A couple weeks ago I told you the story about…
About a week after that, I was in Costco, and all the Christmas stuff was out in full effect.
There were a couple things I saw that I knew the kids would LOVE, and still being on a mission to not leave Christmas present shopping until the last minute like I have every other year, I got a few things for the kids out of the way. There was long underwear and gloves that the kids needed, so I got that for some of them. Then there was a big Lego set for a decent price, and Number 6 LOVES those, so I got him that. I got a big Play-doh set for Number 7 because she LOVES Play-Doh, and I got Nerf guns for the older boys because they love those and there were two in a package so I can take them out of the box and split them up.
Still following the something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read Four Christmas gift rule, I had knocked off half the things on the list for a couple of the kids.
Having learned my lessons after the fucking robes were discovered in the back of the car the week earlier, when I got home, I took everything that I had gotten out of the car immediately.
We don’t have a whole lot of hiding places inside the house. In fact, we have none, really.
So I put everything inside of two big black contractor bags, and I hid them way in the back of the garage.
YES! Success!
On another note, this past Sunday, it was beautiful outside.
Number 3 had a Sandlot style end-of-the-baseball-season game/party at the field.
My husband was working, so while the kids were outside playing, I jumped in the shower about a half hour before we had to be at the field.
Even being home alone with the kids, it was a nice productive morning, and everyone was fairly cooperative.
I was enjoying a peaceful, uninterrupted shower.
Until Number 7 barged in.
And she yelled,
“MOMMY!!!! I FOUND A RANDOM BAG OF TOYS AND CLOTHES IN THE GARAGE!!!!
LOOK!!!!”
And she was holding some long underwear and a big box of Play-Doh in her hands.
Mother. Fucker.
Every Positive Discipline lesson, strategy, and word I’ve ever come across flew out the goddamn window at that moment.
I didn’t lose my shit as badly as I could have.
But I have not been that upset in a while.
I told her to put everything back and get out of the garage.
I ran to the front door in a towel to look down the front walkway to the garage and I saw Number 5’s little blond head popping out of the door.
I might have yelled a little bit.
I know at some point when the kids are older we will look back on this little incident and laugh and say “Remember that year when Number 7 found all our Christmas presents in the garage?”
But I was not able to remind myself of this on Sunday.
I was so mad.
I told the kids those were Christmas presents I had bought for them.
And then I had to put myself into a time out before I seriously lost my shit.
Later on, Number 6 asked me if I “bought presents and just put Santa’s name on them.”
I lied, sort of.
I told him that some Christmas presents are from Santa, and some are from Mommy and Daddy.
We have told them this before, so they know that.
But I have a tight budget for Christmas presents.
I’m already $75 in the hole for the robes.
I can’t afford to flush another $150 down the toilet for all these newly discovered presents and I don’t want to ruin that magic of Christmas for the little guys, but they are seriously making it difficult for me!
So I don’t know what the Universe is trying to tell me, but I am not going down without a fight, dammit.
And if you have any suggestions on how to handle this one, I’m definitely all ears.
Look cute while you manage the chaos. Click here.
Buy plastic tubs that you can’t see through. Store those in the garage all year and add to them randomly. Gotta make them blend into the scenery. BTW – I told my kiddos we are only doing 4 gifts this year too, all because of you. I LOVE the idea!!
Mine have found theirs before Christmas before, and I told them “well try and act surprised.”
Do you have the receipts still? If so, return that stuff. Frustrating to start over but at least not without the $. And then come up with a friend whose house you can hide it all at!
I agree with the return idea. Fresh start. I always keep my 4 kids’ presents hidden inside cardboard boxes sealed with packing tape and covered with blankets in my basement or garage storage area. Good luck!
wrap them first, then hide them.
If you have the receipt I’d return them and start over.
Santa does the stockings at our house so that way the gifts they found could be the Mommy and Daddy ones and then maybe 1 or 2 things they want from Santa in the stockings and then some small stuff or treats you make for them or homemade gift certificates for things they like to do or one-on-one time with you. That way the presents could still be used but the Santa gifts don’t have to be very expensive either.
They might forget by Christmas. You could say you returned the presents and then they will be sad but happy when Santa brings them. Do you have room in your own closet? If not I agree with the plastic tubs. One day this will be funny. They will look back and realized they had such a great mom who was trying to keep the magic alive with kids who were making it pretty difficult.
My only suggestion for you would be to stash them at your parents’ house (or a friend’s). We almost resorted to stashing ours at my husband’s work office. The other thing I did one year was I wrapped empty boxes for decoration and let them see that they were empty. The following year, the decoration gift boxes were the actual gifts rather than the empty boxes. 🙂
ask your dad if you can hide the stuff at his house. I would also return it (pita I know) and start over.
Empty out a closet with a door stash them in there with a heavy duty lock until christmas. If you had a high shelf in your garage,but if u did I’m guessing they’d already be there.
Hide any and all future Christmas gifts and presents at your dad’s house! I don’t think your parents really mind! Or hide them at your friend’s house who have a better hiding place. Or….hide them in the attic! I did mine! I hide ALL of my presents in the attic. When I was little, we “accidentally” found our presents a month early when we had to go get something for dad. Big oops! My mom lost her shit. After that, my parents have learned to hide presents way better and we never found them until the big day.
This! All of it!
This happened to me last year when my kid did snoop. This year we had gone away for a weekenf trip before the school year started. I never did get the suitcases up in the attic and they have been sitting out in the open in our bedroom since August. But now they are hiding gifts and not even my husband is aware. I did throw a folded blanket on top and sometimes some laundry just to make it look like they suitcases are being used for clean laundry.