MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Happy Holidays from my family to yours....

May the New Year find all your dreams coming true!

St Jude Gund Collectors Bears

Don't forget to support St Jude's Children's Hospital by purchasing a St Jude's stuffed animal at your local 7-11!

Thanksgiving 2010 Part 2

don't forget to read Part 1 below
Thanksgiving is a week-long holiday that begins with Parent-Teacher conferences on Monday.


This happens every year. 
Some years they go much better than others.
This year was a 'better' year... sort of.


After working all night I had to be at the school at 8am 
with BratChild and SIX - who were too tired to get up on time-
for a student-led conference. 


Which means they tell me how they are doing in school.
Yeah, that's so very helpful... lucky for me a teacher was available to answer my questions.
Thank You God!


After working all night I had to be at the school for a Team conference with ALL of BratChild's teachers at 11am...
because of the Math teacher... who did not seem to think there was a problem... 
the other teachers did not agree ....
things should be better when school resumes! 
Yeah! not a bad day after all...


Oops! 
Spoke too soon...
TeenBoy lost his temper... you know, the way teen boys do.
And his poor bedroom window paid the price... 
well that and his hand that, after a quick (yeah right) trip to the ER was stitched and bandaged and totally useless for a week...


Why? you ask... he was mad. Bad mom, I made him get off the computer...
good news is he doesn't have to worry about that anymore... No More Computer until.... Easter?


Yes, Thanksgiving is a week long celebration of family love and togetherness...


Please God, let me make it to the end without killing, or at least maiming , anyone! 


But wait! There's more.... Look for the continuing saga of Thanksgiving 2010... 


Part 3 and the story of the Midnight Madness sale that wasn't...
Mad that is

Happy December! or The Sky is Falling, or the World is Ending, or something like that... Right?

Yes, I did say "Happy December". Why? Why not?

December is a turning point in the year for us Mid-Atlantic folks. The weather is just beginning to feel winter-like (note to my kids-this means a jacket of some sort is REQUIRED to keep out the rain and cold) and the Chesapeake is starting to look deserted and lonely, as the fair-weather, recreational boaters put their skiffs and fishing boats, sail and motor boats, in dry dock and shrink wrap, to ride out the cold months ahead.

The local farmer's fields have been plowed under; only the remnants of pumpkins and cabbages along the edges to remind one of the abundant bounty harvested only a short time ago.

The advent of December brings too, the advent of the Christmas season- in the religious sense as well as the actual sense.

Shopping for holiday gifts, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or all 3, there are shops peddling their wares at every turn. And if that is not enough, you can shop on-line, from the comfort of your home, in your pajamas, anytime!

And with the advent of the shopping season comes the eagerly anticipated arrival of... the UPS guy! or the Fed Ex person, or the Mail Carrier... whomever it is that will be bringing the wonderful deals you got on-line home to you, along with the gifts FROM family and friends!

People seem to smile more and greet one another on the street with warm and genuine care... oh, wait, that was on a Lifetime movie... rewind...

People are pushy, rushed, grouchy and, sometimes even down-right nasty. But, as the last holidays of the year approach you may catch a glimpse of that Good Will and Cheer you heard mentioned in songs all month long. You may even get a smile and a nod from a stranger as you stop to hold the door for them ( which is a hint that you NEED to hold doors for people, people!), and you just might find yourself dropping more than a few pennies in the Salvation Army Santa's bucket on your way into Wal-Mart...

Okay, sorry, I got carried away, again!

But seriously, December brings with it the beginning of a new season, and the end of a year. As it winds down it brings hope and renewed optimism for a better, brighter year to come...

So, Happy December! for where would we be without it?

A whole month closer to 2012 and the end of the world is where! ... now that's moving things along just a little too fast, don't ya think? That Nostradamus guy just might have gotten it right, although I think the Mayans just forgot to leave instructions on where the reset button for their calendar is... no biggie, just find it, hit it like you do the snooze button and the count-down to armageddon will start all over again at 26,000 years!

Now go out and Enjoy December 2009, cuz when it's gone, it's GONE!