A New Christmas Perspective

Last year around this time, I sprained my shoulder. It left me flat on my back for a week and I really didn't gain all the use of my shoulder back until after the new year some time. I don't have to tell you that a week out of commission before Christmas can be a bit stressful. Steve and the kids really came through for me that week. One of the things they kept telling me, was everything will get down and it will be fine. You know what, it was fine.

One of the things I learned last Christmas was to let go of some of my control. I let the kids each have a pick of what cookie or candy they couldn't live without. Steve got a choice too. Then told them, if they wanted it, they could help me bake it. They did and it was a blast. I didn't let Steve help me but that is another story. I relied on the kids to help me decorate the house and let them help decide where to put things. Not where I would have put them but it turned out great. I cut way back on the Christmas crafts and the ones I did do for the teachers the kids helped with. Again, it was a great way to spend some one on one time with the kids. It is amazing what I learned about Megan while working with her on a craft project.

I guess my whole point of this post is, that Christmas is about spending time with the people we love. Some Christmas stress can't be avoided but most of it we bring on ourselves. No one in this house missed the dozens of cookies I didn't bake or noticed that frosty's hat was not blinking. They are however still talking about sleeping on the floor in our bedroom and watching Christmas Story on TV, and that I was with them watching because I wasn't still finishing up some little detail that just had to be done.

So this holiday season, join me in stepping back and enjoying the season.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is enjoying today. Steve will be home tomorrow so that is when we will be celebrating. Today me and the kids are going to go see the movie Bolt.

Tomorrow me and the kids will be getting up early to be at Walmart. Our list is long. Anthony wants to dig out the walkie talkies so we can split up and shop. I love that kid.

I need to get moving and get some pies done. I make sure everyone has their favorite one. Thank goodness that means I only have to bake two different kinds. Megan is helping me with one of them. She is a crack up to bake with.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we miss everyone.

That Time of Year

Turkey thawing out, picking out pictures for Christmas cards, deciding what dishes to cook for Thanksgiving and a sick kid on the couch. Yep, it's the beginning of the holiday season. Although it is usually me who gets sick this time of year.

Poor Megan is home with strep throat. A trip to the doctor and a couple of shots, she is home on the couch and watching TV. Her dad is curled up on the other couch watching TV with her and giving her moral support. OK, he is just watching TV.....

We got out last weekend to take some pictures for our Christmas cards. We finally had a weekend with OK weather and everyone was home. Not an easy thing to do in this house. I only got 80 pictures because I ran into a problem with my camera. Santa......are you listening. I know, 80 pictures seems like a lot but I usually take around 200. It usually takes that many to get some good usable ones. You try to take a good picture of 3 kids. I can't post any of them here because when I went and did a little editing I tripled the size of them. It takes about 1/2 hour to upload 3 pics. I need to go back and fix that.

Anthony is mending well. He has been through 3 practices and hasn't had a new injury. So, hopefully that will be the end of the injury's for this sport. We still have baseball to go.

Jason will be singing a solo in the family Christmas eve mass this year. This will be his third year singing in the choir. I asked him if he was going to be nervous and he said "Why, I have a beautiful voice." I can't argue with that. He gets his modesty from his father.

I will post some pictures later this week. Everyone who is traveling this Thanksgiving, be safe.

Yesterday

What a crazy day. I am not going to rehash it because it makes me tired all over again.

I think I mentioned somewhere that Anthony has started wrestling again. He really wanted to take the winter off, so he didn't try out for basketball. So instead he lets himself get talked into joining the wrestling team.

Friday night during practice he gets hit in the nose and fractures it. Nothing serious, just some bruising and a little black eye. He says it is feeling better today. The Doctor didn't seem to concerned about it.

Yesterday, however, they where practicing a new move. His friend picks him up then they both fall the floor. Anthony landed on J's closed fist.

So he complains that his side hurts. When we finally take a look, it really looks like he broke some ribs. Up to the ER he goes (at 9:30pm) and it's not his ribs. The swelling is coming from just above his spleen. In to a cat scan to make sure his spleen is ok. The good news is that everything is fine. He has a rib contusions (bruised ribs) and an abdominal muscle strain. Thank God, it could have been much worse. He took today off from school because they didn't get home until 1:30am.

So, how long is he out of wrestling? Today and that is it. The doctor said the best thing to do was get right back to practicing. Steve talked to the coach and he feels terrible. Hey, it's sports and injuries happen. I would just prefer they don't happen to my son.

All of this has happened the first week of practice. I am not going to make it through the rest of the season. It ends in February, in case you are wondering.

The Fall Ball

Last night was Anthony's first Prom. The high school here doesn't do a formal homecoming, they have a dance right after the game but nothing formal. The first big formal is the Fall Ball and one where the girls ask the boys. Steve and I laughed at the girls who are all stressed out about this. For me, asking a boy to a dance was just one of those things we did. I went to an all girls school, if you wanted a date for the dance you had to ask.

The weeks leading up to the dance was a little odd. Anthony had no idea what was going to happen. Are going out for dinner? Is she picking you up? What time does it start? Can you where dress pants or do you need a tux? Do you know your first name? All followed by a shoulder shrug and some mumbling that makes no sense.

So needless to say, she calls with some sketching details last night at 6pm, two hours before the dance and says she will meet him there. She calls again at 8 and says I am here and I got you a boutonniere. "Mom she got me a boutonniere, what's that?" Oh crap, we forgot the flowers. Off to Safeway to find something. Poor kid trying to help us doesn't know a thing about flowers. I grab a vase, rip out the flowers, Steve jumps behind the counter finds something to wrap this up with. We tie a ribbon around it and the whole time Anthony is looking at us like we are nuts. The cashier tells him, "Whatever you do, don't tell her that you forgot to buy her flowers."

After all is said and done, he had a great time and is glad he went. I haven't heard all the details yet because he spent the night at his friends house last night.

Yes Dad that is Grestle Cove. Sorry you miss Megans socks. I have to admit, I like that picture.

I Love Fridays

Mostly because it is my day off. Jason is the only one with school today the other two are off for parent teacher conferences.

Both Megan and Anthony's conferences went really well. Megan went through a really rough part with everything that happened with DJ, but she seems to have gotten over it. She has pulled up all her grades and she is finally be allowed back on the computer. She has spent over a month without computer access.

She went to her first school dance. I warned her that the girls all dance together while the boys will do stupid and goofy stuff for your attention. I was right. She said that she danced with her friends because the boys kept tackling each other. Finally the love of the week asked her to dance. I wish I could post his name here because it is the funniest name I have ever heard. Anyway, he asked her to dance, she said yes, then he was tackled by one of his friends. He asked her to dance again, she says yes but that she doesn't know how to dance. He says, "that's ok, I think all we need to do is start jumping up and down." So that's what they did. My baby is starting to grow up. She even bought the "Twilight" book and we have a poster of Edward Cullan in her room. Read the book and you will understand.

Anthony's conferences went really well too. It is amazing what the promise of a drivers license can do. He is super excited that he will be making the honor roll this year. This is a very big deal with all his dyslexia struggles. While we where at the middle school, we where chased down by the high school wrestling coach. He wants Anthony to wrestle again and A has really been dragging his feet. We got to meet his English teacher who is a wrestling coach and of course the football/baseball coach is also a wrestling coach. So needless to say the little creep signed up for wrestling. Mannnnn, I thought we where going to have the winter off. Oh well, now we get to travel the snow covered roads to wrestling matches. Yeahhhhhh, A different sport for me to take pictures of.

That is it for now. Have a good weekend.

EDITED TO ADD: Sorry forgot to add my daily blood pressure check. 48 more days until Christmas. HEHEHE

A Bad Day To Be A Republican

Yep, that's right, everything Steve and I voted for pretty much went down in flames. Steve even lost his bid for Attorney General. Let me explain - we didn't like any of the choices for Attorney General so I wrote in Steve's name. He liked the idea and wrote his name too. Needless to say, He didn't win.

There where some things here locally that I am was really sorry didn't pass. It boils down to the economy and our schools here are really suffering. It has been very eye opening to see first hand what small town schools go through. But, it is rough all over, not just here.

No matter which way the Presidential election went, it was historic and I am proud to be apart of it. I am so glad this election is over.

Does anyone know what the Attorney General does?????