Whistle Activated Madeline Finder

I have always hung stockings up above the fireplace for Christmas. I like how it looks, and when I was little stockings were a really fun part of Christmas. Sort of like an extra little present. It was always so fun to see my name up on a red stocking full of little toys and candy.

For the almost 8 years Paul and me have been married, I don't think I have ever taken the time to fill our stockings. So this year, especially now that we have Madeline, I thought I should make it an important part of our holiday.

I made a special trip to the store just for little mini presents for the stockings. Paul was particularly difficult to shop for, but I eventually came up with some things that I think he really liked (he hasn't used any of them yet)... a stress ball, a leather bookmark with the word "love" printed on it (since he is into reading now), a small book light that he can clip to a book, and I also found some sound activated key finders.

I was really excited about that last one because I lose my keys a lot. Paul never really does because he always puts his keys in the same place when he gets home. But for some reason I can't seem to do that. So I got one for him and I got one for me.

These. Things. Are. SOOO. Annoying.

For the first week or so after Christmas mine wasn't activated, Paul's was. Paul's key finder somehow made its way into the junk drawer in the kitchen.

They are supposed to beep when you whistle. Well, when we whistle, they don't beep.

BUT!!! When Madeline screams, or cries, or laughs, or clinks a pot on the kitchen floor when going through cupboards, or shakes a toy... the things beep like crazy nutty insanity.

For a good two weeks we just let it beep over and over and over until I couldn't handle it anymore.

So I thought I'd give mine a chance and actually put it on my key chain. It beeped every time my keys clanked together while I was driving, whenever they clanked in my purse or pocket, and when the elevator ding went off at work. But when I whistled? Nada.

So I took it off my key chain and hung it on the coat rack for a week or so. The other day I was so sick of the beep that I almost took a hammer to them, but I paid like $5 each for those pieces of crap, so they still reside on the coat rack - just under a bunch of coats so if they do happen to beep we won't hear them.

I guess I should just start putting my keys in the same place, eh? And maybe next year I'll put a little more thought into what I put in our stockings.