We're Not Right, but We're Happy

If you've been around these parts for any amount of time, you've likely figured out I have a thing for Christmas decorations, specifically trees. I call it a "thing" and not an "unhealthy obsession" because it's not hurting anything. No harm comes of me decorating 20+ trees every year, not even if I put them up early.

And, no, I'm not disrespecting Thanksgiving. I honor it in the way it was intended to be honored by eating ALL of the pumpkin pie and being grateful the whole time I do it. I might even have a piece of pumpkin pie tomorrow for lunch, so rest assured that I give all of my holidays a lot of celebration time. I am an equal opportunity over-celebrater.

So, while I already have trees up and decorated, there's a thing I never expected to have happen -- I have created MONSTERS. Not only am *I* all in on the decorating, so are both girls.

Mila being three means she's pretty much excited about everything always. The world is a wonderful place before you grow experienced enough to see its flaws. That means she is running around the house yelling, "LOOK! IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!" She makes sure trees are plugged in and asks to decorate every little corner everywhere. Her bedroom is going to be impossible to enter by the time she's done because she fully intends to fill every square inch with sparkly and bright.

But Alexis. OH, ALEXIS. Alexis is the kid who inherited my love for the early sparkly and bright. She has already decided to turn everyone else's grumbles into motivation. The kid at school; who gave her hell about hoping for snow is going to pay with about 34609835 paper snowflakes around every corner of the universe. Even more fun, there is an elementary school teacher who lives in our neighborhood. Said teacher asked Alexis a bunch of questions about our trees during a class last year and the part that stuck with Alexis is that it's very weird to spend time looking in somebody's house and then complain about what you saw. Like, seriously, Alexis said that to the teacher. I was a little proud, if we're being honest.

And, of course, now Alexis wants to put more trees in more windows because if that teacher is going to walk around the neighborhood looking in people's houses, we should give her something to see.

While Alexis is busy decorating all of the things, she's playing Christmas music. Elvis, to be precise. While I would like to call a foul on that move because I think Christmas music is awful (always and forever, it's the worst), she's so dang jolly about the whole thing that I can't help but keep my mouth shut. I guess she can listen to awful music if she wants because it makes her SO happy.

Between Mila's enthusiasm and Alexis' pure Christmas joy, our house is going to be RIDICULOUS real fast. It's fine, though, because I like having company as I ride the crazy train all the way through the holidays;. Honestly, I just worry about their future partners in life. They will have no idea what they're getting themselves into.

So Unfair

There are two facts that are simultaneously true:

1. Mila is ALWAYS eating. I mean, ALWAYS. If I were to leave a buffet of food out on the table, she would be found stopping by every five minutes to grab a bite or ten.

2. Mila is waaaaaaay small for her age. She has been since she was four days old (she was born big and fell off the charts instantly), so -meh-. She's fine. She is growing on her own curve and it's a delightful and small curve.

You'd think those two things can't possibly go together, but there you are, they do.

Which, well, that's why I need the world to stop having opinions about the fact that Mila eats three breakfasts. She eats one at home before we leave, another one in the car on the way to school, and then a third once she gets to school. She's been living her life that way for all of her three years, so it would seem that people would be over it by now, but noooooope.

ANYWAY.

That leads to this morning's meltdown when we pulled into the daycare parking lot. Mila was actively working on Breakfast #2, a bowl of Froot Loops. (An aside, it annoys me that I spelled that "correctly." COME ON, KELLOGG'S.) Things happen and one moment led to another and Mila ended up dropping the bowl of cereal.

Into a puddle.

In the parking lot.

So, well, we have pretty loose rules about how long food can be on the ground and still be eaten (Simmer down, internet. The Five Second Rule is legit and just shoooooooosh.), that definitely qualifies as out of bounds. I said as much even as the little circles melted into nothingness.

Mila was like, "Oh, hell no. I'm eating that."

No, she wasn't.

Proceed right on to a fit befitting the most talented of three-year olds.

There was a lot of yelling and a few tears and Mila wasn't happy either. I drug her into daycare where she promptly yelled, "MY MOM ONLY LET ME HAVE TWO BREAKFASTSESSSSSS WAAAAAH!"

Guilty as charged, you guys. I am definitely guilty.

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I will say that Halloween candy is like SUPER clearance at Target and Walmart right now and, well, there's a Christmas tree or five already up in my house. That means it's basically cookie time, you guys. And cookie time coincides quite well with candy time AS IT SHOULD. One of my favorite Christmas cookies freezes really well and happens to require a bunch of Snickers bars.

Thus, I picked up a few bags of Halloween candy for $2 (for the big bag!) today. I'll pull out all of the Snickers and get busy with the start of the merry and bright in the next few weeks.

Go ahead and tell me how it's too soon. I'll remember that you said it when we're a week from Christmas and I'm all done baking.

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups chopped Snickers
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper. (You should probably trust me when I say the parchment paper is ABSOLUTELY a required step for these cookies. Just don't ask me how I know that. Ahem.)

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, mix the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar at low speed until fluffy. Add the egg and mix again. Add the vanilla and milk and mix again. Add the dry ingredients and mix, mix, mix until everything is all mixed up. The dough will be almost "crumbly" but will form a ball if you squish some of it in your hand.

4. Gently stir the chopped Snickers and chocolate chips into the cookie dough.

5. I was on a mission to get three dozen cookies out of this recipe, so I dropped the dough by rounded teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Roll the little dough heaps between your hands to make a ball and then squish them down onto the lined cookie sheet with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

6. Once they are done baking, allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack once they have cooled to the point that they aren't gooey.

7. Try eating a few of them warm. Fall over with happiness.

8. Then throw some in the freezer and try eating them cold. Once again, fall over from happiness.(I put them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and toss them in. There's no magic secret to freezing these. They just work.)

Then try dunking a few in milk. And, of course, fall over from happiness.