Drama Princess?

I am putting Natalie to bed. Things are going a bit rocky, as they usually do after a day at school. She naps there, and while the afternoon nap used to be an essential for preventing scary Natalie, it's now our nemesis. It makes her wired at her usual bedtime. In fact, we've tried to adjust her bedtime later on the days she goes to school, but it never matters. I swear I could put that girl down at midnight on a school day and still get a fight. But I digress...

Anyway, as I said, things are going poorly. Natalie has asked for more time ("Pretty please, with Hello Kitty on top??"). She's refused to take off her Alice in Wonderland costume ("No, Mama! I have to wear it for the show! The show is starting!"). And now, as I lay down the ultimatums, she's starting to cry. But these aren't normal tears. They are not tears of anger, sadness, or pain. They are a different entity altogether. As I move around her, picking up dirty clothes and throwing them in the hamper, I see her crying into the mirror. Crying to herself. At herself. For herself. She's studying every wrinkle and facial contortion in her own Oscar-worthy performance.

Wise to this, I suggest flippantly that we are going to remove the closet door mirrors. And that's when she loses it for real.

I fear for adolescence with this one. Lord give us strength.

Toilet troubles

In matters of health and potty training, I always tell Natalie to listen to her body. This leads to some hilarious conversations. Here's one:

Me: "Natalie, before you have an accident and go pee-pee in your panties, you need to listen to your body. Are you feeling it when you have to go to the bathroom?"

Me: "No. Well, but, it's telling me that I have to go, but I'm not hearing it...because my ears are closed."

Me: "Your ears are closed? Can you open them for me?

Natalie: "Yes, I will open them from now on."

We are on our third pair of panties today. Let's see how this works.

All she's missing is a British accent...

Natalie: "Mommy, want to play Minnie Mouses with me?" (we have two small dress-up Minnie toys)
Me: "Okay. Oh, look. They're like sisters because they look the same."
Natalie: "Yes, they're very similar."
Me: "Should we plan a surprise party for their mom's birthday?"
Natalie: "I suppose we should! That's a great idea!"

Ode to Naked Time

After visiting the porcelain god(dess?) today, Natalie sang this song, dancing in her chonies, whilst washing her hands. Loudly. At the top of her unclothed lungs, actually. Since I didn't have a video camera handy, I had to quickly memorize. Enjoy!

I am the queen
Of Mt. Naked-eeeee!

I do not want
To wear any clothes.

I have a spot,
It's perfect for being naked...

It's a throne for girls
A girls' only throne!

Homemade Wine Charms

So I'm not usually the "Pinteresty" type. Don't get me wrong. I like making things, sewing, crafting, and being creative, but I usually have so many other things going on, I don't prioritize these things on a daily or even weekly basis. But this year, there were two compelling reasons to make one of the gifts we gave. First, money was tight. Second, the older I get, the more I realize that one or two really heartfelt things beat a slew of cheap and meaningless crap (like many of the stocking stuffers that arrived in my children's stockings...I'm not perfect). And this craft is the pinnacle of awesome because not only is it meaningful, but it is also useful and environmentally friendly.

If you want to make your own, here are the steps...

Step 1: Use a sharp, serrated knife (like the bread knife seen here) to cut a cork into six equal pieces. I like slicing through the middle first, and then cutting each half into thirds.

Step 2: Use an old nail file (or fine sandpaper would work, too) to smooth the cork pieces. I did both sides to make them all the same texture.

Step 3: Using a fine-tipped Sharpie in both red and green, alternate colors to spell MERRY. I added a sprig of holly for my last charm. The font you see is of my own creation, but others would look equally nice.

Another view.

Step 4: I bought tiny eye-hooks online (but they can also be purchased at Home Depot). These, purchased on Amazon, are 3/16". The wine glass charm rings were also an online buy. These are 35 x 40mm, but I wish I had gone with a slightly smaller diameter, as these are just a little too large. 

Step 5: You'll need to apply gentle pressure to screw the eye-hook into the cork. I centered my hooks above each letter. Thread the ring through the eye-hook and voila! You've got your finished product!

Overall, I like the way they turned out. We even used my sister and brother-in-law's set at our holiday gatherings! My one mistake: I didn't make US a set. I'll have to rectify that next time.