Christmas Eve & Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve was quite a treat for me as a mom this year. With three of the five kids understanding the concept of Santa and getting presents, there was quite a bit of excitement! After watching some Christmas movies, we got the kids ready for bed. Just before going to bed, we set out cookies and milk for Santa. My husband let the kids know that Santa REALLY likes peanut butter. So, we set out the peanut butter cookies we made earlier that day.

Once we got everyone settled in bed...or so we thought, KJ lets us know that she was not going to sleep becuase she wanted to see Santa. About 20 minutes later we heard someone up and about. Using our parent intuition, we called for JJ to come into our room. We asked him if he was out of his bed. He said, "That sure was me!" I started cracking up as my husband asked him why he was out of bed. He threw his arms up in the air and emphatically said, "I am just so excited for Santa to come!" We smiled and sent him back to bed warning that Santa wouldn't come until they went to sleep.

Christmas Morning was even more fun! We had the kids go into the playroom. We read the birth story of Jesus out of Luke.

After reading the birth story, we asked the kids questions about the REAL reason for Christmas.

Who was born on Christmas? "JESUS" they all yelled.

What was Jesus' gift to us...what did he do? "He died on the cross for all our sins," JJ announced.

Why did he die on the cross for all our sins? "Becuase he loves us!" DC stated.

"Jesus has a good heart!" JJ reminded. As a mom, all I could do was smile!

So, after singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, my husband went downstairs to get the video camera and made sure everything was all set. The kids came downstairs in amazement and said, "Santa really did come!" KJ said, "I think I saw the back of Santa last night when I went to the bathroom. It wasn't the front, but I think I saw his back."

The kids were so excited to open their presents. It was cute, becuase KJ told me that Santa and God work together. I told her that God doesn't need any help. She told me that God tells kids to be good and if they are good then Santa will bring them presents. It is very interesting how kids make connections!

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Let There Be Light

Last night was CRAZY! Just as I was about to take the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed, the power went out. First it flickered and I thought one of the kids was playing with the light switch. Then, once we were all in total darkness, I realized that things were about to get very crazy! Boy did they...and I had been looking forward to an evening of peace and quiet! So, since I was home all by myself with all five, I quickly ran upstairs (leaving all five kids downstairs in the dark screaming and crying) and grabbed some flashlights. Oh, it was a mess, but I was able to get everyone upstairs and into the babies room despite all of the crying and screaming. Being in a small room with the flashlights definitely helped...so much so that DC yelled out,

"I remember my Bible verses...The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid...and I am not scared!"

That made me smile...it is really sinking in!

So once I got the babies in bed (they are used to going to bed with the lights out...so it wasn't a big issue for them once I got them in bed) I took the big three into the playroom. I convinced them that we were having a campout until daddy got home to help out. Once he arrived, we got the big three ready for bed. JJ insisted that he needed to keep a flashlight in the room with him and DC said,

"I don't need a flashlight, because I am not scared. JJ, just remember your Bible verse and you won't be scared."

And then they recited their Bible verses together.

It was an interesting and very eventful night, but the lights did come back on after an hour or two.

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Winter Wonderland

One of my favorite things about moving has been that we moved to an area that experiences ALL of the seasons. I have really missed that! So, you can imagine how excited I was when it started snowing! That night I sat up with my husband watching the snow glimmering as it fell in the light of the street light. When we woke up the next morning, the ground was covered! It truly looked like a winter wonderland! As soon as the big three were up, we went outside for a little fun. Check out my husband having a little snowball fight the boys!

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He Kissed Me!

Okay, so I just have to share. JI is the youngest of all my kids to master the art of giving mama a kiss! Now, I am talking about a real kiss with the puckered lips, the sound and everything! (Not, those wet, slobbery kisses.) It was so cute! I was changing his diaper and he made "the" kissing sound and started to giggle. So, I stood him up on the changing table and he leaned into me and put his head on my chest. That alone was enough to make me go, "awwwhhhhh"! I gave him a kiss on his forehead. So, thinking, what the heck, lets go for the gold, I leaned down for him to attempt to kiss me...and he did!!! He made the sound and everything! It was just so cute! He Kissed Me and my heart just melted!!! Moments like these make up for all the other moments when you wonder why you decided to become a parent! :-)

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Christmas Card Confession

Okay, I have to confess! You won't believe what I did...well, you might. But, anyway, we had my sister-in-law take family pictures for our Christmas card. Well, I finally took a look at the pictures and there was not a single picture where all the kids were looking at the camera AND were not crying. I really did NOT want to have to get everyone dressed and fixed up to try taking another picture, so what did I do? Well...I got some computer software at the Goowill a few months ago...you may have heard of it before...Photoshop. YES, I photoshopped one of my kids heads! Can you believe it? I can't! It doesn't look perfect, but if you didn't know that it was photoshopped, you probably wouldn't even notice it. I think that was part of the reason I survived my Costco trip...I was still on cloud nine about how well the card came out.

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Oh Christmas Tree

I caught JI checking out the Christmas tree the other night. I had to snap a pic! He was so mesmerized with the lights!

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A Trip To Costco (What was I thinking?)

So, earlier this week, I was feeling quite confident...overconfident if you ask me. I took all five kids with me to Costco. [Now, this was not my first time taking all five out with me. But, all the other times had been short trips...not something fairly major like Costco.] Yes, I can hear it now..."What were you thinking?!?!" I don't know...I needed some stuff from Costco and I didn't want to pay a babysitter...

So, I get there and fortunately Costco has buggies that can seat two kids and the basket part is big. So, I put the babies in the seats and the boys in the basket. KJ got to ride holding onto the cart. So, I figured with everyone "immobile"...unable to run away from me, everything would be good. Hmmmmm...what was I thinking. So, we get there and I load everyone in the cart. I picked up our Christmas cards (a whole other story...) and begin moving up and down the isles. I didn't have a WHOLE lot to get, but with four kids already in the cart, there really isn't a whole lot of room for much else. So, as I am squeezing stuff under the cart and in the basket underneath legs, on top of feet, etc. The boys started to complain about not having enough room. So, I am like speed racer going through the store. I figured that if I looked like I was on a mission, that it would be less likely that people would stop and comment. Boy, was I wrong!!! It was like the faster I moved, the more people stopped me. It got to the point where I "ignored" some of the comments and kept rushing by as if I didn't hear them. You would not believe how many people stopped me saying things like:

"Wow, you have your hands full!"
"Are they all yours?"
"Is that two sets of twins?"
"How old are they?"
"Are they natural?" (Btw, they are...no fertility treatments.)
"Double trouble!" (Btw, I would rather think of it as being doubly blessed.)

So, needless to say, my trip was prolonged by all of the "conversations". But, we made it! But, by the time we were at the check out, the babies were starting to melt down and the boys were beyond ready to get out of the buggy. So, at the height of my frustration, I notice that everyone is just starring at us (not in a bad way...they just looked amused). So, I found myself yelling out to everyone, "I am sorry". It was so cute, because people started telling me it is okay and that the kids did a great job..."

Now, the trip was not that bad, except for being stopped to talk so many times and the end part when the kids were just ready to go. But, I was worn out by the time I got everyone back in the car to go home. And, would you believe, as soon as I got everyone in the car, I realized that I had forgotten to get eggs. Did I unload everyone and go back in?!?!?! NO WAY!!!

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Life...

Do you ever get so wrapped up with "life" that you forget to enjoy it? Well, that is how I am feeling right now at this moment. So, rather than stressing over what isn't done or what needs to be done, I am going to just sit down and snuggle up with the kids and watch Charlie Brown Christmas...

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The Small White Envelope: An Inspiring Holiday Story

I got this story in an email a few years back. Each Christmas I am reminded of it. This story also brings me to tears!!! It is an awesome story of love and compassion!

Here it is:

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.The inspiration came in an unusual way.Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.

The story is by Nancy Gavin and it originally appeared in Woman's Day magazine 12/14/1982.

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To Talk or Not To Talk...

The other night, my husband and I were awaken by the howling of one of the babies. We let him cry for awhile to see if he would go back to sleep. (How his twin and the rest of the kids for that matter could sleep with him screaming is a mystery to me!) Anyhow, the end to the abrupt crying didn't seem to have an end in sight. Btw, this was abnormal for him. So, my husband went in to check on him...the crying persisted. So, he took him into the playroom and held him for awhile before returning him back to his crib to sleep soundly. So, all this kind of left me thinking..."It would be so much easier if he could just talk and tell me why he was crying." He didn't have a fever. Did he had a bad dream? Was he hungry? Did he just want to be held? Did his ear hurt? Was he upset that Daddy had taken his LOUD musical toy out of his crib while he was asleep? Who knows...but surely it would be easier if he could talk. But, then I starting thinking some more. I have three older kids who talk non-stop. Many times I find myself wishing that they wouldn't talk so much. So, there lies my dilemma...to talk or not to talk...

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Breakfast at McDonald's: An Inspiring Story

A good friend of mine emailed this true story to me. The story literally brought me to tears!

Here is the story:

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology.
The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.
Her last project of the term was called, 'Smile.'
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.
Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.
It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then
even my husband did.
I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.
As I turned around I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was 'smiling'.
His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.
He said, 'Good day' as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, 'Coffee is all Miss' because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.
I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.
He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Thank you.'
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.'
I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, 'That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.'
We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.
I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.
I turned in 'my project' and the instructor read it.
Then she looked up at me and said, 'Can I share this?'
I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.
She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my son,the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.
I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:
UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE..
Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to

LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

Thank you for sending this to me Jamie!!! It reminds me of another story that I hope to share soon!

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Christmas Lights

Yesterday, our mailman told me about his mother's house. Apparently, she really does it up for Christmas. He told me that she has so many lights that he is surprised that airplanes don't try to land there! So, we decided to check it out. Originally we had planned to watch a Christmas movie together. But, I gave the kids the option of a movie or the lights. They chose the lights. Let me just say, I would not want to have her electricity bill! She had so many lights!!! But, of course the kids loved it! Even the babies were mesmerized! She had a circular driveway that you can drive through. We must have driven through at least four times! At the very end, there were free candy canes and a donation box. Of course, we contributed to the "electricity fund!" The picture here just shows maybe a fourth of the lights!!! There were TONS!!!

So, on our way home, KJ asks, "Daddy, why haven't you turned our lights on?" (Btw, she is talking about the outside lights. I have already got everything inside decorated.) He begins to explain that they are not working and that he has more that he needs to try. KJ says, "Well, daddy, you just need to persevere so that you can get the lights on and working!" I am sure that he secretly rolled his eyes! :-) See, we have been learning about turtles. When we read the story of the tortoise and the hare, I taught the kids what the word persevere meant. Moral of our little "Christmas light story/dialogue"??? Be careful what you teach your kids, they may use it against you! Hahahaha!!!

Tonight...The Polar Express! The kids love that movie!!!

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Rebates with Ebates

I have found out about a GREAT resource to save/make money while doing holiday shopping...or for that matter, ANY online shopping. Now, with five small children, I find that I do most of my gift shopping online (that is, if I don't make the gifts), which makes Ebates perfect for me. I have just started using the site and I have already earned $16.68 in rebates...just from doing some of my Christmas shopping online. I just think this is so neat! I love saving money and here I get to do it just by doing my normal online shopping.

So, what is the catch? How does it work? Check out this explanation here. The basic idea is that you sign up for Ebates and whenever you shop online, begin your shopping by going to their site. They have TONS of vendors to choose from, like Best Buy, Old Navy, Expedia, and Target...just to name a few. But, the key is to start your shopping from the Ebates site and then click on your vendor from their link. It is like getting money back for doing the shopping that you would normally do.

One thing that I do to save more money is to look for online coupon codes to use as well. So, here is an example of one of my recent online shopping experiences with Ebates: I needed to purchase some craft items from Oriental Trading to use to make Christmas gifts. So, I first searched online for Oriental Trading coupon codes. I found a coupon code for free shipping. I copied the coupon code. Next, I went to the Ebates site and logged in. I then selected Oriental Trading from the Ebates site and it confirmed my rebate percentage, which was 3%. (I got a whopping 10% back for my Snapfish order!!!). Once at the Oriental Trading site, I placed my order. At the end of the order, I used my coupon code to get free shipping in addition to my 3%rebate. After my order was complete, I got credit from Ebates and will receive the rebate amount into my Paypal account (You can also opt to receive a check in the mail). That is it! For a more concise explanation of how it works, click here.

So, if you want to start saving money too, click here to sign up and receive $5 once you make your first purchase! Plus, during the holidays you get double cash back!

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