Merry Christmas, indeed.

I don't like a lot of stuff. Don't read that wrong - I don't mean I don't like many things, because there are millions of things that I like, daresay, love. What I do not like is stuff, as in clutter, as in overabundance, as in indulgence. I am a purger. I like to throw things away, sometimes to a fault I'll admit. But come on, if you haven't used it in "x" amount of time, release it. If it loves you it will come back, right?!? hah. This becomes a point of contention between the hubs and I, as he is a keeper. Actually, truth be told, he is a stacker. He loves piles and stacks. He loves to keep anything he might someday want to look at again, regardless of its usefulness.

However, we have come to an agreement on "stuff" in certain capacities. Our revelation came about 4 years ago. Amidst the piles and scads of new clothing, toys and gadgets, I sat in the middle of my living room floor literally crying and wondering what I was teaching my kids by giving them so much stuff. Was I teaching them how blessed they were or how spoiled they were? Was I teaching them to find joy in giving or to ask for whatever they wanted and expect to get it? Was I teaching them that they already had infinitely more than so many others their age or that there was always room for more in their lives? Was I teaching them entitlement or the value of work? I had my moment of clarity and said 'Enough!!'

The following year, we limited the kids to 3 gifts from us. We forewarned them and backed up our decision not only by telling them all of the aforementioned thoughts in their mother's head, but also pointing out that Baby Jesus received 3 documented gifts and he had to wait about a year or two to get them! :) I also told them that in order to get new gifts, they have to purge the old. They are required to get rid of some toys each year, which we like to donate to local daycare centers. We have followed that practice since then, with fantastic buy-in from the kids.

Three years later (meaning this year), the kids opened their least amount of overall gifts yet! Maybe you can blame it on the economy or the fact that they are getting harder to shop for as they get pickier and older, but I'm pretending it's that the extended family is buying into our philosophy! :) They did receive more cash this year than usual, but that's okay, because they have to save 1/2 of any money they receive as a gift. In fact, Sis told me this year that she isn't planning to ask for anything next year because she'd rather buy for others than get her own gifts. (yes, you can insert an "awwww" here)

Seeing maturity and growth in your children = A Merry Christmas, indeed.


Overheard at our house:
Ryder - "Mom, have you ever showered with Dad?"
Me - "Well, actually, yes, I have."
Ryder - "Good, because I was going to tell you to try it sometime because it's really fun to shower with another person!"

Wordless Wednesday

Overheard at our house:
Beebo - "Mom, I do have a super power. I can spell all of the colors."

Wordless Wednesday

Childhood Memories

According to my dad, this one's too good not to share. So, dad, this one's for you! :)

Last week, the hubs & I were working on the living room ceiling (oh, have I forgotten to tell you about the ceiling debacle at our house and that we cannot show our house right now because we had a contractor-gone-wrong in October situation that we are still trying to fix?) on Thanksgiving night. I was talking about Black Friday (a date you couldn't pay me to shop on!) and how it seems to be so much more now than it was when I was younger. I justified that statement by saying that my grandma and I would always shop on that day and I don't remember crazy store hours, horrid lines and general current day Black Friday madness. Of course, that's not the end of the story, because I'm a woman, therefore I'm spaghetti. I started reminiscing about that tradition with my grandma. It went a little something like this:
My grandfather would save his pocket change in a jar all year long and on Thanksgiving each year, he'd present me with the money and tell me to buy my parents a nice Christmas present with it (a fantastic tradition that my dad now carries on with my kids). Mom & dad would leave and I would stay overnight. I would sleep in my dad's old bedroom with the reddish-pink carpet, putting my stuff in the dresser and moving in for the night. Being the nerd that I was/am, I would often lie in bed reading or doing cross-stitch before falling asleep. The next morning, "Black Friday", grandma would get up early and make blueberry pancakes - with fresh blueberries and blueberry syrup from Ely. Then we'd head out for the day, buying presents for mom & dad, always stopping for lunch at Steak n Shake and finishing up at K-Mart where we'd buy a little bag of fake coal and some Old Spice for my grandpa.

At this point, I'm feeling all nostalgic and warm and fuzzy. Then I hear Sis say, from the dining room, "Wow, it must be nice to have good childhood memories." REALLY?!? So I fire back "Are you saying you have no happy childhood memories?" She replies, "Not really." I say "You mean, you can't remember anything good so far in your life?" And she closes up the conversation with "Well, I guess when I found out I was getting a little girl cousin, that was nice, but that's really it."

Boy, nothing makes you feel like a quality parent than having your kids tell you their childhood so far has sucked. Maybe I'll skip Christmas this year, I mean, I wouldn't want to give them any reason to actually enjoy their lives, right?

Overheard at Grammy's house:
Sis: "Wy, you'll understand why it takes so long to get ready when you're a grown woman."