Ahhh… the elf. In a rare moment of clarity, I was able to see that potential disaster coming a mile away. I knew that elf would be like smoking cigarettes… If you don’t start, you never have to worry about stopping. I gave all family members (including aunts, uncles and distant cousins) clear instructions that the E.O.T.S. (elf on the shelf) was never to enter this house. My youngest is now 6, so I’m claiming victory on this front!

BAHAHAHA Fairy language! The things we realize we have to carry through diligently when we start them… aka that STUPID elf. When Aiden was three, that idea was PRECIOUS! Three kids and 7 years later… or something. Maybe we’ve been doing it for less time, but it feels like TWO Millenniums!

Oh, but those tears were technically worth it because JORDAN KNIGHT! PLEASE DON’T GO GIIIIRRRRRLLLLLLLLL! I’m dying to see them in concert! And yay for getting older and sick on fair rides! ;}

OMG can I relate. Our family’s TF is so lame… she forgets all the time, or she runs out of dollar bills and change. And the magical swirly handwriting, yes!! One time (when I had only two children instead of three … somehow that makes a difference), I wrote the note in “fairy language symbols” using a gold leaf pen on a large oak leaf. Sometimes the TF doesn’t even have time for a note, in which case I tell the kids it’s all about supply and demand. If she has too many teeth in her inventory, she won’t go out to collect more. I tell them to wait a couple of days and try again! My 14-yr old informed me the other day that she STILL has a tooth that the TF never picked up… from four (?) years ago?!?!

Thanks for the great post and for making me feel so normal! xoxo Bets