~~Christmas Memories~~

We had a nice, simple Christmas this year.  I think we are aging out of some of the Christmas craziness of younger families, and I have to say I am quite thankful. We are even the youngest kids in our respective families, so all of the in-laws’ children are also older — any get-togethers reflect that.  I still have vivid memories of trying to protect my newborn from a flying rubber chicken. 😉

I’m thankful, since I’d like a few quiet years before our own kids grow up and start families of their own.Then I’ll get into the craziness again, from a grandparent’s perspective! (i.e. sugar them up and send them home, LOL!)

Christmas dinner – our oven is still broken,  so we went simple – spaghetti and meatballs, fruit salad, rolls, a no bake egg/dairy free pumpkin pie, chocolate graham cracker pie. I think this week we’ll finally have time to look for a replacement oven. Yay!

Best memory – playing Christmas Light Bingo (we used the one here but there are many others out there). Wonder of wonders, ALL the kids enjoyed it, so I was free to enjoy it without refereeing fights or appeasing whiners.

 

Favorite gifts:

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me — a subscription to The Homeschool Alliance

dh – dark chocolate chex mix. He is easy to please. 😉 (It is actually amazingly good.)

Elizabeth — a bedrest. Do you call them “husbands” where you live? We got into an interesting conversation with a man in the store about that.

Emma – a ukulele (she plays with a group at school)

Juliet – three way tie between a case for her Nintendo DS, a Springfield doll, and the food we gave her

Lydia – a Penguin Pillow Pet

James T. – a remote controlled 4×4 (I can’t find the exact one, but this is like it with the big wheels. We got a sturdy one because we accidentally broke the one he got before by stepping on it. *blush*)

 

Best find – Webkinz for only $1.50 at Michaels.

Anger moment — After seeing a friends daughter on a hoverboard in a Facebook video, I went searching to see if hoverboards will work on carpet. So here I am, trying to figure out if my 8 year-old with rheumatoid arthritis can use one to get around in our very carpeted house, to save some leg power on bad days, and all I get are 10,000 hits for some guy dressed up as Aladdin and his “magic carpet” on a hoverboard, LOL. The absurdity just kind of made me angry. I just want to help my son. ya know? Just give me the data I’m looking for!  I can’t find it with all the stupid stuff. Then I realized it won’t work anyway because on his bad days, when we’d want to use this, he can’t put equal pressure on his feet to steer. Back to the drawing board! (And wow, didn’t realize how expensive they were 🙂 )

Sorta scary moment – My mother really struggled to get up the stairs to our house. I was so afraid she wouldn’t be able to get back down. Wasn’t sure what we would have done! It seems a silly thing to call 911 for, but someone would have needed to carry her out of the house, and no one that lives here is able.

Moment of relief  – (other than my parents not killing themselves and us falling down the stairs) Their visit went really well. Phew!

Thankful –

*for the happiness my kids showed, there was barely one moment of grumpiness. A Christmas miracle!
*for my father’s gift of storytelling, when we are together there is always some story to make us laugh or think
*for my dh and all he does for us, and his patience with me

~Blessings from my heart to yours ~