Thanks 2010.

Thank you 2010. You have to leave so soon? I was just getting to know you and all... Well, would you be so kind as to ask 2011 to be kind to us all? Thank you 2010, bye-bye.

We have no plans today and that suits me just fine. It's super cold too. It was 32° this morning when I got out of bed. I checked the pool remote and it said so. It also said that the water temp was 45°. Yow! The pool pump comes on automatically when it gets too close to freezing so I always know when it is a really cold morning. It doesn't get a lot colder than that around here. I like the idea that if it rained right now it would be snowing. Unfortunately that is an extreme rarity in these parts.

Just one last thing to share for the year. I came across it this morning and I do love Ghandhi inspiration, especially when it's packaged up all pretty like it is here. Happy New Year!


I found that little gem here. Via here.

December 25

On Christmas eve when I went to bed, I thought about setting an alarm but I didn't do it. So I proceeded to wake up every hour or so until I finally got the will to get out of bed and do the deed-you know what I'm talking about! Our wood floors are pretty noisy. None of my kids can get out of their bedrooms without it being heard and I kept hearing them, it was probably just Emily but it did wake me up a few times.

So around 4a.m. I got out of bed and un-hid the hidden. As soon as I finished and got back into bed, I heard steps again. Oh well, it's Christmas! I think we were all up before 7. As soon as I got the coffee ready the kids dug into their stockings. They all had a pair of slippers in them, how about that? Santa is such a practical guy!



After all the presents were unwrapped I made breakfast and we all got ready for a rare Christmas day road trip. But before we left, we buried Erwin in the backyard.



A little after noon we were on the road to my mom's. It's about a two hour drive door to door. Renee pulled up at the same time we did and I was so glad to see her. Inside, my mom was busy cooking dinner for us all. It was delicious! Prime rib perfectly cooked with green beans, mashed potatoes, and other wonderful things. We drank good wine and laughed a lot.





Shawn had brought in a very large wrapped box for my parents. My mom didn't like it because she also had a gift for Shawn and it was a box of golf balls. That big box made her nervous. It was a fire pit, a really nice gift. Even though it was raining wildly, it was decided that we needed to put it together and build a Christmas fire outside. Jim, Shawn, and Tony put it together while Jimmy and Renee ran off to the store to get a Duraflame. Before long we had a small flame and because it just wasn't big enough, a few more logs were added. Someone decided that turning on the fan directly above the fire was a good idea and in a flash we had a giant bonfire! It was ridiculously and dangerously roaring under the awning.

What happened next was not panic, but hysterics. I was documenting with my camera what I hoped would not turn into a tragedy as everyone had an opinion about how to deal with the crisis. In the end the hose and the shovel were enlisted to solve the urgent problem, Jimmy burned a few fingers but no one was seriously hurt.



We all sat around the newly manageable fire, listening to the rain and talking, relieved that the chaos of the inferno was only a memory. My mom hugged Shawn and thanked him for the memorable gift and that was that. We stayed up and watched a movie before calling it another Christmas.


December 26

We made breakfast in the morning. Then we watched the second half of Close Encounters of the Third Kind before packing up and heading for Sacramento. My parents went too and we had lunch at Chevy's on Garden Highway. After watching another group celebrate a birthday, Emily had the idea to tell them that it was Tony's birthday [week] so we did that too! We said thank you and goodbye to my folks and made a beeline for home.

At mass that night Father Salvador talked about gifts. Somewhere in his homily he said, "other peoples kindness to us is a gift from God." I truly believe this, and I have felt it so strongly this month in all kinds of places and in all kinds of ways.

That's it for my December story, the last week of the month wasn't noteworthy at all, extremely mudane and wonderful[-y chaotic].

December Days 23 & 24

Thursday the 23rd I roasted more almonds and baked more cookies. I also made peppermint bark for the first time and oh Lord that is some sweet stuff! Eva and Sarah must have pounded candy canes for almost half an hour before we got them to the right consistency. Next time I might have to put them in the food processor to save time and mess. But then most of the fun goes away for the kids! The kids had friends over to play and I tried to clean house a bit. When Tony called and asked if I wanted him to bring something home for dinner it was a divine experience perfectly timed. Chinese it was, and I was glad for it! Emily had been begging to go to the pet store for several days now and Tony took the big three while I stayed home with little Eva. We crawled into my bed early and had some quality snuggle time together. Emily proudly came home with some new toys for her hamster that she intended to give him for Christmas, which was also his birthday. Her hamster Erwin even had his own stocking ready for Christmas morning.

But it was not meant to be. On Christmas eve morning she came into the kitchen with his cage ready to replace his bedding, he wasn't scurrying around as he usually does when his condo is being relocated. She was talking to him asking "where are you Erwin?" Tony and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Emily reached in to the back where he sleeps under the wheel and discovered that he had died. She pulled him out and I felt him, still warm. Poor little fella. One day before his first birthday. It was sad. She carried him around in a tissue for a while and one by one as the rest of the kids woke up, Emily gave them the awful news. Sarah cried.

I made breakfast and put on Tony's favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life. That is almost the only thing that will make my husband sit still; a good movie, especially his favorite one. Otherwise Tony is always on the move, on the go, busy. He isn't beyond the occasional weekend short midday nap but not much else ever keeps him down. After the movie [just Tony and Emily stayed on the couch for the whole thing, the rest of us succumbed to the distraction of other things] we readied ourselves for spending the afternoon with Tony's family at his mom's house.

We all enjoyed the tamales that Lupe and Tomasa made. We all enjoyed holding baby Zoe, who is six months old now. She's a little living doll and Emily adores her!



Eva with cousin Aiden.



After spending a few hours with the family we were off to Christmas eve mass. My shepherds and my angel performed their parts well in the live children's nativity. Tony's mom was in attendance as well, that made it extra sweet. After mass, Tony wanted to go back and spend more time with his family so he dropped me off at home to finish up some last minute wrapping and such. I called my dad and talked to him for almost an hour. I was glad to talk to him on Christmas eve, we had good conversations, we always do.

Tony dropped off my three little ones and went back to his parents again with Emily to visit with family that arrived late. By the time he finally came home for the night, we were all in my bed watching a movie on TV and a few had already fallen asleep. I was hoping they stayed that way all night!

December Days 21 & 22

Tuesday morning was slow. Around ten I had the brilliant idea to take the kids with me to the mall, something I only do about once a year. Usually it's dreadful, especially when it's just four days before Christmas. To my delight, it wasn't dreadful. My four kids were behaving well, stayed together, did not ask for anything, and had patience with me as I searched for a few things for Tony. Of course they were goofing off a little bit while waiting for me to shop, but it was totally manageable and I even enjoyed being there with them! We did have one episode in Macy's with the escalator but what else would I expect when they only get to play on it once or twice a year! Overall, great mall experience [as I type it, still considering if that possibility really exists] for all of us.

The mall is very different as a stroller free family. The mobility and the freedom make it all so much more efficient, as long as the little one isn't distracted enough to wander too far in any direction. I must look as if someone is stalking me the way I have to glance back every few seconds to make sure my little people are directly behind me. In the mall as we are making our way some distance, we don't usually walk side by side, not that I purposely want to walk that way but if I don't keep moving forward it's harder to get where I'm going! I'd rather let them follow me than try to herd them. Eva has an keen awareness of my proximity and when she gets too far from me, I see the terror in her eyes and hear the little squeak she makes when she knows she needs to catch up!

We made it home from the mall without losing anybody and I congratulated my kids for behaving so well, except for the escalator part. That night we spent the evening with Tony's family to celebrate the birthday of my mother-in-law.

Wednesday the 22nd was another rainy morning and we all got up early to make it over to the rotary breakfast for yet another opportunity to sit on santa's lap. What made it fun was that several of our friends and their kids were there also. We ate, we chatted and then the kids who wanted to got one more chance to tell the man in the santa suit what kind of present they were hoping for. We took Wyatt's friend Jake home with us for the morning and they played to their little hearts content. We [mostly me] roasted almonds and baked cookies. Me and Eva worked on our laptops together.



Later in the afternoon, I took the kids over to the church to rehearse for the Christmas eve mass. Sarah wanted to be Mary this year but so did two sisters and one of the sisters got picked, which upset the unpicked sister horribly and she spent the next hour crying in the bathroom, poor kid. It was quite the family drama, the sister that got the part felt bad and wanted to give it up. I wanted to tell the mother to just let my kid do it and save her kids the grief! But I kept my big mouth shut and let her handle it. Sarah was a good sport about it and her second choice was to be a shepherd. Eva wanted to be an Angel. Wyatt wanted to be one of the three kings/wise men but we didn't have enough kids to have kings this year so he settled for a shepherd as well. Though after some thought, he decided that he would not be a shepherd if Sarah was also a shepherd. I had to bribe him a little bit to get him over that hurdle and pretty soon everybody was happy. Everybody except the little girl in the bathroom.



After dinner, we had a family ping-pong tournament in the garage and guess who was the undefeated champion of the family? Me! There will come a day, very soon I'm sure, when I won't be able to win any of my kids, so for now I can claim victory and always remind them that I held the title first! Hopefully though, I will always be able to beat Tony!

December Days 19 & 20

Wow! It's getting really close to Christmas!

This past Sunday was exploding with things to do and places to be for our family. Sarah served at the 9a.m. mass and then Tony took Wyatt to a birthday party at the bowling alley. I was happy to let Tony and Wyatt get out of town together and get some father son time in. And equally happy for myself, getting to be home with my girls for a few more hours on a Sunday! In the afternoon we all went off to Aimee's birthday party. Aimee is a cousin who turned 10, the kids love to go to Aimee's house. Aimee's mother Mari is a wonderful hostess and she goes completely out of her way to make her kids' parties special and my kids always have a blast there with plenty of cousins to run around with. After several hours at the party we were off again to another celebration.

But first, a quick stop at home. Which turned into some of us wanting to nap and some of us wanting to play and all of us getting too relaxed at home. So we were a little late for the Posada we wanted to attend at our church. Late enough to miss the Posada! But not so late that we missed the caroling [with cousin Alex on the microphone], or the tamales, or the Mexican hot chocolate, or the time there to spend with more people we love! What an excellent Sunday in December!

Monday! Sweet Monday! First day off from school over Christmas break, what can I say, it was delightful. I love slow mornings at home with my kids with no reason in the world to get into the car, no reason to rush. We all stayed in our PJ's late, especially Eva. It was so late in the afternoon before she decided to dress herself, just in time for her friend Michael to come by and take her away to play at his house with Emily and his big sister Ashley. Sarah had a girl scout party to attend, she had so much fun there too. She loves her troop and her leader makes everything so special for them. When she returned home she had a friend waiting and ready to play with her too, Kennedy was calling as soon as she got in the door and she spent the afternoon with us playing Wii games, watching movies, and playing ping-pong of course!

Before all of that play time though, I made time to finally get my cards and my package ready to be mailed. At one point I had three of my kids at the table and we made an assembly line, each one of them with a different task. Sarah applied address labels, Wyatt applied return address labels, and Eva applied the stamps! It was remarkably efficient. I have workers!

I made lasagna for dinner. Tony worked late but we waited to have dinner with him and it was a pretty nice easy evening. My reading time has dropped off in the last few weeks but I finished a book on the kindle and I have a library book that I waited for about four months to become available [Eat Pray Love] that I am getting ready to start.

December Days 17 & 18

Today was getaway day. The last day of school before the marvelously anticipated winter break! After I dropped off the kids at school I ran a few errands, and included a stop for my $1 oatmeal at Jamba Juice. What can I say! I was in the neighborhood! I picked up pizzas for Eva's class and spent the rest of the morning there. Kindergartners are so sweet. You forget how tiny and innocent they are when you have bigger kids at home.



I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I helped a little, but mostly watched them play and enjoy thier party day.



I gathered up all the kids and headed over to pick up Emily from her school and then home. Sweet. Home.

That night we watched the 1955 black and white version of Miracle on 34th Street. This made for TV remake was only 45 minutes long which made it really easy to get through with the kids. It wasn't the original, but it wasn't bad. It was hard to find a Christmas movie on Netflix streaming Wii. They don't have a Christmas/holiday movie genre. I need to tell them that they need one.

Saturday we had extra special visitors! My folks drove down from up north and delivered one heck of a present to my kids! A ping-pong table! The kids were so happy, Wyatt proclaimed that it was the best day of his life! We had a nice visit with my parents on this rainy afternoon. The only thing I forgot to do was take pictures, bah!

December Days 15 & 16

This Wednesday was a busy one! After I dropped off kids at school I spent an hour with friends at Jamba Juice again. I'm telling you, their steel cut oatmeal is irresistible and they have some kind of unbelievable deal where you get it for a dollar! Another Costco run and then home for some getting organized, or at least trying. After school it was off to Emily's last basketball game of the season [out of town] with my kids plus a friend of Emily's. Eva sat next to me and well, you know how much I love her little hands.



We decided to skip our CCD Christmas program because after the game we just couldn't fit dinner in anywhere. Isn't it funny how food always gets in the way! Plus, Emily also had a jazz band concert at her school and it conflicted with everything else. Ah, the joys of scheduling four children at Christmastime! Eva wasn't feeling well later in the day and Tony ended up taking Emily to her concert by himself. So after all, I ended up missing both performances! It was actually a decent lesson in giving in when necessary, we just can't do it all, all the time.

Thursday the 16th was even busier! I ran errands and tried to do some shopping but an hour at Target was as much as I could stand. At home I found myself behind on some critical things and quickly became overwhelmed with the number of things I had to prepare for. Wyatt had a song fest at school, I had to deliver kids to their homes, deliver Emily across town to her basketball party, then quickly back home to ready Eva for her girl scout caroling. We nearly had to scrap the caroling altogether when Eva had a rare meltdown immediately before it started. I think she was just exhausted but somehow I managed to help her snap out of it and thankfully the location was very close to home.

I was breathless when we arrived there [late of course] and we scurried into the retirement home and Eva and Sarah in their uniforms stepped right in with the other girls mid-carol. I sat right down on the floor, as the seats were all happily occupied by residents. I watched, I took a video, I sang too. Wyatt helped out by walking one of the young siblings [who was not happy] around the place in his stroller. One of our scout moms accompanied the girls with her guitar and kept them in tune. And then something remarkable happened to me, all my anxiety took a hike. Then, the feeling of relief was overtaken by a feeling of joy. All of my stresses melted away and I walked out of that place a different person! OK maybe that is somewhat embellished but I was definitely breathing better and finally able to relax for a while after the caroling.

That night we were finishing up our teacher gifts and I asked the kids to write notes to their teachers. It was sweet to see them each personalize their packages with their own handwriting. We stayed up too late for a school night, but we got it done. We roasted almonds in different ways and wrapped them up like this:




Here's where I got the labels for the boxes, thank you Patricia Zapata! One day closer to Christmas break!

December Days 13 & 14

This morning I worked in Eva's classroom. It was gingerbread house making morning! 20 kindergartners with me and Eva's teacher! We worked furiously to get those houses built before lunchtime! It was SO MESSY and I was surprised at the self control these 5 & 6 year olds had. With graham crackers, mountains of frosting and ten different types of candy in front of them, I only caught one kid eating the building material. No, it wasn't Eva!

I walked Eva to the cafeteria for lunch and I watched her get her meal and sit down with her classmates as she forgot I was there. I wanted to stay and watch her some more but the cafeteria ladies aren't used to seeing me in there and they were looking at me as if I was stalking someone, so I didn't stay too long. I just enjoyed watching her for a few minutes interacting with her peeps and it was sweet.

We had nowhere to go today afternoon or evening and that's what I call PERFECT! It was a cozy evening at home just the way I like it!

Tuesday the 14th was a super slow day for me, probably the slowest of the week. I cleaned my house a bit, picked up kids from school and had plenty of time to be inspired by the artwork of my 5 year old. The reindeer picture took her about 15 minutes and she did it completely on her own! Not even a photo of a reindeer on the table for reference!



It's way better than I could do freehand!



The other picture is just about the most beautiful piece of artwork I have ever seen. She said she made it for her teacher so I took a pic to remember it.



Oooops, she forgot to take it to school and I am selfishly OK with that. I asked her if those were Christmas lights on top of the house and she looked at me as if I had just asked the craziest question ever and said, "no, they are cookies on the house!" Yes Eva, of course they are!

December Day 12

This December day was a big day in our family, we baptized our niece Miranda. It was done at the special mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe. It could not have been more perfect. The church was mostly family, our priest is wonderful, and Tony's parents attended. They have both been recuperating from illness and surgery and it was so great to see them out and about. With the mass and the party that followed, that pretty much was our whole day. It was a great time with all of Tony's family.


Father Salvador with my sister-in-law Miriam, sweet Miranda and Tony's youngest brother Rafael [Rafi].


My daughters and my nieces, that's my goddaughter Mia on the end. Hey! Where's miss Eva?


Found her, with her best buddy Mia!


Eva + sweet Mia.


Lety, Ani, me, Miriam and Maria.

December Day 11

Tony took Wyatt to the blood bank and gave blood today. I am so proud of him because he was once terrified of this idea. This was his second time this year and I'm pretty sure he is going to continue. Me? I'm completely afraid of it, for different reasons. When I was 20 I went to donate blood and because my blood pressure was low, they had me walking brisk laps around the building to get it up to the point where they could draw. I remember being lethargic afterward, but recovered quickly. The second time I donated however, I passed out a little over an hour later in a college classroom. I was down for only a few seconds but I just resigned myself at that point that maybe it just wasn't my thing. As of at least the last time I was hospitalized, with Eva's birth 5 years ago, I know that I still have low blood pressure so yeah, maybe still not such a good idea for me?

We packed up the family and headed to the hospital to visit our niece and her new sweet baby girl. We had Mexican food for lunch and we traveled out of town to Bass Pro and Old Navy for a planned few hours, that turned into the rest of the afternoon. At least we got the santa photo.



He was authentic looking. Yeah, see how tortured I am about the santa thing, puh!

December Days 9 & 10

I took my kids + 1 to school today and cleaned my house. all. day. long.

At precisely 4:01 something big happened. The most awesome FedEx lady brought me my long awaited COMPUTER! Seriously!



And, as you can see, I'm still a PC. And our angel is a bit wonky.

Specifically, a Dell. Why mess with a good thing, I'm figuring, since my 2001 Dell desktop was really very good to me, all things considered. It only "crashed" one time about four years ago and I'm pretty sure I recovered everything somehow. The only maintenance I had to perform was to install a second DVD drive, because it originally only read them and I was ready to write! One of the first things I did with it in 2002 was transfer my mom's old VHS family tapes onto my hard drive and soon after that I made movies with clips of them, something I'm quite proud of to this day. When I did that, I actually had a VHS player connected to my computer and recorded my finished products onto VHS! The only other thing I did was add a second hard disk. I installed the drive and the new hard disk myself, it was easy.

I feared an eventual meltdown, I wanted speed, I wanted my Excel program to be reliable again, I wanted mobility. I dreamed of summer days lounging by the pool watching the kids swim while click clacking away on my laptop. Obviously that didn't happen! It only took me 10 months to make my dream a reality. We had some interesting financial issues for a while there and I guess I just wasn't ready. Whoops, swimming season and lounging outside is WAY behind us, I'm thrilled now though and God willing, I'll have another summer to make that fantasy real.

Incredibly we didn't have anywhere to be this night! We made a quick bean, tomato and okra soup and some Trader Joe's cornbread. It was a nice peaceful family dinner together just the way I like it, by candlelight. You see, the candles have a special way of tricking me into thinking that our home is peaceful!

Friday the 10th was completely ordinary. With school, a trip to Costco for me, and lots of alone time to play with my new computer! Emily went off to her first jr. high dance while the rest of us had movie night.

As far as santa is concerned, our family is at varying stages of belief in the jolly one. Emily is 12. She went through a phase over the last several years of being defiant about it, to the point of sharing her ideas about the big guy with younger children in almost a malicious way. Now though, she tells us she believes, winks a little and tries to convince any little kid who listens that he is in fact real. Sarah at 9 years says she believes, but gives me the look that says, "yes mom, I'm playing along." Wyatt at 7 is about 70/30 at this point. He is obviously perplexed about it, but he is just about to turn the corner of disbelief. Surely he hears from his peers that he does not really exist but I think he doesn't want to let go of the possibility. Case in point: I made a note that on this day that he said, "you guys are gonna buy our presents and santa's gonna put em in..." and there he stopped and looked to Tony and me for guidance. He's totally confused at this point. Or maybe he is trying to hold on to it? Or maybe he is trying to hold on to it for our sake?

Eva? Oh little precious Eva! She is joyfully innocent and completely naive about it all. You could tell her straight faced that Santa does not exist and she would laugh at you as if you were the dumbest person that ever walked the earth! She is 5 and oh man she believes!

And here I come to a point where I am thoroughly conflicted as a parent. I almost wish I had left the santa business for the anecdotal story and not let it happen as most families do. Reflecting now as my journey in parenting is unfolding, I don't see it as a necessary rite of passage as I once did. I strive for simplicity and the holiday season just gets too complicated with old worn out myths that in my eyes, really have no honest message. And truly, if we lead our kids on about such things now, where does that leave them when called to have faith in more meaningful places? It can't be known. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying santa is bad, no more than the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are conspiring against us! I could make myself crazy trying to figure it all out. But I'll just leave it there.

December Day 8

On this Wednesday I met friends for coffee and oatmeal at Jamba Juice. Wow! JJ has the best oatmeal in town. Steel cut, not instant. Who knew? It was pretty terrific and so was their coffee. Dare I say their regular coffee was better than Starbucks? Why yes, yes I do, she said matter-of-factly. I brought one of Eva's best friends home with me for the rest of the morning so her mama could get some errands done.

That afternoon we all met back at the school to help set up a teacher appreciation luncheon. Later in the afternoon Emily met her Girl Scout troop at Target for some angel tree shopping and with all the kids with me, including our sweet friend Catie, we bounced around the store while our big girls shopped away.



It was another stacked day too. After a quickie dinner at home we went to mass to celebrate the immaculate conception, it was a really great way to end this busy December day.

December Day 7

I worked on my 100 things I am thankful for list and finally got it done. It's funny, as soon as I published it I was thinking of more items and ones I could have left off. Three very important ones I left off were:

My flat iron, because when I first used one in 2001, it changed my life! I have that kind of hair. If only I had that thing back in high school...

Cheese, because cheese makes everything better. It cheers me up when I'm sad.

Sunglasses! I feel like the world is ending when I am without them. I'm super sensitive to bright lights too, I am always walking into rooms and turning off bright lights, favoring dimmer ones. It's something that makes my husband a little crazy! I can actually remember each time I've been in the sun with out them since my teens, and it's a number I can reach with ten fingers or less.

In the afternoon, I went over to the school to help with some PTA business and pick up kids. Emily had another game and another win, not such a close one this time. It was one of those games where I cheered when the other team made points too.

Wyatt's Boy Scout pack met after dark for some caroling and some Starbucks at the end of the trail. We took the whole family. We stayed and drank hot cocoa later than we should have, it was a lot of fun! When the pack was moving down the street a truck sped through the neighborhood and one of the dads sang, "we wish you a speeding ticket, we wish you a speeding ticket!" We laughed for days about that one.

December Day 6

On this Monday, I went to work in Eva's classroom. When I arrived, one of her classmates said to me "Eva is hurting in her eye." I checked her out and she had some watery eyes and a look on her face that was strained. I started to glue some cotton balls onto some santa's that the kids had colored previously and when I got to about santa #5 Eva's teacher asked her if she was OK and suggested that she come over and visit me at the santa cotton ball table. She sat in my lap for a while and just whined a little bit. I don't know if it was a headache or something that made her eyes watery and uncomfortable but after about ten minutes we decided to head home together. As soon as we got home she drank some apple juice, sucked down a dose of tylenol and laid on the couch. She was asleep before I could ask her how she was another time. Two hours later, she woke up feeling fine and refreshed and that was the end of that.

We later headed over to Emily's school for a home game which turned out to be a very exciting one! Emily's team won 26-25! We ate leftovers for dinner and then proceeded to wait patiently for Santa to ride down our street on his firetruck. Yep, every December he rolls through our neighborhood with his sleigh high atop a vintage fire truck, our town is cool like that. Sirens blaring and Christmas music on the speaker. Ho Ho Ho, he finally showed up just as we were giving up and going inside for pj's.

While we waited we played lots of basketball in the driveway and after our neighbor set the example we raked and dumped leaves for the next half hour! We were just sitting out there enjoying ourselves and saw him working away on his pile in the dark. Tony and I looked at each other, clinked our wine glasses one more time and got busy. All four of the kids got in the act and they even fought over rakes and shovels! You'd think we were a little crazy out there cleaning our yard in the dark. I think our neighbor appreciated the company!

Santa finally made his appearance, his elf gave my kids each a miniature candy cane and we called it a December day.

December Day 5

The first Sunday in December was thankfully low key for us. We went to 9am mass and mostly stayed around home and enjoyed some much desired chill time. The kids made their Christmas lists and we really enjoyed the day together.

I didn't even take any photos on this day, here's one I liked from the day before, in all it's grainy glory.

December Day 4

This was another full load busy Saturday for us with a back to back stack of things to do that went like this:

Eva had Girl Scouts
Emily had a basketball game in a tournament
Sarah and Emily had a piano recital
We had a late lunch at In-N-Out
We decorated our tree!



The girls with our wonderful piano teacher Lisa.

Unlike the busy morning and afternoon, the evening was peaceful and Tony made bean and avocado soup for dinner. Yum! We prayed at the dining room table that night and for the first time Eva led us with the rosary. It was a really sweet moment. Christmas lights, and candles and sweetness all around. Swoon.

But of course we had our moments...

December Day 3

I had a meeting on the morning of December 3. Well, I thought it was a meeting but it was more like an interview. I anticipated meeting with one partner and I met with two and they asked questions like, "what challenged you most about your previous job?" What? Perhaps I was a little unprepared for standard interview questions! Somehow, I thought we were just going to chat! The fact that I had not updated my resume since 1999, and had just performed that task two days prior to my interview, had me thinking and remembering things about my former jobs and I thought I answered their questions well. Or maybe not, since I have not heard from them yet!

When I got home, I was smugly thinking about how great I did and what kind of new working mom I would be. Then Tony called and asked me how it went and what would I do with my four kids during school vacations while I worked. What? What kind of mother does not consider this before going to a meeting such as the one I attended on this morning? Christmas break? 11 weeks of Summer break? What? Heloooooooo Mel, what were you thinking?

Maybe I was thinking: I have a twelve and a half year old daughter and after all I am only asking for a part-time job. A very flexible one at that, so this is something I could swing. Right? Who knows? Well heck, I think I'll just postpone that worry for another day!

I made our favorite snickerdoodles in the afternoon for Emily to add to the pot of goodies at her jazz band pizza and such dinner. The jazz banders and their parents [but not me] decorated their float for the parade and ate before heading downtown. Later in the afternoon when I took some things she needed over to her, I drove off without leaving the cookies! Me and the rest of my gang headed over to their school for a frenzied "family fun night." We met Tony, tried to make sure the kids were having some family fun, fed ourselves, and rushed over to the parade where Wyatt was meeting his Boy Scout pack at their float. Tony left with Wyatt and I took Eva and Sarah with me. We parked [what felt like] a mile away from the parade route, I got a little turned around downtown with all the traffic and the drizzly rain and the darkness. We marched up to our designated meeting place in front of the post office where my friends Pat and Chrissi had saved us a spot! What fortune! We arrived late, when the parade had already begun and we got a great place to watch it with our friends! The kids had a great time. Pat shared her cocoa and cider and I shared my snickerdoodles.



We have five or six santa hats that we have collected over the last few years. However, the one Eva is wearing in the photos here is vintage. In 1985, right after I graduated high school, I left California and went to live with my family in Tennessee. I planned to go to college there. I didn't start school right away because I was trying to get my status in order being from out of state and all. I did however have a job working for my grandparents [I think it was a rite of passage for everyone in my family] in a store they had in Rivergate mall. It was the Candle Cabin. It was the most wonderful place, especially when we were little kids. It had these noisy barnwood floors and was completely styled like a little log cabin with the wonderful smell that candle stores have. We sold all kinds of beautiful things from the ultra ornate Brass candlesticks to the novelty candle frogs and rainbows. Anyway, I am making a short story too long here! I worked into the Christmas season and everyone that worked there wore a santa hat with their name glittered onto the front of it. Eva is wearing what remains of my glittered name of 25 years ago. I have a photo of my and my grandmother, Meme, behind the cash register with our matching santa hats. Every noisy, old fashioned barnwood floor I step on for the rest of my life will remind me of that store, and of Meme and Papa.

I just dug out these pics. I was snap happy with my Canon Snappy in those days, I think I went to the Walgreens photo counter every other day to develop pictures at the mall. I've never been photogenic, especially not in the 80's! Sorry about the picture of pictures but you can clearly see the matching santa hats we wore that Christmas as we are pretending to transact some cash business! Isn't it super cool how I placed my hat so that you could see my really big bangs!

December Days 1 & 2

I love the idea of documenting the days of December, an idea I found through Ali Edwards blog a few years ago. I have a hard time getting myself moving on a tangible book style version, this post and the ones that will follow it this month will be me stepping towards that goal.

December 1st and 2nd were pretty ordinary as much as that is possible for us. Eva painted her Christmas tree picture for school, an activity that my three others have preceded her in. It's fun for me to see it, the same activity repeated by my four children over the seven year period between Emily's kindergarten year and Eva's. I think her still chubby hands and fingers inspired me to take the picture. She hasn't yet outgrown her baby hands. This thought causes me to sigh deeply with a gentle eye closure. Oh how I love her little fat hands!

Thursday the 2nd was a super busy day with piano lessons, meetings, a soccer party, a late basketball game, and an even later last minute shopping trip for me. Somewhere in all the busyness, Eva brilliantly fell asleep in the car and I snapped the photo of her sleeping. She's just so sweetly contorted.

December is supposed to be beauty and magic, I'm just trying to capture a bit of it. Most days it feels like the beauty and magic gets lost in the plain stress and trials of family life. It's hard to make it feel meaningful all day every day. I'm trying to remember that that's part of the show too, the hard parts where our lives are anything but glittery and magical. Sometimes it seems just plain old ugly! I keep reminding myself to find the special in all of it, cause it really all is, even if I have to squint almost to the point of pain to see it.

100 Things.

As promised, here are my 100 things I am thankful for today, mosly in random order. Not a hard thing to do, I just had to make the time. Some collossal, some trivial, mixed all together with simple and complex, just like my life.

Truthfully, I am mostly simple.

I am thankful...

1. for God
2. for Jesus
3. for the Holy Spirit
4. for my husband
5. for my kids
6. for my family everywhere
7. for my friends
8. for my in-laws
9. for the Bible
10. for prayer
11. for the health of my children
12. for my husbands health and mine too
13. for my church and community
14. for our priest
15. for my healthy and active grandfather
16. for movies and family movie night
17. for people who really really make me feel loved
18. for the opportunity to make people feel really really loved
19. that my foul moods don't last, and for brighter moments never very far away
20. for music and all of its transportive qualities
21. for musicians
22. for the diversity of people around me and all over the world
23. for holding my kids' hand and with it the feeling of purposefulness that shoots through my soul
24. that my four children sleep through the night, therefore so do I
25. for Christmas lights
26. for baking
27. for veterans
28. for bagels and coffee with friends
29. for hugs
30. for kisses
31. for community events
32. for God's forgiveness
33. for schools and colleges
34. for teachers and scout leaders
35. for hot showers
36. that my oldest child is old enough to babysit her siblings
37. for date nights
38. for hand written cards and letters
39. for paper; new, old, recycled, upcycled (thank you trees)
40. for those pens that make it fun to write and make my own handwriting look better
41. for inspiring words and quotes that do much for my well being
42. for youth sports, and for those who coach whether they are parent or professional
43. for good drivers and people who obey the rules of traffic
44. for the losses and tribulations that have made me stronger
45. for all the blessings of motherhood
46. for noisy kids
47. for silence
48. for my kids’ laughter
49. for other peoples’ laughter
50. for nurses, doctors and firefighters
51. for GPS devices and internet maps
52. for cameras and the images they help us save and remember
53. for creative people and all the things they share
54. for art and design
55. for parks and libraries
56. for candles and candlelit dinners with my family
57. for Christmas music and how it lifts me up so high
58. for Frangelico and vodka, in moderation
59. for massages
60. for the decision Tony and I made a decade ago for one of us be a stay home parent
61. that Tony let that one of us be me, even though he could have done it better
62. for the strength and the smarts to make the sacrifices that allowed us to make #60 happen
63. for Tony's job
64. and his unconditional work ethic
65. for a husband that gives and provides all that he is and all that he has
66. for food
67. for chocolate
68. for coffee
69. for eyeglasses
70. for books
71. for perspective
72. for no debt other than a mortgage or two that we can thankfully afford
73. for the seasons, weather, sunsets, mountains, beaches, trees, flowers…
74. for generous people
75. for kind people
76. for wine
77. for grace and mercy
78. for my grandparents that are now with our Lord in heaven
79. for my 2001 computer and for internet, for Google reader, Facebook and my blog
80. for holidays
81. for ordinary time
82. for small and simple pleasures
83. for the will to move forward and carry on everyday
84. for awareness that life is lived only in the present moment
85. for my imperfections, because they make me real
86. for free will and freedom
87. for our cozy home
88. that good always prevails over evil if you zoom out far enough
89. for dance and the beauty and power of it!
90. that my fussy Excel 97 that didn't refuse to save after I typed 89 entries!
91. for small miracles and blessings of all sorts
92. for large miracles and for faith in them
93. for moonlight
94. for swimming
95. for moonlight swimming
96. for opportunities and the many ways they present themselves
97. for the surprises and changes that at first I feared but found to be blessings
98. for the reproductive part of a flowering plant called seeds, esp. my fav snack pumpkin seeds
99. for love, in all its lovely forms
100. for God giving us a new day, and a chance do it all better, every single day

Thanksgiving and Other Meaningful Things.

Not many indoor photos this year, but I made up for it at the park. We walked about an hour so after our feast. The kids played, the boys, big and small, made new friends and started a game of football with them. This was quite entertaining, until the cold got the best of us. We stayed overnight with my folks, watched movies and hung out with them all cozy like. Overall, a nice, sweet holiday for us. My brother Jimmy, seven years my junior, is unique in many ways and loves his family to pieces, which you know simply by looking into his eyes when he greets you with his big big bear hug. He wanted nothing to do with the idea of separate tables for small people and he insisted on finding, or creating, a very long dinner table that all of us could sit together at this year and he was successful in this endeavor. It was a big [two, each in their own right enormous, tables put together] table, seating 14 people comfortably and of course my momma's Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous.

I have been drafting an enormous list of things that I am grateful for. It started out small and turned into something big. I am still smoothing it all out and had hoped to share it here before the thankful month of November ended. Fail. OK, so I almost have it ready. I'm going to refer to it and use it meditatively to keep me grounded when I have those kind of days that we all have when we get lost, in our myopic lenses where we don't see past our own selves, lost in the mundane, the ugly and the meaningless, and lose touch with what is important, real, present, and ultimately makes us who we are. Here’s to me embracing what I just said, ultimately.

Tonight is family fun night at our school and the downtown Christmas parade of lights! Two of my four are "floating" tonight. Christmas is here!

It's Advent.
Wait for it.