The Rocky Confessional

Rocky is our Elf on the Shelf.

He came to our family in 2007 and there is no one more excited about his existence, than Ellie. He arrived a little early this year. I am not so sure why, maybe because there were two quarreling kids in the Tidwell household and Momma needed to reach into her bag of tricks for help. So Friday, the Elf appeared on the kitchen table donning gifts for each child. He occasionally brings gifts, usually the night before Christmas PJ's. However, the kids needed new cold weather hats and gloves. They needed them anyway...so why not add a little magic to hats and gloves right?

We took those new hats and gloves ice skating with Spanish Sassafras and her three adorable daughters. Ellie was as pleased as punch with hers....

This little guy said the gloves were cool...but the hat was for babies...

And then....we ran into these two on a double date at the skating rink! I love that cute sister of mine and her hubster is pretty great too...

After lots of skating...checkout that hair..can you SEE those shoe laces you are tying? 

Love this girl. 

There are only a few things I despise, loathe in fact. One of them is winter mornings when I have to be up and awake before the sun is up and awake. It is just wrong! Especially for someone with the pen name Sunny D. I think the universal rule should be get up when the sun does..unless it is before seven am...then you can sleep. The other thing I hate is being woken up BEFORE my alarm goes off. I set that thing for exactly as LONG as I can. I mean to the minute so 6:27am is what it is reading now. That means I have three minutes to groggily realize it is the start of a new day and try to get out of bed. When I would rather be snuggled up in those warm covers of mine. It is pretty much the worst thing in my life. Getting up in the morning.

For the last three mornings my early bird Ellie....has run into my room and flopped herself on my bed loudly stating that ROCKY HAS NOT MOVED AGAIN! (I groggily think....craaaaaaaap) I forgot to move him again! Then Ellie wondering out loud if Rocky has the flu, and if he has the flu it is so sad because he is so niiiiiccce and she loves him so much because he brought her a new hat and gloves. (Run on sentence intended...that is what it sounds like to me at 5:55 in the morning) And I am just thinking...craaaaaappppppppp. What kind of a mother squelches the Christmas Magic before it even begins?!?!?

This one.

The elf on the shelf is like this fantastic Catch 22. Your kids really think they are being reported to Santa, but you have to remember to move him every night....and now thanks to Pinterest do all these fun and creative things with him like..have marshmallow snowball fights with your kids stuffed animals. Look people, I am just trying to remember to move that thing around every night..OK?! Quit being so darned creative.

Aydan says to me, "Mom it is ok if you forgot to move him"...kind of sure, but kind of not sure if it really IS me doing the moving. It makes me sad. Is this the last year he believes in Christmas magic? To me that is the passing of childhood, when Santa no longer becomes real. It just breaks my heart, I wish he would believe in Santa forever. I just shrug my shoulders and say, "I don't know what you're talking about."

So this morning I felt like the biggest LAME-O mom ever forgetting to move Rocky. Again. Especially after this: Which was DAY 2 of forgetting to move Rocky.

I want you all to know that letting your child dress themselves is a sign of a confident Mother. So when Ellie walked out of her bedroom wearing her fake leather leggings, t-shirt and Santa hat....sigh. I just let her. We had some errands to run, one of which was Target. Aydan and Ellie found this scarf and boot set for your Elf on the shelf. Which was $9.99. Ellie ran over to me, I was looking at all the wrapping paper. She excitedly plead her case for the Elf on the shelf outfit..."You know Mom, Rocky did Buy US new hats and gloves." He is probably SO cold going to the North Pole EVERY night that is why he hasn't moved he needs THESE. Plllleeeeeeaaaaaaase. 

Christmas Magic Squelching Mom says: No. I am not paying $10 for that. We can MAKE him a scarf. Ellie says: And a jacket and shoes and mittens? I wish you could have seen her seriously concerned face. I said....maybe. We went on our way, gathered our supplies and left. 

Back to Sunday morning. We have 8 o'clock church. YES. Another reason to hate mornings, having to be at church at 8 on the weekend. I can do this for what....six more weeks. SIX MORE WEEKS. It was like the movie Groundhog Day. I was snuggled up in my bed, having good dreams I am sure. When I am awoken by, "Mom!" Rocky hasn't moved for three days in a ROW! Me: crrraaaaaaaaaaap. We all rush around frantically getting ready for church, and out the door we go. I get in the car and realize I left my Teacher's Manual in the house. The kids stay in the car and I run back in the house, up the stairs, grab the manual, and down the stairs. Where I spot, Rocky. 

Who I run over and GRAB, walk around the corner and shove in a box in my laundry closet. Genius. 

We get home from church today and the kids are ASTONISHED. "Rocky is Gone Mom!" What?!?? I say, shocked. ( I should have been an actress) Aydan says, "Mom, I thought YOU were the one that moved him, now I am totally freaked out!" Ellie says, maybe he left because it was a little warmer since he doesn't have a coat. I pipe in, "Maybe he did have the flu and just didn't feel like going anywhere?" What can I make you guys for lunch? 

Christmas Magic...restored. 

Now...before I forget I need to move that little bugger. 

Wishing everyone a little magic in their lives...XOXO The Sunny D