What a week it has been! Two sick kids, two doctor visits, volunteering at my son's school and Halloween festivities have taken their toll on this Mama. Whew. TGIF, right?

 I have never been happier to see November 1st on my calendar.

 Soooo, can I put up my Christmas tree yet?! 

 Ha! Yes, I know.. Too soon. But what it is not to soon for is planning for our Elf on the Shelf to arrive! This will be his 2nd year coming to our home. Introducing him to our family last year was priceless. I have never seen so much excitement on my little guy's face trying to see what new tricks his elf would be up to every morning.

 This year I am scouring Pinterest to find 3 weeks worth of mischief for "Bear" (yes, my son named his cute little elf Bear. Whatever.) to get into this December that are not a repeat of last year's events. I am planning early because I am now Mama of 2 instead of 1, so things will be a lot busier around here. If I have the ideas planned ahead of time, it will just make my life much easier.

 There are some of you who are following what I'm saying completely and others who are thinking, "What the heck is an Elf on a Shelf and why is he causing trouble for 3 weeks in December?" 

 For those who don't know..




"The Elf on the Shelf® is a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists. When a family adopts an elf and gives it a name, the elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day's adventures. Each morning, the elf returns to its family and perches in a different place to watch the fun. Children love to wake up and race around the house looking for their elf each morning. There are two simple rules that every child knows when it comes to having an elf. First, an elf cannot be touched; Christmas magic is very fragile and if an elf is touched it may lose that magic and be unable to fly back to the North Pole. Second, an elf cannot speak or move while anyone in the house is awake! An elf's job is to watch and listen. Elves typically appear in their families’ homes at the beginning of the holiday season (around Thanksgiving in the U.S.). On Christmas Eve, the elves return to the North Pole with Santa Claus--until next year!" -ELF ON THE SHELF



So basically, this little guy "watches" your child all day long and reports back to Santa. The thing about the little elves is they tend to be mischievous. Here are a few pics of Bear's adventures last year..















 

While I am very aware that it may seem like I am overlooking Thanksgiving by jumping into a Christmas-y post, I'm not.. but I am also a firm believer in giving thanks all year long for the blessings in my life, not just on the holiday itself. 

So, bring on the Christmas decor, the holiday music, the Bible stories that we read to our kids, the family time and BEAR THE ELF!