Blessed

I feel like a bit of a child this year as we near Christmas...I'm so excited!  Only, I cannot wait to give all the gifts I've gotten for people, so I imagine this differentiates me from a child.

I really think my love for Christmas comes from my parents. No matter how poor we were or what the worries were that year, they always made it feel so special.  I definitely get the over the top thing from them for sure!  I grew up looking forward to the traditions; going to look at lights, choir & orchestra concerts, a homemade calendar planning December, etc.  I've enjoyed continuing some traditions & creating new ones with my children.

Oh and get this, yesterday I overhear M telling someone how lucky he was to have me. That I had taken care of all Christmas shopping and everything else so he didn't have to! He noticed!!!
He must want a really great present for Christmas and for our anniversary on the 30th. Haha!

Christmas Time

I love Christmas! The beauty, everything is twinkling & bright.

I love giving gifts! It makes me especially happy when I get just the right gift for the right person.

I love the school programs and Christmas break!

I love the food! Even making food and candy with my sister.

And most of all, I love my family & the reason we celebrate CHRISTmas!

What Do You Do...

This morning T is in tears because I am going to pay him to do his chore, clean the leaves & dog poo off the patio.  Money he is trying to earn to go Christmas shopping with Ninny. When I asked him why he is crying, he says it is because he hates chores.  In my normal fashion, I semi-yell about all the things that I hate to do, but do anyway.

He goes out & begins and comes in almost as quickly. He's done, only he isn't.  There are leaves everywhere.  With a fresh batch of tears I send him back outside.  Repeat.  I finally tell him that I don't care how long it takes he is not done until the leaves are gone...all of them.

It strikes me, especially after the week we've had, that I am raising a group of self entitled brats.  They want stuff, but don't want to do anything to EARN it.  Does it just hit home more during this time of year...the giving season?

I sit at the computer typing and I can hear T crying from here and I am torn.  There is a part of me that wants to go comfort my baby.  Then there is the part of me, the one that works so hard for my family, that wants to go yell at him to stop!  I take M's advise and leave him alone.

All the thoughts I have had recently are brought to the forefront again...is it me, is it kids being kids, where have we gone wrong.  I am fairly certain that it is a combination of it all.  Part of me screams at myself...be the example!! I feel like the failure here.  I know I need to be tougher, I need to require more, follow through, let them be kids, show them how its done, do it for them, let them enjoy being young, crack the whip...I am so confused!!

I don't know if I will ever figure it out!  It seems so difficult in today's world, to teach my children how to become respectful, loving, helpful, law abiding, contributing members of society.  But I will try!!

One, Two, or Five

Once there was just me (1), then there was me & him (2), and now over twenty years later there is us (5).  Here I will write the stories, adventures, and thoughts on our lives. Sometime about 1, sometimes about 2, and sometimes about 5 of us.

Meet us...
I'm Wendie. I will be 39 in a little over a month.  I am married to M, for the second time.  We'll get into that later.  Then I have K, she'll be 14 in April. And together we have T (he turned 9 in June) and O (she'll be 4 in Feb).

Join me as I get out the thoughts out of my head...