have many fellow countrymen that have lost loved ones overseas, spending thanksgiving without their families, struggling financially, or battling personal struggles.

Let's do what we can to ensure that this thanksgiving is exactly as President Lincoln proclaimed...a time to share in our blessings, follow and thank our Almighty Creator, support our country, and help others.

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

Mama Drama Rule #78: Our country is not lost...we've just forgotten where we came from and who got us there.

*Thank you to LaLa for making me research how exactly Thanksgiving Day was started! Also, thank you to Emily for bringing this up recently. It was a great reminder...one that is all to easily forgotten!

I'm so FULL of THANKS!

My kids drive me crazy at times. I am often so sleepy because one of my kids will wake up in the middle of the night or really, really early. I have this annoying habit of not being able to turn my brain off at night when I get started on a project...which also leads to a really tired mama. I lose my patience at times. My house gets messy. I often start ten projects all at once. I choose an extra fifteen minutes of sleep over a shower at times. I fall asleep before I finish my prayers sometimes. I forget to tell my kids, husband, family, and friends how wonderful they are to me at times. I am not a good phone person. I get completely distracted after talking for five minutes. I only check phone messages every week...or so (which tends to drive my family and friends crazy). I'm not very good in emergencies. I often wonder if I am making the right decisions from the small things as feeding my kids organic or not organic to big things like should I go back to work or continue to stay home. A lot of the times...there is no right or wrong answer. I completely stress over any confrontation or decision making.

Regardless of all of the different things where I know I fall short...

I look at these two precious girls...I mean really stop in the moment and look at my kids...and know that there is something that is absolutely wonderful in my world—my own piece of heaven from God, Himself. I may not be everything I want to be or do everything I should do, but I know that I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to be their mama.

My heart is so full of thanks...to God...for these two girls.

This Thanksgiving, when I am trying to cook and maneuver all the food and preparations for our families, I will try my hardest to step back from the chaos and the expectations...and be in the moment with a heart full of thanks to God. I know I fall short. I know I do not deserve this position, but I am blessed to be given the opportunity....to be called MAMA by LaLa and Little Bit.

Mama Drama Rule #77: Take a moment to realize just what an incredible honor it is to be called...mama.

A High Flying Movie Night!

(This post didn't show up on Sunday for some reason! oops!)

For Friday night movie night, we enjoyed Disney's movie Up! that just came out last week. I loved it! Now, my husband is more of a fan of the traditional princess/prince kind of Disney movies. Remember, he is the Disney fanatic...the one that wants to be cremated and placed in the It's a Small World when he dies and the one that chose to go there for his thirtieth birthday! He's special! I loved the movie though! It held my girls' attention pretty well. I missed a small portion of the movie because I had a phone call, but LaLa was actually able to update me on everything I had missed! It has an actual message in the movie aside from the traditional happily ever after ones! The movie teaches priorities, friendship, respect for elderly, etc. A great sense of adventure is just contagious once you watch the movie. My LaLa and Little Bit played like they were "adventurers" all weekend!

The girls would both have on a backpack and tell me they were off on an adventure! Imaginations can really go wild with this little movie! For the movie night, we added a few special touches! We made a pizza together as has become a fun tradition. We also made yummy cupcakes to be our cluster of balloons! It was a great way to add in a color mixing lesson! Honestly, they were more interested in tasting the icing than catching on to the little teachable moment! However, LaLa and I were doing a craft over the weekend that involved paint, and she asked, "Mommy, are we going to mix colors to make a new color?" See, you never know when they are actually listening to you!

The best part of the night that really got us all in the adventure spirit was the balloons! While the girls were napping, my mom dropped off clusters of balloons in various colors! They loved the balloons! I was able to get so many things accomplished because they were completely amused with playing with all of the balloons! I'm learning the longer that I become a mama that the littlest things become the most important things to children. Fifteen dollars for a few dozen balloons made my little ones so happy and so amused! I think it was the surprise factor that was involved and the number of balloons...even I had to smile when I looked at all the balloons all over the house!

Now, in the movie, the house floats away with zillions of balloons attached to it! The goal is to get to paradise lost. My husband jokingly said to LaLa that maybe we should attach all of our balloons and make our house float away. Just so you know, three year olds do not think this is funny! They are very literal, and she was very concerned about our house floating away after that! My husband, after discovering this unbelievably hilarious, continued to joke with LaLa. He said maybe we could attach balloons to Little Bit, and she would float away. From then on out, LaLa would only let Little Bit hold a few balloons at a time out of concern that she was going to fly away! At least she loves her sister! I would have probably tried out the concept on my little brother when we were kids...just to see if he would really float away!

We had to experiment the next day to see what the balloons could really lift! LaLa felt better about the balloons when she realized that it would take a lot more balloons than we had to make anyone or anything actually float away! ooooh! Another teachable moment...they just pop up everywhere when we're looking!



Mama Drama Rule #72: Kids get excited when the adults are excited! Excitement is contagious!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...oh my!

This is the only picture that I got where both kids are still & actually looking at the camera. Now, I just need to edit out my big nose! This is at my brother's house (BOBO). We went trick-or-treating...enduring cold & rain...in his neighborhood & at his house!

Oh, sweet little Dorothy...where is your little doggie? I made her little outfit...without a pattern I might add! Her favorite part was the shoes and the dog in the basket, which also held her candy! Next, we went trick-or-treating at Gumpy & Mimi's house. We took most of their candy!

What a ferocious little lion...definitely not in need of courage! I love her little tongue sticking out on the side! As you know, my Little Bit is RARELY still...so this picture is extra special for me! I ordered this outfit off ebay for 99 cents and paid 1 dollar for shipping. I added some extra fabric for the mane and a bow on top and on her tail...just like Dorothy's lion friend! I tried to teach Little Bit to roar before halloween...she would QUACK every time. A Lion that quacks...

Then, we went to our neighborhood to trick-or-treat at our two neighbors' houses. We have a football player (Fernando Bryant? I don't know if I spelled it right...or what he plays) that lives across our street. My husband obviously knows who he is and was so curious about what all they were doing for halloween due to all the visitors...nosey isn't he?! So, he and LaLa made there way over there to trick or treat and check it out...yep, he used his daughter as an excuse! They had made their house into a haunted spooky house for their trick or treaters...Robert and LaLa made it to the door before she screamed, "GET ME OUTTA HERE!" He was all excited, but his little excuse was not having any of it! Finally, we gave out candy to our visitors...this was the girls favorite part?! Maybe we should JUST do that next year!!!! I would have been A LOT dryer and warmer!

My family has pointed out that I have neglected to share our halloween experience & my two cuties dressed up...so, better late than never!

Mama Drama Rule #69: Sometimes the MOST simple things makes our children the happiest...in my case, it was our doorbell ringing!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...Don't you know...

LaLa sang this song, "Rain, rain, go away...don't you know we're here today." Then, she would look up at me, and say "Mama, it's not listening!" I'm sure the grown ups all around her was thinking the same thing. Hey, rain...do you know how tough it is to get kids to stone mountain. Do you know how much tougher it is to slosh through rain and cold? Do you know how much our tickets cost? Ultimately, you can't control the weather...and very little else in life...so try to make the best of it! That was our lesson of the day! Once I got over the drama of parking and the surprise of rain...I got into the spirit of the day...and the kids joined in shortly after!

Note to self...one year olds do not do much with pumpkins besides try to eat them or throw them like a ball. I have tried tirelessly to teach Little Bit to say PUMPKIN. She looks at me, cocks her head to the side, points, and say BALL! Little Bit painted pumpkins in the arts & craft section while Little Bit chewed on hers whenever I wasn't looking.

I don't know how photographers do it. My kids will not be still for a picture whatsoever. Let me point out though that Little Bit was happy to be free from the stroller and was going to make a break from it. LaLa had a bag of candy from the scavenger hunt and from the candy shoppe. I have one foot on the stroller because our umbrellas, pumpkins, and bags are weighing down the back of it...if I move my foot once Little Bit is out, the stroller flips (can't someone invent something for this.) I stayed up several nights working on their cute outfits...let me point out that only the waitress at the restaurant ever even got to see them because of the cold! My shutter speed is not fast enough for the speed of a toddler and a preschooler! Random people stopped to stare at me attempting to take this picture...feel free to volunteer to help when you see a poor mama trying so hard without help attempt to capture a picture!

As we were coming out of the candy shoppe, my LaLa opened the door so I could push Little Bit out of the store in the stroller. She was very helpful, fortunately. A lady was coming in at the same time as LaLa pushed the door open. LaLa looked up and told her she was the door holder today for mommy. The lady looked at me and said, "He is a very good helper." My LaLa looked at her with her forehead wrinkled and continued to proclaim, "I'm not a he. That's a boy! I'm a she. That's a girl. I have a woo hoo (use your imagination), mommy. Tell her to say she." Okay, now what do you say to that?! I just smiled and kept walking...hoping LaLa would follow, and I tried to explain that maybe because she was wearing a black hat like some boys. LaLa had a response for everything. No, mommy...girls can wear black. Well, yep, that's right. Now, I don't think either of my girls looked like boys...they both had ruffles on their pants, wore orange and black for the most part, had monogrammed jackets or hats, polka dot shoes with bows ont hem, ruffly, girl, jackets...BUT that lady at the candy shoppe called LaLa a HE and another lady called Little Bit handsome?! I just finally (out of desperation) explained to LaLa that maybe she couldn't see well. BUT now the entire stone mountain village knows that LaLa has a woohoo and will not mistake her for a he! At least she's not intimidated to stand up for herself when she knows she's right!

MAMA DRAMA RULE #59: When you get stuck with your kids in a mama "bind" (ya know when your kids say something "inappropriate but honest"...the best you can do is smile your biggest smile....and ESCAPE...FAST!

Friday Night Fall Fun For Little Ones...

Friday nights have become our movie nights. We all get ready for bed and cozy in our jammies...We'll make a homemade pizza. Everyone will add their favorite toppings, and we will have some sort of special treat for dessert.

LaLa had a special project of sorting foam shapes. This kept her busy for the longest time! I made a mental note that this would be perfect on a smaller scale for a peaceful restaurant experience!

For this movie night, we had to add some Fall Flair! Our yummy treat was pumpkin rice crispy treats. I am rice crispy treat impaired. It is the easiest dessert to make, yet I struggle every time. My poor friend, Pepper, is ever so patient with my multiple calls as I struggle through the cooking tasks! LaLa and her daddy ate more than she rolled the balls for the pumpkins! Little Bit even ate her fill of treats!

It was LaLa's movie pick, Cinderella III. We enjoyed the movie. It does have a couple scary parts for a little one, but it was very cute. It was a fun movie night and even more special with our Fall treats!


Mama Drama Rule #58: Family time is one of our greatest treasures, but it's often lost with our busy lives and schedules!

So Much Fall...So Little Time!

Yummy homemade chicken noodle soup, grilled cheeses, & fruit salad in a Jack-o-lantern on a rainy, Fall day!

Two Thumbs up from LALA!

I love Fall. I think it's my favorite time of the year...with Spring shortly behind it. You know when you can feel everything changing. It's wonderful how it has such perfect timing. As soon as you're getting burnt out on all the hot weather...here comes wonderful Fall weather with all the fun stuff and holidays fast approaching.

Between all the fun stuff LaLa is doing at pre-school, decorating the house, and enjoying fairs, pumpkin patches, and other fall activities, it feels like we are running everywhere...all the time, I keep thinking....ooooh, we need to do that craft or that fun activity with the kids! I planned our calendar months ago planning some wonderful Fall activity every Saturday this month. There is just so much to do during this wonderful season! My husband constantly reminds me, "Tammy, There is only so much Fall...you can't do it all!" It never hurts to try though!

Well, we have definitely slowed things down this week. The girls haven't been sick...but haven't been well either....you know where you're thinking at any minute you are going to end up at the doctor's office or they are going to start with the fever stuff. They have both had tummy troubles, LaLa a rash over the last two weeks (which the dr. deemed an allergy of all things!). Little Bit has broken two teeth through and has two just about to come through as well, and they are just not their crazy, rambunctious selves. It's funny because on most days...I would give my two front teeth for little girls that were this calm, cuddly, and satisfied just laying around reading or watching a movie. BUT since I know this is the norm for my girls, I'm ready for them to be back to themselves and feeling 100 percent again....even if that means it turns them back into the crazy little monkeys! People think you're crazy when you say your kids aren't sick...but you think they may be getting sick or their little bodies are just trying to fight something....but mamas just know!

We have had some rainy, wet, and cool days lately. So, my mom made chicken noodle soup for all of our families, and we have really enjoyed it! I tried a cute idea from Family Fun where you carve out a jack-o-lantern face on an orange and put fruit salad inside. It was cute and yummy, but I think I need bigger oranges! That is my mission next week because I think these would be extra cute for LaLa's preschool party!

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall too! I love hearing everyone's ideas! It always inspires me with more to add to my list!

Mama Drama Rule #56: Traditions are what make a family's memories. It's something we can give our kids...that they can one day give their own kids!

Warning: Objects May Appear Closer Than They Really Are...now explain that to a 3 year old...

We recently went to see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D. It was quite an experience! First, let me explain that my husband is quite odd. He enjoys anything and everything Disney...well, honestly, more than any child out there. I had to redirect his attention several times throughout this 3D movie experience back to amusing two youngsters, helping with glasses, running to the potty, and answering questions. He would be totally zoned into the screen, oblivious to anything going on around him, and just sitting there with a quirky smirk and eyes focused with his 3D glasses. So, I knew this going into the movie that he would be...less than helpful because of his crazy endearment for Disney.

It was a lot of fun experiencing this with the girls, but it was very long! It's both movies! We only made it through one...and maybe a half of the second. LaLa sat there asking dozens of questions and mesmerized at the 3D effect.

"No, LaLa, they will not come out to get you." "Yes, LaLa, it is pretend." "It's the glasses that make them look like that." "If it looks fuzzy, put your glasses back on." "LaLa, you have to sit, listen, and watch so you don't miss the movie." No, LaLa, I can't rewind the movie."

Little Bit and I spent half the time in the theatre and half of the time walking in the lobby. LaLa is quite a fan of Jesse...the cowgirl in the movie. Hence, when she woke up, she insisted that she wear her cowgirl attire. We got quite a few looks from other movie goers, but my little one was convinced that on this day she was Jesse, Woody's cowgirl friend! We even had to refer to her as "Jesse" when she had her cowgirl hat on. Whenever she would take it off, she would say, "It's okay. You can call me LaLa now." Well, thanks, Miss LaLa, for keeping us straight!:)

Don't you wish you could do that? Oh, today, I think I'm going to be Sandra Bullock or maybe Jennifer Lopez or Julia Roberts. Oh, no, don't call me Tammy...I'm Julia today. Now, where is my maid and my nanny? Can someone send my assistant out to get me a white mocha decaf with no whip from Starbucks? It's fun to think about it, isn't it? Oh, to be in the world of a three year old?!

As I was sitting there considering how I would be spending my afternoon as Julia, I was looking up at the screen thinking...what is so awesome about this 3D stuff? It just looks fuzzy and darker. I looked over at my husband...yep, he thinks it's awesome. I look at Little Bit. She's trying to decide if this over-stimulation of a massive screen and surround sound is something she is going to like or cry about. I look up at the theatre...kids are reaching at the objects that are supposedly popping out and adults are laughing. Are my glasses broken? I hand them over to my husband to clean them...still no luck. Okay, I 'm thinking this is going to drive me crazy for two movies.

Then, I notice, as I'm cleaning the glasses AGAIN, that my glasses look a little different from LaLa's and my husbands. Come to find out...my husband had packed an extra pair of just "regular" old sunglasses that Little Bit could wear in lieu of the real 3D glasses to keep her amused. Yep, this is what I had been wearing for thirty minutes...wondering what in the world was so wonderful about this 3D experience! So, once I changed into the real 3D glasses, I really did enjoy the movie...until about five minutes later when Little Bit opted for her plan B of crying at the over-stimulation! Oh, the joys of mama drama!

...By the way, they want you to turn in your glasses after the movie! Small children do not understand this concept! Poor LaLa thought that she could wear these outside and still get the 3D experience. Well, in her mind, she did think it worked, and those darn regular sunglasses came in handy when we had to return the real glasses!

Mama Drama Rule #54: Live it up when it's peaceful...don't waste it on cleaning and doing your to do list! Enjoy it and immerse yourself in it...it may only be a fleeting moment!

Football Fun with a Little One!

Have you ever tried to actually watch a football game with a little one around...or even better... little ones around? It is near impossible. Unfortunately, when our men zone into the games, it seems we, mamas, become the ones that are responsible for the kiddos. So, slowly, I have tried anything and everything to make it more fun for all...and, of course, I've stolen any wonderful ideas that friends have done! Here's some ideas:

1. This is the simplest and my favorite...and it works really well. Place a small tv on the floor (make sure you don't put it somewhere where a little one can pull on it and will fall on them) and have them a dvd going. They can feel like they are watching football with the big people, but when their attention starts waning, they can zone back into their own shows.

2. Make it a party. The littlest things make it a party...and make it really exciting. Put out snacks with a football theme in mind. My husband and his 'man' friends enjoy these as much as the little ones. (ex. sweets in the shapes of footballs, cheese ball in a football shape, etc.)

3. Have "accessories" that are just for football games. These are special fun bowls or silly straws or chopsticks, etc.

4. Break the little rules. We lay a blanket on the floor in the living room and eat in there. It's kinda like a picnic inside and makes them super excited!

5. Make it a game. This one is kind of a twist on the old baby shower game. Pass out necklaces (cheap beaded ones! the dollar store usually has a pack for a dollar) and list 3 words that you can't say...ex. football, go, and run. When someone says (or yells at the tv in our house) and they get caught, whoever caught them gets the necklace. The person with the most necklaces at the end of the game wins. (bragging rights, a pack of m&ms, etc.) By the way, the kids always win! The crazy guys yelling at the tv never do, and they even try to trick the little ones to get their necklaces back!

6. Have two jars with each of the teams mascots on the front or labeled with team names...when one of the teams score, have a little one put a marble or something (bigger items work better visually for little ones) in that team's jar. This even helps me remember who is winning when I'm not into it! It makes the kiddos get involved waiting for touchdowns!

7. Do a touchdown dance! My LaLa and her Daddy have this down to a fine art!

8. If you look back on one of my older posts, I wrote about the wonderful value of a box and little ones! We had this box in our living room for football, and the kids were so busy coloring the box and making a fort that they were completely occupied! So, something as odd and creative and CHEAP as a big box can be a great addition to football fun!

9. Get the family decked out in their favorite team or favorite team colors! My LaLa has to have her Bulldog BOW when it's Georgia playing. Check out ebay or find a friend that might pass one down to your kids or find a cute jersey or cheerleading outfit (these are especially cheap at the end of the season...so think ahead and buy for next year).

10. It takes a little more work, but have a box of "crafty" stuff that you bring out just during the game. Water colors are something that we don't do often around here and it keeps mine pretty busy. I only pull it out when I need them focused and busy on something else. Or, you know that big roll of craft paper (3.99 at Michaels)? I roll it out across the kitchen floor and let them have at it with crayons, markers, etc. Even my Little Bit can manage coloring on it, and the kids seem to get really creative with it. This is great if you have multiple kids and multiple ages...and it's great to have out if you are having friends over to watch the game!

11. Have something you pull out that makes it seem festive...for example, the dollar store always has those megaphones that would be fun to use or decorate, small footballs, clappers, a whistle (not so brave enough for this one with my 3 year old and all of her air to blow), flags, etc. Think cheap and creative and stock up secretly when you see them around.

12. One more and most importantly...make the little ones feel a part of the game and its activities. Then, it will end up being a fun, family tradition that you can do year after year...and not pull your hair out!

Mama Drama Rule # 44: Make everyone from the littlest to the biggest feel a part of the family fun...regardless if it's a holiday or football or moving. IF they feel like it's special and they're a part of the big people fun, they will enjoy it and be a lot more acceptable of the event!