Tag - Christmas

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Surprise Puppy!
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Ten Wishes
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When Christmas Isn’t Exactly Merry
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Tooth Fairy Meets The Elf
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Merry Frantic Christmas

Surprise Puppy!

Before you say it, I know. And I fully agree. Puppies are not usually an appropriate Christmas gift. But, when you’re already planning on adding a pet to the family, being able to coordinate it with Santa is a parenting coup.  Our daughter Avery adores animals. She lives and breathes fur. I also breathe fur, hence my weekly allergy shots. But that’s a story for another time.  Avery’s first pet was our rescue dog, a terrier/chihuahua Roger. We got him when Avery was a toddler and her physical therapist suggested a dog as motivation to get her walking. It worked.  We also had a guinea pig. Sadly, he’s in pet heaven now. RIP Ernie.  And if you are familiar with my Instagram account, you’re painfully aware that we have a big orange tabby named Kevin. He just so darn photogenic that I can’t help but share pics and videos of him. A lot. Like, a “crazy cat lady” amount.  Now that Avery is eleven and is responsible enough to start caring for a puppy—learning to feed and train her very own dog, we were happy to make this wish come true.  Though she asked Santa for a puppy (she actually[…]

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Ten Wishes

 I sang, “We three kings of Orientar” for ages until I realized that Orientar isn’t a place. I eventually figured out that “Paper Bag Writer” isn’t correct either. Seems I’ve been mangling song lyrics for decades. Anyway, the time my girlfriends and I rode camelback through the desert, I felt like one of the Three Kings of said song — we were three wise-ish woman on a quest. Sleeping under a blanket of stars, I made a wish and hoped it would come true. And it has. *looks toward my happy family* As Christmas day and the new year approach, I have new hopes and wishes… I wish: For her to always be loved and accepted for who she is. For him to continue to feel confident and loved.  For her to get the “all clear” … this is the news we all long to hear. For him to make the best decision because decisions like these are hard. For her to find her voice. For them to find their groove — to make a difference and feel important. For her to find love.  For him to find peace. For her to find a resolution. For him, I wish health[…]

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When Christmas Isn’t Exactly Merry

The holidays can be a tiring, stressful, hectic time set smack in the midst of dreary winter. Unless you’re a child filled with wonder, Christmas can become more of a chore than a joy. But as parents we do our best to ensure our kids have a happy and memorable holiday, filled with the excitement we experienced in our own childhoods. Christmas morning at our house this year was filled with amazement and legitimate joy. For the first time, Avery “got” Christmas. She was in awe of each present and her brother was floored by his gifts. It was, dare I say, magical. It wasn’t until Christmas night that mummy unraveled, just a little. Fa la la la la, sob, sob, sob wah. Avery did well sitting at the kids’ table at my in-laws’ and I actually got to eat my entire turkey dinner. Pretty much. Come dessert however, she was overtired, overstimulated and overwhelmed. In lieu of dessert and conversation, Avery and I went home so the rest of the family could have a proper visit.  Getting her into her car seat was a struggle and a flailing arm made contact with my eye. I *may* have growled slightly.[…]

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Tooth Fairy Meets The Elf

Whatever genius thought of the Elf On The Shelf is ho, ho, ho-ing all the way to the bank. In case you’re unaware, the elf is sent from the North Pole to keep an eye on the children of the house and report back to Santa. Currently we have an elfin house guest named “Quacky” (don’t ask…his name is a stupid story within a stupid story) living with us. Every night our son tucks Quacky into the little bed he made for him in his bookcase. Each morning, he wakes to discover the elf is missing. When the family is asleep, this inanimate elf becomes “real.” He sneaks out of bed and gets into all sorts of mischief. He also uses the phone to call Santa…long distance. Occasionally he uses my computer to shoot Santa an email update. (I’m not sure, but I think he has also been logging onto some nasty elf porn sites.) We are having a blast moving the elf around the house and staging him in different scenarios before we go to bed (don’t you just LOVE the legit lies we’re encouraged to tell our children around the holidays?). The other night my husband and I[…]

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Merry Frantic Christmas

With the joy of the season, comes the frantic, hectic hell that is life for women everywhere this time of year. That doesn’t mean men don’t feel stressed during the holidays. Oh wait, yes it means exactly that, since Christmas is a WOMAN’S burden. “Burden” isn’t a very festive term I know. My husband would be more than happy to do anything I asked of him, but due to my sick need to control everything, the man is rarely asked to lift a finger. This black hole of shopping, list making, cooking, cleaning and wrapping despair, was dug by yours truly. So I need to shut up, suck it up and get on with it because… …the holidays are jam packed with “memory moments” and I don’t want to miss any of them. It’s cliché and obvious, but these times go by in a blink of an eye. Our children won’t remember if the boughs on the banister were perfectly hung or if the napkin rings at Christmas dinner all matched. They WILL remember dressing up like elves in the basement, skating on the backyard rink and putting on a “Christmas Musical Extravaganza” in the living room. This is what[…]

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