It's My Life

The holidays are among us. Personally, at this time in my life, I love the holidays!  I have spent the past several weeks decorating my home trying to make it look as festive and cozy as possible for my family and loved ones.  However, if I am being super honest, I have not always appreciated this time of year. There was a point in my life when I was getting divorced and my father was dying of lung cancer that I honestly dreaded this time of year. I do not think I am alone. For many people, the time between November and January is a very difficult time to get through. Some may call it the bah humbugs or seasonal depression, or even just a funky ole mood but it is common to encounter someone with the Christmas Blues whose goal is just to survive the holidays.  There is something very emotional about the holiday season. It could be simply societal pressure of purchasing gifts and spreading ourselves too thin.  Maybe it is that a new year is upon us and star...

Another week of Elf Antics. Another week closer to Christmas. I have been busy making homemade gifts, baking, Christmas cards, and shopping! I started the daunting task of wrapping this morning.  We also went to see Beauty and The Beast this week and have tickets to see The Nutcracker tonight. We also had three basketball games this week. However, The Boy only played in one game. He was injured in the first basketball game this week and has a concussion!  We has to be retested every day and when he can pass the concussion test he can return to practice. Our Elf, Isabella, has been busy this week too. There have been days that I wonder if she is on Santa's Naughty List.   Day 8: Isabella brought The Short Chic a Christmas tree for her bedroom. It is pink, has pink lights, and even came with pink ornaments. The Short Chic loved it! Day 9: Isabella was found on our kitchen table roasting marshmallows. It made me miss summer a little because snow came...

We said good-bye to Isabella last night.   The Short Chic woke up at 5:30 a.m. this morning and immediately ran downstairs. She proclaimed to the entire house that Santa had been to our home because Isabella was gone {Never mind the gifts under the tree!}! Let's review her last week with us:   Isabella was found one morning hanging from the kitchen clock. I think she was reminding us that Christmas was almost here! As a side note, YES, the clock runs backwards. My Dad had a clock just like this one when I was growing up. It reminds me of him. The next morning, Isabella turned our milk GREEN! The Boy was not too intimidated to try it but The Short Chic was. Finally she tried it, her response, "It taste just like milk. I thought it was going to be peppermint!"  Actually, I did not get a photo of the next day. But we found Isabella on the kitchen table with her head in a bag of M & M's. She spelled out CUTE in front of The Short Chic's photo...

We parents have a lot to juggle over the holiday season. Shopping, cooking, wrapping, decorating, juggling parents/in-laws/kids schedules, holiday parties, out of town guest. It can be very overwhelming. But, we divorced parents juggle like only another divorced parent understands. We do all the same preparation stuff and more. We have to coordinate our schedules with someone else. Pick-up times. Coordinate gifts.  Holiday celebrations must be planned months in advance because they have to be shared. Every year, I alternate the holiday season with my ex-husband. One year The Boy spends the time up to Christmas Eve with me and then the time from Christmas Eve to New Years with his dad. Then the next year, we flop it.  This year was my pre-Christmas time. I use to be the only divorced person in my immediate family who had to juggle such a schedule. Now, my brother and sister-in-law are in the same boat.  We were fortunate enough that we all got our children for Christ...

Hallmark has broken my heart. Maybe even damaged a bit of my soul.  {YES, it sounds dramatic, but please read on to understand why!} My love for Hallmark started years ago when I was about 19-20 years old.  I was dating a boy who had invited me home with him for the holidays. He also happened to be moving from Texas to Missouri at the end of our holiday vacation and I was going to drive home with him.  His Momma gave him a box full of Christmas ornaments from Hallmark that she had been collecting for him for years. Since he was born. Two decades of memories that he cherished so much. I found it endearing. And I made a mental note that I would start a tradition when I had children. Well, my own kids came years later. But that year, I was blessed with a late-in-life baby brother. And I started his ornament collection. He got the "My First Christmas" ornament. At the same time, I found a super cool Star Trek ornament that my Dad would get a kick out of. Just like...

My  Short Chic is turning into a little dancer. To thank the dance teachers for their help, we decided to make them a little gift for Christmas. A tutu ornament. Supplies needed: Tulle. I selected black, white and hot pink. The pink and white both have glitter {I have been walking around for the past four days with glitter all over me!}. Glass Ornaments that coordinate with your tulle. Some kind of string {I used stretch magic}. And some super glue. Step 1: Cut  the tulle.  I learned, from trial and error, that my cell phone was roughly the right size. So, I used it as a template for cutting the tulle.   Step 2: Tie the tulle to the string. Using a simple slip knot, tie the tulle onto the string {or Stretch Magic}. I think I used about 40 loops per ornament. Step 3:  Adhere it to the Ornament. I do not have a photo of this step. But simply, you take some super glue and glue the tutu ring to the ornament.  FINISHED! ...

I have been MIA from the blog for a week, or so. Just when you think things should be settling down for a long winters slumber, it picks up. The Boy has started basketball. We played three games last week. The Short Chic had her first dance recital. My day job has also been busy. Back to back straight weeks of training. Plus Christmas decorating and shopping. I am a tired Momma! {please excuse the flash photos. I am too tired to get the tripod out to take night photos} Both of our Christmas trees are up. Maybe not fully decorated but they are up. The Advent Calendar is counting down the days. The Short Chic and I are in a daily race to see who gets to flip it from one day to the next. {I let her win...most days} And the stockings {all five of them because Miss Medical Student arrives soon} are hung by the fireplace. Yes with care! I saw this cool thing on Pinterest, where you take two stocking hangers and a curtain rod and hang stockings from it. I...

WARNING: This post contains classified information about the true origination of Santa Claus. Please, do not read this post if you still believe a single over-weight man drives all around the world delivering presents to children in one night while driving a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer who know how to fly. Please by all means, do not read this post! This is a tale of a Mommy (that would be me) whose favorite things in life include making her children happy. This is a tale of a Mommy (again, that would be me) who has taught her children about Santa Claus. You know this story, it is common. Santa Claus spends all year making toys. If you have been good, you can write Santa Claus a letter and tell him what you hope and dream he will bring you when he makes his trip around the world on Christmas Eve. This is a tale of a Mommy (yep, still me) who goes goal it is every Christmas to give her children their dreams. This tale starts the day the giant sized Wal Mart toy a...