Three ways that I spent Christmas like yours:

1. One small daughter. (10 years old.)

2. One small granddaughter. (9 years old.)

3. Two small grandsons. (6 and 8 years old.)
===================================
With waves of questions, and all four on the go-
Grandma, (me),merrily, just went along with the flow.

P.S. Sorry I can’t help you with that sleeping arrangement part.
For some reason or another my little ones don’t sleep when they
visit Grandma. Ha. Makes one tired Grandma. Just kidding. The
real plan is to make sure that you get up ahead of them. No, if’s,
ands, or buts…it’s the only way.

Quid Pro Quo on Brian’s Dress Rumor? Maybe we should do the ASS in the Radio studio. LOL. Things could be worse with the toddlers Alisyn, remember you have a New York apartment. How far can they go? LOL

Welcome back and believe me, boy did we miss you!

Ed

Alisyn,
One of the things that my wife and I did was take or borrow a portable play pen. I’m not sure if they still make these or not, because I remember someone calling them kiddie prisons. Anyway, they worked extremely well to lay the kids down in with some pillows and their favorite blankies. Our girls, who are both beautiful young college ladies now slept very well in these playpens and they were kept from waking up and wandering around. It might be worth a try.

Two more thoughts: My sister in-law also had three children close in age-a boy 10 and a 1/2 months when the twin daughters were born, whew!!! Also, just thought I would share that we live in Nebraska where late yesterday afternoon we had one of those Christmas miracle snows! I hate scooping snow but this was awesome! It reminded me of the Christmas Eve snow portrayed in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life!” Huge flakes w/snowman-making capabilities.

i’M GLAD YOU HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS! I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH MY GRANDSON WHEN HE WENT FROM THE CRIB TO THE BIG BOY BED. WE HAVE A MURPHY BED IN HIS ROOM & HE THINKS IT’S COOL TO HAVE A BED COME OUT OF THE WALL!!! GIVE THE GIRLS SOME TIME AND THEY’LL GET USED TO THE BED AND STAYING IN IT. ALSOTHERE ARE SIDE RAILS THAT YOU CAN GET FOR TODDLER BEDS, AS I’M SURE YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT. I LOVE YOUR BLOG, AND TRY AND READ IT EVERY MORNING, BETWEEN 911 CALLS & PD CALLS!! SSSSHHHH!!! DON’T TELL ANYONE!!! LOL
MY DAUGHTER & SON-IN-LAW SURPRISED ME & CAME HOME FROM IRAQ FOR CHRISTMAS, SO I HAD THE BEST EVER!!! TOO BAD THEY HAVE TO GO BACK!!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WRITING ,ALISYN!!!! THANKS FOR MAKING ME LAUGH EVERY MORNING!!!

THE BEST FRUITCAKE–was made by my now 93 yr. old Swedish Mother. She always explained the difference was that it didn’t have all the “citrus stuff” in it. All your talk of them today reminds me to get that recipe!!!

Good job on the radio Alisyn. I am sure you will do more!

Ed

Alisyn,

Thank goodness those chaotic days are over for now with the kids. Mine are grown now, and when I used to travel for visits with them, and if they would be sleeping in a bed, I took a bed guard rail (you use it to transition them into sleeping in a regular bed), it folds up, easy & light to carry, and the base slides between the mattress & box spring, and keeps them from rolling off the bed, and also deters them from wanting to wander. I also always carried a waterproof mattress pad or mattress cover in case of accidents (you do want to be invited back..right ? )lol

Well, these days, my Fiancee and I spent our holidays on our farm just outside of Monticello NY, in the Catskills. We both used to live on Long Island, but decided to leave all the hustle & bustle & soaring taxes for a quiet country life.
I could do a whole show on what its like to deal with life in the country & the backwoods attitude up here (what a culture shock for two Long Islanders. There is no work ethic…it takes forever to get workers to complete a job, and the local ice cream stand owner is a Town Justice with no legal experience, yet hears criminal & civil cases.
Seems the favorite past time up here is getting drunk, driving in your underwear, and taking police on high speed chases…lol Yes …it is that bad up here.

Anyway, we have had several snow & sleet storms, so we have a beautiful icy coating over 6″ of snow…hard as a rock (my driveway is like a skating rink)… its like out of Currier & Ives.
Our horse doesn’t even want to walk on it or come out of the paddock and barn.
We will be looking forward to watching you this week as always and your great smile.
Do us a favor please ? Ask Kelly Wright to grow back his mustache !!!!

Alisyn,

I’m listening to “Brian and The Judge” and you’re doing a fabulous job…I’m
looking forward to reading about your radio experience on your blog!

You’re the best.

Alisyn,

Here is what we have done with our kids. We put door knob covers on the inside of their door so that when they did get out of bed, they couldn’t get out of their room. We had just regular round knobs, but if you don’t, you can find them for many types of knobs/handles. Try One Step Ahead, Toys r Us or Babies r Us. They have stuff for all kinds of door knobs.

Good luck!

Hi Alisyn,

When our two boys were the same age as your little ones we made a thick soft pallet in the floor which kept them from falling out of bed. Something else that I wish I had thought of was making a wooden railed frame around the pallet and padding it for protection to keep them from wandering off while we slept. (I can’t do that now, the boys are in college).

There is something else that I would like to say. Alisyn, your Christmas sounds like it was so hectic and tireing and now you are scheduled to do triple duty all this week. Please don’t forget about yourself. After this week is over take some time for yourself. Get a babysitter and get away for a day or two or three with Tim or some friends. As a paramedic, I personally have seen too many times how stress is a killer and a home wrecker. When we get too tired and stressed out we tend to loose our focus and our families and parts of our bodies seems to start falling off. lol.

Forgive me for sounding fatherish but we all love you, Steve, Gretchen and Brian and all of your families. We feel like you are a part of our families. Hey, that’s an idea, maybe you should change the name of the show to: Fox Family & Friends or Fox & Family! Again, I hope I haven’t offended you or the others but we really do care about you folks. Thank you again so much for sharing your lives with us.

Brian

Watching Foxnews with families was great. At our house we had 35 [earlier years it was more like 50]. My Mother has 8 kids. I’m 56 now so you can figure the numbers with husbands/wives/kids/grandkids=fullhouse.

Food [much like the dishes you guys had on the live Foxnews Show], 20feet X 20feet sqaure area of presents. Younger kids running through the 3000sq ft home like it was an amusement park. My Mother gave me an encased presentation of all my Dad’s WWII & US Army Career Medals. Had to leave the room for a few moments as tears welled and words wouldn’t come. My Dad died Aug’03.

James
Non-Commissioned Officer 32 years-US Army
Federal Civilian Employee 1998-present

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years to all Foxnews Staff. There will never be another Foxnews. Never. Thanks for placing something special in my life even though you don’t even know me.

Dear Alisyn…it appears you had one of “those” Christmas experiences you’ll always remember. I remember my own when my son was a tumbling toddler…I miss those days.

He was home from college for the holidays; it was wonderful to see him…he has grown so much.

I miss being the Dad he depended upon (not that he doesn’t now…it’s different…he just needs my cash!); I treasured putting the toys together and racing to the store having forgotten batteries!

I am proud that he is his own man…confident, articulate and engaged. He has achieved so much as a student and young man. He’s returned early to college to take part in a campus ministry retreat. But, it was terrific having him home for a long as possible.

I look forward to being the “Grandad”…whenever that day comes, but it will never be the same. For the most important thing I have ever done is be a Dad!

Shalom Alecheim.

I had to work part of Christmas Eve, and Christmas. BAH! HUMBUG! I missed my sister’s Christmas Eve party, because I got sick, so I stayed home. I didn’t want to get the rest of the family sick. Christmas day, I was feeling a little better, but got called into work at 10 p.m., so it was a early night. I got home early, but I’m still tired(feeling better,though)from a hectic schedule. They make you work 17 hours on a holiday?! Geez, I thought I had it bad. Say, you really have 3 kids?! You wear it well. I think you’re teasing…you don’t have 3 kids. Would you do me a favor? Got any single anchor women co-workers looking for a single, down-to-Earth guy? Put in a good word for me,OKAY? (LOL)

Ali,

Does Fox give tours of the studio? We’re planning a visit to N.Y. in May and would love to see the studio.

By the way, you’re doing a great job!

Hi Allison
I have an idea on the bed dilemma and I think I would have used it had it been available when my kids were little. Radio Shack has very inexpensive door/window alarms that would probably work. You put one peice on the door and the other peice on the door frame. When the door is opened, it breaks the connection and then an alarm sounds. I also encourage people to them on the their front and back doors too when kids start learning how to open doors and wander outside.
Anyway, my husband and I enjoy watching you in the mornings. I don’t know how you do it with 3 small children and having to be at work so early!! I’ll put you on my prayer list.

God Bless You

As long as I can remember I always was a guest at a Christmas party (my sister’s house or my parents). This year I volunteered to have X-mas at my house. I did not like all the things you have to do. I cleaned my house from top to bottom. I suppose it was good that I did all the cleaning work. I won’t have to do any cleaning now for a month or so.

I bought a ham…but after I bought it I did not know if it was cooked or not. I had to call mom and ask how do you tell if it is cooked. Turned out I had to cook it and make the brown sugar glaze sauce (the packet did not have any instructions so I had to look it up on the internet).
Bought a “basting” brush for $2.00. could have gone to Sears an purchased a paint brush for 50 cents and it would have been the same thing. As it turned out with all the food available no one ate my ham except me. I was sort of deflated over that. My ham with brown sugar glazed sauce tasted pretty good and I think I have enough ham for the next month or so too.

This party hosting thing is stressful. Hope I don’t have to do it for another 40 years.

Alyson I hope you video taped your kids and their cousins at Christmas. We spent Christmas day watching videos of the kids(now the youngest is 17) as wee kids, sticking out tongues, pulling hair, singing Jingle Bells way too loud. Some were crying, some were fighting. Basically a normal Christmas day, I even saw me as a newlywed in complete shock with all the activity.

So now what you do is combine all ideas, I put a sleeping bag down so if they fell it would not hurt, I put outdoor locks very high up. And yes I prayed each night they would not wander, but eventually they do learn to sleep in their beds. Trust me the same kids that did that grew up to watch themselves yesterday and laugh.

The parents looked exhausted and the kids were so happy, now we are more rested but to tired to be exhausted (old age does that).

Hi Alisyn
When my brothers daughter was little, her bedroom was downstairs and theirs upstairs. When she was put in a big girl bed, my brother bought a wooden screen door and put it on the outside of her room. He had a hook on the outside. With the toys in her room and a baby monitor by their bed you could hear her when she woke up and hear her playing in her room. I am sure this sounds horrible to you, it did to me when I first heard it, but it worked wonderful. She was not behind closed doors, so she was not afraid. They passed this idea down to my niece, whose son sleep walked. This also worked for him, and it kept him in the house and safe.

Alisyn, I too love “Fruit Cake!” My Mother also loved Friut Cake (Lost her 3 years ago) So I have no one to eat it with. I refuse to buy one and eat it all by myself. Yes, they do get better with age-just like all the “other fine things in life!!” Cherish all those crazy Holidays when the kids are little, all to soon they are grown, gone to College or Married. You know how Steve’s family grew before our eyes in his video, it seems to happen that fast too. Jobs keep us all so busy, you find yourself saying when did that happen? You know watching Steve, You and Brian is much funnier than the Late Night Shows, I bet those guys can’t top Fox & Friends (and you guys don’t need writers, either your funny or not!!!) Can’t say it enough- love you guys and gals!!

Christmas is great; so is the day after. Our family (all eight of us–two daughters, spouses, the Richmond grandparents) gathered at our young, but oldest, daughter’s house here in Richmond, Virginia for church and food on Christmas eve. Christmas day began at 7:00 AM. Actually, everyone but grandpa (that would be me) spent the night there–I had to care for our dog and spent the nigh with him. Shortly after my arrival Christmas morning, our three-year old grandson came sleepily into the family room; our granddaughter, age two months, was already awake. We spent the day opening presents, munching on goodies (Yes, Virginia, there is a ham at Christmas.) and being lazy. At 7:30 in the evening, we joined in-law families for a big and fun-filled dinner (with poppers, mystery gifts, riddles and the silly hats) at Richmond’s beloved Jefferson Hotel (try it sometime, you’ll enjoy this elegant Five-Star bastion of Southern Hospitality http://www.jeffersonhotel.com). About 10:15, we all left for our homes, stuffed, tired and fulfilled. This morning, everyone returned to our regular routines. It was a joyous Christmas, and today the grandparents are enjoying our recuperation. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Brian doing the radio show in his undies? Now that’s an image that would make my Christmas.

I spent Christmas Eve at my sister’s home. My Dad was there, my brother-in-law (of course) my niece and her husband and their 3 girls were there. The girls are 5,
2-1/2 and 4 months. Had a great time watching the girls faces light up when they opened their gifts. Christmas Day my sister, my father and I went out for dinner while my brother-in-law went out of town to see his family. My father is 88 and not in the best of health and my brother-in-law felt my sister should spend the day with him. All in all, not a bad Christmas.

Glad you’re back!

Christmas Eve as usual was spent by my Uncles house. My Mothers family alone there are 10 kids. And equal that with 40+ Cousins my best synopsis goes like this. Have you ever seen sardines in a can? Well imagine that you have my families Christmas Eve. But I must say its fun I cant ever imagine not seeing those guys at least a few times a year. A little tradition that we started there was you pass around a wafer. (God willing we do that again next year) called oplatki (pronounced pwafki) you break off a piece and wish happiness and good health in the coming year and wish to see them in the New Year. Why do you think I sleep for the next 2 days Christmas Day and the day after.

Ali,

Keep up the great work on the show

Alisyn, You looked well rested filing in for Gretchin. Keep up the good work. You bring humor to the show.

Bob

i used to put those plastic sleeves on the inside of there doorknob that you have to squeeze to turn the knob. a kid cant do it. i also kept a monitor in there in case they needed us. it kept them from roaming the house and getting hurt.

It was wonderful Alisyn…. My oldest son Kevin, 18, came to visit for Christmas… It is the first time he has been with my family for Christmas…. Long story… but a happy ending.. As far as your girls are concerned… just hope they play for a while before they come and wake you up…You will be fine… you are an amazing woman… Be well, all the best.. Joe B

My wife and I really enjoy your contribution to the morning cadre of Fox News programs. You remind me of my oldest daughter. We just returned last night from spending Christmas with our 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren (7 due late Jan.). My wife will advise you on the bed issue - she’s a genius with kids. My oldest granddaughter will be visiting NY in the summer - we’ll insist she stops by your show. My prediction - she’ll be a Rockette in 5 years (already danced with them!)

Gotta get back to work - so long from KC.

MG

Alyson, I am a grandmother of 2 beautiful children, the first has had alot of difficulty sleeping at nite after transitioning from his crib. My son and his wife finally had to put up gates to keep him in his room. They were on the same floor as he was and were able to hear him if anything out of the ordinary happened. Also, they put the slide door locks at the top of all of their outside doors. They had gotten up one morning after they no longer put gates up to keep him in his room and found him outside playing in their driveway.

I have also heard of the screen door method from my hairdresser. She said her cousins did that to keep their children in their rooms when napping and also sleeping at night.

Kathy B. from South Carolina

Baby gate, baby gate, baby gate. We found a great one online that opens/closes much like a window shade, and put it in the upstairs hallway so that when our little one did get out of bed, the only place she could go was to our room. We put hook/eye thingys on the bathroom door, the laundry door and the playroom door also. It made for a few disrupted nights, but she was safe! You might also need to remove all the fun toys from the bedroom at night, so there’s no temptation to play! HA! When they do get out of bed, treat it the same way you did when they were babies and they woke up. No lights on, no talking, no nothing (that just rewards them for getting up) - walk them right back to bed and say, “see you when the sun gets up”. Some nights they will get up more than once, but make sure you do the same exact thing every time - boring, no talking, no lights, no nothing! They will eventually get tired of this game, because it is no fun. Good luck!

To get your girls to stay in bed, eliminate the naps as much as possible. Keep them so busy all day they will crawl in bed and not move until the next morning. Also try to encourage active play instead of watching a lot of TV or playing video games. It is tough but you can do it

Cozy Crib Tent. If you look it up on Amazon.com, out of 127 reviews by parents, 74 gave it 5 stars and 28 4 stars. The biggest complaint and the reason it seems every one didn’t love it is because the zipper is loud and it’s difficult to change the sheets.
My 21 month old grandson easily climbs out of his crib and just doesn’t want to go to sleep. My daugter has to lie on the daybed in his room and repeatedly put him back in his crib, often times it is midnight before he crashes. She doesn’t work, can’t imagine how you do it and get up at, what, 2-3 am? We used to keep our grandson frequently overnight on the weekend but rarely do now as it is such a challenge to get him to sleep. We purchased a race car bed thinking it would entice him, which it did for about 2 minutes, then it was just an easy out. My daughter has ordered this crib tent and we both have our fingers crossed. Hopefully after a few months of use, habits will be formed and the routine established. Check it out.
BTW, Fox should have let the viewers vote for Edie’s replacement. You would have won hands down. Gretchen is nice, but too stuffy, too midwest (I’m from MN so I can say that), a snob, and wears way too much makeup!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Also, love your hair—have referred my stylist to your show to get my cut and color like yours. Don’t be offended, I’m a grandma, but a young under-50 grandma!

We had a great Christmas. We unwrapped gifts on Christmas Eve with family and had a great relaxing Christmas Day playing cards and eating great food and drinks.

As for your “big girl” beds, we found that placing a wooden gate in the doorway prevented my kids from roaming around the house but it also confined them to their own bedrooms without “closing them in”. Occassionally I would have to lay down with them until they fell asleep to get them used to a real bed, but I caution you to not make a habit of it.

I really enjoy you on F&F and on the A.S.S. You really have a wonderful personality and a quick wit. I love the spontenaety (sp?) on the show and look forward every day to viewing it on your blog.

Happy New Year and my God continue to richly bless you and your family!

How the spirit comes and goes, yes I was surrounded by the sounds of infants, 2 yr olds, etc. I myself have children that are now 15 and 17, you can really see the disappointment in their eyes that for all these years they are forced to grow up and face reality that the magic is a dream that shall never be, only once in awhile when you are all alone, when you can be a child again and sit under the tree and just remember. Oh to be a child again. I take refuge in the fact that inside all of us is a desire to be innocent, to be that spark of the moment.
All the best,
BOB BENSON

Put up a gate at the girls door…then IF, lets pray they don’t, get up out of there big girl beds, they can yell…..momma I’am up. (if you have any luck) my oldest is autistic and all that NEVER worked. Put for the other 4 it did the job.

God Luck……..
Lorie-Lynn

They do that Lorie but in our house they yell, “I”m ready Daddy. Daddy!” cause they know Mommy’s already at work when they get up. Poor Daddy gets the M-F early morning wake up call.

I am an American female and a surrogate mother for four kids here for six years now in the Philippines.
This year as every year for Christmas I always exsplore interesting holiday recipees to try new on the family.
The food they eat is so very different here.
to me it all taste the same.
So I always opt for the on line recipees that I can get on the internet.
This year I discovered how to make a cake from scratch that taste like a real bettycrocker box recipee.
I als made bread pudding and baked it into pies with my mom’s famous pie crust.

The kids really enjoey it allot and even tho they are from a totally different country the America.I will splurge myself in the kitchen in the hot country of the Philippines have all burners boiling away and the oven cranking out tastey treats from America just to share a part of an American Christmas for the kids to exsperience and it makes me close to home as well.