Jack and I might be banned from Jo-Ann's

The last time I checked, the Christmas spirit did not include my purse strewn on the floor of Jo-Ann's, a box full of ribbon rolls upended onto the floor, and me grabbing a toddler by his winter coat and sticking him in the grocery cart. A grocery cart that is filled with at least 25 things from the dollar bin that Jack has thrown in, which I will dutifully return to their rightful places.

It's Tuesday night after work and I made the unwise choice to make a quick stop at this craft store. It's pre-dinner and Jack is cranky. My "quick" stop turns into 45 minutes of hunting down craft supplies. I am totally that woman who cannot control her child. I thought 2 years old was hard but 3 seems to be a roller coaster ride so far.

But by goodness, I got all of my supplies for my homemade Advent calendar - an idea I "borrowed" from this great blog.

Toddler mittens from the dollar bin, a pretty ribbon and mini clothespins will help us count down the days until Christmas. Each mitten holds a treat for Jack and for his cousin Andrew when he visits us mid-month.

And what's the first treat for December 1? Well, a dreidel, of course, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.