Choir concert, school dances and more...

Last night Clarissa wanted to come to work with me so she raced home to do her chores and got on her apron and Rob drove her down for the last hour to work...it was dead...DEAD! Nobody hardly came into the shop yesterday!
Clarissa is just happy being there and that is fine by me..I like having her be by my side and learning as she goes.
But from the minute we got off of work..we had to go to dinner..SUBWAY last night..then I took Preston to the store to pick out his white elephant gift for his Christmas party today ..and also get his treat. Then off to Jeri's Choir concert..
....Also Dropped Bryce and his friends off at the school dance. Rob left the concert early to go and pick them up and drop all of his friends off at their homes..When I got to the concert Jeri had decided to wear different shoes...and I found my pair of red shoes shoved into her boots..my RED shoes that she neglected to ask me to wear???HMMM interesting. I asked her about it..she said she "was gonna ask" LOL..whatever...Teenagers.
But she did a great job singing and while we were waiting for Rob to pick us up...Seth ( the boy she went to homecoming with..whom she also has a crush on)Stopped by to say HI...I spoke with his Mom at the grocery store yesterday in fact..he doesn't really talk to Jeri because he gets to nervous..and his stomach starts to hurt. LOL
Anyway, I asked Seth if his Mom was around and he said yes..you could tell he was extremely nervous...then he says "I sure hope my Mom videotaped the Women's choir" ...All I could do is chuckle..what is he going to do...re-watch Jeri? LOL

When Rob picked us up I could tell the boys had been in the car..the cologne cloud that was left from all four of those boys was amazing. LOL I love cologne..but sheesh! They could have left some in the bottle!
When we got home it was homework catastrophes...having to re-wrap Cole's finger..he smashed it in the car door between dinner and concert..the fingernail is going to fall off it is so bad...he handled it well...but I feel bad for him and he had a typing test today...he is probably going to fail that. Hopefully by the time Christmas break is over it will be well enough for him to write and type.
And they were all late getting to bed..all the excitement of Christmas break and missing their friends....and doing all the fun stuff without homework and daily routines..is making them giddy! I can't say I blame them.
Well I hope you all are enjoying the chaos of the season as I am...despite the bad things I can't say that I couldn't be more proud of my children or that I would change a thing in my life....this is the way it is supposed to be...and I am thankful!

Tis the Season

When we say "tis the season"...What do we really mean?
Lets make a list:
Is this the season for family fighting?
The season for bringing out the worst in people?
STRESS! Need I say more?
Scrooges??
Tis the season for heavy traffic..heavy shopping and heavy eating? Glutenty?
Selfishness?

I have engaged in all of these things they don't miss me despite the fact that I think the real reason for the season is JESUS! His birth ..what his birth meant and what it meant for all of man kind. But I question myself at least..DO I do enough ? am I passing the true message to my children?
IS engagaing in all of this worldly stuff wiping out anything good that I do because the wordly temptations are just that... temptations?
I read the story of JEsus' birth to my children....we have even thrown a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas....Last night we went to the tree of sharing to donate gifts to two children...is that really enough? Couldn't I do more...will they understand everything I want them to know?

What do I really want them to learn.....
The LOVE of jesus..his destiny to give his life for us....GIVING! When we give there are no expectations...The giving is supposed to be from the heart without strings..not because you feel like you have to give to someone...my family struggles with that. GOd Gave us his only son...as a parent we know that was the biggest sacrifice that we could ever know..we will give our own lives for our children..just to spare our kids...WHy because the death of a child is the worst thing that could happen to us parents...God did that! GIVING! That should be the theme. Celebrating the REAL reason for the Season...JESUS!
This needs to be a joyous occasion filled with love, happiness, healed hearts, and Hope for what is to come later when you beleive. We need to believe in the right things...or that is out the window. Which is what has happened to many of us.

We need to feel love in our hearts despite the fact that our flesh wants to fight love. LOVE...what does it mean? many things to many people...but today I want it to mean thinking of others before ourselves..unselfish love. Love means to feel....not just feel hurt..that gets in the way but to feel compassion,empathy, and sympathy. If we can walk a mile in someone elses' shoes I belive we can feel all of those elements of love and we would get a whole new perspective of what we should be doing with love. Jesus was a fine expample of that.....healing, laughing, and teaching. We all have gifts..strengths..and we need to use them for which he intended..let's start fighting to use them.

Happy Holidays all!

Well I am finally to the point of enjoying some peace....I passed all of my classes which seems possible...except..I really struggled in one class. I got a C in A&P which isn't all that great but at least I didn't fail.
I spent the weekend with my grandma ...we were supposed to go Christmas shopping but she wasn't feeling up to it so I went with my Aunt..we had a great time..we used to shop when I lived there...our "power" shopping...we are perfect shoppers together!
I finsihed all of the shopping for my kids and now it is nothing but wrapping...I used to enjoy wrapping...now I don't care as long as it gets done...lol.
I have started reading our traditional Christmas books for the season...."The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and we also read the story of Jesus Birth from the bible...the kids love it.
I loved that book when I was little so I love to read it to the kids.
I am tring to make new stockings for my family this year..not sure I will have them done in time for Christmas because the most perfect fabric just came in last week for them and I have not technically started them yet...if not I am sure I will get them done before next year. hehe.
Rob and the boys finally got the tree up this year..I have given up on decorating...I would not have even put it up this year ..so they did it. I am not sure why..other than I am tired and by the time break came...it seemed that the holiday was half over...and I felt like I have not been able to breathe until now...so there it is.
It has been snowing all night and day here..school was delayed for 2 hours this morning..the kids were oh so happy about that..Bryce is home sick and I am thankful I don't have to drive an hour to and from school in this stuff....
Well I hope you all haev a great day..and since I am home form school..I willtry to update this more often...we shall see.