Christmas

Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes."
~ Joan Winmill Brown, American author and editor.

I have many wonderful memories of Christmas as a child.

I remember the year, my brother and I got a VCR. And the year we got a hockey net!! A hockey net!!! I mean, how cool is that???

I remember that we would have friends and family over on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I remember that my mom would cook all day. And the relatives would start piling in mid-afternoonish to swap gifts and eat a feast (well, unless there was a home show...hehe, just a little inside joke...).

I remember after dinner we would all sit around and enjoy some good laughs. There would be phone calls to family members that lived out of town and then some more laughs.

In 2002, Christmas changed for me. That was the year I came to know Jesus Christ as my savior. Thinking back, the first couple of years, although I had been saved, Christmas was still not really centered around Christ's birth. I am happy to say that this year will be a memorable one, for sure. The kids are old enough to understand the real Christmas story and, well, this past year, something in me has changed.

Christ has a much larger portion of me that He has ever had in the past. He definitely got my attention this year and I am nothing but grateful for it.

This year I spent night after night talking with the kids about the birth of our Savior. We made our first birthday cake for Jesus. I struggled with the whole Santa thing. I even contemplated telling the kids the truth....but I chicken out.

I felt like, God would be proud of me this year :). I hope to make 2010 a year to remember. A Christ-centered year.

Please Pray

http://Brutton.wordpress.com/

Too Many Frogs

WARNING: THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY AN OVER-TIRED, CRANKY MOTHER. IF YOU ARE IN A GOOD MOOD, DON'T READ IT. IT WILL BRING YOU DOWN! IF YOU ARE IN A BAD MOOD, DON'T READ IT. IT MAY JUST SEND YOU OVER THE EDGE!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Christmas is supposed to be about sharing and caring. Talking about the birth of Jesus. Spending time with family, doing things, that only come once a year.

This Christmas season, it has been about how many things we can cram into one month, exhausted kids and exhausted parents. And we still have a couple weeks to go!!!!

December has looked like this:

1st: Dr's appt. Cancelled due to insurance. Have I mentioned how much they suck?

Make cookies for WNAC (cookie press broke).

2nd: WNAC meeting. I was responsible to hand out prayer cards to all the ladies for the month of Dec. Cookies and crafts. Yearly nominations, to which, by some misunderstanding I got nominated for three positions. I will be taking two.

3rd: Arts 'N' Crafts with Santa at the Fox Service Center, through Parents As Teachers.

4th: Prepare for Pampered Chef party and weekend birthday party.

5th: Niece's birthday party, which involved ice skating in Forest Park, followed by Incredible Pizza.

6th: Sunday school, worship, subway, Pampered Chef Party, clean-up, evening church service

All Angel Tree gifts are due in. 50 some-odd gifts are handed into me, to organize and package up to deliver.

7th: Start planning for the kids Christmas party/Angel Tree party

8th: Alex wakes, covered in hives. Babysitting the pastor's daughter so that he can be at the hospital with a church member who is having surgery. Alex's hives fade but return in the late afternoon. My dr. calls, wants to schedule an ultrasound for chest pain.

9th: Alex wakes, face, hands and feet are swollen. Take Lily to preschool, then Alex to the dr's. Plans to meet someone at ASLS are cancelled. I cancel lunch plans with a friend because of Alex. Alex has a "mild virus". Whatever that means.

10th: Deliver the first Angel Tree gifts. Keep Alex home from school because he is not feeling well. Have to go to school anyway to pick up an Angel Tree gift and Pampered Chef order. Off to Schnucks to pickup special order gift cards. The dr's office calls. He has Strep G. What is that? They don't treat it and don't want to see him?

11th: Ultrasound of gallbladder, liver and pancreas. Take Lily to school. Deliver Angel Tree gifts. Do some errands for Christmas party. Todd leaves for Men's Retreat.

12th: Todd gone to retreat. Spend the entire day making cookies and running errands for the kids Christmas party. Angel Tree kids come at 5pm. Party ends at 8ish. Three Angel Tree gifts delivered:). Maybe home in bed by 11?

13th: No one wants to get out of bed. Sunday school, worship, Christmas cantata, lunch, deliver Angel Tree gift, pick up Lily, to church for 4pm, kids practice for their play, Alex to church at 5:30, kids Christmas program, everyone collapses in a heap of exhaustion.

14th: Take Lily to school, accompany her class to sing at a nursing home, take her back to school, go to Dollar Tree, church to get Angel Tree gift (last one!!!), clean out the flower room where all the Angel Tree stuff is kept, bank, Pakmail, post office, pick Lily back up, feed kids lunch, deliver Angel Tree gifts, Walmart to buy b-day present, home, wrap present, do a couple house things, off to party, stay til 9pm, Nathanael cranky all day (sick)?, kids can't go to sleep, way over tired, Nathanael throws up on me and the bed, change sheets, put big kids back to bed again, awake now with a crying baby, put him in the swing, blog to vent about the craziness.

15th: Nathanael is scheduled to have immunizations. The last ones causes crying for hours, temp of 103 and vomiting.

16th: MOPS meeting. Making cake. Kids perform at ASLS for their Christmas program.

17th: Alex's Jesus b-day party at class. Parents responsible to make crafts, games and run it. I am bringing....something...

18th: Lily's Jesus b-day party.....ditto from above! Evening, MOPS Christmas party.

19th: Sunday school Christmas party for adults. No babysitter as of yet.

20th: Kids have secretsanta gift exchange at church.

Ok, so maybe it's me but that's just too many frogs!!!!! I mean, on top of all the running, is laundry and errands, and bills and bills and bills, and groceries, and work outs and time to buy presents? When am I suppose to worship my Lord? Or read His Word? I fall asleep praying at night. I am interrupted in the morning. Barely have time to eat a meal with the family some days.

I am making myself and God a promise that, next year will be different. I know I am blessed and I am not complaining that I am busy from three kids. I am complaining about all the "Christmas responsibilities". It's just nutty. It's 5:27 am, Nathanael is finally asleep in the swing. I am dreading the rest of this week.

My parents are arriving on the 23th. I expect days of crazy kid behavior and lack of sleep while they are here. My fear, is that by January, I am going to be one BURNT. OUT. MAMA.