Learning to Let Go of Stubbornness at Christmas

My mom is disabled.  She has had three strokes to date, she has extremely high blood pressure, diabetes and degenerative disc disease in her back.  It's genetic, my grandfather had it, and he eventually ended up in a wheelchair; unfortunately my mom will probably end up in one too eventually.  She can't stand or walk for long periods of time and she can't even sleep in a regular bed, she has to sleep on a recliner since she can't lay down straight, she can't sit for long periods of time because the disease she has in her back causes extreme pain down her leg and in her back when she does.  My mother definitely can't work and has been trying to get Social Security Disability for two years now.  They keep denying her.  They keep denying her because her disease isn't causing damage to her internal organs yet.  Does she have to be dying in order to get SSD?  We've had plenty of arguments with them and obtained the help of a lawyer who decided to work with us on a contingency basis because he believed in my mom's case.  However, we still haven't heard back from them.  It's been a year,

I love my mom to death and would do anything for her, since she helped me all my life, but paying for her expenses as well as mine and my childrens' is getting extremely difficult.  Actually, it's always been difficult but it's been getting even more difficult since her therapy rate went up.  No, it's not covered by her Medicaid.  

In August one of my mom's friends asked her if she had been getting Widows Benefits, which was my dad's Social Security.  My mom called to inquire and she found out that she was eligible for my dad's Social Security, which was a great thing to happen to us.  She also found out that if she was approved for SSD, she wouldn't get the monthly payments but she would get the lump sum they owe her for the two years prior; we are still waiting for that.  Though she currently does get (since September) my dad's Social Security.

The other day she asked me, "What do you want for Christmas?"

I had no answer for her.

She explained to me that since I've allowed her to live with me and because I've been paying for her expenses for the past two years, she wanted to get me a Christmas gift since she hasn't been able to in years.

I know she needs the money and I really didn't want her to get me anything, but she's insisting.  So I told her some small things that I could use such as a new sweater or some of the drug store makeup that I use, but she didn't like that answer.  "I could always get you something inexpensive like that.  I want to get you something special." She said.

Sigh.  She wasn't going to give up, was she?  Honestly, I want a lot of things but I don't need them and when I became a mother I learned the importance of want versus need. Of course there are times when I splurge on myself and do get something that I want, but most of the time I don't buy myself anything that would take a big chunk out of my budget. 

She didn't give up.  I kept telling her that I didn't want her to get me anything too expensive but she kept insisting and asking me what I want.  I finally broke down and gave her a small list of things that I've wanted (that weren't too expensive) but that I wouldn't splurge on myself.  Such as a waterproof case for my iPhone 6, one of those hair curling wands, a glass screen protector for my phone and a list of some mid-range makeup that I've always wanted.  She was happy with that list.

Finally.  She told me to shut up, stop complaining and to let her do something nice for me.  

Nice for me? She watches my kids every day while I'm at work, she allows me to go out on occasion with my friends for some sanity, she helps my kids with homework when I get so overwhelmed that I want to rip up the worksheets,..  She does something nice for me every single day.  

But I understand what she means.

I get her a present every Christmas, even if funds are scarce.  I find something nice to get her because I know that I want to get her something to express my gratitude for all she's done for me.  She probably feels the same and wants to do that for me.  It's just hard for me to let her get me a present.  

I'm stubborn, but maybe I shouldn't be.

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Finding Peace and Having a Stress Free Holiday Season

The Holiday Season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year filled with peace, love, joy and all of that other sentimental bullshit.  So why are we so stressed around this time of the year? If you host Christmas, it's probably all the stress of trying to make things perfect to have your family over but if you don't host Christmas, it's probably the stress of finding the money for the right presents and getting the right presents.  There are many, many reasons that people stress and don't actually sit down and enjoy the Holidays and I have some tips to try to avoid most of the stress.  

>> Helpful Holiday Timeline

Take your time Decorating

After Thankgiving is over don't try to rush Christmas, retail and the media do that enough for us with their Christmas trees out in stores before Halloween is even over.  Take the time to enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and then worry about getting your Christmas decorations out.  After all, you have to finish those leftovers and recover from your turkey coma, right?

A lot of people try to get the Christmas decorations up right after the Thanksgiving guests leave, but I say to wait a few days.  Give it three or four days to plan what you want the tree to look like, how you want to arrange your outdoor decorations and to take inventory of what Christmas lights work and don't work.  You don't want to be standing outside in below zero temperatures only to find out that half your string of lights are out, do you?  Frankly, that would suck and would piss me off beyond belief.  

Shop Throughout the Year

Don't wait until November to start Christmas shopping, it will only stress you out rushing around to find the right presents.  After all, they don't call it the Christmas rush for nothing, right? There are plenty of great sales and deals throughout the entire year.  Pick things up as you see them and put them away in a place that you will be able to find it come December.  There are times that I have taken advantage of the after Christmas sales on Dec 26th in order to shop for the following year.  As long as you know where you put the presents you bought in July, you're golden!

Plan Ahead

It's very important to plan ahead so you're not stuck at the last minute trying to think of ideas.  I am a big list person and I utilize my Bullet Journal, which you can read about here, in order to plan and organize different things that are going on in my life.  You can also find numerous printables on pinterest for this exact purpose that will also help you organize and plan the Holidays,  

It's important to plan ahead for: 

• Gifts for family members and friends.  Just jot down ideas off the top of your head that you might want to get people.  You can always finalize this later.
• Christmas dinner or Holiday get togethers.  Once again, just jot down ideas that you might want to cook.  Search Pinterest for Holiday appetizers/main dishes/desserts, that's my favorite place to get cuisine inspiration.
• Plan decorations for both outside and inside.  Test your lights to make sure they work because you will also write a shopping list of things you need before you decorate.  It's important to take inventory so you're not stressed or blindsided by missing items when you begin to decorate.
• YOUR BUDGET - This might be the most important so as always, save the best for last.  Sit down with all of your bills.  Write down what you make in a month, all of your bills for that month and with the figure that is left prioritize.  What is the most important thing you will have to spend money on?  That should be the most amount of money that you allocate.  Then you can go down the list of expenses/gifts and allocate the appropriate amount of money for each.  Don't leave yourself short either, then you will just get even more stressed.  

If you plan ahead and make lists, you will know exactly what you still need, what you have completed, and if you have time to add in any more tasks at that particular time.  If you don't want to write a list, download an app that can assist you.  My favorites are Any,do, Tasks and Easily,do.

Shop Deals & Save Money

If you are the most stressed about finances and presents there are ways to be smart about this.  Keep a look out for sales.  Leading up to Black Friday and even Christmas stores start to have some amazing sales, so don't just throw out those store circulars when you receive them on your doorstep.  Make sure you have your list of presents that you want for your children, friends or family and keep a look out for that item on sale.  It's also important to not purchase the item the first time it goes on sale, especially if the item is just slightly discounted.  The closer it gets to Christmas, the more sales there will be. (Just don't procrastinate!)

Black Friday is a great day to get some amazing prices on items you want, need or want to get as gifts.  You don't have to be a crazy person and go out right after Thanksgiving dinner because deals are staggered at different times throughout the night and early morning.  Just make a list of the deals you want, bundle up just in case there's a line, grab some hot chocolate to bring with you and head out to save money!  At least that's what I do...

Cyber Monday is also a great day to save money! Although, I haven't seen deals as good as Black Friday on Cyber Monday... But I digress...  Get on your bunny slippers and cozy robe, grab your morning cup of coffee and log on to shop the Cyber Monday deals.  You don't even have to get out of bed if you don't want to!

There are many other ways to find good presents.  You can shop flea markets, garage sales, Goodwill, Craigslist, online Faceboook yard sale communities, Thrift stores, etc...  You might think that these places wouldn't be good for Christmas shopping, but you can find some very unique gifts there.  You can also sometimes find brand named products still in their original packaging, it's all a game of luck, but it doesn't hurt to look!

Easy Gift Giving

Don't stress about finding the perfect gift because it probably don't exist.  I think the perfect gift could be a gift card, the recipient could then take that gift card and get exactly what they want with it and you don't have to worry about hoping they like the gift.  Another great gift could be something that you can make by yourself.  (Keep a look out for my DIY gift posts coming up in the next week!)  A gift that is handmade comes directly from the heart and is appreciated.  Trust me, I would rather handmade bath salts, lotions, candles, art; it shows that the person cared enough to take the time to create something for you.  Truly a one of a kind gift.

You could also get a unique gift basket.  These are found at Big Lots, Sams Club, Walmart, BJ's Wholesale, Costco and even some specialty stores and mall kiosks.  These gifts are basically already arranged and wrapped for you, just add a gift bag!

Santa Pictures with the Kids

Take this advice from personal experience; Don't wait too long to get your kids' pictures taken with Santa.  You will regret it when you see the lines!  Santa usually starts to come to the mall the weekend before or after Thanksgiving. (Depending on where you live.)  If you are going to go to a mall Santa, go early.  You will avoid the lines.  If you are on a budget and go see a mall Santa, ask about separate photos.  They will try to get you to purchase the package and may sometimes make it seem like the package is the only option, but it's not.  You can buy a single 5x7 and that's usually a good $10-15 less than the package.  You can always make copies for family members.  

If that's still too expensive for your budget, keep a look out for free events for kids.  Toys R Us/Babies R Us usually has pictures with Santa for free or for a small donation.  Many other community places such as town centers, churches, community centers, etc... probably have free pictures with Santa during their events as well.  Just look in your local paper, Facebook or just do an online search.  

Tips for Long-Distance Relatives

If you're sending Christmas presents to relatives that live in another city or state, the typical mail by date would be anywhere between December 10th and December 15th.  This will give a pretty decent margin for any error by the shipping company; who knows what could happen!?  You want your packages to get there on time, so send with plenty of time.

As for Christmas cards, I would say that the typical date to mail your Christmas cards would be December 15th.  Once again, you want to give a decent margin for postal service error or any delay in your Christmas cards getting to their recipients on time.

Use Shortcuts

If you don't have to bake a pie from scratch, don't bake a pie from scratch!  Is your party or dinner casual? Get Holiday paper plates to minimize your clean up! If you can buy store bought appetizers, go for it.  No one is going to punish you for using shortcuts to help keep your stress at bay!  

Have Enough Batteries

Nothing is worse than your kids opening that battery operated toy that doesn't have any batteries included.  Nothing ruins a perfectly happy Christmas morning like not having batteries for that long-awaited toy and having to deal with all of the stores being closed and an angry, crying, tantrum-throwing child on your hands.  Lesson learned? Make sure you have enough batteries on hand!

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Stop Bullying the Elf; an Elf on the Shelf Defense Post

Last year I started the Elf on the Shelf Holiday tradition with my girls because I thought it was the cutest idea.  I love anything creative and set off with many different ideas for these two little mischief-makers.  This tradition ended up being a great one with our family and began being a whole family tradition every December morning.  Before we did anything else, we would go find out what kind of trouble the elves were getting into and see if they left any little goodies or notes while they came to visit.  This is a tradition that we are continuing this year and plan on continuing every year to follow until the girls are too old for Elfie and Sofia. 

Now I know there are many people who dislike the Elf on the Shelf tradition and I completely understand the reasons they note.  Some think they're creepy, some don't like the idea of a magical elf that comes straight from the North Pole to observe children and report back to Santa, some don't want their children to have the emotional trauma of the elf leaving on Christmas Eve and some just think the elf is a stupid idea all together.  So in this post, I will address some of these things and voice my opinion about the now notorious elf that makes his appearance the day after Thanksgiving. 

The Elves are creepy...

I understand that many people think that the elves are creepy, but I think they're cute in a vintage and whimsical sort of way.  My mom and grandma had small elves from the 70's, when I was growing up, that resembled an older version of these elves, so maybe they're somehow nostalgic for me.

But if you think about it, how much more creepy can these Elves be than the big fat man who comes down your chimney on Christmas Eve, eats your cookies, drinks your milk and leaves you presents?  I think the thought of Santa being a peeping tom and seeing every move you make leading up to Christmas is a lot creepier than a magical elf... That's like a glorified home invasion, for God's sakes! Sure Santa gives you presents...but we terrify our kids for a hot second with the story of how Santa leaves them presents.  At least I was a little terrified at first when I was a child...

So in my mind, Elf on the Shelf is equivalently creepy to Santa.

I don't like lying to my child...

Wait...did you say that you don't like lying to your child?  What about that time you let them dress themselves and they ended up looking like a hot mess?  I'm sure you said they looked wonderful.  What about the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny and Santa?  You may say that you're keeping the magic alive, but the Elf on the Shelf is magic too.  

I'm sure you tell your child(ren) little white lies as we all do!  This is basically the same thing.  You're just fibbing to your child to keep the magic of the Holiday season and Elf on the Shelf alive.  If you say that you don't lie to your child, you're lying to yourself right there.  Lying through your teeth!  Give up the perfect parent act -- no parent is perfect!

I don't want an elf to keep my kid's behavior in check...

This one I do completely understand.  Part of the idea is that the elf is Santa's Eyes while he is busy preparing for Christmas and some parents do use the elf as a bribe (or a threat) to keep their kid's behavior in check.  I'm not going to lie, I do.  I use that elf to my advantage when I need to.

Fighting with your sister?  The elves are watching!

Not cleaning your room when I ask for the 10th time?  The elves are watching!

Arguing with me because you don't want to do your math homework? The damn elves are watching!

Those little plastic black/blue eyes stare right into their souls and make them question their behavior every single time!  Okay, maybe not quite...Sometimes it works and sometimes my nine year old laughs in my face, but your bet your ass I use those elves to my advantage; or at least try to.  Is it the proper thing to do? Probably not, but whatever maximizes the peace in my home, I'm open to.

But this isn't what everyone does.  You don't have to say that the elf reports back to Santa, you don't have to threaten or bribe your kids; every parent is different.  You can simply use the Elf on the Shelf as a fun way to have a scavenger hunt every morning.  You can say the elf came to visit for the Holiday season to play hide and seek, I don't know! The point I'm trying to make is, you don't have to use the elf as a behavior tool.

I don't have the time.

Look, I have two jobs plus my own business, I am a single mother of two kids, I help with homework, I cook and I also help out my mother who is disabled and I still have time for the elves.  Maybe I don't get as creative as some other people and maybe I don't go all out, but we still have the tradition.  

There are many nights I wake up in a cold sweat and panic, grabbing my phone to make sure it isn't time for the kids to wake up because I forgot to move the elves.  I'm usually quietly running down the stairs in the dark, trying not to stumble and break my ass, to move the elves and think of semi-creative ways to place them while I'm still half asleep.  The sad part is, I do have an alarm on my phone at 11pm every night to move the elves.  Sometimes I ignore the alarm telling myself that I will move them later on before I go to bed, sometimes I actually go to sleep early (what?!) and sleep through the alarm.  

If you have the time to sit down and write a whole post about how you don't have time for the Elf on the Shelf, you have time to move the elf.

It's too commercialized...

Welcome to Christmas, have you been here before?  Come on, the whole idea of Christmas is commercialized.  It's all about the sales, the shopping, the decorations, who can get the better presents, the new trends every year... The whole basic idea of what Christmas used to be is different now.  

Do you have one of the older more vintage elves at home? Use that.  Go to the Goodwill store, I'm sure you can find one very cheap. Go to the dollar store and pick up a small plush elf doll -- that works too!  I've seen people using non official Elf on the Shelf elves as Santa's helpers as well.  You don't need to get the actual elf.  

Truth be told, I had two of our old, floppy and vintage elves from when I was a kid that I almost used as the Elves.  The only reason we have authentic Elves is because my mom and grandma decided to put their money (and coupons) together and get us the two elves.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have purchased them by myself!  

It's too much work.

Yes, yes it is.

Especially when you buy a small batch of flour and spread it all over your kitchen table to make elf snow angels.  Or when you stick a bunch of Christmas bows all over your house and blame it on the elves.  Or...when you take the time to set up elaborate scenes of elves playing Scrabble with the barbies, or elves roasting marshmallows over a candle...

It's a hell of a lot of work.

But it doesn't have to be.  You don't have time to make a mess or clean it up? Then don't.  You can simply have the elf bring a little surprise (lollipop, candy bar, sheet of stickers) or write a Christmas countdown on a whiteboard or even just surprise the kids in a new place every single day.  There's no rule that states that you must take the time to set up elaborate scenes and schemes for the elves.  To each parent their own...

But I just don't want to!

There we go!  Now we're talking!

Admitting it is the first step to recovery and I'll have a crap load of respect for you if you're just honest about not wanting to do this.  

This might go under the category of Not judging a book by it's cover because I've met many moms who couldn't stand this tradition until they tried it for themselves.

But at least you're being honest and not trashing an intimate object disguised as a magical elf.

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The Grandma Gift Struggle -- What do you get an old-fashioned grandma?

I absolutely love my grandmother to death.  At 90 years of age she is still getting on the ladder to change her curtains bi-weekly, she's still walking the town to get her errands done, she really is sharp as a knife and she does whatever she can to help out me and my girls.  She is just a horrible person to shop for during the Holidays and for her birthday as well.  

Walking into her house is like walking into the 1960's.  She still has the same furniture that she had back then complete with the plastic covers that your legs stick to in the summer. (Ouch!)  She has a rotary phone, she doesn't have cable but still has the old television that has the dials to change channels/volume/power in the cabinet with the old speakers with only the channels that the antenna picks up.  Her and my (late) grandfather also slept in separate rooms -- sometimes my mom and I joke that my father had to have been adopted because there was no way they would have conceived him on their own.  I have to give her credit though, she cleans that house religiously and has made those appliances and furniture last so many years.  Her home is spotless and the cleanliness of that place and the fact that you can eat off her floors makes me very jealous.  

My mom and I have tried to get her to come into the 21st century.  Years ago we purchased a cordless phone, VHS player, an air conditioner and more current appliances; but most of them she turned away at delivery.  What she didn't turn away she stored away in her attic -- which honestly looks like a department store with the brand new boxes that she has up there.  We found this out last summer when we had a few yard sales.  Grandma called us and said she had some things that she wanted us to pick up for our yard sale, so we went over there to get them.  To our surprise, most of the presents that we had gotten her in the past 10-15 years, she had given back to us to sell at our yard sale.  Her motto is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  She is so very set in her ways and figures that if her appliances still work, why update them?

Personally, I think a small cell phone would be ideal for her since she does venture off by herself to walk into town to do errands or go to church, but she refuses.  She doesn't understand cell phones and figures that she went 90 years without the need for one, why get one now?  We explain to her that we worry about her walking by herself, anything could happen, but she just tells us not to worry. She won't let us get her a computer, she won't let us get her cable, she won't let us give her anything that's modern; so what do we get her?

She always says that she doesn't want us to get her anything because she knows that we live from paycheck to paycheck, but I can't let a Holiday go by without getting her a gift.  My grandma has done so much for us and has gotten us out of many tight situations, I owe her my life.  There are only so many purses and pairs of pajamas you can buy someone who doesn't use anything you give to them! Before you guys say anything, I have tried giving her more personal gifts.  The last two years we've given her photo albums of the kids or beautiful frames with the kids photos in them.  What did she do with them? She gave them away to other family members. So now you can see my struggle with all of this!

I did get her one present that I think and hope she will use.  Every season I get a new Old Navy zipper up fleece.  I find them so comfortable and better to drive in than a regular ski jacket.  This year I got a black and gray leopard print one and I've used it almost every single day since I bought it.  Well, I drove my grandmother to the grocery store a few weeks back and she complimented me on it.  She said the pattern wasn't her style but she loved the jacket and said it looked so soft, comfortable and warm.  On Black Friday when Old Navy had their 50% off sale, I got her a medium pink zipper up fleece, since she liked mine.  Let's hope this present doesn't get returned back to us in a few years for another one of our yard sales! 

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Wordless Wednesday and the Holiday Spirit

I was going to leave this as just a normal Wordless Wednesday post but I decided to add some words because I just love the Holidays and I absolutely love Holiday decorating/decorations. :)  This is our second Christmas in our home and Holiday decorating in this house is just amazing.  The reason we moved here is because of the cabin-like vibe that the house gave.  The wooden planked ceilings, the warm colors and the stone entry way/wood flooring really makes it feel cozy and more unique than other homes that are in the area.  It is especially cozy around the Holidays when everything is decorated, lit and the glow from the Christmas lights are warm but also bright. 

White lights, though they're beautiful, are not my "cup of tea" for the tree, but I absolutely love them for the (faux) fireplace and for decorating other areas.  Mostly because I feel like the white lights are very classy and they really make the tree pop.  The only other part of my house that has the colored lights are the exterior (of course) and the banister -- because I love the colored glow that shines upstairs at night from the colored banister lights! 

Our pesky & trouble-making elves are also back; Elfie and Sofia.  They've been making their appearance each day in silly places that my children absolutely love.  This morning they showed up hanging from the very wreath that is hanging over our faux fireplace!  My girls searched and searched until they finally figured out that the crazy elves were hiding in plain sight! 

This is definitely my favorite time of the year and I am definitely in the Holiday spirit!  Well, this ended up being more of a wordful wednesday than a wordless one! 

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A Mommy's Open Letter to Santa

 

Dear Santa,

 

I know I'm a 28 year old mom and shouldn't be writing you a personal letter, so I decided to be a grown up and write you an open letter instead.  Who said adults can't have fun and write letters to Santa?  There are just a few things that I want this Christmas, that I know I'm not going to get, but hey; I want to get it off my chest anyway.  As much as us moms say that we don't want anything for Christmas, everyone has something that they want but just don't want to say!  So here is my list.

 

1. I would like a new pair of Uggs.  Yes, I know that I already have a pair but they're three years old, have been repaired twice and are stained from water and snow.  Of course I had them waterproofed when I bought them, but I'm sure that wore off after a year and I was just way too lazy to get them back to the shop to get them waterproofed again.  I know, I know, it's my own fault.  If you're feeling kind, Santa, I would like this pair of Uggs.  They don't go with everything but they're a bright pop of color when the weather is dreary and snowy, why not be daring?  You may be questioning me since I have so many pairs of Fuugs (Fake Uggs...boots that look like Uggs but are not!) but they are not the same.  They're cheaply made, rip after one season and aren't as warm; but I do rock my Fuggs everywhere I go. 

 

2. A blue iPod Touch would be nice too.  I've been wanting to purchase one for myself and have been, on numerous occasions, close to buying one.  I just can't justify purchasing something I am never ever going to use.  I have an iPhone, I have a computer and a laptop and also have an iPad, but I do not have an iPod Touch and that's the only reason why I want one.  The blue is so pretty and really stands out.  I probably would never use it since all my music is streamed through Rdio and I never actually download music, but whatever.  I can ask, you're Santa.

 

3. What about a nice North Face jacket to keep me warm?  I purchased a pair of waterproof and fleec-y North Face boots about three years ago and absolutely love them.  They're my go-to winter boots when I need to go out in the snow.  You wouldn't think they're waterproof because the outside is fleece, but they really are.  So why not ask for a jacket that is probably warmer and more awesome than the boots?  Eh, I can dream, right?

 

4. Just a good ole' gift card.  There are a number of things I want to buy at any given time but aren't interesting or significant enough to really write in this open letter.  Santa, you should know what they are, but I will make it easy for you.  Just leave a gift card under the tree.

 

5. I would love some time to myself.  Just a day where I can relax, clean my house without it being messed up again within minutes, cook an actual dinner and just can relax on the couch watching mindless TV.  That would probably be my main Christmas wish!  I love my kids and my mother, but they always want my attention or need my help with something.  If I just had one day to relax I'm sure I wouldn't freak out and have nervous breakdowns as much as I actually do. If you can't get me some time to myself, maybe you can throw some magic dust down from our roof on Christmas Eve for my kids to be calm and behave.  It would be nice to have my girls actually listen to things I say and obey me.  I'm so tired of saying:

 

"Clean your room."  Numerous times a day.

"Do your homework." Again numerous times a day.

"Get up or you're going to be late for school."  About 5 times every morning.

"No, you can't pile 15 stuffed animals on your bed at night, you'll suffocate." 

 

Why can't they just listen to me? 

 

So Santa, if you're feeling generous and feel like granting some adults Christmas wishes, please do!  They would be incredibly happy!  I definitely have been a good girl this year.  (Sort of...) 

 

Sincerely,

Kristin

 

DISCLAIMER: I know most of you would take this in humor and good spirits but some others may think I'm a little nuts in the head.  I know that Santa is not real, but just felt like writing a letter since my kids get all the fun of doing that! Trust me, I did have fun.  I felt like a child again.

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My Favorite Present of All Time

Looking back at previous Christmases as a child, I realize now that I took my family's generosity greatly for granted.  I had a great childhood filled with everything I could ever want for Christmas presents.   I used to get American Girl Dolls, My Size Barbies, whatever the hot new toy was that year that I wanted and just about everything else that a kid in the 90's could want.  However, one present really stands out in my mind and that was a present not given to me by my mother or grandmother. 

 

It was Christmas Eve 1995 and we had already had our traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner and went to church.  We were upstairs in my grandmother's living room and I was anxiously anticipating receiving my one Christmas Eve present.  Usually, it is a present that I have wanted all year and worked hard (homework, grades, behavior) to achieve.  My mother comes over to me with an envelope.  I was a little perplexed since my mother usually gave me an actual gift that I wanted, but I went with it.  (After all, I was 9.  I really didn't have a choice.) 

 

Inside that envelope was a card and a letter from my aunt and behind that was a photo of a kitten.  Of course, I looked at the photo before I read the card, doesn't every kid try to avoid reading cards?  The card told me that the kitten in the photo was mine and my aunt would be dropping it off the day after Christmas.  I freaked out, I had always wanted a kitten but my requests were always met with a, "No" from my mom.  I immediately called my aunt and told her that she had given me the best gift ever.  Which turned out to be true.

 

Years later, looking back, that was the best gift that I had ever received.  My cat, Buttons, was the love of my life and one of my best friends.  My mom, who was never a cat lover, even warmed up to my cat and loved her to death.  Buttons gave me years of happiness that I would never trade for any toy in the world.

 

One day I would love to get another cat just like her, although no one could replace her warmness and loving nature.  She is one pet that I will never forget and the best Christmas present that I had ever received.

 

Prompt inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

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Christmas Came Slightly Early!

I am the first to admit that I am extremely lazy and hate standing on lines or waiting for anything.  I am definitely an instant gratification kind of girl, so when I saw Santa was coming this past weekend to the mall I jumped on it. I figured that if we went to the mall early in November to see Santa, I wouldn't have to stand on a three hour line later in the season.  I was so right.  We got to the mall, went right in by Santa and got to see Santa after just a five minute wait.  

Santa was great this year.  Since there weren't any other kids on line he talked to my girls for a good 5 minutes before sitting them down to take a photo.  He joked about getting their names mixed up, asked what they wanted for Christmas, told them some Christmas jokes and then sat them down to take a picture. (Which came out great might I add!)  Olivia, my youngest, was so excited that she got to talk to Santa that's all she could talk about for hours after.  

After seeing Santa we saw that Red Robin had just opened in the mall, so we decided to take a walk over to have some burgers.  It was pretty good and Alayna was excited that they had chips and French Onion dip on the appetizer menu, that's her most favorite snack.  We had a great lunch and decided to walk around the mall for a few minutes.  

We saw that the mall had up their huge Christmas tree and Christmas scenery, so we decided to take pictures by that as well.  (Trying to get a good Christmas Card photo this year!)  As we were standing by the tree ready to take a photo these three children in back of us started to literally fight each other.  One child had the other child in a headlock on the floor, this boy pushed the little girl down and was punching her in the stomach then they were running around and fighting some more.  Meanwhile, the two parents were standing there oblivious to any of this talking to each other.  I was in absolute disbelief.  I tried to ignore it but this one kid got pushed into me and I almost dropped my camera while the other child decided to put his ass in my picture purposely.  That's when I turned around to the two moms talking and asked them to please tame their children because I was trying to take a picture.  She looked at me like she didn't understand me and continued speaking in whatever language she was speaking -- excuse me?  I know you speak English, you were just talking in English earlier.  So I said it louder and they finally walked away.  If you can't control your kids, don't take them to a mall or any public place for that matter!  Have some respect.

As I was taking the photo this woman said to me, "What kind of mother are you? You have your kids in tank tops while you have a sweater on."  So of course, I defend myself and start an argument with her.  Her closing argument was, "You young mothers have no idea how to take care of your children."  I followed that up with a few not so nice names for her and she walked away.  Firstly, I had them in their Christmas dresses which were sleeveless but I had sweaters for them in my rather large purse.  Secondly, don't judge me and stereotype all young mothers because you're closed minded and judgmental.  The end.  I hate people who are like that.  

After all was said and done, we had a great day together.  They were super happy to meet Santa and I was happy I got some great pictures of them together.  That rarely happens!

When are you guys going to see Santa this year?

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Meet Elfie: Our Elf on the Shelf

This is Elfie, she is our new Elf on the Shelf for this Holiday Season.  Prior to this I never really got into the whole Elf on the Shelf trend and tradition with my kids mostly because my cheap ass thought that it was too expensive. ($29.99 for a small un-poseable elf...WHAAAAAT?)  My mom and I were browsing at Target the other day and she brought up the fact that she thought it would be a good idea to use this tradition to keep my (occasionally) unruly kids in check during the Holiday.  After a lot a bit of complaining about how expensive it was, she agreed to go halfsies with me on the elf -- I agreed.  

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Santa was good to my girls this year.

When I left my house to go to see Les Mis last night it was snowing like crazy.  As much as I hate snow I was extremely excited since it was Christmas Eve.  There's just something about snow on Christmas Eve/Christmas that makes it really feel like the Holidays.  I was hoping the snow would stick a little, enough for us to have a white Christmas but by the time I got out of the movie theater the snow had turned into rain.  

The girls were sleeping on the couch when I got home so I carried them each to my bed.  Alayna was perfectly fine and still asleep when I put her in her bed but Olivia was scolding hot.  I had a feeling that she had a pretty high fever so I put her in bed and got a thermometer.  Turns out I was right, she had a 102 temperature and refused to take Tylenol for me until I dissolved the meltaway on a spoon for her.  She went back to sleep and woke up again 10 minutes later crying that she didn't feel good... That went on for about 2 hours.  Finally at 5:30 AM she was asleep soundly, her fever seemed to be down a little bit and I was able to make sure that Santa put the presents under the tree.  

Olivia and Alayna woke up about an hour later and shook me awake to open presents.  Keep in mind, I only had an hours worth of sleep and was falling asleep while the presents were being opened.  However I stayed awake enough to take a few pictures of my girls opening presents.

They made out like little bandits! They got a Fisher Price Serving Surprises Table, pretend food, Alayna got a guitar & Olivia got a keyboard, Journey Girl dolls, Play Doh, games, craft sets, dollhouse furniture and so many more goodies that we can't wait to play with together!  After opening presents Olivia asked if she could go back to bed and not play with her toys until later; that's when I really knew she was sick.  She usually wants to rip open everything and play with it right then and there.  

After presents we prepared for my uncle and grandma to come, just our usual small family get together, for dinner.  We had a great Christmas despite Olivia being sick.  I still have no idea where we are going to stick all of these new toys but we now have an excuse to put together the second bookcase that we've had in a box for about 4 months! :)  I hope everyone had a great Christmas! 

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Pre-Christmas Adventures with our Family!

Due to my new job (that I have been at for almost 3 months now!) and my mom, kids and I being sick, we were pretty late on doing everything Christmas this year.  I didn't get to do my Black Friday haul but still got my shopping done by budgeting $100 every week for my kids, family and friends presents.  I think I did pretty well with what I had and have no complaints at all.  Our tree (shown above!) was put up the weekend after Thanksgiving but we did not get around to decorating the tree or the house until just two weeks ago.  We went a little overboard this year getting decorations done...I mean putting a Christmas toilet seat topper on the toilet and a Christmas rug in the bathroom. 

Next came Olivia's 5th Birthday & Party on Dec. 21, 2012.  I couldn't believe my little princess turned 5, it was so hard to accept that she was another year older because she is my little baby! (And she will ALWAYS be!)  We had her party at Michaels Arts & Crafts with just a few of her friends from Pre-School.  The party went over extremely well, even though we only had 3 other girls aside from my two!  Olivia had so much fun and couldn't stop talking about her big girl party!  We all made foam Gingerbread Houses in honor of Christmas, which was right around the corner!  I also took some time out of my morning to make Snowman cupcakes for her party, which turned out adorable!

We didn't get to see Santa until yesterday, the day before Christmas Eve and boy was there a line.  We waited for about an hour and 45 minutes to see Santa at the mall, but that hour and 45 minutes was so worth it when my girls got up to see him!  They told him what they wanted for Christmas and Olivia got to tell Santa that her birthday had been just a few days before.  She was super excited when Santa said, "Happy Birthday!" to her.  The picture came out great and I also snapped one really quickly on my phone as well! 

After meeting Santa we ran over to mail our letters at Macys.  This was especially important to Alayna since every letter that's "mailed" is a donation to the Make A Wish foundation.  Alayna has a best friend that has been in the hospital in Philadelphia for almost an entire year.  He needs a heart and kidney transplant and so far has had no luck, but he is part of the Make A Wish foundation and that cause has become very dear to my 7 year old's heart because of her best friend.  

So today I got a bit of last minute wrapping in when the kids were still asleep and I am in between doing some cooking for tomorrow and getting ready to bake cookies for Santa.  Tonight I'm going to be seeing Les Miserables with one of my friends at the movies so I want to make sure I get everything done with my girls and get them into bed before I leave!  Santa will be here before we know it and I'm sure he'll leave lots of presents for my girls -- they've been good this year. (We won't talk about the times they weren't!)

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you!  

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What's with the Elf on the Shelf craziness?

My 7 year old came home from school one afternoon and asked me if I could buy an “Elf on the Shelf” elf.  I was actually surprised she even knew what it was since she is one of the most selectively deaf children on the face of the planet – but anyhow…  I thought about it for a few minutes, knowing how much parents rave about the tradition, but dismissed it.  Why?  I can barely remember to grab my laptop bag when I’m off to work in the morning.  There are days I completely forget about activities and constantly have to use a “reminders” app on my phone to remind myself of anything.  How was I going to remember to move a little elf around every single day?  My dismissal wasn't due to lack of creativity – I could definitely think of creative places to put the elf, I just didn't have the time…or the memory.  (I suffer from a very bad case of CRS – Can’t remember shit.)

Long story short, I felt like a horrible mother for not wanting to start this tradition.  Especially since we had an elf for our decor (somewhere) that looked almost exactly like Elf on the Shelf that we used to have up when I was a child. (Saving me $30…)  I felt like maybe I was the only mother in the entire modern world who did not have an Elf on the Shelf tradition to carry on with my children every year.  Well, yesterday I got an e-mail about a blog by a mom named Jen from the blog “People I Want to Punch in the Throat” and I was rolling on the floor hysterically laughing.  Though she has an Elf on the Shelf, this mom suffers from CRS as well and makes me feel so much better about my reasons not to have one at this point.

Next year I may break down and use our elf or buy a new Elf on the Shelf for my girls.  Unfortunately, it’s too late to start it now, but it might be fun.  Maybe I’ll make a New Year’s Resolution to actually exercise my brain, even though it would be hard! (I’ve been forgetful all my life and becoming a mommy just made it worse.)  It would be a cute tradition to start with my girls that they could carry on when they get older and maybe this little damn elf WILL keep my kids in check. (Lord knows they need it!)  I love to jump on those damn bandwagons, why not the Elf on the Shelf one as well!

Do you and your family have an Elf on the Shelf?  Do you get super creative or slack off and forget to move him?  

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Santa Clause is Coming...To The Mall?

Yes, that's Santa and yes, I know it's early for a picture with Santa.  I don't want to give anyone anxiety with the Christmas/Santa talk and I'm not trying to rush the Holiday, trust me!  When we went to the mall the other day Santa was sitting there in his Holiday wonderland with absolutely no one in line. (I think I may have seen Santa filing his nails while waiting! haa!!)  Olivia and Alayna both started saying they wanted to talk to Santa and were adamant about it, so I agreed.  Alayna has never had a problem with Santa but Olivia has never taken one picture with Santa where she wasn't crying, I had to seize the day. (Without sounding overly dramatic!)  Only problem was; Olivia was in a sweat suit and Alayna was in her school uniform! (Respectively.)  

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I have made a decision...YAY!

Since I really miss blogging as I used to do, I am going to start again using this blog. I figure that maybe people really do want to know more about my life! At least I hope they would! I'm going to blog more about everything in my life including my kids, what happens in my day, sharing pictures, etc... I will still add things about my business since this IS a business blog, but it will be more.

I read through the Toys R Us ad today and saw that some things my kids wanted were on sale! So I picked up some great things such as the Leap Frog Violet learning dog, Zhu Zhu pets car, and I forgot what else. lol The presents are still in my car because I don't want to bring them inside if the kids are awake and going to see them. I grabbed the last Zhu Zhu Pets car when I was at Toys R Us, but can't find the damn hamster. I think they have one at the mall...there is a As Seen on TV cart there that had TONS of them the other day but I didn't think to get one because I didn't think anywhere would have the car my daughter wanted. The mall is my first stop tomorrow morning. If they don't have it, I think Target is getting more Monday or Tuesday and I will get there as early as possible to try. If not, I will just have to return the car set and get something else for the girls. I really hope I can find the hamster.

Monday is Olivia's birthday and tomorrow is her party. I had to run around today, with a stomach virus, to find party favors and cake mix and stuff. It was insane. I am so exhausted and still have a damn stomach virus. Hopefully I will feel better by tomorrow because I hate feeling like shit. I still have so much to do before tomorrow and before Saturday when my daughter's father is coming to pick her up. I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to do absolutely anything.

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