11.30.07
And so this is Christmas …
I know some are lamenting that radio stations are playing Christmas music in November, but me, I’m excited. I love Christmas music, and this time of year I can’t get enough! One night this week on the way home, the radio wasn’t playing any Christmas music but I wanted to hear some anyways so I turned the radio off and started singing. My two-year-old repeatedly said “No Mommy” the whole time, but I didn’t let it stop me.
So I came up with a short list of some of my favorite Christmas songs, in no particular order (feel free to chime in and tell me some of yours)
- Happy Christmas (War is Over)
- Do you See What I See
- Herald of the Bells
- Auld Lang Syne
- Christmas Shoes
- Twelve Days of Christmas
- Sleigh Ride
- O Holy Night
Happy Holidays!!!
11.21.07
Give Thanks
In Bible study Sunday the teacher talked about how uncelebrated Thanksgiving has become, at least in the retail world. While families still have the traditional Thanksgiving dinners and store endcaps are stocked with stuffing mix and cranberry sauce, the seasonal section in the stores are already decked for Christmas. The teacher realized the retailers jump from Halloween to Christmas when she was trying to find Thanksgiving napkins (at four stores!) to no avail.
It may have been this way for years, but since she brought it up I’ve really taken notice to how much Christmas “stuff” is already out. A house on the way to my sons’ daycare already has one of those inflatable snowmen in the front yard. Last night, I saw two to three homes already with Christmas lights outlining their eaves. On Sunday, at out Thanksgiving dinner, my mother in law had three Christmas trees decorated in the windows of her house. All of the stores have wreaths and red bows on the doors and all the Santas and red and green items at the front of the store. The Salvation Army bellringers are already ringing. What happened to Thanksgiving?
I’ve tried to focus this week on things I’m thankful for and I want to continue doing that through the weekend. We should be thankful year round, I know, but at least at the holiday named for Thanks we should pause to do just that: thank. Thank God for creating us and taking care us. Thank our parents for providing for us and always being there. Thank our spouses for putting up with us. Be thankful we have a home, food, a car, our health, a job, a computer to blog on, etc.
So I’ve made a pledge to not rush into Christmas. I had planned on decorating our tree this weekend, mainly to get it done while I’m off work, but I’ll think I’ll wait a week or so. As anxious as I am to hear Christmas music (I love Christmas music) I’m going to resist the urge to drag out the holiday CDs. I do plan to go shopping Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. But I will keep my thanksgiving spirit and be thankful that I have stores to shop in, kids to buy for, money to buy with … you get the picture.
The Best Thing About Not Working At Target …
is I can enter their giveaways!!! When I worked there, of course, I was not eligible for Target promotions, like this one where you can win a $25 Target gift card.
11.17.07
Bye Bye Target Visa
As you can see, I cut up my Target Visa, but not for the reasons you think. I tried to use it last weekend only to find out it was expired! I don’t recall getting a replacement card and when I looked in the places I would normally put things like new credit cards I didn’t find them there either. But that’s OK because I have one more payment before my Target Visa is paid off and I plan to close the account anyhow. But don’t you worry. I just printed my application for a Target Checkcard so I will not be without an oh-so-cool Target bullseye card for too long.
11.08.07
Right or Wrong?
I caught some of the new Price is Right with Drew Carey Tuesday (I was home with a sick child) and I have to say I was kinda disappointed. He seemed uncomfortable, like he didn’t know what to say. There was so much uncomfortable silence at the “big wheel” that Carey asked people to give a “shout out” to people back home. Then, when they ran too long, he had to cut them off just to see what number they got. Bob Barker has big shoes to fill, I know, but Carey is funny and good at the improv thing. Maybe his kind of humor is not right for The Price is Right? Like another reviewer pointed out, Carey tends to make fun of things which is funny but maybe not quite Price material?
I hope it works out. I love the Price and I think Drew Carey is funny. I hope he’s just still trying to find his groove.
Mistaken Identity
With my oldest sick with a stomach bug earlier this week, I figured it was a matter of time before my 2-year-old got it. And so sure enough, Wednesday afternoon the sweet-sounding voice of the assistant director at the daycare called. “Mrs. Smith?” she said. “I’m so sorry but Caden is sick and you’re going to have to come pick him up.”
I quickly wrapped things up and prepared to take things home to work on. I got to my son’s room and found it odd that he was wearing the same clothes I dressed him in the morning. I expected his clothes to have been soiled when he got sick. So I commented to the teacher, “He must not have thrown up too much if he’s still in the clothes I sent him in,” to which she responded, “Threw up? Caden hasn’t thrown up.” It was a case of mistaken identity. My Caden was not sick but another Caden in another class at the daycare was.
In 2005, when I was pregnant with Caden and we chose his name, I thought Caden was a pretty rare name. I had heard of lots of names with the “aden” sound (Jaden, Braeden, Aiden, etc.) but not Caden. However, I remember distinctly being 7 months pregnant and at the pediatrician with my older son and hearing the nurse schedule an appointment for Caden Smith. I asked her, “Did you just schedule an appointment for Caden Smith?” She did. I was shocked. “This is Caden Smith,” I said, pointing to my round belly. I wasn’t about to change my child’s name because a perfect stranger had the same name, so we are officially known at the doctor’s office as “Caden Smith No. 2,” and on more than one occasion the nurse has pulled the wrong Caden Smith’s chart.
According to the Social Security Administration, the name “Caden” is creeping up the list of top names. In 2004, it ranked 104. In 2005 in made it into the top 100 at number 98, and in 2006 jumped up three spots to 95. Sounds like there may be more mistaken Caden identities to come.
11.06.07
Corn in My Dryer
I often read the mommy blog Rocks in My Dryer. I can totally understand that phrase as a mother of two boys who come home with rocks in their pants and coat pockets, and if I don’t check their pockets, I too end up with rocks in my dryer.
But tonight when taking a load of their clothes out of the dryer I didn’t find rocks. I found corn — about half a dozen dried kernels of corn in the lint tray and in the bottom of the dryer. So just how did corn get in my dryer? At a local pumpkin farm last weekend the boys played in a large vat of dried corn which apparently got into their pockets. Good thing it wasn’t popcorn kernels! That would’ve been funny.
I Told You So
Just as I predicted last week, one of my boys came down sick last night with the stomach virus that was going through the daycare. Fortunately for me it’s my oldest son who can actually tell me he’s about to throw up and can use a bucket. If it was my 2-year-old I’d have no clue if and when he was going to be sick which means more messes.
I wouldn’t let my sick child out of his room this morning while my well child was at home in hopes of keeping him well. I used “germy stuff” as we call it (antibacterial hand sanitizer) which does no good on preventing the spread of viruses but makes me feel better, nonetheless. Hopefully no one else we get it and my little guy will get better ASAP.
