quotes..

February is here ♥. a love quote by Lao Tzu (#4of14)

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
~♥~♥~ Lao Tzu

"Birthdays & bad parents ??!"....

Bad parents & birthdays??! What?? Say it isn't so.  Call Hallmark there must be a card for this, right?Those are two very scary words when combined together... bad & birrrthdaaays. Tell me this story does not end badly? Do I need kleenex now or will there be an intermission before the end?? I can't stand it. Tell me...!! Please.


Our household was always a flurry of activity...busy, busy, busy! Although there were technically only two adults and two small children being raised ( or kids raising us. take your pick! ) There was an undercurrent of activity above and beyond what you could appreciate as an outside observer. Let me lay this out for you.  Mommy-O type A ( need I say more? nah ) and moving quickly to Daddy-O type L2...huh? type L2 ( as in laidback/with a twist of constant motion) think the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland with the pocket watch...I'm late, I'm late for a very important...well you get the idea.


How in the world did these two raise children together? 
As well as everyone else that's how!
One would have thought we had an assembly line of several dozen children and a flurry of activities going but somehow it worked for us, that is ...until it didn't.   
( that's a  story is for another time.)


My week was chiseled down for maximum use of every available mini micro-second I could pack into my bag and carry around. Those of you who remember me running crazy through town will laugh just thinking of the sight. ( laugh all you want )


I was up at the crack of dawn daily, which was fairly easy for me since I rarely slept. ( type A remember? ) I liked ( yes, I liked ) to stay up after my husband and children went to bed, to clean the house and do every stitch of laundry in and out of sight, down to the pair of socks that were on everyones feet when they climbed into their beds that night for slumber...Zzzzz.


My poor family. 
I am fairly certain they had a little built in glitch to their REM sleep cycle subliminally ignoring my touch and occasional cursing when I slipped my hand under the covers to take the socks from their feet as they slept to wash before morning. I mean really? They were bound to kick or pull them off during the night anyhow. Laugh as you will, but you know those socks that end up stuck in the sheets over the end of the mattress in the sock abyss?? ( I am fairly certain this is where the sock thief conjured up its role in the laundry room, a brewing conspiracy.)


My week....


I have been a nurse forever ...plus a day I think. So being a young family attempting to make ends meet, and apparently "keep up with the joneses" (whoever they were?? do you know?? I don't know them??)
We as their parents were the young overachievers with our crazy schedules. I did mention the 'nurse thing, right?' okay just checking. My schedule was all over the map. The kids spent many a celebration in a nurses lounge off the Emergency Room or Labor & Delivery. Where I would dutifully run in and out smiling, blowing kisses, hugs all around and off I would go!


Being a nurse actually helped and confused us as a family but we dealt the cards we had. I changed my work schedule  as the children were born and grew up. Working during the day, evenings and sometimes into the night. My husband was at the time, attempting to get a business off the ground which took an extraordinary amount of time, but on the other hand being your own boss also gave way and left quite a bit of flexibility. The word as parents we thrived for , flexibility. Just rolls off your tongue.


Now we all know that time period pre-kindergarten, where you want to stay with them every second and hear and see everything they do, then the days where you would kill, yes I literally mean kill to speak to anyone over the age of 4 or height of 36 inches tall.  I know you all had those moments too. I am absolutely positive. Looking back now....Hhmmm. Well needless to say strict planning was a necessity in our home, or so I thought.


My children were the type that would celebrate a holiday and the very next morning be counting on the calender how many days till it came again, especially when it came to birthdays. My daughter would launch into her very best "can't wait till my birthday in 364 more days" routine which readily turned into a date of January....because counting backwards was boring after the first few dozen times until the week before the happy event. Then counting down again was fair game!


She was three going on four years old. And had been happily chanting for about  360+ something days.."my birfday janwary 10th!" My husband and I had heard this for so long we had a special dance our hips would break into like robots the minute she began her janwary 10th song...to the left to the left, to the right...whoo hoo! Anyhow...


My entire family had moved away when she was a baby to the deeeeep South as in West Tennessee
( another story for another day! )  My husbands parents were local, and all of our marvelous friends. Life was good and apparently one of our offspring was ensuring her place on the very best list for gifts. I could now, on command like pavlov's dogs, not only do the dance but sing the janwary 10th song simultaneously. Do not attempt this unless you are a parent with much practice!


The night before the big event I could hardly get her to bed, of course this was cutting into my cleaning and washing routine. The sock abyss would gain ground on me darn it. Would we all survive with dirty clothes in the basket and the house not perfect? We were about to find out.


With family scattered, the time difference, and our calls coming from Tennessee and California, our Arizona telephone would always ring at the crack of dawn on the celebratory day awakening the whole house to giggles and squeals as the child in question would come bounding into our room to receive their special phone calls! It was all so terribly exciting.


In preparation the night before I would set their breakfast dishes out with party plates, placemats, balloons, flowers, cards, lions, tigers and bears....what? Oopps got a little carried away. Needless to say we enjoyed the moments we celebrated in our house.


This particular year was..... different. Very, very different.


I woke, smiled stretched slowly and turned it was barely light leaned over and looked at the clock, and....what? 6:44a.m.?? What wha..? How could this be? I jumped over Daddy-O waking him in the process with an  excruciating elbow to the ear grabbing the phone to check the dial tone. Dial tone there check, phone working. Uh-oh.... Where were the happy happy happy phone calls ?? Panic began to set in. What in the world??


Tip toeing around  our bedroom in my most indignant Perry Mason/Matlock interpretation I was trying to figure out how this could be so? My precious little baby girl would be four without all the pomp and circumstance?? Nooooo...! I could hear my heart beating in my head faster and faster with sheer panic. I began at that moment plotting to disown my entire family. I could see his family forgetting, but certainly not mine! 
( uh...did I type that out loud? nah.)


But wait " No One " had called. Quick! Check the phone for the 18th time. Dial tone there. Now what? We have a routine, right? Yes, my husband assured me this was disastrous! Again with the now what?
Think, think, think...!! 


It is times like these, as parents we all dread. Okay, I switched gears immediately. Hhmmp! Who needs them? Bunch of selfish, inconsiderate only think of themselves family? Mumbling incoherently under my breath. Let the disowning begin!.......tomorrow.
Today was all about damage control.


We made our own plans. Running through the house into her room singing Happy Birthday to our daughter who awoke beautiful, happy and squealing with delight! We jumped on her bed and laughed and sang attempting happy faces while she was watching. Inside my heart was broke. How could anyone forget my sweet baby? My whole world had tilted that morning off axis.


We changed our entire day to revolve around her. An all day party ensued in our house. It was amazing, fun, delightful, memorable and exhausting. I just could not understand how " my family, my family " could possible have forgotten her. Now I know we just had Christmas and New Years...but we have to have Birthdays where ever they fall right? I was truly sick over the whole ordeal. But watching us no one would have ever guessed our little family secret.... 
( forgot your baby girls birthday? what? what? what? ) 


She was delighted and never noticed. I on the other hand felt as I did the year someone told me Santa Claus wasn't real. No wind under my sails, I felt ten years older. Lunch out, snacks , dinner out, cake, ice cream, presents, presents and a few more new presents and our day was done. The kids were tucked in and we were exhausted. Nary a word was spoke as we finally went to bed that night. I tossed and turned and turned and turned. No lovely dreams. Actually I think I was plotting even in my sleep for my daughter, then it was dark.


I was awoken by the shrill of the telephone.  Rrrrinnggg! Rrrrinnggg! Never a good sign when it is apparently still the middle of the night. I glanced down at the handset....my parents name & number lit up the caller ID. In my best I will never speak to you again ( after this ) voice I said "Hello?"
My Mother asked to speak to our daughter. 
What? Oh really? Ever heard of a day late and a dollar short? 
Well, well...well??..... 
I couldn't believe it, had I not been sound asleep I would have cried at the injustice. 


So I sat up in bed a bit and said "Mother?" from the other end I heard "Yes, honey?" 
I then said "Why didn't you call for her yesterday, on her birthday?" 
When her reply set me bolt upright in bed.
"Because today is her birthday." 
"Today is January 11th Mother!" 
Now I am sitting upright on the bed holding my pillow tight 'The Lioness protecting her cub.' Daddy-O has rolled over to attempt a few more winks of sleep. 
Again she says, "Because today is her birthday, January 11th." 
My eyes are batting open and closed so rapidly that had I weighed a few lbs less I could have taken flight. My ears are ringing and I have gained Daddy-O's full attention. 
He is sitting and staring at me. Not sure how to help. 
My Mother from 2000 miles away repeats herself, 
"Because today is her birthday, January 11th."  I relay this to him. 
"Moooother!"....is all that comes from my mouth. 
We try to explain that we all know the Janwary 10th dance and song as we have been doing it for 360+ days, trust me!
Again she repeats herself. I look at him in disbelief, he looks at me, we start reciting all four of our birthdays. Fingers counting and flying, drivers licenses on the floor, mumbles, get her birth certificate! mumbles, grumbles, and OMG! omg!......


Needless to say Our Daughter was born premature but indeed on January 11th 1984. 
See what a busy household, repetition and programming/training your parents can do? 
Who says Pavlov didn't know what he was doing?? 


And who said, 
"We were raising the children and not the other way around??" 
Enjoy every celebration as you see fit. 
We learned a lot that year, and an extra birthday never hurt anyone especially at age four....enjoy!


(This post is lovingly dedicated to my Daughter without her presence my life would not be complete...) 

" Perils of Parents & 16 yr olds Driving...."

My Son just bought a new car. He has been waiting for a year now, with the economy such as it is for the right moment. With a mortgage & household bills the truck he was driving was fine, it just wasn't "new" and he craved that. Now understand he is 28 yrs old, works hard for the USFS as a firefighter, owns his own home in California ( well him & the bank...) not a small feat these days, acts responsibly for the most part (*wink*), has an english bulldog named Lennon who I might add requires more attention than a child. All and all he has done amazingly well and made his Dad and I very proud. But since we are speaking of cars and driving my mind goes drifting back to when he was 16+..... you better sit down!


Oh how proud we all were as parents when they turned 16 yrs old could drive and get from point A & B without us having to rearrange our entire lives. As parents (especially raising kids in Havasu) you all know it is far more important they get to the Marina to 'catch a ride on the lake' or meet the guys at the Nautical Inn or Mudshark to sit on the sand 'looking cool' checking out all the new dental floss, ooops I mean bikini's. This was far more important than Mom & Dad going to work or anything else we might have on our agenda. (Duhhh!)


Of course we had specific rules for driving & owning a vehicle.
1. Always wear your seatbelt. ( Which translated to till they were out of our sight...)
2. No drinking & driving ( No drinking anyhow you're 16!)
3. Must have a job to pay or at least attempt to help with the never ending repairs, maintenance & gas.
4. .... well you all know the drill so I will get on with the story.
At 16 getting your license and driving is a right of passage but to the parents it is holding our breath and praying it will be okay. Okay enough rambling...


And the story begins.... my husband & I were no longer married but got along great and still parented the same as always, which drove the kids nuts. Maybe this is why we were chosen to be their parents. (*wink*) I moved back from a short stay in Tucson to LHC so the kids could see us both (stability in numbers I now had him to back my play.) I lived with my kids in a friends very large home that they were trying to sell but needed it to look like a magazine, they moved out we moved in.I used a lot of their things and mine to make the home lovely. I am a nestor and type A, enough said?


Our son did his duty and got a part time job in the evenings at a Pizza Parlor to help pay for this privilege. Of course employees had to park in the dark way out back where dimly lit was exaggerating. Now this was Havasu circa Uhmmm 1998 so everyone knew everyone and all their business.


I worked as a nurse in the ER and would frequently go to bed before the kids came home. I left the lamp on next to my bed and the rule was they would wake me so I knew they had gotten home on time and safe, then they would turn out my light and I would drift back to sleep, not before I alarmed the entire house from my room...( I am not entirely naive..!) It was my rule but was a lovely bonding between us and served as "OMG" if I awoke and it was really late and the light was still on...believe me trouble would be on the horizon. 


One particular night my son came home to say goodnight and after the light was turned off and he was heading out of the room dropped the tinsy tiny little bomb..."Mom someone took a baseball bat to the front of my truck." I came bolt upright in bed to ensure he was not harmed and we decided to deal with it in the morning. I was so happy he was safe, curled up and went to sleep...Zzzzzzz


The next morning it was Sunday. I got up early, peeked in on him, he of course was snoring like a freight train, went downstairs to make some french press coffee (the only way to drink coffee by the way...) I took my steamy mug and walked out to the side where the driveway came up through the gates wearing my pajama's, robe and flip-flops. I always parked in the garages, but there were 2 carports and plenty of other parking for the kids and visitors. I  proceeded to take a deep breath of clean desert morning air Ahhh, ( there is nothing like it,  Havasu air in the morning) took a sip of my coffee and turned. There it was, the infamous truck facing directly at me. Hhmmm...... (not my son's smartest move.) I stood for several seconds sipping my coffee staring at the truck. Did he think I was mentally impaired?? Really?? I know to anyone looking from where I was standing it did not look as if the truck had been hit with a baseball bat. I knew exactly what I saw. I pinched myself to ensure I was awake and not dreaming then leisurely walked back in the house.


It was early for kids but not by adult standards. I gently picked up the phone, with my feet up and called my ex-husband...".Daddy-O" to the kids making me "Mommy-O." Caller ID is a wonderful invention. He answered cheerful as always and I briefed him on the truck assault inviting him over for a cup of coffee. Of course he said he would be over in a few minutes, but curiosity of the real story he could not pass up.


I made a fresh brew of coffee set out two mugs turned around and he was standing in the kitchen. Smiling pleasant and happy to have a nice cup of coffee but dying to get down to the dirt of it. I told him to come with me...we made that walk down the long hall to the side patio where " It " was parked and stood exactly where I had been standing not 30 minutes before, side by side coffee mugs in hand looking at the truck in silence. I watched him out of the corner of my eye trying not to laugh and spew coffee everywhere. He grinned slightly, took a sip of coffee twisted his head a bit left than right and just stared as I had. Finally a few minutes later I broke the silence by bursting into laughter at the absurdity of the elaborate baseball bat tale and gained my composure enough to say, " I could swear that is a perfect impression of a mailbox, house numbers and all." Although the numbers were backwards & the word US Mail, (hence being hit head on) we both nodded in agreement. 32014....now what street? Actually it was a spectacular work of art, or crime scene (take your pick.) We went into the house sat down in the living room and busted out laughing at the stupidity of the lie. Of course it woke Son-shine up, unbeknownst to him the jig was most definitely up! 


Down the stairs came one of the victim's of this horrendous crime, of course the truck was another victim, but somewhere there was a third lurking at an undisclosed location. He attempted to act normal even sat down and had some coffee talking about some nonsense at warp speed (hoping to get us off track..) His Dad said let's go have a look at your truck Son. I am fairly certain being a trained medical professional and stealth ninja Mom he turned 12 shades of white/gray then beads of sweat started to pour. He stepped outside with us and was going to attempt the story once again but became mute when he saw us grinning ever so slightly. Not wanting to get caught in a blatant lie I took over and gave my "mailbox conspiracy theory.." with the best Perry Mason/Matlock impression I could muster. Our adorable Son decided silence was the wisest choice and just stood there. (What?? Huh?)


We preceded to ask, " Who's mailbox was killed in the commission of this crime?" He plead no contest. We three soldiers piled into Dad's suburban for a painful road trip. Lake Havasu has predictable routes from one side of town to another so we took the reverse of what we assumed he had traveled. The street numbers were coming into line nicely. Low & behold about 3/4 of a mile down a main road we found the evidence we were looking for. The mail box in question in a large plastic bucket with fresh concrete poured to stabilize it and a few sticks shoring it up till the concrete was hard.


The three of us walked up to the front door, rang the bell and waited. A little man I estimate to be at least 167  1/2 yrs old came shuffling to the door, his wife lagging in second place slowly behind. I suspect they didn't get many visitors so were pleased to see us regardless. My Son profusely apologized to the sweet elderly couple and offered to replace their mailbox in the ground with a new box and pole immediately. They were so happy he was not hurt himself they said not to worry....(Uh no!) We as the parents insisted and threw in some yard work while he was there. My Son, our Son did not try and make any excuse but stood tall looked the man in the eyes made his apology (sincerely) and shook his hand. 


The mailbox was replaced better than before. The sweet woman made my Son cookies and juice ( does crime pay? Nah...) He had fun listening to the man's war stories and came home smiling.


It was a scary thing as parents to think of the what if....but everyone's life went on, till the next ridiculous stunt. We definitely learned raising children to count our blessings however they come to us!.....

Christmas through my children's eyes....

As Christmas once again approaches (wow times flies, didn't we just celebrate Christmas?? I am certain we did) I sit here quietly, nostalgically and remember those times when my son & daughter were growing up. Time really flies when your not looking. Every year I decorated our festive Christmas tree in a different theme. I had six sets of assorted ornaments and items to pick from and rotated depending on the mood that struck at that precise moment.
One particular Christmas I decided to forego tradition (throwing caution to the wind & be unique my rebel moment *wink*). Since we were living in Lake Havasu after much debate with my conscious  I bought tons of large simple silver 'cookie cutters' shaped as cowboy hats, boots, cactus, jalapeno peppers, indians etc, etc, etc (you get the idea) and tiny metal/rustic bells to add the final touches! Simple white lights  graced our  soon to be grand tree. I then went about scattering the cookie cutters as ornaments (which of course I moved a bazillion times....type A that's me *wink wink*) sitting for hours tying bows out of brown raffia, (who came up with this beautiful but oh so annoying product? do you know how long it takes to unravel and open those strands to make a elegant bow? nah...didn't think so, ugh. and just as you got the last piece open it would tear making it impossible to use and thus the the process would begin again). I continued to place the bows scattered evenly between the western cookie cutters, then came the tiny little bells here, there and there to! It was my masterpiece and I was proud of how great it actually was coming together! I called it our 'vintage unique eloquent western tree'. It was marvelous.... (well at least I thought so..beauty is in the eye of the beholder folks)
Sticking with the theme I wrapped every single gift in thick brown paper (like we used to ship packages in) and brown natural twine to tie them, you know it all had to blend or I wouldn't sleep at night.....( ho ho ho)
But my very very very favorite addition were the tags. Instead of going with store bought tags or labels , I spent hours copying tons of old photos of everyone on white paper, then cutting them precisely and glueing each one to the top left corner of each present. No name was written just the photo...(hee hee) I am not certain to this day who was more amused Me or the Children. It was simple and a mystery all wrapped into one big adventure for the impending day!
From when they were very young my husband  & I taught our children that if you ever 'touch' a present under the tree whether or not you think someone is watching or may catch you, the next day when you got up that present would miraculously disappear to points unknown to this day. This was a lovely holiday myth that my mother in law passed down to us and she told them in a way they were skeptical but absolutely convinced, as neither were brave enough to risk losing a gift. And as we all know children push the limits (of course! it is they're duty..) so if they touched a present that was not theirs but for the their sibling, two of their gifts would disappear (fear is wonderful motivator!)
I would arrange the gifts so you could see the tag on every package by just sitting back and gazing.....
So everyday after school or early evening when we got home they would dump their backpacks and any other worldly possessions in the foyer (certain to kill anyone attempting to enter the house after them!) and with lightening speed run to the tree and throw themselves down on their bellies, resting their chin on their little hands side by side giggling and in the spirit of olympic champions proceed to count how many each had seeking out new gifts that appeared while they were away that day. Every so often I would rearrange a few just to throw them off...what an amusing sight. As the parents we would quietly with the stealth of trained ninjas peek around the corner and watch them with delight listening to the conversations they carried on. (to have that time back *sigh*).
Of course as siblings they would dare one another to 'touch' but the shear prospect of what may happen would delude them to chicken out and just look, laugh and chatter together. (*priceless*).
The neighborhood kids would come to play (they were always at our house...) and we would peek in to see a fleet of adorable children laying on their bellies, knuckles or hands on chins looking at all the gifts, and laughing till I had to cover my own mouth so they would not hear me giggling too. They would pick out whose picture was on each gift and remember the moments those "actual pictures" had been taken telling stories amongst themselves. Of course the stories were much grander each time they repeated them to a new child that wanted to come see what it was all about. What fun we had...!!
I so wish I had video taped some of those moments, but alas I shall always carry those images in my heart and memory to pull out whenever I need a giggle or a cry when feeling nostalgic.
Christmas is a magical time of year for young and old. Always remember it is not about the gifts....the true meaning is different for everyone but it goes beyond words. 
I love you my two sweet children, your presence completes me. (does anyone have a kleenex?? hand it over!!)....
Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

Fearless.......

As children, we are born with innate sense of fearlessness, no boundaries, unencumbered by doubt, 'unaware that we can't jump off the roof into the pool'...( viva Lake Havasu...) when our parents have turned their backs or get an adult night out. (babysitters are too busy talking to their boyfriends on the phone, playing on the computer or watching television) which makes our precious off spring completely free to explore any and all possibilities with no regard to the dangers that could and most likely will be lurking just around the corner. We are fearless hear us Roar! (as they would say *wink wink*) In contrast, as we age that little nagging voice inside our minds increases at warp speed to caution all of us to avoid risk at any cost. (some of us, but  not me! I always embrace my inner child),There is a quote I love........"What would you attempt to do, if you knew you couldn't get caught?"... ~ unknown author. This thought reminds us of the value and amusement of the child's mind and perspective. That innovation and rapid fearless progress require and demand that we as adults march boldly forward, thus abandoning our fear of failure and seizing the moment while we can!
It reminds me of when I was raising my children. Oh the memories....(*sigh*)  One night we were all dressed to go to an event which we were commanded to by my husband  a.k.a Daddy-O to the kids (as he felt we needed so desperately to attend, understandably so). We were dressed to the nines. Clothes perfect, hair perfect, all matching (as it was late autumn) Both children did not want to go, but would never complain. They were sitting on the wicker porch swing outside attempting not to wrinkle or get a hair out of place. I saw their sad faces from my bedroom sliding doors and even as an adult I did not want to go (Ugh!). So I went outside, walked by the pool and gasped! Of course both children came running, "What Mom what ??" I took their hands and leaned a bit over the pool and said 'look' which they diligently did. Still confused, I said you must look further, so we gently held hands tighter and leaned a  little bit further. Then to their amusement and utter surprise I held tight to their hands and jumped in clothes and all! We popped to the surface sputtering and laughing hysterically, as I looked up I saw my husband, their loving dad standing silently watching, smiling and gently taking off his tie. There was a sparkle in his eye as he watched us. It was the best EVER!!!! Daddy-O went in to get us towels and never complained just laughed, and shook his head. I imagine  he was wondering who was the child and who was the adult?? (that part is a secret..) It is moments like these we need to remember......(*big smiles*).

Time flies when you're not looking...

For me, November was a "wallflower" kind of a month - It arrived quickly & quietly empty handed before we even realized Summer had ended,it sighed and looking around rather unimpressed with it's surroundings, stood against the wall (can a month feel bored & unimpressed ?) preceded to add 5 lbs+ to everyone from the Thanksgiving feast & various over indulgences, barely attempted to make small talk and quietly left before anyone could ask it to dance! Oh November! Of course it knew full well that most people were scurrying about like little mice in a maze thinking of the Christmas holidays creeping or should I say leaping upon us and  suitably we were all distracted planning for that next holiday, as if this one had come and gone.*laughing*

Thankfully December arrived wearing its very best "dancing shoes" like Dorothy with her ruby reds,December came with a big smile carrying an armful of gifts or as I like to say tasks that cannot be ignored. *wink*. Break out the pencil & paper many a list to be compiled. No time for procrastination or it is going to be a rough month, and who wants coal in their stocking for not doing it all perfect? Not me. If I was a betting chic and I am not, I would definitely put all my money on this month being an exhausting but happy winner! Certainly how could it not be a great month with so many grand elaborate, and some not so elaborate things in store for us ? ~ such as: chilling in the winter weather or freezing like a popsicle depending on your geographical location (this is why I stay on the west coast, Brrrrr), making a snowman, making snow angels, caroling, skiing in Lake Tahoe,baking the fruitcake that everyone throws immediately in the garbage, catching up with lovely people a few you might like to forget ummm (did I type that out loud ? nah..), eating enormous amounts of empty high calorie Christmas food and  adult refreshments, since it's the Holidays those calories don't count (always been my rule, this is set in stone! so enjoy), relaxing & reading lots of books (in all that spare time you have,right? not), dashing madly through multiple malls and speciality shops looking for ...you know that, that 'that thing,' whew found it...now begins the ritual of wrapping & shipping all that hard work off to family and friends near and far, knowing without a doubt someone will choose to be unhappy with your well thought out gift. The Christmas Cards, don't forget anyone or you will be humiliated on facebook by the "forgotten one"  being deemed a leper amongst those you did remember (for the huddled masses stick together~ in public anyway)...there comes the tree, decorating, stockings, wrapping gifts, and the Christmas parties..Ugh (many of which you would rather not attend, but you will graciously), groceries galore, (where do we put them all?) if you have children of any age, they have been asking for that one special gift for months,you know the one they can't live without ?!?  Everyone will have it and they just must, so as dutiful parents we make this our top priority even if it means standing in lines until your frozen, been trampled, threatened with violence if you don't let some crazed shopper skip ahead in line because they're time is more important than yours, the inevitable sneaky blood clots forming in your lower extremities from the long lines, and a cascade of other dangerous maladies we endure, to find out you arrive home hide your great finds in the back of the closet for wrapping, pat yourself on the back, job well done...and when the children arrive home they make a comment that what they asked for all year isn't cool anymore now they want something you can't possibly get your hands on, (again everyone will have..Ugh!) but as parents we will leap small & large buildings at a single bound to get that new 'thing', and in the blink of an eye, Poof! it will be over. I am exhausted and remembering my childhood just typing about it, although it makes me smile and gives me a sense of calm & belonging. And finally if your smart go away on some mini getaway (even if that means taking your phone off the hook, no emails, no cell phones & staying home for a few days with the hubby & kids, or you and the pet(s), or just plain solo for many...a night at the B & B....the possibilities are indeed endless !
*doing a happy dance now*  
Take a deep breath New Years is here !!