A Lesson In Ettiquette

Today while putting away Christmas decorations, Big A and I were having a reminder discussion about gift opening etiquette and what to say if you open something that you already have, or open something that you don't particularly care for. We were having this discussion because Big A has a couple of returns that he needs to make and I was telling him that he did pretty well when he opened his gifts, but that he could have been a BIT more polite. We talked about how people feel when they give gifts, how they feel when you open them and like them, and how they feel when you open them and make it known that you don't like them. The conversation eventually came around to Little A and and a particular present that she opened to which she replied, "JUST WHAT I DIDN'T WANT! Here, Big A, you can have it!" (Luckily the gift giver wasn't with us when she opened the item, but I was terribly embarrassed nonetheless.)

After Big A and I talked, he went over to Little A, sat down next to her, and explained to her what she should say when she opens presents. He told her that she should always be polite and say, "Thank you! I love it," even if she doesn't really love it or she already has it. He told her that if she doesn't really love it we can talk about it later. I thought he had a GREAT brotherly talk with her (and TOO cute!!).

After he finished talking to her we asked her what she SHOULD have said when she opened the gift in question. Her response???

In the SWEETEST voice.... "Thanks, but I don't want it. And say it very nicely."

Hmmm.... We'll have to work on that before her upcoming birthday. This could be embarrassing!

Where Have I Been??

Many of you are wondering what's happened to me. You know what? I'm wondering the same thing! It's like I lost a week somewhere! The list in my i-Pod says I have plenty of things to blog about and of course I have Christmas pictures to post, but last week just slipped away and I didn't blog at all! YIKES!!

Now you're probably expecting some grand post with pictures and all kinds of fun stories, right? And you're expecting me to pick up and blog daily again, right? I just don't have it in me today and the kids and I are leaving tomorrow to visit family and won't be back until the middle of the week. I'll fill you in on last week, but you're going to have to sit tight just a BIT longer for me to get back in the swing of things. SORRY!

Last week went like this...

Saturday we had practice for the Church Sunday School show followed by our first two Christmas celebrations. We celebrated with Grandpa Jim and Sinda in the afternoon and with my sister and her family in the evening. It was great fun, but NO NAPS!

Sunday my mom and I finished up the last minute stocking stuffer shopping and grocery shopping while Grandpa had a playdate with the kids. We didn't get home until after 10pm.

Monday I worked and then the kids and I went to Grandma's. My mom and I made cookies, cookies, and more cookies, while the kids played with one of their cousins. We went to dinner and looked at Christmas lights before coming home to make more cookies. Another fun day, but another day with NO NAPS and another day getting home after 10pm.

Tuesday didn't go at ALL as it was supposed to. I worked then hung out in the waiting area at Meineke with the kids for two hours while they replaced the brake pads that they had installed a couple of weeks prior. We then made a whirlwind Target trip and picked up a movie before coming home to a wonderful dinner of cold cereal. The kids hung out with Grandma while I enjoyed some last-minute pre-Christmas adult time with friends at a cookie exchange. Did I mention that there were NO NAPS again?

Wednesday was my last day of work before MTO (Mandatory Time Off). Because I'd been up since 2:30am (I have NO idea why.... UGH!), I took off at noon. The kids and I got some lunch then came home and all settled in for a MUCH NEEDED NAP. After naps we met up with Grandma and Grandpa and went to see the new Chipmunks movie (which I highly recommend) then the kids had their first sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's since before Grandma's surgery.

Thursday I got up and wrapped ALL of the Christmas gifts, got a haircut, ran a couple of errands then went to my mom's. We went to church, grabbed some dinner then came home and went to bed so that we'd be asleep when Santa came. I don't think I was really asleep when Santa came, as Little A has a NASTY cold and cough and didn't sleep most of the night.

Yesterday we celebrated and had a wonderful time with family, and we're on our way out to do it again today. Of course in the spirit of the holidays my children, we had to make a stop at urgent care this morning to get prescriptions for their EAR INFECTIONS. Surprise, surprise!

If you made it this far, I commend you, for even I found this to be a bit rambling and boring! LOL Thanks for sticking with me!

From our family to yours... We hope you all had a FABULOUS Christmas and wish you a happy and healthy 2010!

An Apology... Or At Least An Explaination

I've heard from many people, that my post about the Christmas card I received yesterday was QUITE confusing. Sounds like I owe everyone an apology explanation. I can't say apology, because this is my blog, and I'm not sorry. Well... I'm sorry I confused you, but I'm not sorry I wrote that post.

You see, the purpose of my blog is purely for your enjoyment to capture moments in our lives and display them in words and pictures (although your enjoyment IS important to me!). I've never been good at journaling, nor have I been good at scrapbooking, but I love my camera, I love taking pictures, and I love sharing those special moments with you all. Unfortunately, not every moment in our lives is as fun as the ones I REALLY love to capture, but I feel the need to share those moments with you too (You know... Taking the good with the bad...). In those instances, my blog is an outlet. It's a place for me to vent, and that's what I was doing yesterday.

So here's the deal... I'll keep sharing the good AND the bad and if at any time you are confused or have questions about what I write, PLEASE feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to explain!

I'll Get You My Pretty... And Your Little Dog Too!

UPDATE: And the antics continue... I went downstairs this morning all ready to grab the envelope and head to the post office. There was a note from B next to the envelope with some choice words on it and a message saying, "CHECK OUT THE ADDRESS!!!!" They had used OUR address as the return address. They used their own house number, but our address. Seriously? You're telling me to use my own address and then you use my address??? WHATEVER!!

DANG! Plan foiled!



Have you ever had somebody out to get you? I mean seriously out to get you? Somebody who tries hard to hurt you and your family (not physically, but emotionally)? Somebody who goes out of their way to cause trouble in your life? It's a trip, let me tell you!

B and I have someone like that in our lives, somebody who claims to be a devout Christian nonetheless, and we're repeatedly forced to deal with this persons immature actions and attempts to 'get us'. Luckily we have a strong support system and we're strong for each other when the 'poop' hits the fan.

Today I got the mail and there were NINE Christmas cards in our mailbox (have I mentioned that I LOVE this time of year??? But that's for a different post...) but one of them stuck out like a sore thumb. It was addressed only to me and I knew right away who it was from. I found it interesting (although quite par for her usual antics) that this person would send a card ONLY to me. I opened the envelope with my heart pounding, my hands shaking and my stomach in knots.

Inside there was a generic, boxed Christmas card with printed words on the inside, right flap, some hand written words on the inside, left flap, and a piece of paper. I figured it must be some sort of Christmas letter, and could hardly wait to see what kind of 'stuff' this person was spreading to their family and friends.

Boy was I wrong! I still couldn't tell you what the pre-printed words said, but the handwritten words said, "And Merry Christmas to you." Underneath that it said, "PS. Use your own address next time." HUH???

So I moved on to the Christmas letter... HA HA HA! RIGHT! The 'Christmas letter' was actually a photocopy of a mass mailing junk mail card that was addressed to me at the wrong address. They had crossed out their address, written my address, photocopied it, and sent it back to me (hence the... USE YOUR OWN ADDRESS!). Very adult, I tell you! Maybe we should start doing that with the mail we receive at our address addressed to them... You think?

And here's the thing... If I were going to sign up to have junk mail sent to someone, do you think I'd be stupid enough to use my own name??? DUH!

So... "RETURN TO SENDER. NOT AT THIS ADDRESS."

Two can play at this game... Although B and I strive to be better people than that... So for now we'll just bite our tongues and hunker down to see what this person will pull next. Wish us luck!

The Difference Between Santas

I have to admit, I slacked off this year... It wasn't EXACTLY slacking so much as trying not to spend money, but I didn't take the kids to the mall to have their picture taken with Santa. I knew we'd have other opportunities to take pictures with Santa, they just wouldn't be 'professional'. And after having pictures of Little A crying on Santa's lap the past two years, I figured I'd wait just a bit longer, even though she PROMISED that she wouldn't be afraid of Santa this year (and she hasn't been!).

Our first opportunity to see Santa came at the tree lighting but our decision to not tackle the crowd of people at the fire house made it so we saw him only long enough to shake his hand. Both kids seized the opportunity and Little A was SO proud of herself for not being afraid of Santa.

When we went to the Lighted Tractor Parade we saw TONS of Santas. I wondered afterwards why neither kid had commented on the number of Santas we'd seen and wondered what they must be thinking. Did they think they were all Santa (like he kept getting on each different 'float')? Did they think they were Santa's helpers? Were they too enthralled with everything else to even think about how many Santas they'd seen? Who knows, but nothing was ever said about it.

Last week the kids had their school Christmas show and afterwards Santa was there.

Big A walked right up to this Santa and without missing a beat asked him, "Are you one of Santa's helpers?" Why? What was it about this Santa that makes him not the real Santa?

The next evening our city was doing their annual Santa Parade and toy collection (for Toys for Tots). I had a board meeting that night and decided not to try to take the kids to see Santa before the meeting. Good thing, because Santa was a no-show in our neighborhood.

Then Sunday, the mother's club had their annual holiday party complete with Santa and firetrucks and toys and candy canes and... You get the point, it was FUN!

Neither kid made any comment about this Santa and whether he was the real deal or a helper but the next night, something came up that made me ask them. The kids and I went out to look at some Christmas lights and one of the houses had a Santa in the driveway. We pulled up to the driveway and Little A hollered, "Merry Christmas!" Santa made his way to the car and asked the kids if they'd been good and if they wanted toys and then asked me if they could have candy canes. I said yes and he went to go get them. He returned to the car with a toy and a candy cane for each child and then he stood and talked to them for a minute about what they wanted for Christmas. It was at this point that I realized that this Santa WREAKED like cigarettes and the longer he stood there, the more our car smelled. Thank GOODNESS the kids didn't say anything!

After wishing Santa a Merry Christmas we drove off. As we did, I assured the kids that there was NO WAY that could have been the real Santa because that guy smelled like cigarettes, and Santa doesn't smoke. They agreed that he was indeed one of Santa's helpers. Then I said, "Well what about that Santa last night?" Now keep in mind... Santa was played by one of our friends from church and there were three of us at the party who were concerned that our kids MIGHT catch on but none of them said a WORD, so I was completely convinced that they had NO idea who Santa was. The conversation went like this (as I nearly drove off the road...):

Big A: "OH YEAH! HE WAS THE REAL SANTA!"

Little A: "Mr. Mark Santa Claus???" (Here's where I drove off the road...)

Big A (laughing): "Mr. Mark Santa Claus?"

Me (swallowing my gasp): "What do you mean, Little A? What are you talking about? Why did you say that?"

Big A (laughing): "Yeah, Little A... Why did you say Mr. Mark Santa Claus?"

Little A: "Because Mr. Mark was at church last night. Mr. Mark Santa Claus."

Big A (laughing): "Mr. Mark Santa Claus! That's funny! Mr. Mark Santa Claus."

Me: "What do you mean?"

Little A: "Mr. Mark was at church."

Big A: "Mommy! She's lying! She's lying about that. Why is she lying?"

Little A (laughing): "Mr. Mark Santa Claus. Mr. Mark Santa Claus."

Me: "WOW! Look at THOSE Christmas Lights!"

Okay... So we may have been caught, but it was dropped and one believes that Mr. Mark Santa Claus was indeed the real deal, but what is the difference in all of these Santas? What makes Mr. Mark Santa Claus any more real than the Santa in the Welcome Center after the school show? These are the times that I really wish I could be inside those kids' heads, you know???

Christmas Art

What a great time of the year for school art projects! I like them so much, I've decided to share them with all of you! Isn't that nice?

Baby Jesus In The Manger Wreath by Big A

Angel (green one with the wings), Joseph (the brown one) and Baby Jesus in the Manger (the red one) - Big A

Glass Ornament with paint swirled on the inside - Big A

An Angel (See the silver halo? And the doilies are the wings.) - Little A

Glitter Stocking Ornament - Little A

Glitter Ball Ornament - Little A

I can't wait to see what else comes home in the next two days! What's your favorite piece children's Christmas art?

Quote For The Day

Little A singing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"...

"He sees you when you're sleeping, he smells when you're awake..."

Christmas In The Twenty-First Century

Remember when you used to get in the car and drive all over town searching for the best Christmas light displays? No maps, no pre-determined routes, just searching and hoping? You know, when a few simple strings of colored lights surrounding a house made the kids oooh and ahhh like seeing their Santa presents on Christmas morning?

Gone are those days! Perhaps it has something to do with Clark Griswold and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, but these days a string of colored lights is B-O-R-I-N-G!* Who settles for colored lights when you can have an inflatable chimney that Santa pops out of or a 10 foot tall inflatable Grinch? How about runway lights with a "Santa Land Here" sign and a sleigh pulling reindeer on the roof?

On both Friday and Saturday nights we took the kids out to 'hunt' for Christmas lights. I went online and researched the best houses in our city and the two neighboring cities, we programmed all of the information into Myrtle Magellan and we were off! Most of the houses we visited were covered in lights and had decorations in the yard, on the roof, on the porch, etc. but we found one house that KNOCKED OUR SOCKS OFF! Even Big A is begging to go back to 'the music house'.

This display was created by a 19 year old using 50,000 lights. It is a light show that features four colors of lights and is completely choreographed. You can check out his website here.

We HIGHLY recommend you go check out this show! I must say that even Weaver's Winter Wonderland would have a difficult time standing up to this one! ENJOY!

*Okay... So I think that lights, no matter how many or what color, are still pretty... But remember, I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. They're more difficult to impress sometimes.

Quote For The Day

Big A and I were sitting on the floor doing sight word flash cards when we heard B say, "Honey, why are you shoving that reindeer in your pants?"

Big A and I both started cracking up. We turned around to see Little A sitting on the floor shoving the musical Rudolph up her pant leg. Not QUITE what we expected having heard B's question, but still funny.

Hot Chocolate On A Cold Day

My work phone rang.

It was my mom.

She was on her way to physical therapy for her new knee which just HAPPENS to be right down the street from my office (therapy is down the street, NOT her new knee... Although I suppose technically if therapy is down the street, and she's at therapy, then her new knee is down the street, too.).

She brought me this (Sans the glass mug of course! It was in a Starbucks holiday cup!)...

YUM! What could be better than hot chocolate on a cold day?? THANKS, MOM!!

SIDE NOTE: I know I've been promising to post pictures from last weekend and tell you about the new traditions we've added to our repertoire but I just can't get to it... Things keep coming up that are funnier or more in the moment so maybe you'll have to wait until next year to see that stuff, who knows!

Big A's Nails And EKG Results

Because I've been asked by my loyal followers (who knew I had so many... I sure didn't!)...


Big A's doctor called yesterday with his EKG results and they were NORMAL! PERFECTLY NORMAL! She DID say that the EKG could show something different at a time when he was actually complaining of pain/discomfort/strange feelings (however he describes it at that particular moment) but she's not concerned at this point.


What's next? She wants to keep an eye on him of course, and next time it happens she wants us to check his pulse to be sure that his heart isn't racing. If it is, we'll go from there. If it's not, we'll continue to keep an eye on him. (Because I know Grandma will ask, yes, I've been documenting all of the 'episodes'. You've taught me well!)

Today we took Big A to his dermatology appointment to have the nail issue checked out. I don't think I really went into that much detail about his nails in my last post, but basically Big A has two fingernails and two toenails where the nails have started lifting up and new nails are growing underneath for no apparent reason. The pediatrician ruled out fungus (because there was no 'squishy' stuff under the nails), trauma to the finger (because it's four nails and not one), twenty nail dystrophy (again... four nails) and some other things, but couldn't pinpoint the cause so she referred us to a dermatologist.

The dermatologist's first question was whether Big A had been seriously ill or had a high fever within the past three months. We said no but told him that he'd had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in July. That was all we needed to say. That was it. Surgery = Trauma to the body = A disruption in nail growth = A new nail grows in. (Please note... The pediatrician asked us the same questions but ruled this out as a cause because it had been too long ago. The dermatologist said that it had been a little long, but that Big A's nails may just grow a little slower and that by a 8 months from now we'll never even know it had happened.) Apparently this is common enough that they are aware of it and could diagnose it, but uncommon enough that the dermatologist went to get a colleague to come look at it too. That's our boy! Presenting the doctors with challenges that are interesting enough to have multiple doctors look at them!

Anyhow... All is well for the time being... Let's hope that we're all finished with both of these things and now we wait with bated breath to see what challenge Big A presents us with next!

Thanks for all of your prayers!

Wordless Wednesday

Kidisms...

I'm sorry, but once again I'm going to put off my second 'traditions' post in favor of some good ole' kidisms because today alone, there were too many to pass up.

When we got home tonight there was a message from Grandpa Jim and Sinda asking the kids what they wanted for Christmas so after jammies were on and teeth were brushed I let them return the call. Here are some excerpts from that conversation...

Little A while telling Sinda that she wants a princess cash register for Christmas:

Sinda - "What do you want for Christmas?"

Little A - "I want a princess cash... A princess cash... A princess casserole!"

___________________________________

Big A while telling Grandpa Jim what he wants for Christmas:

Big A - "I really want a John Deere Backhoe. A GREEN one, NOT a yellow one."

Grandpa Jim - "A John Deere Backhoe? Don't you already have one of those?"

Big A - "Now listen to me now! This one I really REALLY want. A Kubota tractor with two wheels in the front and treads in the back. You got it?"

____________________________________

Little A answering the question of what we're doing for Christmas (now you have to follow this carefully...):

Grandpa Jim - "What are you guys doing for Christmas?"

Little A (out of breath and difficult to hear and understand because she's walking around my room in circles) - "I don't know."

Grandpa Jim - "Are you walking around?"

Little A - "NO!"

Me - "Yes you are, you're walking around in circles."

Little A to Grandpa Jim - "We're walking around in circles."

*PAUSE*

Little A to me - "Do you mean driving?"

______________________________________

Little A telling Grandpa Jim goodbye:

Grandpa Jim - "Is it bed time?"

Little A - "Yes."

Grandpa Jim - "Are you all ready for bed?"

Little A - "Yes."

Grandpa Jim - "Are you tired?"

Little A - "Well... My mom's tired so I have to go to bed."

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....

....I'll blog it, tomorrow, it's only a day away!

So I had planned to tell you about the all we did this past weekend, to update my 'traditions' list and to post pictures of our 'traditions' but I'm just TOO tired. It's been a LONG day filled with doctor appointments and setting up more doctor appointments and hospitals and tests and red days and kids who are not listening and a mommy who is overtired and running out of eggs and a bowl of mandarin oranges on the carpet and... Yeah, you get it! So we're going to bed instead!

But before we do, I will share one little thing with you. Today I took Big A to the pediatrician because he's got some strange things going on with 2 fingernails and 2 toe nails, and because he's been telling me lately that his heart feels funny or that it hurts. Two different doctors looked at his toe nails and fingernails and neither of them know what's wrong so they've referred us to a pediatric dermatologist. Then they listened to his heart and chest and talked to him about the 'pain' and asked him questions and sent us to the hospital for an EKG.

I wasn't looking forward to going to the hospital with two kids but I couldn't find anyone to come sit with Little A while I sat with Big A, so I strapped her in the stroller and told her that if she didn't sit quietly she wouldn't get to open her advent calendar today. Desperate times, desperate measures...

Anyhow, we arrived at the hospital and went to the admitting desk where they informed me that Big A wasn't going to be able to have his test today because unless they are patients, kids under 14 are not allowed in the hospital. I very nicely told them that I didn't have a choice, and that no matter when I came I was going to have to bring Little A with me so they made the kids put masks on and they let us in. A mask is a small price to pay for being able to have the test today and not have to do this all again! The kids thought it was cool at first, but the novelty wore off quickly, I'd say within... Oh... 2 minutes.

They finally took Big A back for his EKG and Little A and I stood by quietly and watched. The tech (who had absolutely NO personality but had little breakthroughs of 'this is a five year old - I need to change my demeanor' every few minutes) got Big A settled on the bed and hooked up to the machine (ten pads with ten alligator clips) and started the test. She turned to him and said, "Don't move, don't talk, lay still, don't move your arm, lay really still, don't move...."

Big A looked up at her and said, "Can I breathe?" The tech kept moving the pads and hooking him back up and moving the pads and hooking him back up and... This went on for twenty minutes and finally Big A had had enough. He was doing so well for the longest time but he had to be SO still and I think he finally just couldn't take it anymore. I could tell that he wasn't doing well and then the silent tears started sliding down his cheeks. The tech had to stop when he started crying because the crying would raise his heart rate and the results of the test would be inaccurate.

It felt SO good to hold Big A in my arms when he climbed down from that table. I felt so helpless while he was laying on the table crying and there was nothing I could do to help him. Hopefully they got the results they needed and we won't be called back for more testing.

Please pray that all of Big A's tests come back normal and that whatever he's feeling is just a 'growing pain' or some sort of other five year old 'ache', and also that whatever is going on with his toe nails and fingernails is 'normal'.

THANKS!

Quote For The Day... Yesterday

"I'm getting dizzy, Mommy! I'm going around in squares!"

Bizarre Coincidence

Last night while I was trying to turn on the Christmas lights, unlock the front door, and wrangle two kids inside, I was going through the day's mail. It was a fairly typical pile of mail... Weekly ads, a Christmas card, other random crap, and then something caught my eye... A notice from the post office saying that this was their final attempt to deliver our certified letter.

HUH? Certified letter? So many thoughts were going through my head as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing... WHO would send us a certified letter? Scan the card some more... Why would someone on our street send us a letter? Scan the card some more... Final attempt? I don't really remember getting any other attempts made at delivering said letter... Scan the card some more... Health department?

Once inside I was able to take a minute to pay attention to this card a bit more and to actually READ each box rather than 'scanning' each box...

*Pause here for a bit of background...*

One of my duties at work is to send quasi threatening letters to people who are 90+ days past due with their bills. I send two copies of the letter, the original is sent certified mail, return receipt requested and a copy is sent via regular mail. When the signed certified mail card is returned, it's stapled to a copy of the letter and retained for our records. If the certified letter is returned as 'UNCLAIMED' but the copy sent via regular mail is not returned, it's fairly safe to assume (I know, I know... "You know what happens when you assume!") that the recipient did indeed receive a copy of the letter.

A month or two ago I was preparing these letters and ran across one that was addressed to someone who lives on my street. I thought it was interesting only because of all possible addresses in this county this person lived on my street, but thought nothing else of it.

*Okay, back to the story...*

I read the card more carefully and the first thing I found out was that it had been put in the wrong mailbox. As I read further, I realized that it had been sent from the Health Department.

And then it hit me... This final notice for a certified letter was for the certified letter that I had sent to this person while at work. I don't know the person and our addresses have only ONE number that is the same, but somehow this card got put into my stack of mail by the sorters at USPS.

Of ALL of the addresses on our street... Of ALL of the places this card could have ended up... Of ALL of the people would COULD have sent certified mail to another human being... It was a letter that I had mailed to someone as part of my job!

I wrote "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" and put it back in the box... I guess I won't be seeing THAT signed certified mail card!

BIZARRE COINCIDENCE!!!

A New Tradition?

Tonight we headed out in the COLD with friends to attend a tree lighting in a nearby city. The description read something like this... "Gather in the park for carols and tree lighting, then proceed to the fire station for cookies, cocoa, cider, holiday music and a visit from Santa Claus!" FUN!

We arrived at the park at ten 'til six (the event started at 6) and were amazed to find open parking spaces RIGHT in front. We both wondered if I'd gotten the date right, but there were a few people milling around so we decided it must be right. We unloaded everyone, bundled them all up and headed to the stage at the center of the park.

They had speakers set up on the stage and the emcee started the 'show'. We could hear about every fourth word. I think he said something like, "Welcome holidays board new season members where guest fire truck tree," but I'm not really sure.

After he talked a group sang a few songs which we also couldn't hear and then a fire truck with it's lights on came and dropped off Santa. All of the kids were excited about that but there was one problem... None of them could actually SEE him over the adults. Santa led us in one of the saddest (lousy sad, not crying sad) renditions of Jingle Bells we'd ever heard and then came the moment we'd all been waiting for... THE TREE LIGHGINT!

Santa counted us down... 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... ONE! TA DA!!

Yep! ONE TREE! Here we were in this fairly large park in the center of this town and they lit ONE tree. I mean... It was pretty, but... ONE TREE! And then the masses headed across the street to the fire station. We decided not to try it with a fussy baby and tired moms who didn't feel like standing in that line, so we promised the kids we'd take them to see Santa when he comes through our neighborhood and we played at the park. I guess swings will cure anything!

Will this be a new holiday tradition to add to my list? Who knows... We may or may not give it another chance next year, but we had a great time with good friends, and THAT is what is most important!

Holiday Traditions

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

Really, it is! We have our house and yard decorated (or at least decorated enough to satisfy a five year old and a three year old), the shopping is 95% done, and the radio is tuned to a local station that plays Christmas music 24-7 from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas day! With all that said and done, it's time to sit back, relax, and think about our holiday traditions...

Okay, okay... Easier said than done (the sitting back and relaxing part) but the real crunch hasn't hit yet, so for the time being I am choosing to believe in my little head that I am going to have time to sit back, relax, and enjoy said traditions. Even if I don't have time to do that, I am at least going to sit down and relax right now and share them with you!

* Ornaments - Each year the kids pick out a Hallmark ornament. They start perusing them as soon as they hit the shelves in like... September or some crazy month like that. Lucky for Big A they have a different John Deere tractor ornament every year. Little A usually opts for a Disney Princess of some sort, this year it was Ariel.

We also get ornaments from my in-laws every year. B and I get one and each kid gets one. We have fun opening the Christmas boxes every year and looking back over all of the ornaments we have. We talk about whose they are, where we got them, who they're from, etc.

* Light Up A Life - This is an evening of music, inspiration and remembrance sponsored by the local Hospice. There are speakers, musicians, candles, tears and TONS of white lights in the huge redwood trees downtown. We bundle up in our warmest clothes and head out for this special evening.

* Lighted Boat Parade - This is parade of boats on the river. All of the boats are decorated with lights and Christmas decorations. It's another COLD evening, but still great family time!

* Christmas Lights - Closer to Christmas we all pile into the minivan, hit up the local Starbucks, and head out to "hunt for Christmas lights" as Big A puts it. We play Christmas music and ooh and ahh over the light displays we find.

The kids and I have another Christmas Light tradition. Around the corner (or a couple of corners) from our house, there is a man who goes all out. I mean ALL out! He includes the entire neighborhood, and it's spectacular. Every time the kids and I go out at night (or come home from Grandma and Grandpa's) we have to drive by and check out the "house with all the lights".

* Shopping For People Less Fortunate Than Ourselves - Since I was a young girl, my family has always worked together to help those less fortunate than ourselves at the holiday times. We used to select three or four families each year to play secret Santa to but recently have been donating to various organizations instead.

One thing I try to stress to the kids is how blessed they are and how much they've been given. We talk about how there are boys and girls out there with no toys, no clothes, not even a toothbrush. We look for opportunities to donate to others and we include the kids in this process. I take them shopping to purchase items for individuals in need and explain to them what we are doing and why. They are still young and have some difficulty fully understanding the concept, but I will NOT give up. I feel very strongly that this is an important value to instill in my children.

So there you have it... I've shared with you some of OUR favorite traditions, what are yours??? How does YOUR family spend the holiday season?