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Staying Home Sawyer

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Coming Attraction: Reuben the Elf

11.20.2014

Guess what time it is? It’s Elf on the Shelf time! In other words, in our house, Reuben will soon return! You didn’t think that I would forego this bandwagon did you? Of course not! Reuben is the highlight of our Christmas season. I guess that’s a little pathetic…sigh. And before you ask, the only reason I have a Barbie at my house is to keep Reuben company. He wouldn’t be this cool without friends.

Since we don’t have any “official” children in our house (my husband qualifies occasionally), our elf Reuben can be a little dirty at times. So proceed with caution:

(From Top, Left to Right)

1. Reuben at the Strip Club. And not the kind that serves steaks.

2. Reuben is a Packers fan, so he went hunting Bears before the big game. Clearly he did well, the Bears lost.

3. On December 24th (last day of Elf), Reuben relaxed in a homemade hammock under the Christmas Tree. Don’t worry, that’s milk.

4. B couldn’t find Reuben anywhere, until he put on his PJs. Reuben sewed himself right in.

5. Reuben came in like a Wrecking Ball. Except with clothes on. He has much more common sense than Miley. We’re so proud.

6. Reuben started a bonfire on the stove with all B’s favorite Bears memorabilia. Take Note: He’s roasting marshmallows.

7. Reuben went out to party one night and got locked out. Take note husbands: You leave to party, you get locked out.

8. Reuben came in on a sleigh with 6 ReinBeers. They probably led the way to the party the night before.

My Favorites! The Movie Themes:

Can you guess before I tell you?

1. Silence of the Lambs: Buffalo Bill. “It puts the lotion on its skin.” Reuben even went the extra mile with a woman’s dress and high heels.

2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Uncle Eddy. Emptying the “shitter.” Don’t forget the cigar and white bathrobe!

3. Forrest Gump: Self. “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

4. The Godfather: Jack Woltz. Finds his prized horse’s head in his bed. And yes, that bed is handmade. By me. I had a lot of time on my hands.

5. Titanic: Jack. Notice his suspenders, and Barbie is even wearing the Heart of the Ocean.

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo. He likes pizza as much as we do.

7. Castaway: Chuck Noland. On his last day, B found a note that said Reuben was on his way back to the North Pole when his plane went down. No one had heard anything from him since. At least he has Wilson.

8. Edward Scissorhands: Self.  He’s trimming the Christmas tree into animal shapes.

1. Dick in a Box (SNL).  Complete with directions.

2. Reuben wanted a brother or sister. Poking holes in protection!

3. Reuben the voyeur. Barbie was on the patio.

4. Spin the bottle. Hope Reuben swings both ways.

5. Beer pong! I hope he made us proud.

6. Ball and Chain. The year before our wedding. Reuben tried to tell B to get out while he could.

7. Marriage Counselor. If you like your marriage counselor, you can keep your marriage counselor.

8. Reuben was arrested. He’s grounded until next year.

We are very excited to see what Reuben has in store for this year. Which Reuben is your favorite?

Shameless plug: Pin your favorite photo collage! You can find all of these and more on Reuben’s Pinterest page!

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You’re Leaving Me?
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This Year I am Thankful For Cheeseburgers…

Comments

  1. weight2lose2013 says

    11.20.2014 at 3:41 pm

    My 12 year olds are a bit old for ole’ Elfie, but I have very fond memories of moving him around at the last minute! lol

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.21.2014 at 10:27 am

      We are “too old” for Elf too…but as you can see, we make it fun! 🙂

  2. Brendan says

    11.21.2014 at 6:56 am

    This is so awesome! You are such a creative gorgeous wifey! Cant wait for the return of Ruby Tuesday!

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.21.2014 at 10:27 am

      Me too! Me too!!!!!!!!! CAN’T WAIT!

  3. janeybgood says

    11.21.2014 at 8:24 am

    This is so hilarious! You are so creative, I LOVE this!

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.21.2014 at 10:27 am

      Thank you!!!!!!!!! I have soooo much fun with Elf on the Shelf! Stay tuned for Reuben this year! 🙂

  4. Anonymous says

    11.21.2014 at 10:25 am

    Honestly, you are so creatively awesome! These are hilarious, and the best ever… you amaze me with everything you do 🙂

    • Kristy says

      11.21.2014 at 10:25 am

      Sorry – forgot my name, this is Kristy

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.21.2014 at 10:28 am

      Oh gosh! Hahaha. Reuben is so fun (a little exhausting), but I’m excited he’s coming back in a few weeks! 🙂

  5. kate365til says

    11.22.2014 at 1:04 pm

    Absolutely adorable! 🙂

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.24.2014 at 9:15 am

      Thanks!! I hope you enjoy Reuben this year too! 🙂

  6. Meli says

    11.22.2014 at 10:18 pm

    You’re so creative, Shauna! I’m jealous! #helpasisterout

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.24.2014 at 9:30 am

      We’ll have to spend some QT crafting time! 🙂

  7. attraction2fashion says

    11.23.2014 at 4:34 pm

    So cute

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.24.2014 at 9:30 am

      Thanks!! Hope you enjoy his antics this year too! 🙂

  8. iwillbloom says

    11.24.2014 at 8:50 am

    Oh, this made me chuckle! Can’t wait to see what he gets up to this year! The strip club one made me laugh so much!!!! [You are so creative! I never would have thought a kitchen roll holder could become a Barbie strip club pole ;)]

    • Shauna841505 says

      11.24.2014 at 9:31 am

      Hahaha you’ll never look at the paper towel holder the same again, will you?! 😉 Thanks for checking Reuben out!

      • iwillbloom says

        11.24.2014 at 9:57 am

        I certainly will not 😉

  9. Rob says

    7.01.2015 at 11:30 am

    Found it! Now this is hilarious! Elf on the Shelf has never been put to better use than this! 😀

    • shauna841505@yahoo.com says

      7.01.2015 at 11:36 am

      Hahaha thanks! Just wait until you can see the ones I did this year! I think my favorite was either the Geico Mike one, or the Orange is the New Black one!

  10. Laura McDaniel says

    12.03.2015 at 7:44 am

    HA HA – these are even funnier! I think I see though ‘who’ helped you (lol – naughty hubby). Love it.

About Me

About Me

Hi Mamas! My name is Shauna, a 30-something (big emphasis on the 'something') new mama and wife living in Southern California. I've become a Stay At Home Mom to Sawyer, and I would do it forever if I could! I'm originally from Wisconsin and am a total Cheesehead! I'm here to share DIY's, travel tips, and baby stuff I'm sure!

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Save for later. PS: This is my husbands rendition Save for later.

PS: This is my husbands rendition of a “Sexy Willy Wonka.” You know, because being Aladdin, Flynn Ryder, Prince Charming…he couldn’t just be a regular guy for one year. 🤣🤣
Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five things every night that you’re thankful for, and BE thankful for them. So much of our lives are spent waiting for the next best thing when in reality, it’s sitting right in front of us.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’ If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’s to SLOW DOWN.

So much of life is spent going, going, going. Waiting for the next stage. Telling ourselves, “Once we get through this, things will be easier.” Once the kids are older. Once life settles down. Once we have more time. But what if we’re missing the whole point? Because the moments we’re so eager to get through ARE the moments.

Today is the important stuff. The ordinary days. The messy days. The little conversations, the giggles, the routines, the chaos, the moments that don’t feel significant while we’re living them. We spend so much time wishing for the next chapter that we forget we’re already living one we’ll someday wish we could go back to.

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Be here.
Pay attention.
Let the moment take as long as it needs to.

Because someday, these will be the days we miss.

**And if you know us personally, you know why I had to jump on this social media trend**
This is your permission slip to let the crafts be This is your permission slip to let the crafts be messy. 

They don’t need to match your house. They don’t need to be Pinterest-worthy. They don’t need to be made with a neutral color palette and a Cricut. They just need to be theirs.

Because someday I’m probably going to miss the paper scraps, the glue everywhere, the questionable color combinations, and the little masterpieces I had no idea what to do with. Let them make the ugly craft. Let them make a mess. Let them create something that looks nothing like what you had in mind.

Childhood doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing to be beautiful.
When you stop to think about the fact that one day When you stop to think about the fact that one day all of her toys will be someone else’s toys, she’ll be heading off to college, and all I’ll be left with are these videos…
This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy the This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy their kids are going back to school. My neighbors and I commiserate all summer long about how long the days are, how frustrating the kids can be, how much they’re fighting, etc. 

But my days are always like that, and even though it’s exhausting and overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if I only have ONE moment like this a day, it’s one moment a day I could miss out on if they were in a traditional school. 

So here’s to whatever choice you are making in regards to your kids education. What’s best for YOU is most important. And what’s best for us is this.
I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes
 to slime... but here we are.

The difference? This isn’t just a container of slime
 to squish around. The Slime Prank Lab by @CrunchLabs
turns it into an activity. We spent the afternoon mixing the slime, experimenting with different textures, and (of course) testing out the ridiculously funny booger and fart pranks. 🤣

My girls were completely entertained, and I loved watching them create, experiment, and laugh together. It feels like pure fun for the kids, but there’s actually some pretty cool science and engineering behind it all, plus Mark Rober walks you through even more with the QR code inside the kit.

Who in your family would be the first prank target? 
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This weekend at church, my daughter got to light the candles for the first time. At the end of the service, when she went up on her own to extinguish them, proud tears dropped from my eyes. And as I looked around at others, I noticed I wasn’t the only one. 

If you had asked me in my early to mid twenties, I wouldn’t have imagined how much this community, this faith, and these little traditions would come to mean to our family. There was a season of my life, long before I became a mom, where I drifted away from actively going to church. Now, getting to watch my girls grow up surrounded by faith, love, and a church family who knows them and celebrates them feels like such a gift.
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