The ????

Grandkeeper and Silverback are on vacation at the ZIT's house this week.  That said, I didn't really expect to hear from them much this week even with the new additions.  However...apparently last night there was great discussion of this little blog of mine.

ZIT gave them all a rundown of all the alter egos that everyone has.  Zookeeper, Lion, Orangutan, Rhino, Marmoset, ZIT, Grandkeeper and Silverback.  I'm pretty sure she covered the security team too.

Then her hubster piped up and the text messages started flying.  "Why don't I have a nickname yet?!"

So I asked if he had one in mind or had any ideas about a name to which there was no real reply or idea.  Guess what you get to do now?  You get to help us create Uncle N's alter ego.  Some facts you should now.  If he sticks out his tongue his shadow looks like a zipper.  Yes, he's that thin.  And he's a paratrooper/master carpenter/engineer/drill instructor.

See why he doesn't have a nickname?! 

Now we kicked a few around last night. 
The Badger (a nod to the DI in him). 
The Wombat (a nod to...well, I'm not really sure). 
And then (his current preference - we think) The Flying Wonder Weasel.

But here it is Zoo Visitors!  Time to name the...well, Gonzo for lack of a better temporary idea.

The Chief, The Sarge, and The Rookie

**There are some great pictures that are supposed to go with this post.  Unfortunately DinoComp won't let Blogger have them and I don't have the patience to force the issue right now.  When the Speed Demon gets back I'll put the pics in.  Until then...use your imagination, please.**

In case you missed it over at The Bowl, we were looking at adopting a new dog to add to the Zoo security force.  Then the owners decided that they didn't need to give it up after all.  And then Lion's phone chirped at 9:45 Thursday night.

"Hey, were you still thinking about the dog?"
"Absolutely!" I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.  And I thought I was going to barf.
"I'll know for certain in the morning but we'll talk."

9:45 Friday  morning.  I was paying Zoo invoices and getting my brain together for OAT, RAT shopping when my phone rang.  "He's OURS!!"  Yay...Don't get me wrong.  I love dogs.  Security Chief Max has been with me for 10 years.  We've seen some good days and some rough days together.  He knew I was in labor before I did.  He's faithful, sweet, and adores the children.  But he's a small dog.  And this is, and always has been, HIS house.

Then you have The Sarge, Bentley.  He's the neighbor's 80 pound chocolate lab who spends a lot of time at our house when Neighbor has to work till all hours of the morning.  He thinks he's mine.  He will attack his own owner if he tries to yell or mess with me.  And he'll growl at me if he thinks I'm being too rough with the kids when we wrestle. 

(You HAVE noticed that they are both males, right?)

And now (as of 9:45 Friday night) we have The Rookie.  And when I say Rookie I mean, puppy brain.  This dog is house broken and that's about it.  His (yes, a third male dog!) name was Max too but we are trying to change it to Walter.  Walter is not terribly bright.  And he's a black standard poodle.  With a mohawk.  And a paw and crossbones collar.  And a barking habit.  He's a sweet dog and very cuddly.

But he barks a menacing bark at every sound and to tell you he wants to play.  He wants to play with The Chief a lot.  He wanted to play with The Chief at 1 AM.  The Chief wanted nothing to do with him so he barked back which The Rookie took to mean that we were going to talk about playing all night.  Like two kids having a sleepover planning the next day.

At 1 AM.

I do believe my time today will be spent researching some new acadamies that Walter the Rookie and I can attend together this fall.  Or buying several bedtime muzzles.

I'm Not Feeding my Children Anymore.

All right Zoo fans.  Name one hobby that I truly love.  Writing - yes, but that's not the one I'm talking about.

Cooking.  How many bajillions of Wordless Wednesday's have been dedicated to food creations?  How many times have I blogged about baking or cooking or creating new meals?  I really do love to cook.  And of corse I'll continue to cook.  I'm just not feeding my family any more.

See there's a difference between cooking and feeding my family.  Cooking involves chopping, dicing, fileting, sauteeing, broasting, marinading, grilling, and searing.  Cooking means savoring aromas of fresh herbs, breathing in the sharpness of onions and garlics, and tuning in to the sizzle of the butter in a hot skillet.  Cooking can be done slowly while sipping a glass of wine and nibbling on the scraps of hard cheese that fall by the wayside of the cutting board.  The Three Tenors can keep you company in the kitchen and coax smoothness out of the sharpest combinations.  Cooking is relaxing and comforting.

Then I remove my lovingly prepared meal and I place it on the dining room table amidst the bouquets and neat place settings.  I call the family to the table.  This is where it goes from cooking a lovely meal to feeding my brood.

"But I don't like peppers." 

"These aren't the kind of noodles I like."
"You know I don't eat squash."

"Can I have a drink to wash this down?"

"I'm going to pretend to be a race car at the table now."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to scream all through dinner."
"Is it time for dessert yet?"
"Mom!  He's looking at me!"

I've decided that I'm not feeding them any more.  I will cook and they can come and get it.  But I will not be present.  I'm going to be out on the deck with Pavoratti.  Who cares if it's still 96 degrees at 9 PM?  At least I'll be able to dine.

Mom Tip #65: Sometimes our Job just Stinks.

I'm not talking about the smells. Eau de poop and barf is definitely not one of the highlights of being a mom. Just the same there are so many other aspects of our job that stink that the smells really just act as a little whipped cream and cherry on top of all the other odor.

The hours stink. We are up at the butt crack of dawn (no offense to any Dawns in my audience - I'm sure your butt crack is adorable) and really have to hit the ground running. We can say that we sit in the quiet and savor our fabulous coffee, but chances are that if someone were to put a hidden camera in our house, they would find that we have the coffee in one hand and we are picking out clothes or washing dishes with the other.

But I got sidetracked (SURPRISE!). We cover the whole day working inside and outside our home and then we clock out (or not) and we head home (or not) to fold laundry, feed small and large mouths, bathe people, read stories, tuck in and call it a night. But we don't call it a night because now we are sneaking into rooms and putting away the laundry, washing dishes, paying bills, picking up toys and trying to get our heads on for the next day. We fall into bed only to be jarred awake by some noise in the middle of the night or we open our eyes to see a big toe on the end of our nose. Our hours stink.

The pay. Now some of my fine readers may very well have good paying careers outside of the home but sentimentality be flushed. I love my children and their hugs and their kisses and giggles. They really are something special. But it sure would be nice if someone really did pay me that $114,000 that some ridiculous government agency determined my work to be worth. And even nicer if they paid me in something other than a namby pamby tax break or day care credit. Pay me in the green.

Ahh Hah! I figured out the real stimulus package! Pay the stay at home moms and working moms for their parenting time. We in turn will hire teenagers to babysit while we go to spas and nail salons and malls and crafting and writing conventions. Or maybe we'll start our own businesses that will stimulate the ecomony. We will be spending that money you gave us. We will be providing jobs for working class people. As Mrs. Dolly Levi said, "Money is like manure. It does no good unless you spread it around." (Name that musical and a bonus for the person who names the actress who played her. Double bonus if you can tell me who the leading man was.)

Anyway, I'm just saying that for all the joy that being a mother can be, it's not a job for whiners and wimps. It's a job for selfless, dedicated, determined, focused people with no olfactory nerves.

The Great Switch-a-Room Day 2: Part 2

But Sarah! You promised there would be footage. Well, yes, I did. But there is none. Would you like to know why?

Because NOTHING happened.

Lion DID go pick up the beds. However he came home and informed me that we needed to refinish them and paint the girls' room before we installed anything. Let's just account for the next 5 hours by saying "less than pleasant." Orangutan is dissappointed to still be in her "old bed" and Rhino is annoyed that he is still in "squeaky bed and SHE's still here!"

The only one who really could not possibly care less is Marmoset. A compromise was reached this afternoon after the Zookeeper escaped the gates for an hour or two. Yes the room will be painted - more accurately I will sponge another color over the white. But the beds and dresser will have to be content with a good cleaning and possible touch up. Hopefully next weekend will be the actual install if not sooner.

And so Switch-a-Room enters a third day - aren't you all giddy with delight? There's a several Mom Tips in here. I'd stay tuned if I were you!

Can We Talk about Moving for a Minute?

No, the Zoo is not relocating to a suburb near you. I heard that collective sigh of relief! Don't think I won't remember this.

What I am talking about is moving children. We have been stalling on putting Rhino in his own big bed and moving Marmoset out of the crib. We really can't stall anymore because the child can put the side of the crib down and put herself to bed now. It sounds cool but I assure you it is not. That means that sooner than later she will figure out that her arms are long enough to reach down and release the catch thus freeing herself as well.

Now I know putting her in the toddler bed or her own big girl bed is not going to be much different but at least then I can retrain her. So we were investigating bunk beds. Grand Keeper and Silverback were going to get them so that Rhino could have his own bed for his birthday but they are 600 miles away so the logistics were killing us.

Then Lion called me today from work. Ms. M has a set of off white bunk beds with the mattresses, a dresser and a mirror that she will freecycle to us. We'll just owe her one. We can pick them up on Sunday.

Holy Housing Issues Batman! I have to prep two rooms for the grand swap-a-roo in less than 48 hours. Dismantle and stash the crib and rocking chair, sort through a butt load of clothes, find two more sets of bedding and (most importantly) come to grips with the fact that for the first time in 5 years there will not be a baby within our gates.

Do you know what this means? The next time I say, "If you're gonna throw a fit, you can just go sit!" to Marmoset, she'll actually have a place to sit. No more dragging a Rhino out from under his bed in the morning. Orangutan will actually be able to go to bed with someone who sleeps on her same schedule - not an hour and a half behind.

I can finally paint a boy room and a girl room. No more gender neutral. I could just about cry. But instead I think I'm going to go whip up a little cocktail and celebrate the fact that I am one step closer to no more diapers - EVER!

And that's exactly how immaculate their room will stay too.

Ouch! I think I just snorted vodka!

Welcome to the Rhino's Sleeping Standoff!

It's day three and it looks like the Zookeeper is beginning to lose her composure.

Day One of the stand off occurred due to a secret hideaway nap the Rhino managed to sneak in while the Marmoset and her exploding rear acted as 30 minutes of prime cover fire. Due to a bit of a chocolate high the Zookeeper caved and allowed Rhino to snuggle in the Lion's Den thinking that the Lion would relocate him to the Rhino/Orangutan exhibit at a later time. Lion never made it to the den thus leaving Rhino in the den for the whole night.

Day Two. Zoo lock down went as planned with all exhibits in their proper zones, covered and quiet. Thirty minutes later the Zookeeper stubbed her toe on a fleece covered "rock" that had managed to work HIMSELF from the Rhino/Orangutan exhibit into the middle of the hallway. After another 30 minutes of Lion snuggling and negotiation, the Rhino ended up...in the den. Again with the intentions of relocating him. Again, did not happen.

And here we are at Day Three of Rhino's Sleeping Standoff. We are at 10:32 PM and he is actively exploring the activity area of the Zoo without so much as a shadow of bloodshot in his eye. Sound effects are still in full effect and he has converted the activity area resting apparatus (aka playroom couch) into four carefully spaced landing zones for his imaginary kangaroo friend.

Send coffee. This Zookeeper is going to need it!

Wordless Wednesday: You served us well.

This is dead.

This is two days worth of dead.

**You can see the rest of the story now over at The Bowl.**

In the meantime (as you wait in suspense....) head over to MomDot and see what the REAL mom blogs have to show off today!

And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a BlogHer sponsorship from Label Daddy!

Mom Tip Mini on Listening

If you listen carefully you can hear some of the funniest things never put on stage.

From the Rhino: Did you see that Mom? I just fell off my legs.

I almost went in search of the missing parts until I realized that he meant to say "I just fell on my knees."

From the Orangutan: But I can't brush my teeth because then my orange juice will go to waste because you know Mom that I can't drink my orange juice after I brush my teeth because it will taste all funny and then you'll have to throw it out and Daddy hates it when we have to throw our juice out because we haven't finished it.

And I promise you not only did she never take a breath but that is verbatim what came out of her mouth. I can no longer say that she doesn't listen.

From the Marmoset: Ah neena noonle for Maxie licka me. Which means (because not everyone speaks Marmoset) "I need a noodle so I can put it in my mouth with a little piece hanging out so Max can eat it like a treat."

And yes, that does happen at my house. Not only do I serve naked noodles for dinner from time to time but the dog does get table scraps. And yes, the children have been known to put treats just between their lips and let the dog take them from their mouths. What can I say? He lives a great life. I have often told him that in my next life I'm coming back as him.

From the Lion: (and I have held this as long as I can) I am hyperactivating the fridgidity.

That was in response to my question of why there was a sealed glass jar of $6 apple juice in my freezer just waiting to explode.

And finally From the Zookeeper: If you are not naked in the next 2 seconds I am going to whoop that fanny all the way to Wisconsin!

A - I can't believe I even had to ask twice for someone to get naked! And B - The response I got was not a naked child. It was "where's Wisconsin?!"

Did I mention that in my next life I'm coming back as a dog?

The Lion's Take on Redecorating

Dear Lion, I warned you I was going to do this! Deal!

We have lived in our house for three years. Ask me how many rooms we have "decorated." How about half of three. No, I don't mean a room and a half. I mean we have half decorated three rooms. We painted the Orangutan exhibit - but no curtains or pictures on the walls. We painted the Rhino exhibit (when he was in a solo exhibit) and put up a valance and border. But when Marmoset came she evicted him to the Orangutan exhibit and I painted her exhibit. Again no pictures, but we do have a valance up. And then you have the Lion Den. It got painted but the one picture that was up before the painting still hasn't gone back up.

We're not so good at this decorating thing.

Well, the washing machine died yesterday so we are off to the great orange heaven (aka Home Depot) this weekend to get a new washer. Aha! The perfect chance! So I zipped the Lion an e-mail that went like this.

"Hey. I was thinking. Can we get some KILZ and paint for the bathroom while we are at Depot this weekend? We have the gift cards from Bed Bath and Beyond and Steinmart so maybe we could redo our bathroom for the cost of paint. I've been watching the mildew and the peeling ceiling for a while now so we need to do something.

Just an idea. I'll do the work."

That was a pretty generous offer I thought - especially considering all the little nooks and crannies and cutting in that need to be done.

The Lion's response? (And I'm pulling this right from the e-mail!)

"IT’S NOT MLDEW ITS CHARM"

My response? You can call it penicillin, love but it's still mold.

Let's hope I don't end up with this on the bathroom wall.

What in the Grilled Cheese...?

Why? Why can I cook the perfect grilled cheese with three children clamoring around my ankles? But as soon as L.M. Lion gets in the door the pan starts sticking and the thing catches fire and turns into a charcoal briquette?

Somedays are meant for going back to bed.

'S Rozhdestvom!'

Do you have a fur hat? Are you bundled up? It's time to head off to Russia for Christmas! But guess what? We are early! But I'm getting ahead of myself!

The key religion in Russia (now that it is allowed again) is Eastern Orthodox. Because the Orthodox church still follows a Julian calendar Christmas is not celebrated until January 7th. And for the 6 weeks leading up to Christmas the faithful participate in a fast. The Russian fast however is not like the fast we found during Eid. Fasting involves avoiding meat and declining to participate in gatherings and parties.

The largest part of the celebration is on Christmas Eve. Folks gather at the cathedrals for mass involving incense and carols. At one point in the service there is a preocession around the church led by the clergy.

After the service families go home for a feast (still meatless). This little bit from travelcentre.com was too good not to pass on!

Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The most important dish is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of berries, wheat or other grains that symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds that ensure happiness, success, and untroubled rest. A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity. Some families used to throw a spoonful of kutya up to the ceiling. According to the tradition, if kutya sticks there will be a great honey harvest.

I will not be sharing the food flinging tradition with my children!

On Christmas Day the fast is broken with a 12 course meal to honor each of the 12 Apostles. The meal includes (but I'm sure is not limited to) fish, Borsch (a beet soup), cabbage stuffed with millet, cooked dried fruit, goose, suckling pig and many more dishes.

There are two figures commonly associated with Christmas. Babushka (Grandmother) is the bearer of the gifts. The legend tells that she was invited to go find the Chist Child with the Wise Men but declined due to the weather. She regretted her decision almost immediately and packed a basket with her own gifts and went in search of the Child. Along her way she distributed her gifts to good children.

There is also a figure (Grandfather Christmas) Dedushka Moroz but he is simply a figure head and not held as much more.

And that my friends is our little visit to Russia. perhaps this evening we can all have some Chinese together? See you there!

Wordless Wednesday!

It's Christmas so any of you who followed along during the blog party know what time it is!

Time to plant the Magic Seed!
(Maybe next week I'll let you see what grew - or maybe not!)

Make sure you check back in a few and leave some love for our guest tour guide Tina as she takes us through Christmas in Germany!!

Wordless Wednesday

Can you guess what Daddy is reaching for in that pile of leaves?

That would be Tucker - Daddy threw him in and he went under.

Think we need to do leaves a little more often?

Can't get enough of Wordless Wednesday? Check out the list at MomDot and add your own!

Christmas Around the World South of the Border!

Welcome to Christmas Around the World! In an effort to add some new traditions to our family I thought I might do a little exploring and see how other cultures and nations celebrate Christmas. So strap on your backpacks and let's take a little trip together around the globe!

I thought we would just take a little stretch of our legs today and head south to some warmer climes in Mexico! If you are a little weary of the commercialism and gimmee attitude of "American" Christmas, this might just be the place for you. In my digging I learned that Christmas is treated very religiously in Mexico which makes sense considering the Catholic faith base in the country.

Nine days before Christmas (the 16th) families begin Posadas - mini parades to celebrate the Nativity. Children acting as Mary and Joseph pass through a village and knock on three doors. At the first two they are turned away and told that there is no room. At the third door they are welcomed in and the family and friends gathered join in praying the Rosary together which is followed by a formal meal.

Since opening the borders with NAFTA Mexico has adopted many of the American traditions such as Santa and gifts on Christmas but traditionally the 25th passed without very much ado. Instead families celebrated Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings) on January 6th. The children leave their shoes (versus stockings) out for their gifts. Of course there is a family meal like ours but one particular part of the meal is very interesting.

The Rosca del Reyes (described as an oversized egg bread wreath - a big bagel if you will) is shared with the family. If you are familiar with the king cake of Mardis Gras this popped into my head. There is a ceramic Baby Jesus baked into the bread (try to to think too hard about that!) and the person who receives the piece of bread with jesus is named the His godparent. They go about preparing a "christening" of sorts which is celebrated February 2nd at the Day of the Candle. The Day of the Candle is when the Nativity is put away and the "closing ceremony" if you will of the holiday season.

Did you follow all of that? They kick it off on December 16th with Las Posadas and don't wrap up until February 2nd! I don't know about you but that seems like a very long holiday season to me. What I love about the traditions of Mexico is how little they focus on the gifts (traditionally at least!) and how much they focus on the reason behind the season - The birth of the Savior!

If there is one thing I can take from the traditions of Mexico it is to keep the Christ Child at the center of my holiday celebration. Have you ever thought about the traditional arrangement of a Nativity scene? The Wise Men and their gifts are not set up in the middle. Keep that in mind as you head into this holiday season. And may the peace heralded by the star be in your heart all year!

Four Days of Reporting in one FAST post!

You may have heard or maybe not - my parents came in on Wednesday for the holiday. Can we say hyper, loved up children? Spoiled? Absolutely not! My mom was better at disciplining Captain Attitude (aka Rhino) this weekend than I was! My folks are good that way!

But on with the tales! Thursday was MY holiday. I was up at 7 and leisurely cooked all day. My turkey came out perfectly; my mom made the pies for me and they were fabulous; the stuffing didn't survive the meal; I got my fair share of the potatoes and here on Sunday almost ALL of the leftovers are gone. An ideal Thanksgiving!

As we all know I skipped out on the shopping on Friday - well, except for that trip to Home Depot for the supplies for the BIG Christmas surprise for the kids (which Poppie got fully assembled this weekend!). We took the kids to the park and just pretty much lounged all day.

Saturday was a quick trip out to WalMart, JoAnn's and Target for some sewing supplies and new sneaks for Rhino and Marmoset (Thank you Grammy!). And then.....Cookie Bake 08! I don't think you guys really understand the level of my passion for baking. I look forward to this day all year. I plan, strategize, and maneuver like the rest of you manage your shopping.

Wanna see what I did? Ok! Since you asked so nicely!

Yes! That IS four trays of sugary homemade goodness. I think (and this is just an estimate) there are about 12-15 dozen cookies there. And guess what? They are all gone! I gave every last one of them away! Yay me! (And yay for my butt!)

There's a more detailed version for you. Clockwise from 1 o'clock: Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Mantecaditos. (Thank you Erin for the Mantecaditos! Wow! Yummy!) There in the center is a nice little mound of Chocolate Covered Pretzels.

And I'll probably do that again somethime before Christmas - parties and all you know. And of course I'll have to make the cherries for the Christmas Eve party (I've already been told). Let's hope my behind can make it through the holidays.

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! Make sure you check back later for the first installment of Christmas Around the World! Want to visit any country in particular? Drop me a line at ineedthezoo(at)yahoo(dot)com!

Ahhh! The Gift of Giving Back!

Day 5! To those of you playing along, sorry I haven't been able to comment much this week. There's this whole thing about an Orangutan's birthday today? Yeah. It's kind of thrown me off a little! Happy Birthday Orangutan! Your Zookeeper loves you! I'll be back on track tomorrow after the chocolate cake wears off.

So now. On to Day 5!

Sponsors: Day Five Blog Party Question is Brought to you by Baby Pop and Chic Covers
VIP BLOGS to visit are Parent Reviewers , Mom Most Traveled, Mommy Zabs, MomStart, HipposToes, Run DMT

But that's not what you wanted to know is it? You want to know what the question is and how can this loony twist it up! Well, I'm not messing with it today (I don't think!).

Today, make a blog post about what you do to give back during the holidays. Do you volunteer your time? If so, please tell us where. What do you do to teach your children the true meaning of the holidays?

Our family does not formally donate our time to charities during the holidays. My children love to donate anything and anyway they can though. The magic sound of the Salvation Army bell brings little palms out of no where for any and all spare change we can find. The trip to the fire house is an annual highlight and every year before we leave, I choke up to hear them say Thank You. To their heroes.

I'm even more proud of them if we have a trip to the airport during the holiday seasons. They keep their eyes peeled for the ladies and gentlemen in the "polka dot" suits so that they can personally say Thank You. I can't even count the number of smiles that they have given out that way. And not just to the troops but to the people who see them doing so. Tucker makes it a point to find anyone in any kind of uniform - even the porters - and say thank you.

Molly goes through her toys every year looking for something to give to the “little boys and girls who don’t get Christmas.” This year she is already planning on weeding out her books. We also enjoy gathering gifts for Angel Tree families when we can and the Toys for Tots campaign is on our To Do list.

I am very proud of my children when it comes to the holiday spirit. They are always friendly and kind to people they meet but during the holiday season they seem to find extra smiles. And not because of the looming presence of Santa or the gifts. I seldom have to prompt them to use please’s and thank you’s. They just seem to pick up the spirit from people around them and bounce it back.

And now I have to go wipe my face and blow my nose. I never said I was above sentimentality!

Party Time! MomDot Day 2!

Can I just tell you how much fun I had yesterday? I added several people to my reader and I saw some really awesome pages! If you aren't popping around reading at least a few of the other participants in the MomDot Blog Party you are really missing out on meeting some wonderful and creative people!

Our question for Day 2 is brought to you by:

Sponsors: LaPlates and Lets Go Strolling and Natitys Design

VIP BLOGGERS: Parent Reviewers , Mom Most Traveled, Mommy Zabs, MomStart, HipposToes, Run DMT

And the question is:

Traditions, what are some of your favorite family traditions? What are some traditions you want to begin?

I love traditions. We have a few here at the Zoo and I am certain we will add more as the years pass. Some of my favorite Zoo traditions center on Christmas.

Christmas pajamas – You all got to see these yesterday in our family picture. My mother always makes the kids pj’s to wear on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately for me this is the last year that the three may be able to have matching pj’s. Tuck and Mo are getting a little older and will probably start to move to more “grown up” jammies.

The Cookie Bake – The weekend after Thanksgiving all dieters move away from my house. I will spend all of November storing up baking supplies little by little. Then the Saturday after Thanksgiving I go nuts. I bake all day long. Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Oatmeal Raisin, Oatmeal Scotchies, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries, Double Delicious Bars, Oreo Truffles, and more that I would list if I was less fearful of keyboards across the blogosphere shorting out.

Then on Sunday the plating begins. We make trays for the fire houses and Daddy’s office and smaller bags for our mail lady and any other public servants the kids choose. Then we go as a family and deliver them. I may be off a little but I almost think the kids look forward to this more than they do to the presents.

The Magic Seed – This is by far my favorite!! Since we moved into our house three years ago, we have had a real tree. Daddy picks it out himself and brings it home from work the second week of December. Then we bring the tree stand up from the garage and let the kids “plant” the Magic Seed. It is actually a pistachio nut that one puts in the tree stand and the other waters. Then I put them in the tub.

While they are busy playing in the tub, Stephen and I set the tree up in the tree stand. Then while I do baths and jammies, Daddy puts on the lights. It is the highlight of the holiday season to watch their faces as they lay eyes on the tree for the first time.

That is just a few of the Christmas traditions here at Zoo Suburbia. I am tingly with anticipation that they are approaching quickly for this year again!

Want to pick up some more holiday traditions for your family? Pop over to MomDot and visit some of the other participants who will be sharing their traditions too! Make sure you share a little comment love - it's our version of chocolate (when we can't get our hands on the real stuff)!

Welcome to the MomDot Blog Party! (And my 100th Post!!)

I am so incredibly thrilled that this is Post 100! What a way to hit it!

So our Theme for Day 1: Intro to Blog Party, Introduce us to your family and share Holiday pics or videos of past years.


Sponsors: Day One Blog Party Question is Brought to you by La Belle Toile and This and That by Randi

VIP BLOGS to visit are Parent Reviewers , Mom Most Traveled, Mommy Zabs, MomStart, HipposToes, Run DMT

So you want to meet the Zoo? Brace yourself!

So first there’s me – I’m Sarah and I’m the Zookeeper (aka Mom!). When I’m not blogging (all 6 hours of the day that that happens!), I really enjoy cooking and baking; playing playdough; sewing and on the occasion that I can hide out on the deck with a book and a coffee – reading. I grew up in rural PA and now live in suburban Atlanta. I am not June Cleaver or Martha Stewart but I try really hard (or so I pretend).

Five minutes ago after children!>





Then you have Beloved, the Large Male Lion, my hubby Stephen. We met at the bank where I was working in 2002, and became pretty good friends. Our first official date was for New Year’s 2003 and in October of the same year we were married. I poke fun at him a lot but I love him with all I am and really don’t know where I would be without him – probably back in PA counting cows for a living.

Which brings us to Molly, Mo or as she is known here at the Zoo the Orangutan. Our firstborn is a bit of a wild thing. She has a very vivid imagination and loves to draw, sing, and make up stories. Mo is a HUGE Scooby Doo fan but has recently taken to singing the Smurfs theme song. What can I say? We like Boomerang!

Tucker. What in the world can I say? He comes by his Small Male Rhino alter ego naturally. Stephen and I can be stubborn but this boy makes us look like waffle makers. If he has made his mind up to do (or not do) something, you had better have large reserves of fruit on hand to make him change his mind. He is a very funny child and for those who can understand his small speech issues he can come out with some really great one liners. To which he would reply, “Aww shucks Ma! It’s nuffin!”

And now for the Pygmy Marmoset also known as Meghan, Munch or Mega Munch. If you took Mo and Tuck and mashed them together you would have Munch. She can throw a fit with the Rhino that makes dogs howl but she will dance and sing with Molly every chance she gets. I gave her the nickname Munch when she was very small because it was next to impossible to keep up with her appetite. Now that she is a full blown toddler I really don’t have to worry about it. If everyone else has left the table she just moves from seat to seat and finishes off the leftovers. Very entertaining to watch!

And finally you have the Security Guard, our Jack Russell, Max. I brought him into this family when he was just a couple of years old and Stephen was kind enough to adopt him. Now you would never know he was ever MY dog. Meghan wakes up in the morning looking for him. Tuck tries to get him to sleep in his bed every night and Daddy-O really doesn’t know how to nap without Max curled up with him. At eight years old he is incredibly tolerant of the ear pulling and belly hugging but every now and then I get that look that says, “Mom! Make them stop!”
And that my friends is The Zoo. It's a busy little place but we call it home. Feel free to stop by anytime! There may even be some cookies in it for you! Happiest of all theHoliday Seasons!

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