Advent Day 16

Today is one of those days that really drives home the importance of Advent.  It was a bad day on lots of accounts.  The two younger kids were in moods.  I don't know why, but both were grumpy and irritable and pesty and just naughty.  This is hard enough to handle at home, but this morning Phin had to go to the dentist to get his cavities filled, so the two grumpies and I had to sit in a waiting room for an hour.  I prayed a lot.  We read books.  We survived.  I planned to get smoothies on the way home and give myself a pass on lunch making.  Shortly after leaving the dentist we were at a stoplight and a nice gentleman honked and let me know my passenger side front tire was almost flat.  I was right near a gas station and so I pulled in for air.  My was it ever close to flat!  I had no idea.  I don't know that I would have made it home without damaging the tire.  I filled it with air and drove straight home.  No smoothie stop.
Phin and Chloe had preschool today which I normally would just skip but both of them have snack duty for their classes this week so I needed to get food there.  Thankfully, my dear sister and brother in law brought me their second car while they went to her doctor appointment.  My dad came am took the van to get the tire repaired.
While I was putting the kids boosters in my sisters car. Christian took a plastic Easter egg type container with rainbow putty inside that I had thrown away out of the trash and reportedly ran and put it down the drain in the shower (removing the drain cover to do so).  ARGH.

We got to school.  I put him to nap and took care of the drain (with a lot of headache.  It was too deep to grab with tongs, I tried lots of different tools and even attempted to stick a wad of gum on the end of a wire hanger only to lose the gum to the drain too;)  I ended up breaking it up in pieces (a way to get out anger;) and dumping buckets of water down the drain to wash it all down.

This kid is insane.  Yesterday I found this under the recliner he wouldn't quit messing with:

Marc and I aren't quite sure what to do about it...pretty sure it is from the foot piece of the recliner.  It seems secure just sitting in it.  We won't recline or put up the foot rest for now;P

How did I survive a 2 1/2 year old boy the first time around?

Needless to say, I sort of wanted to throw in the towel.  I prayed.  I griped to a friend and realized my attitude still stunk so I prayed some more.  I wanted to cancel advent to punish my children for well...for my bad day.  Then it started to snow.  Today is snow day.  How can you cancel snow day when it's snowing?  I'm so thankful.  My terrible day ended with joy.  Fixed my attitude right up and the two little grumpies.

12/16/13-Today is SNOW DAY!  Our sins are forgiven; we’ve been made white as snow!  Let’s celebrate.

It was too cold to go outside.  Just fine, we did that on Saturday and it provided me the opportunity to pull out my snow day back up plan;)  YAY

Styrofoam balls worked last year, but the older kids are getting too strong for those not to be a danger, so I ordered these happy things.  They are awesome.  They feel like snowballs, but not cold;)

Easy dinner, sure to be a crowd pleaser;)

Dessert

Simple, super fun evening that changed the entire atmosphere 'round here.  God is good.  We read gobs of Christmas books before bed and everyone went to bed with ease.  A complete answer to prayer.  I planned today for the kids, but I think I am the one who was most blessed.