Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Celebrate Kwanzaa!

Some Randomness

War on Christmas my ___! What part of going broke to buy presents soon forgotten celebrates the birth, life, death or resurrection of Jesus? I say "Happy Holiday" simply because I don't know what holiday the person I'm talking to celebrates, if any, and Christ has little to do with it.

It's cold outside. I hate cold weather, so I'm always bundled like I'm in Alaska, my kids are a different story. I had to give Lady Day the eye when she tried to walk out the door in capri's and practically ripped the shorts off my 3 year old who is the worst offender. Shorts? It's 10 degress with the wind chill! They are either 1/2 or 1/4 white and maybe that has something to do with it, but they don't like to wear coats and I always get looks. Every year I read about it on someone's blog, and I just want to say that I try. Really I do.

I have 5 kids and the hardest thing about getting them out the door is timing. If we have to leave at noon, I can't get them dressed before 11am because I can guarentee they will be undressed by 11:45. Why do kids hate to wear clothes? If our ride shows up or the bus is due, I can't fight with them over putting on a coat. My kids are not Satan's spawn. They don't run me or my house, they just don't like to wear coats. I will put their hats on, but as soon as my back is turned they come right off. My husband was the same way. Try fighting the "Daddy's not wearing a coat" argument. In fact, I've never known him to own anything more than a heavy jacket. He's the fool you see walking down the street in a t-shirt while everyone is talking about how chilly it is. My kids are the same way. But I still try. I know they are going to take off as much as they can, so I make sure to layer their clothes. I used to stress out about it until their doctor very bluntly said, "The only thing you get from cold is cold. Not a cold, but cold. You catch a virus from being around other people, not from being outside. If you're going to be outside for a long time, insist on gloves. When they get cold enough they'll put their coats on." So if you see me out and about with 5 kids in various bundled states, don't give me the evil eye, blame it on the White Man.

My pastor said that the Christmas season doesn't start for him until he sees a commercial for Chia pets, for me I need to hear 3 songs: This Christmas by Donnie Hathaway (it has to be Donnie Hathaway's version), Do They Know It's Christmas by Band-Aid and Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg. He will be missed.

I sometimes forget how perceptive kids can be.
We were sitting at church Sunday and Jay (one of the associate pastors) was walking up to do the announcements and my Lady Day whispers in that sing-song voice kids get when they are teasing you, "There's Jay. You love Jay." I do find Jay incredibly attractive, but I have never voiced this to anyone. He and I have limited contact with each other, how did she know? So I did what any smart person would do, I denied it. She's such a brat!

I was talking to this girl who is 20 years old and pregnant with her first child. She insists that she will never drop her baby. I just laughed. My kids rolled off the sofa so many times they all thought their names were, "Dang, there goes the baby again."