Surviving the holidays

Whew! Made it through the holidays with no major meltdowns and only one faux pas; 5 year old H opened a present from his Gramma and announced, "I have this already!". I saw a wonderful teaching moment and asked, "If someone gives you a gift you already have or don't really want, what should you say?" (The correct answer being, in my eyes, "Thank you.") H replied, "I should say, No thank you." Okay, so it was polite at least and Gramma was more than understanding, but we did have a little talk about just saying thank you and asking mom or dad for help exchanging it later.

Now the fun begins; Mom (meaning me) has to find a way to entertain all three kids for the next week while the two oldest are off from school. Staying home just invites fights and whining, so I have a couple of outings planned. I think we will hit the zoo and Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America. We have memberships to both and have found that while it is a bit of a shock to pay the yearly fee, it saves us quite a bit of money in the long run. I plan to have them help me make play dough another day, and of course we have all the new toys and games to play with.

Hopefully having a plan will prevent fighting and whining and help to preserve my sanity. Or it could just be wishful thinking... I guess only time will tell.

Hope you all have peaceful holiday breaks and if you have a great idea for keeping the kids happy and calm (and, no, duct tape doesn't count!) please let me know. Maybe I will try it too :)