Day 5: Elf on the Shelf

Day 4: Elf on the Shelf

It took Ryan some time to find Jolly this AM.

Probably because he was hiding in the fridge!

(Also, if you want your son to drink a gallon of milk in a day, dye it green and slap a stuffed Elf on the container...that kid drank milk ALL day!)

Day 3: Elf on the Shelf

Aaaaaaaaand SpiderElf is in the House!

(You'll notice quite a few superhero themed set-ups this year...Ryan is totally into superheros right now).

Day 2: Elf on the Shelf

Jolly delivers Ryan a Christmas tree each year.

This year Jolly hijacked Ryan's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ornament that Grandmama bought him. Ryan was *NOT* happy about it!

North Pole breakfast 2013!!

We had another super fun North Pole Breakfast!

The second Ryan came out of his room and noticed the marshmallow trail, he took off running and screaming, "Jolly's here!!"

We had a great time and I'm so happy we found this tradition to incorporate into our holidays.

Elf on the Shelf Super Plan!

Last year (2012) was the first year our family celebrated the Elf on the Shelf tradition.

Ryan was 2.5 years old and while I worried that may be pushing the limits of his comprehension abilities, I'm happy he completely proved me wrong. He became totally engaged in the magic, awakening each morning to happily announce that he *must* find Jolly! As he climbed out of his bed, he'd preemptively giggle just imagining what shenanigans Jolly must have involved himself in overnight.

I spent HOURS upon HOURS last year planning out the entire month.

Luckily, like most things in life, the first time is always the most time intensive. This year's planning was MUCH easier.

I started by reviewing the note I wrote to myself after last year...... I distinctly recall that the #1 problem we had last year was not having thoroughly vetted WHERE Jolly would be placed each evening. Recall:

My notes also reminded me that Ryan seemed to really enjoy the antics whereby Jolly incorporated familiar toys into the shenanigans. The Jolly-fishing-in-the-blue-toilet-water-with-disintegrated-goldfish was cool to me, but Ryan didn't necessarily understand how creative that was. But, the morning Jolly was playing Angry Birds in the kitchen? "That was sooooo cool, mommy!!!" 

With those reminders in mind, I sat down (in September and October, per the calendar) and planned out the 24 days of EOTS for 2013.

Here's the calendar, in all of its coffee-stained glory. Because I basically use code, I've included links to most of the ideas below so you can better understand each day.

Dec 1st- North Pole Breakfast!! Jolly's first appearance!

Dec 2nd- Jolly puts up a Christmas Tree in Ryan's bedroom

Dec 3rd- Squinkie Snowball fight

Dec 4th- Spiderman Elf, makes web (I bought spiderwebbing on clearance after Halloween)

Dec 5th- Green Milk in the fridge (I made the scarf and ear muffs from a small felt stocking I got on sale for $0.59 at Michael's last year before Christmas)

Dec 6th- Jolly gives RJ EOTS PJs (from Zulily) and an invitation to gingerbread party that night! (We have 2 couples coming over that night to decorate gingerbread houses, have breakfast for dinner, and watch Prep'N'Landing. We're all planning on giving PJs to the kids, and having our elves deliver invitations to the event)

Dec 7th- Jolly puts up Christmas Tree in the hallway outside RJ's room

Dec 8th- Underwear balloons!

Dec 9th- Canned good tree

Dec 10th- Marshmallow bath

Dec 11th- Elf Garden

Dec 12th- Cookies grow (or candy canes, if you plant peppermint candies)

Dec 13th- Picnic with toys

Dec 14th- Batman Elf (Jolly will dress up as Batman and is going to leave a handmade Batman costume that a friend handed down to us from her son when he was younger)

Dec 15th- Hot Air balloon ride!!

Dec 16th- Making S'mores with friends

Dec 17th- Stealing syrup (maybe with mini-sized pancakes)

Dec 18th- Jolly leaves balloons all over Ryan's floor while he's sleeping (squinkies inside so he has to pop them?)

Dec 19th- Elf brings donut snowmen

Dec 20th- Playing the DS with toys

Dec 21st- Tee Pees the Christmas tree

Dec 22nd- Breaks into piggy bank

Dec 23rd- Hides candy canes for RJ to find (leaves a note with it)

Dec 24th- Elf sized donuts as a parting gift

We also have a few very basic back up ideas in case we forget to set up and need to get it done at the last minute:

Hide'n'seek inside a glass
Name in the cereal
Snow angel
TP roll swing in the kitchen doorway

I think we have a good combination of complex and easy ideas planned. About half of them are repeats from last year. As you can see from all of the superhero ideas, Ryan is totally into them right now! Although, his favorite is IronMan so I may need to find a way to incorporate him somehow.

As was the case last year, I'm so excited for Dec 1st to arrive! Ryan has already been asking about Jolly and even remembered that he began his visit last year with a marshmallow trail into the kitchen (that kid has the memory of an elephant.....he clearly isn't my child; most days I can't even remember how old I am). 

T-minus 8 days until the big North Pole Breakfast!!

It's Magical

"Because it's magical."

That's the response I usually give when others ask me why I go so overboard with Elf on the Shelf.

(First of all, let's agree that the word "overboard" is subjective and left up to much interpretation.)

Here's the thing. When your fertility journey takes unexpected twists and turns and babies don't just fall out of you, I can safely say that your perspective on many things changes.

For me, one of the things I vowed to do if and when we were blessed with children, was to embrace their childhood.

"They're only young once." It's SO TRUE.

Month after month of disappointment and grief and being childless only solidified my drive to wring every little drop out of my future kids' childhood.

Now that we have a child, that desire to soak it all in hasn't waned. At all.

I have a friend who spent months and months planning her son's first birthday party. She probably spent more money on that party than I did on my wedding dress. And I remember our friends questioning why she was focused on planning every little detail of a party her son will never even remember. Some were judgmental in their questioning; others were honestly just curious since they didn't share the same desire to create such a memorable event for their child.

I'm sad to admit that at the time, I was one of the judgy moms. I couldn't believe the time and energy, let alone the money, she committed to the party.

Fast forward another year and I got it. I understood why someone would devote their entire being to planning an event, even if the child will never remember it.

It's like me and the Elf on the Shelf. This silly little Elf thing that causes moms to hurl more mean spirited comments than mentioning George W. Bush at the DNC National Convention. I'm serious!

I've seen a mom become so enraged by EOTS that she actually turned and walked away from me when someone else told her I was one of "those" moms.

The gal who stayed proceeded to berate me for showing up all of the other moms and making such a ridiculous imaginary creature seem so important.

Yauzers.

But, I don't get upset when others refer to me as "that" mom You know, the Pinterest mom.

Because they probably haven't had the same experiences I've had.

Here's the thing: That desire that built up inside me to want to savor every little piece of Ryan's childhood is entirely responsible for Elf on the Shelf.

When I think about my childhood, part of what made it a childhood was that I believed in magic. I believed in things that adults don't believe in.

So when I think about how I can stir up that same belief in magic and special possibilities for Ryan, I think the EOTS fits the bill. Our Elf is special in that he only comes around once a year. His BFF is Santa. Come on, that's pretty magical, eh?

He flies to the North Pole EVERY NIGHT! He encourages good behavior while he himself is just a little mischievous. Who else can pull that off? See...magic. Pure Magic.

I have friends who won't cut their child's hair until they're at least two years old. Another friend won't use the phrase "big girl" around her daughter just yet.

Apparently, we all have our own ways of prolonging our kids' childhoods. Or at least making it distinctly childish instead of rushing them ahead into their advanced years.

So, I get it. I get that not everyone agrees with or appreciates the effort and time and money I put into EOTS.

But, as my dad says, "where you sit determines your perspective."

My perspective changed when our conception circumstances changed. And I'm eternally grateful things worked out as they did. And I'll continue to outdo myself year after year as long as Ryan believes in the magic of Santa and his Elf friend, Jolly.

Elf on the Shelf {Recap}

Recipe for a great Elf on the Shelf season:

- Lots of planning

- Too many dollar bin and dollar $tore trips to count

- A willing and helpful spouse 

And the critical ingredient...

Pinterest!

This was the first year of our tradition and I couldn't be happier with how things turned out. 

It started with our first ever North Pole Breakfast (inspired by the superbly talented Jessica over at Lil Pumpkin Grace- must be the name ;)  

Although Ryan was more than a little confused when he woke up on December 1st, he quickly came to accept the sugary breakfast that awaited him. This also served as the introduction to the Elf on the Shelf. After a day of thinking about it, Ryan decided to name the Elf Jolly.

Overall, I consider this a very successful EOTS experience. The genuine wonder in Ryan's eyes and the excitement with which he greeted each morning made this an absolute pleasure for me and my husband. It's not far fetched to say that we enjoyed it just as much as Ryan did (and if you believe my dad, we probably enjoyed it more). I worried if Ryan being only 2.5 years old would be problematic-- maybe he wouldn't participate as much as I had hoped; or maybe he wouldn't "get" it. I was thrilled to be proven wrong. Ryan seemed to sincerely love every minute of it.

A few thoughts on our experience (I'm documenting this mostly for my own benefit :) )--

- Planning was critical. I'm a Type A personality who dives into projects 110%, so it was important to me that I followed through each and every day. What fun would it be if Ryan awakened to find Jolly in the same spot? I'm notorious for starting a project and never finishing it. In order to commit, I HAD to plan. I printed up a blank calendar and had every day planned out by mid-October. This helped with expenses too since I was able to snag most props for $1 or less. I bought a $5 tub at Target and kept it in the dining room so when I picked up a thing or two at the store, I could easily drop it in the bin and keep everything in one place.

- Ultimately I had a good mix of complex/detailed activities and then some easy peasy no-time-to-set-up plans. The list consisted of things I knew I wanted to do (lighted tree, the Elf Garden) and then I had a list of 2 or 3 really easy go-to activities (e.g. book club). 

- I should have planned ahead and compiled the Elf Recovery Kit sooner. Although Ryan did really well with not touching Jolly (except for the one time), I had planned to get something like this put together before Dec 1st, but just forgot. Thank goodness he touched Jolly on a not-so-busy day :) Now that I have it printed, I saved everything to use again next year. 

- From what I can tell, Ryan seemed to enjoy things that incorporated his toys or his favorite activities. As much as I loved stealing ideas off Pinterest being creative, at his young age, Ryan didn't quite understand some of the more detailed activities. Next year, I want to make more of an effort to use things Ryan likes. 

- While I had each activity planned well in advance, I didn't do well at planning where Jolly would hide. Sometimes that's what took the most time-- planning where to set things up. I knew what I wanted to do and I had all of the props, but finding a place to set it up was challenging. Note to self for next year: be more creative with where he hides :)

- The other time consuming aspect was that Jolly was often difficult to physically set up. He doesn't sit up well on his own so even though I knew I wanted him to play angry birds, getting him to sit down and stay in place was very time consuming (and frustrating). I had seen a post on how to make Jolly flexible (and therefore, more easy to handle), but I didn't think it was that necessary. I was wrong. Truth be told, I didn't want to sew. I'm pretty intimidated by sewing needles.

- I'm really glad I didn't start EOTS on the day after Thanksgiving. Most people I know start it then, but I knew my limitations and decided to wait until Dec 1st. I'm VERY glad I waited. The 23 days we did were plenty for us. 

- For next year, I want to plan a few more service oriented activities for Jolly to do. Although I think Ryan kinda understood the Canned Good donation tree from this year, I think that next year he'll be the perfect age to start truly understanding the concept of giving to others. This has nothing to do with the comment a gal posted on guest blog I did for another website about how she doesn't think I incorporated enough service-to-others activities into my holiday planning. All I can say to that is she clearly doesn't know us :) 

Today I packed everything up from this year, make a few handwritten notes as reminders/suggestions for next year and closed up shop for this season. 

Used a cardboard photo mailer to store the notes,
 Mini Express tickets, and Elf Recovery paperwork

Even though I'm glad it's over, it really was very fun. 

As an adult, recapturing the magic that we felt as kids can be difficult. This is the first year in as many as I can remember when I actually got goosebumps thinking about how magical the Christmas season can be-- seeing the twinkle in Ryan's eyes each morning and experiencing his excitement brought that back. 

Until next year...

Elf on the Shelf Day 23

Here we are-- over three weeks after our North Pole breakfast (I can't believe it's been that long since then...it feels like yesterday!).

It's the final day of Jolly's first Christmas season in our home.

To celebrate, Jolly left us some Elf-sized donuts. Obviously he ate some of them too....

Ryan did really well with the Elf on the Shelf. Except for the one time, he never touched him. Nearly every morning, Ryan's first thought was to locate Jolly. He seemed genuinely surprised each time Jolly was in a new hiding spot. I loved seeing the sparkle of wonder in Ryan's eyes when he realized what exactly Jolly was doing (playing angry birds, enjoying a picnic, knitting an ugly sweater).

I can't say that Jolly's presence helped Ryan's behavior any, but we also didn't overly emphasize that aspect of things (per the book, the Elf is basically a scout for Santa and reports back to him every night about your child's behavior). It's not that I think that's a bad thing, but we just didn't think to use Jolly as a "you better watch out" tool. Ryan is also a very good kid, so maybe it's that we didn't *have* to use it. Maybe next year (not that I'm asking for him to misbehave!!)

I've got an Elf on the Shelf recap post planned where I'll review things I liked and things I need to improve upon for next year. Until then...

Elf on the Shelf Day 22

With a little patience and some special attention, look what grew!

See what happens when you use Christmas tree sprinkles? Christmas tree cookies sprout!

My sister and their elf, Santy, planted peppermint discs and grew candy canes. I like that idea too.

Elf on the Shelf Day 21

This was a really fun day for Jolly and RJ.

Jolly left an Elf Gardening kit for Ryan.

With instructions to:

1) Plan red and green seeds (tic tacs)
2) Water the seeds with Elf sprinkles (tree shaped sugar sprinkles) three times today
3) Wait for a magical treat to grow

Ryan really enjoyed planting the seeds (in a bowl full of sugar) and sprinkling them with the trees.

Craig and I went to see Wicked with Scott and Robin (LOVE that musical), so Tiffany and Gracie babysat. I think Gracie enjoyed watering too :)

After Wicked, we went to a fabulous Greek restaurant in St. Louis. Scott and Robin help us try new foods. I meant to take pics of the appetizer we had (fried goat cheese; I'm forgetting the fancy Greek name for it) which was DELICIOUS. They pour a shot of brandy on it and light it on fire. Opa!

Elf on the Shelf Day 20

Jolly got his magic back! Thanks to the Elf recovery kit from Santa and a little extra TLC from Ryan, Jolly was back to his old self today!

He grabbed a few local friends and had story time with one of Ryan's favorite books.

I think Ryan most enjoys the days when Jolly incorporates things Ryan loves...like his books, or his toys, or Angry Birds. As much as Jolly loves being creative and

Elf on the Shelf Day 19

Houston, we had a problem.

During Jolly's joy ride with Santa, Ryan just couldn't help himself and he touched the Elf!

If you know the story of Elf on the Shelf, then you know that touching Jolly is a no-no. If he's touched, he could lose his magic and no longer be able to fly to the North Pole to report to Santa.

The cool part was the Ryan admitted that he had touched Jolly (I didn't see it). He came into the kitchen while I was making lunch and said "Mommy! I touched Jolly and he didn't lose his magic!"

I explained that he *DID* lose his magic and that we'd have to wait and see what happened.

The next morning.....

Jolly was found resting in a Kleenex box. Fortunately, Santa sent an Elf Recovery kit (thanks to Over the Big Moon). A few times during the day, Ryan sprinkled magic Elf dust on Jolly in hopes that his magic would return. The kit also came with a cute poem and an Elf Certificate of Health. I'm just thankful I didn't have to make this stuff myself!

Ryan seemed remorseful about having touched Jolly and went the rest of the month without even going near him :)

Elf on the Shelf Day 18

Jolly is a bad boy at heart....as seen here on Santa's motorcycle.

(Somedays I wish we had some Barbie gear lying around. I would have loved to throw a Ken-sized leather jacket on Jolly...)

Elf on the Shelf Day 17

So, someone forgot to snap a pic of Jolly for Day 16...doh!

He was flying in the washing machine, though.

Through the front loading door, you could see him suspended in the air and every once in a while, he'd fly!

Ryan really got a kick out of this one...although it's probably the only year we'll get away with tying dental floss around the Elf's neck this set up.

Elf on the Shelf Day 16

Jolly brought Ryan a train and a copy of The Polar Express!!

Choo-choo!

Elf on the Shelf Day 15

"Calling Jolly. Jolly...party of one!"

Those are erasers from the Dollar Store :)

Elf on the Shelf Day 14

Jolly made a Christmas tree made out of lights in the hallway! Ryan loves it!

Elf on the Shelf Day 13

Gone fishin'

A few minutes after Jolly got all set up, we heard a loud "thud." I rushed in there and THANK GOD Jolly had just fallen off the candle and had NOT into the dyed toilet water. His candy cane fishing pole wasn't so lucky-- it succumbed to the Great Fall of 2012 and now rests at the bottom of the toilet bowl fishing pond.

Elf on the Shelf Day 12

Ugly sweater day at the Lotz house!

Jolly is getting into the spirit and knitted himself a sweater!

(Thanks to Aunt Sher for making this beauty for Jolly!)

And, if you want to see some crazy creative Elf Adventures, hop on over to Lisa's blog and see their Elf, Jack Sprinkles, get down Gangham Style!!)