The Elf on the Shelf is one of those genius ideas that makes me want to slap myself for not thinking of it first.
Not familiar with the Elf on the Shelf? Here's the idea: The elf is purchased with a book that explains to children that the elf will watch them throughout the day and then, at night, fly back to the North Pole to report to Santa their behavior. Then they are to find the elf sitting in a new place each morning.
This idea assumes just one thing in order to work -- that kids are idiots. There are so many holes in that story that I sometimes look at my kids as they marvel at the elf each morning and think "Really??? No -- Really??? You're really buying this?"
Well, this morning, our Elf on the Shelf quit.
The girls found this note on the table:
With the weather taking a turn for the cold and rainy, my children have tipped the naughty meter to a whole other level. They've been cooped up. The girls have been running through the house, flinging green snot around while the baby has a found a new favorite past-time -- digging through the garbage can. The poor elf just couldn't take it and he hauled his elf ass outta here.
He left me a little note too:
