The Outspoken Mom Blog

Great books, great sports, great holidays....ain't life great?!

Good Morning Everyone!

Sorry it has been a while since I have written, life just gets busy sometimes as you all know!

First let me tell you how thrilled I am at how many people are starting to find my blog!  Welcome all new readers and I hope you stick around and continue to enjoy my blogs.  I can usually figure out who is reading my blogs and who is finding my blog by who follows me on Twitter. (www.twitter.com)

Just this morning I discovered 2 more people following me on Twitter and I giggled.  One is Master_Cleanse and the other is a twitter page all about reshaping your thoughts on eating.  Obviously they had found my blogs about me doing the Master Cleanse and my issues with food! :-)  So, welcome new blog readers and new followers on my Twitter page. 

This morning my husband is playing golf with 2 of his really good friends as no one had to work today!  Yay!  I love it when my husband gets the opportunity to play golf.  It is one of the few sports her truly enjoys and really likes to do.  Plus, I secretly (well....not secret anymore!) love that he can kick butt in golf.  Actually, my husband kicks everyone's butt in most sports.  He doesn't play any sports anymore but, when the time comes or he has to, he goes out and plays and just kicks butt, every time!  I love being married to an awesome athlete that no one ever sees coming.  It is fun.

I wish my husband actually played sports more often but, I should just be happy he does anything once in a while!  As he really doesn't enjoy many sports other than golf even though he is amazingly talented.  Oh, he does enjoy skiing as much as golf.  Those two activities have stayed with him from his youth and still bring him great joy when he does them. 

Both sports of which, I do not play.  Sucks.  But, as a mother of 4, how am I supposed to play a sport that takes an average of 4 hours to play?!  Then, skiing....oh yea right.  I don't like heights and I don't like speed.  Plus, I don't like being cold.

I would like to learn how to ski well enough that I could ski with my family and be able to swoosh down the hill leisurely.  I want to be like one of those old guys that just slowly glides down the hill going side to side seemingly without a care in the world. 

As for golf, it is a sport I have wanted to play since I was young.  I have to get over myself and my mother's words that constantly roll through my head about not only golf but, skiing, and tennis.  'Only rich people or talented people play those sports'.  Or her many fears cast into me over the years of, 'you could get hurt', 'oh, I would NEVER do that', or 'it is too expensive, such a waste of time and money'.

I just finished one of our July book club books this morning and found myself strangely understanding how the author felt and so mad that the father didn't try harder to save his daughter.  After finishing the book, I realized a lot of the feelings and things the mother in that book did to her daughter and how her daughter felt and thought as an adult, are very similar(albeit very different) to the same feelings/thoughts I have about my childhood.

The book is called "Swallow the Ocean" by Laura Flynn.  It is a memoir however, it feels like it is written more as a story and it didn't take very long for me to get into the book.  Nor did it take me very long to read the book.

Now, this book is about a family where the mother suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia, my mother does not have any other mental illness other than fear running through her so, that is not the same.  It is hard to explain but, I felt strangely connected to the author.

It is a very good book, I think, even if you come from a completely 'normal' family, I would still highly recommend this book.  It isn't necessarily dark, it is just a good story most of the time.  It didn't hit me until I got to the end of the book....looked at the picture and read the acknowledgments then I teared up.  

Great summer read as most of her memories are of the summers.

I need to end this here, my children are all finally awake (it is 10am!) and they are about ready to eat me for breakfast so, I need to hurry and feed them!

If I don't write tomorrow, have a great and safe 4th of July!  Oh!!!!  Let me give you all a few tips on creating family traditions for the 4th if you don't already have some or if you need new ones. 

Family 4th Traditions:

-Most important in my eyes....Hang an American Flag!  This is a great country, lets celebrate our freedom!  Please remember a few simple laws about the American Flag.  It MUST be made in America(it is a law now), it cannot be hung in inclement weather, if flying at night, it must ALWAYS be lit, and it can never be torn or frayed.  These are simple laws about our flag that need to be followed!

-Wear red, white and blue.  It seems simple enough but, many people don't.  You don't have to be glammed out.

-Say a prayer of thanksgiving that you were born or are able to live in the land of the free. 

Food ideas for the 4th of July.  Have a 4th of July feast with family and/or friends.  This is a GREAT time to have a block party and to get to know your neighbors.

-Go All-American with your menu:  hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, potato chips, and baked beans!  Make an apple or cherry pie and enjoy!

-Decorate in red, white and blue and go crazy!

-Find some silly recipes, make a jello cake with cool whip frosting and make the flag on top using blueberries and strawberries!

-Serve red punch with blueberry ice cubes....yum, yum!

These are some tips from the fantastic book called "Creating Family Traditions making memories in festive seasons" by Gloria Gaither and Shirley Dobson.

I highly recommend this book for all seasons of the year and your life!

Blessings to you all!

-Liza

Christmas Card Withdrawal

I finally think I am of sound mind again so thought I would attempt to write my blog again.

I found a good subject too.  Everyday since just after Thanksgiving I have been eagerly awaiting the mail to see who sent me cards, photos,etc.  I love reading the letters and seeing the children grow and families multiply. 

Now, it is January blah, blah, blah...seriously, no clue...let's see, Monday was the 5, today is Thursday so 5, 6, 7, the 8th!  Ok, so today is January 8th.  It has been about 5 days since we have received any cards or anything in the mail from people.

I am having major Christmas Card withdrawal!  Seriously, super bummed out everyday I go to the mailbox and grab our mail, and quickly go through it excited to see who's card will be in there today.  Completely forgetting that Christmas is over and now so is New Years so, no more cards until next year.  I think that is by far the hardest thing for me each year.

For some of the people I get cards from, it is the only correspondence we have, just a card every Christmas.  I am a people person, I need to have people around in some form or another.  However, my lack of organizational skills and a somewhat hmmm, looking for a good word...how about a couple;my dysfunctional and delayed social skills impede my abilities to be as social as I would like so, during the Christmas season, I feel more 'normal'.

I finally feel like I am getting enough contact with people even if it is just through the mail and it takes me little or no effort to be in 'contact' with these people, it is wonderful!

So, now, I sit, I wait, and I get the mail, everyday hoping for just 'one more' straggler card to come in the mail. 

I know, it is super pathetic!  Christmas is by far my favorite time of the year, I absolutely love everything about it!  I always have, it is truly 'magical' in every sense of the word and now that I am a Christian, it adds even more meaning to everything.  What a great time of year.

Sad to see it go but, alas, good thing about being a mom, the years tend to go by pretty quickly.  (Trying to put a silver lining on the years starting to fly by!)

Blessings to you all

-Liza

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! 

This tends to be a weird time of year for me and I am sure many others.  The holidays are all over now, it is a new year, the children are still on break however, what is there to do? 

Crazy time but, I also sort of like this time.  Oh, first before I get into this blog, I just have to talk about last night.

Our friends had their 2nd annual New Years Eve gala last night.  Our baby fell asleep 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave so, I stayed at home with her and Steve took the older 3 over to their house.

He was there for a little over an hour and came home to stay with the baby and I went to the party.  It was nice to see good friends and it was really nice to see our children playing together.

At just after 10pm, the host had all the adults sit in the living room and tell our New Years Resolutions.....I promptly told her I knew she hadn't read my blog! 

Some people gave resolutions, other gave what they were grateful for in 2008, some said what their hopes were for and others told of some things they were looking forward to in 2009.

I said my goal was to be debt free (with exception to the house and maybe car) by the end of 2009.  I think it is fully manageable with some good saving and some good money management, I think we can even have some left over in the bank.  It will be hard work but, well worth it in the end.

We were home by midnight...did our quick oh look at the ball drop in NYC and then left.  I had 2 sleeping children, one I had to carry to the car, the other woke up just enough to walk herself there.  I also had my pyro guy and his big milk crate of fireworks.  By the time we drove the mile home, I had 2 people crying and my son had told about 10 stories about fireworks.

My husband met us at the curb and helped carry in our super cold and tired people. 

Everyone slept great last night!  The baby slept until 415am before needing a feeding!  Then, she went back to sleep until 730am!  Wow.

Everyone else including Steve slept in until sometime between 8 and 9am.   It was wonderful.  What a way to ring in the New Year, no hangovers, no headaches, just lots of sleep and good moods.

So, our day today was pretty relaxing too.  We all did different things, Steve took our 5 year old skiing, my mom took our 7 year old to a movie and to play at her house and my 6 year old had a friend come over.  The baby took great long naps today!

Then, tonight, we had a homemade pizza party.  Yum, yum.  Not sure if I have ever mentioned this before but, we are all wheat/gluten and dairy/casein free in our family.  So, we have had to learn how to cook/bake all over again.

But, our pizza recipe I think we have perfected.  It is super yummy, I make homemade crust, soy cheese, and whatever toppings we can find in the fridge/freezer.  Tonight we had a pepperoni and sausage pizza, YUMMY!  Although, I got yelled at by my 5 year old(yes, yelled at) because I didn't make her a cheese pizza and apparently, that means I don't care about her.

The baby even had 4 slices of pizza!  She loves people food, she refuses to eat anything baby anymore except for 'mama milk'.  By the way, she is only 7 months old and just started to get her 1st tooth however, she manages to chew and eat just about everything we eat for meals.

Then, after dinner, Steve took the 3 older children ice skating at our local park.  The girls both got brand new ice skates for Christmas so, they were very eager to use them.  Well, they were at the park well over an hour just skating around and stuff.  I guess they had a great time and just giggled and giggled around the rink.  So great.

I guess it is safe to say, the girls will be getting the skating lessons they have been asking for.  I think this is when having a lot of children starts to really become busy.  They all want to do something and if one is doing something well, the other one wants to do something too.

Yes, I can say 'no' but, why?  They are at an age of experimenting with things they like, finding things that are fun to do and things that they will enjoy doing.  Yes, some days, some weeks, may be busier than others but, as long as they are having fun, that is what it is about.

Too soon, they will get bigger, their friends, school and maybe jobs will start eating more and more into their play times and their sports interests so, take advantage of their eagerness to learn and do new things now, while you can!

OOOOOHHHHH, thinking of my day tomorrow just lead me to something pretty funny.  Our daughters were getting ready today for skating and didn't like that they didn't have 'pretty coats and snow pants'.  I guess my 5 year old also noticed it today on the slopes when she noticed her friends nice coats and stuff.

Well, I was about to fight the having to buy them new things just because they want something pretty and then I looked at what our 5 year old daughter was wearing.  She had this beautiful pink and brown hat with matching mittens on with an orange ski coat and black snow pants.  Well, yes, the hat and mittens are brand new but, the orange ski coat...well, we got that 4 years ago as a handmedown from some friends of our that both of their boys wore.    Our son wore it 2 winters, our oldest daughter wore it 2 winters and now our 2nd daughter is wearing it.  Same thing with the snow pants.

I started laughing and I said to my husband who was also lamenting the fact they wanted prettier coats.  I told him, this...."Do you know that we have NEVER purchased a coat/jacket or snow pants for any of our children except for their infant stuff?!"

Yep, we have gotten so many handmedowns over the years that have been great stuff that we haven't purchased ONE coat or ONE pair of snow pants!  LOL.  So, we decided it wouldn't be frivolous or silly to finally buy the girls a 'girl' coat instead of having them wear boys coats/jackets that 3 other boys had worn before them :-)

Boy, praise the Lord for handmedowns!

Blessings to all of you in this New Year and don't set your sights so high that you can't see the end.

-Liza

The last blog for 2008

Good Morning everyone!

Ok, feeling the pressure here....last entry for 2008, what to write about?!

I think I will write about a bunch of things however, one never really knows until I finish what my blog will be about since, sometimes when I start writing, I just get into a flow :-)

So, here is the first thing I want to write about:  New Years Resolutions and why I never make them.  (Yesterdays blog was NOT a new years resolution....just happened to have two all boy play dates for Sethy and came to a realization..just happened to fall on the day before the new year)

So, why do I never make New Years Resolutions?

Because you are setting up your entire new year for failure.  You are putting too much pressure on the new year and I think that is why it is so hard to keep them.

Think of it this way.  You meet this dreamy new guy, oh, he is perfect in every way, he is handsome, smart(on paper), has a great job, a beautiful home, and you decide on the first night, that is the guy for you, and you will marry him.  Well, then, not only do you decide that you also tell HIM that.

Ok, now sometimes, yes, he will feel the same and the marriage happens and works out however, MOST of the time, that guy will run faster than an Olympic athlete away from you.  Same thing with New Years Resolutions....only, you are the one running.

It puts too much pressure on yourself and what you are trying to accomplish when you make a resolution for a new year.  I see it year after year after year at the YMCA that I work out at.

Every year starting around Thanksgiving...the Y starts getting a little busier...then, again around Christmas the classes are a little fuller, machines harder to find.....then, New Years hits.  No machines to be found, sign up sheets all day long for machines, people standing waiting for machines, classes are full or over flowing, and the pool is packed with people doing laps, the day care is packed with crying babies. 

Let me tell you my pet peeve with all of those things right there:

First of all, for us people who work out at the Y every week and sometimes everyday, it gets really annoying.  All of a sudden we can't do our normal workouts that we have been doing for years because the Resolution people have taken all of the machines.  Our children all of a sudden aren't doing well in the nursery because the Res people's children have never been there and they are scared and crying.  A class that we have been going to regularly for months every single week all of a sudden, we can't get in to.  It is frustrating.  However, we know all too often, the machines, classes and day care will all be open again by end of January/early February. 

We all sit around and talk about the newcomers and how long we think they will last this year.  Not really anyone in particular just the group in general.  We have seen it for so many years happen, it really doesn't faze us anymore....many times, we just say, "Hey it is busy today, wonder when it will slow down this year" and that is it.

Now, another one is the quitting smoking.  One thing I have heard over and over again is that if you want to quit for life....don't try and quit on New Years.  It is true, I think that is why my lame smoker husband tells me every year that he is going to quit on the New Year...because he knows I will tell him that is dumb.  Then, he thinks in his head...'alright, a couple more months of the 'smokers' '(as our children call them.)

Now, I think it is a good thing to try and better yourself but, why do you have to do it for a New Year?  Why not do it by the children's school calendar instead?  Say, in September you will try and start changing something in your life...or in the summer when they are all out of school.  Try and make a change in your life when other changes are already happening.  Then, one more change won't be as big of a deal and you can start a new phase of life with a new habit or missing an old one.

Ok, entry number 2 on my end of 2008 blog:

REALLY?!  It is already the end of 2008?  This is not fair in any way shape or form!  How can it already be 2009?  I cannot be this old, I don't feel this old, I don't think I look this old, how can it be?

Seriously, it feels like yesterday that I was going out with friends, working, really not a care in the world, I remember needing a fake ID to get into a bar like it was yesterday.  Now, I don't even get carded anymore....YUCK!  How does that happen?  Seriously, I must look my age as every sign anywhere they sell liquor says, "We card anyone 35 and younger"  Well, yes, I am 36 but, really.....can you tell the difference between a 35 year old and a 36 year old? 

Granted, I love my life and where I am however, I guess I just never thought it would go by so fast.  All of a sudden, my parents are old, my Grandparents are even older...actually, I only have ONE and a half(I have a step-Grandma too) left and I have no great grandparents anymore.....wow.

Looking back, I sort of thought I would be in a different place or at least I had a different picture in my head.  But, really, thinking about everything I wanted....I really am exactly where I wanted to be or at least heading there.

I actually thought I would have a little more money in the bank and some 'nicer' things around the home but, I am working on that.  I think we all thought we would have a little more by this age than we do.

I guess I am really exactly where I should be, exactly where I thought I would be, just didn't think 'here' would get here this fast.  Does that make sense?

Frankly,

I know that 2008 will go down as one of the hardest years for many people and it will probably be in the history books for financial reasons, Presidential reasons and other things.  However, for our family 2008 was a pretty great year.

January 2008 found my husband getting a job, a good job, will a lot of potential.  Finally a job after 4 years of not having a job or a job with any good potential and good income.

May 2008 found us bringing home a new Schwab...that was great!

July 2008 found us road tripping to Colorado and visiting friends and a dude ranch....that was just plain AWESOME!

September 2008 found us with 2 children in school full time and the 3rd in 2 full days a week....that was even more awesome :-)

November 2008 found Steve as his company got great news and all the years work was starting to pay off for him.  That same month found our 3rd child turning 5 and finally getting to do her trip to Disney World and she even got to bring the baby so, that was pretty cool.

December 2008 found us having the first stress-free Christmas in a long time.  We not only were able to give freely to our own children, we were able to give freely to another family and to our local food shelf that had helped us so much in the past.  I was also able to make good on a 'gift/loan' from someone from years ago that I wasn't sure I would ever be able to pay back and I am sure that person never thought they would get it back either.  That was a great ending to a pretty great year.

Tonight, we will head over to our good friends house and ring in the New Year(or at least NYC's New Year).  We will be surrounded by people we have grown to love over this past 2008.  People we have shared struggles with, people that we have gotten to know, people that genuinely care for us and our children. 

Tonight, we will play games, laugh, shoot off fireworks, and our children will play joyfully together while us adults will gather and talk.  We will relax a bit and just take in the love and the friendship in the house.

Then, 11pm will come, we will watch the ball drop and we will all scurry home and put overly tired children to bed.  Goodnight 2008.  Welcome 2009.

Have a great and SAFE New Years tonight!  May God protect you and your children and your friends tonight as he does every night.

-Liza

Final Christmas of 2008 and lack of friends

Good Evening everyone,

I am hoping that after everyone heads back to work/school from Christmas Break that I will finally be able to get back to the blog daily! 

I am sorry I haven't been good about writing in it over break.  There is so much going on yet, nothing really seems to jump out of my head to write about on the blog.

Tonight we finally had our last Christmas with my 'real' dad and his 'girlfriend'.  It was really fun and she brought her grandson over who is my sons age and they played the whole time....until my oldest daughter took him away from my son...something she tends to do often.

That is why I rarely if ever make play dates for my son anymore.  His sisters always take his friends away and I find my son playing by himself a lot with his friends playing with the girls.  It is hard because my son isn't super social but, he really enjoys having friends over but, his sisters...especially our oldest daughter are so social that they tend to 'steal' his friends away very easily.

I feel so bad for my son because he wants friends so bad and I don't feel like I can call up his friends and ask if he can go over there.  So, it is easier just not to make play dates.  I know, it isn't right and I need to be more aggressive in my helping my son find friends.  He is very sociable and does enjoy doing things with others, he just doesn't have the social skills of a lot of children his age.  I think some of it might be his being on the spectrum however, I think A LOT of his being on the spectrum is more the fact we don't have children in our neighborhood and he has never really been around other boys and children his age very often or often enough that he feels comfortable around them.

We get together once in a while with other families and he knows the children however those families get together more often that we do and they also live in neighborhoods with other children.

I feel many times we have done our son a great injustice by living in Richfield....or at least our part of Richfield.  I also feel my own inadequacies socially have played a part in his inability to develop socially. 

I believe it is all a horrible cycle....I wasn't socialized as a child so, I had very few friends growing up and the ones I had, I was never very close with.  As I grew older, even in high school, I very rarely saw my 'friends' from high school outside the school walls.  I had work friends and school friends and very rarely did the two worlds ever combine.  I too grew up in a neighborhood with few children and what few there were, I didn't get to play with very often since my mom worked full time and I was either at the sitters everyday after school and then at my dads every other weekend; or if I was at home, I couldn't play with the neighborhood children until my mom got home from work and sometimes, that wasn't until dinner time or later and by then, everyone had gone inside to spend time with their families.

I feel like my son is heading down that same path.  It is hard to see however, I feel paralyzed by it at the same time.  I always thought my husband would be my saving grace in this area however, how?  He works and when he comes home, he is often tired and the last thing he wants to do is hang out with some other persons child.

This is one of my goals for 2009.  I pray that I will get over my own insecurities socially and get out there for my son.  I will get out there and help him find great friends and really facilitate his friendships.

I will put my own fears aside and create those play dates for him, I will even have the guts to ask other parents to take him instead of me taking their child.  I can do it!  I know I can!

My little guy is the best and really has a desire to have good friends, I understand that feeling best so, I need to be the one to fill that part of his life up.

Ok....that blog was a bit of a downer....really I don't feel down about it all.

Just happens to be what is on my mind now.

I have to go, baby crying....night everyone!

-Liza

Family

Good morning!

Well, I think the Christmas season is finally winding down for us.  Last night we had our After Christmas/Christmas Party and it was so much fun! (or at least I had fun)

Let me tell you all first, it was not nearly as stressful getting ready for the party as it normally is because our house was mostly clean already!  Plus, we went to Costco and got most of our food there so that helped out.

Steve came up with the idea of doing 'Christmas around the World' for food so, we had Asian meatballs, Brie cheese, Stromboli(how on earth do you spell that?!) and Italian cookies, then good ole American holiday chex mix.  I had more types...like we had hummus and a SW Mexican dip however, we didn't need those so, we are going to eat those during the big Vikings game today...Go Vikes and don't blow it AGAIN! 

Oh, we also had Australian wine and various Belgian, American, and some other random imported beer too.  So, I think we did pretty well with covering the world.

Although, I am bummed, my good friend made artichoke dip and we forgot it in the microwave!  So bummed because Steve was really looking forward to that since he and I can never seem to make a good artichoke dip.  Coming over Heather!  lol.

Anyway, we drank a lot of wine and everyone went home with a gift so, that was fun.  I am interested in hearing what people got.  I got some kitchen towels.  My husband said that was a boring gift.  I say, thank you very much as I really needed kitchen towels!  I don't have very many and the ones I have are pretty old and ragged.  So, I was excited for sure. 

It was a good group of people, a couple spouses weren't able to make it due to babysitter issues and were missed.  We had sitter issues too so, our joyous and delightful 3 older children were home for the party.  Our sitter called around noon yesterday to say she had been 'blech' all day.  We were bummed as the children had planned to go to her house and go ice skating on her pond.  But, they took it pretty well.  Our poor sitter though called back at 4pm and said she had been sleeping all day and she could try and take them if we needed her.  So sweet!!!  Steve and I said no, she needed to rest...then we teased her and told her to continue sleeping off that hangover :-)

Ok, just so you all know....this sitter is awesome and we miss her so much when she is away at college.  I could write an entire blog just about how great she is with the children and how much they like her...however, that is also why she is coming to Florida with us for Spring Break!!  Yea! 

Ok...back to the party.  So, it was modest in numbers, however, great group of people.  And considering that it was super icy outside and on the roads last night, it was great.  I seriously watched one of our friends in their car, just spin tires trying to get up this teeny little incline in front of our house.  It was crazy slippery last night. 

Let's just say, so glad the party was at our house and we didn't have to drive.

I love having people over and even though it tends to be a bit hard with 4 children and me not being the best at planning ahead of time...well, I will plan the party ahead of time but, I won't work on food or drinks until day of or day before! 

But, it is so fun for me to have people in my house that I can feed and give drinks to.  I love feeding people and we always have way too much food and always have lots of leftovers.  But, it is fun for me to feed people.  My dream is to some day have friends and their families over for Thanksgiving dinners at our house and start doing more Christmas type parties and dinners.

I think the holidays aren't just about your family that in some cases you see only a few times a year but, about the 'family' that is around you and your children daily.  The people that you are raising your children with and around, the people you worship with, laugh with, pray with, and share life with.  Those are the family that mean just as much to me as my true family.

The people that are watching my children grow up and are with my husband and I in our walk of life, marriage, faith, jobs, etc.  Those are the people I would love to start sharing holidays with.  Break bread with them just like Jesus did with his disciples....his friends....his family.

I am so truly blessed to have such great 'family' in my life and I say thank you to all of you who are walking the walk with us. 

Remember to celebrate your born into family and your chosen family!

Blessings to you all,

Liza

Awaiting Santa's Arrival

Well, it is 930pm, the children are asleep and we are all waiting for Santa's arrival.

We did most of our preparations needed for him to come to our home...The Santa's Stop light is lit up outside, we sprinkled the reindeer food outside(oatmeal and sprinkles), the glass of milk is on the coffee table, the carrots for the reindeer are next to the Holiday chex mix for Santa...we did no cookies this year but, thought Santa would like Holiday mix this year instead.

Dad just went to Walgreen's to get more tape for mom so she can finish wrapping gifts.  Dad went to go get some other 'Santa's Helpers items' and then mom goes to help Santa with daddy's stocking.

Phew!

Oh, on the way home from my parents house tonight...we realized we didn't have a 'BIG' item for our 3rd child so, we quickly ran to the only store besides Walgreen's still open....KMart.  Got to love KMart!  Actually, my husband and I secretly do love it.  They are never out of stock of things and the stores are never very crowded...which probably isn't very good for KMart but, it is great for us!  Plus, they carry everything that Target or Walgreen's does, just usually for a lot cheaper.  Plus, their service is great!  We have a theory that they are so excited someone is actually in their store that they are very helpful and cheerful...however, it is sometimes hard to find someone who speaks English but, oh well.

So, we celebrated at my parents tonight...food was great and for the first time in a long time, so was the company.  I think it helps out a lot that my parents are going to Palm Springs tomorrow.  I have noticed that my mother gets super stressed out when she has to see her family....very similar to how I feel I guess. 

But, I think with her vacation tomorrow and the non-stress of her family, she was actually pretty nice tonight.  PHEW!

Other than all of my husband's gifts falling through....oh yes, ALL of them!  He hates the shoes I bought him...HATES call them the 'short bus' shoes.  I tried to buy him this car he has had his eye on since summer and the person's number has been changed!!! UGH. Then, tried to get him this awesome new CD and wouldn't you know it....3 weeks AFTER I ordered it...they put it on backorder until January 15th.  Then, another gift I bought him, I was just wrapping and noticed the salesperson put the wrong sized one in the bag!!!!  They only had one left in my husband's size....so, chances are, it will be gone on Friday.  Oh gosh, can you believe it?

Had I known everything was going to fall through especially the car thing, I would have bought him that stupid HD TV he wanted.  Oh well, honey, since I know you are reading this....NO, still not ready for you to buy a $1000 TV that I really don't think we need...seriously...a car, that is fine...a TV, bleck...I can't do it yet honey.  Maybe for your bday in April :-)

So, as all of you finish up your Christmas Eve night and head toward the day of the Birth of our Savior....OOOOHHH, which reminds me, we can finally put out baby Jesus at our outdoor nativity scene...yeah!  I think Mary and Joseph were starting to wonder what they were looking at!

Anyway, enjoy your night, I hope you and your children revel in the Spirit of Santa and count your blessings and praise the Lord that he sent a savior for us.

Christmas Blessings to you,

Liza

True Meaning of Christmas Baking

Good glorious afternoon everyone!

Just back from another AMAZING Zumba class.  Today our instructor was sick so, the Dance Party was off because we had a different teacher but, she was great.  She only teaches Sunday's at 2pm usually and I think I am going to have to take her class when I have to miss one of my usual ones.

Anyway, just got done scarfing my children's leftover Wendy's....nothing better than eating 4 chicken nuggets, a small fry, and a double burger(no bun) after working out....lol.  Seriously, isn't that the kind of food you are supposed to eat after a huge workout?  Is this the reason maybe I can't lose any weight?  NO, it can't be that.

Ok, onto my real reason for writing, the Christmas meaning.

Todays I like, especially since some of my friends are doing their baking today...Baking:

It seems like Christmas and baking go hand and hand.  Long ago, Christmas Eve was a day of fasting.  As a way of preparing themselves for Christmas people didn't eat anything the entire day so, they were very hungry come Christmas morning.  For breakfast, porridge, a hot, thick and bland cereal was served.

As time went on, creative moms and wives began adding dried fruits, spices and honey to the porridge to make it a special Christmas morning treat.  With all the extras, the mixture was thick and stiff.  So, the cooks wrapped it in a cloth and dunked it into a big pot of boiling water.  Creating, Christmas Pudding.

Sometime during the 17th Century, wheat flour replaced the porridge.  Eggs were added and the resulting treat became known as boiled plum cake.  The English used the work 'plum' to mean any dried fruit.  So, what was actually invented was the fruitcake! 

The word Bethlehem, which is the birthplace of Jesus, literally means "house of bread".  In that humble town in Judea, a baby boy was born who would come to be known as the bread of life. 

So, as you are baking your Christmas cookies, pies, cakes, breads, whatever, let it remind you of the Bread of Life himself who gave "Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma" (Ephesians 5:2)

Ok, after the story is a recipe for Fruitcake...if any of you would like it, let me know and I will post it.

Blessings to you all!

-Liza

Happy Anniversary to me!

Good Glorious Morning to you all!

Wow, Christmas is finally upon us.  Can't believe it all starts tomorrow.

Oh, and it is snowing again, it is so beautiful and fluffy.  I love it!

I am in a terrific mood today.  Christmas is tomorrow, it is snowing, and yesterday was my wedding anniversary and my husband and I actually got to go out for it for, I think, the first time in 2-3 years!  We had a great time, we went to PFChangs for dinner.

We just sat at the bar, had a beer, apps, and yummy, yummy dinners.  I had a new dish there, I can't even remember what is was...dali chicken or something?  It was so good, LOTS of heat.  It had chili peppers, chicken(unbreaded) and yukon gold potatoes, it truly was yummy.  Steve had PF Changs version of General Tso's chicken...he said it was good but, WAY too spicy this time.  I think there can almost be no such thing!  Especially in Asian food. 

Oh, we also had Lettuce Wraps for an app.  Those were good too and we reminisced about how when our son was little, we used to go to PF Chang's a lot and our son would devour the lettuce wraps.  It was before we had other babies so, he had to be 1. 

I then did something I have never done before in my life and I can't believe how nervous I was!  I had heard on the radio yesterday someone call in and tell of their Christmas tradition of leaving a $100 bill for a tip to their server over the Christmas season. 

So, now, I didn't leave a $100 bill because frankly, didn't have one and I felt for my first time doing this, I might really freak out if I did that.  But, we left a tip of the exact same amount of our bill.  It felt awesome!  Really, awesome.  I was so nervous because I didn't want her to see it and so I couldn't get out of the restaurant fast enough but, it was so cool to do that. 

I hope it helps that person to feel some joy or a little spring in their step today.  I highly recommend you try that once in life!  Whether you leave the $100 bill or even a $50 or if you put a super high tip on your credit card.  Just do it once.  You won't ever know how it made that person feel but, I can assure you they will be surprised and maybe it will really help them out.

Ok, so next we went to see a movie.  Yes, we actually got to go out to dinner and a movie!  So, we saw the movie 4Christmas's.  It was average.  Started out really good but, finished totally average leaning toward not good.

But, it was a movie!  Although, I would say the trailer for "Yes Man" with Jim Carey looked completely different from the commercials and looks really good!  Steve and I decided we really wanted to see that movie.  Of course, I would love to see the movie "Confessions of a shopaholic" but, hahaha, Steve would never go see that movie.

Oh, I just have to say something here, my children.  Oh, I love them but, they can't leave me alone for just 5 minutes to finish this blog!  I was on such a roll and then they all woke up.  Then, I made them all breakfast, got them all dressed and such and now, they can't leave me alone just for a quick moment to finish this......

Ok, now that I ranted and raved, they are leaving me alone.  Plus, freaking out because I am trying to get to my Zumba Dance Party today!

So, sorry to end this sort of in the middle but, I need to go.  I will try to finish it later and I need to get another Christmas true story written too.

Take care and I will write more later.

-Liza

Christmas and Christmas Cards

Hi Everyone,

Just got home from celebrating Christmas with my husband's family.  What a great day!  It snowed all day, so it was picture perfect and the food was fantastic and the gifts were even better. 

It is sort of a bittersweet deal as we love having Christmas at Steve's mom's house however that means that we won't see his sisters and their families or his mom until at least spring break if not until Memorial Day weekend when the cabin opens up again.

Steve's mom winters in Florida and will be leaving this week sometime, his sisters are super busy with older children so, it is a bummer for us to not see everyone.

But, it was a great night and a great 'farewell for now' evening.

I love Christmas...if you all can't figure out by my past blogs.  I love the feeling, the songs, the family, the food, and it is even better when it snows!  I am one of those crazy people that believes there is no such thing as too much snow.  There IS such a thing as too much cold but, never enough or too much snow.  It cleans everything up and makes winter bearable.

What are some of your favorite things about this time of year?  I would love to hear from people about your favorite family traditions, the snow, the holidays, the lights, skiing, whatever you like to do this time of year.  It is always fun to hear what other people find special about this time of year.

Ok...here is another 'true meaning' of Christmas story:

Christmas Cards

Sir Henry Cole created a special card and mailed it to a friend right before Christmas.  A fellow Englishman JC Horsely saw the great opportunity and in 1843 he was the first person to sell Christmas cards.  He quickly sold out of 1000 cards he had printed and London was abuzz with excitement. 

His timing was perfect as not too much earlier, it would have cost too much money for people to send cards in the mail however, Sir Rowland Hill had come along and created the penny post.  He suggested the government could save a king's ransom by selling tiny square stickers for a penny as prepayment for the delivery of a letter. 

From the beginning the early cards were illustrated with Nativity scenes, Christmas themes, and images of warm family hearths.  The words inside the echoed the words right from the Bible. 

Just think, all of this wouldn't have been possible without a tiny square sticker.

Blessings to you all,

Liza