Dear Weather,
Please stop whatever it is you're trying to do. I need blue skies for at least a few more days.
Thank you,
Noelle
Dear Air Force,
Why are you making everyone work on Christmas Eve? NOT.FAIR.
Signed,
Disgruntled Spouse
Dear Target, Walmart, etc,
STOP MOVING SHIT! MOVING STUFF WON'T MAKE ME ACCIDENTALLY STUMBLE UPON SOMETHING I JUST HAVE TO HAVE. IT AGGRAVATES ME AND MAKES ME WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING.
Respectfully,
Noelle
Dear Friends' Husbands,
Stop trying to get out of our Christmas party. It's a HOLIDAY party for FAMILIES. I promise I will NEVER force you to come to my kid's birthday party or swing by for a playdate, but HUSBANDS ARE REQUIRED for all FAMILY HOLIDAY gatherings. Besides, if my husband ends up being the only husband at the party he will NEVER let me have another party. And you know how much you love my parties. Okay, well, whatever. But you love your family, right?! So you should totally support your wife's burning desire to attend YET ANOTHER Graf family party. Besides, our nearest family is 2500 miles away. So if we don't celebrate with friends, my poor little only child has to spend Christmas ALONE WITH HER PARENTS. Do you REALLY want that on your Scroogey shoulders?
See you at the party!
Love,
Noelle
12.18.2009
12.15.2009
Makes you think
So I was running errands today, mostly to pick up some last minute filler gifts, and to drop off our Angel Tree gifts (benefitting the Christmas Box House). When I walked in and saw the Angel Tree completely covered with tags still waiting to be claimed, it hit me...how stupid it was that I was worrying about not spending enough on my brother-in-law (who honestly could care less about a dollar amount) and debating whether or not to add a sparkly picture frame ornament to the tumbling teacher's gift, when there were SO MANY kids with so little. We claimed a few more tags but it's been weighing on me all evening...the ten-year-old boy who asked for a new coat, the five-year-old girl who needs clothes, the little boy who wants books on CD. It's Christmas (or whatever holiday they're trying to celebrate) and these little kids (or their adults) are asking for basic necessities. It made me feel really frivolous.
I started shopping two months ago with a list and a budget. I was going to save half of our Christmas club savings JUST.IN.CASE. (After all, we only have 10 paychecks left until my husband retires from the Air Force, as of today. Scary.)
But we didn't stick to that. My husband and I didn't grow up with much and sometimes we let that cloud our judgement when it comes to our only child. But even as we indulge her we try to make sure she understands that she's privileged and that there are kids who don't have what she has, and that things cost money and it has to be earned. When she wanted a new American Girl doll it was her idea to save up. She saved all year, with incredible patience for a four-year-old. When we counted out her money we made a deal with her. If she used part of the money to buy an Angel Tree gift and put the rest of the money in the bank, maybe Santa would bring her the doll. She did so willingly.
Don't get me wrong...she's still four. If I had a dollar for every time she said "I want" I'd actually have enough money to buy her everything she wants :) But she's a good kid, and understands more at her age than I would expect her to.
She loves picking tags from the Angel Tree and making wishes come true. (She gets that from my husband's mom, who had the most generous spirit of anyone I've ever met.) But I also wanted to teach E that it's not just about shopping and toys! So I asked her to help with the St. Jude's Campaign for a Cure. I kept the explanation simple, telling her that some kids don't have money to pay for doctors and when they get really, really sick St. Jude's hospital will help them no matter what. We made a list of friends and relatives to send letters to, and she filled out their names and signed her own to each one. She's going to give one of her own dollars for each donation envelope she gets back. I was so proud of her. Especially when she added "Mom + Dad" to her list.
It's such a weird time of year. "I want" hangs heavily in the air in a way it doesn't the rest of the year. I admit that I get caught up in the frenzy. I'm a bit of a shopaholic to begin with (shopping is my cardio and all that...fortunately for my credit card balance returning things is my cool-down :) I love giving gifts, and I hate giving cheap gifts. I'm trying to refocus, though, on meaningful gifts. Because there's a much greater meaning to this season of giving, and I don't ever want to forget that.
I started shopping two months ago with a list and a budget. I was going to save half of our Christmas club savings JUST.IN.CASE. (After all, we only have 10 paychecks left until my husband retires from the Air Force, as of today. Scary.)
But we didn't stick to that. My husband and I didn't grow up with much and sometimes we let that cloud our judgement when it comes to our only child. But even as we indulge her we try to make sure she understands that she's privileged and that there are kids who don't have what she has, and that things cost money and it has to be earned. When she wanted a new American Girl doll it was her idea to save up. She saved all year, with incredible patience for a four-year-old. When we counted out her money we made a deal with her. If she used part of the money to buy an Angel Tree gift and put the rest of the money in the bank, maybe Santa would bring her the doll. She did so willingly.
Don't get me wrong...she's still four. If I had a dollar for every time she said "I want" I'd actually have enough money to buy her everything she wants :) But she's a good kid, and understands more at her age than I would expect her to.
She loves picking tags from the Angel Tree and making wishes come true. (She gets that from my husband's mom, who had the most generous spirit of anyone I've ever met.) But I also wanted to teach E that it's not just about shopping and toys! So I asked her to help with the St. Jude's Campaign for a Cure. I kept the explanation simple, telling her that some kids don't have money to pay for doctors and when they get really, really sick St. Jude's hospital will help them no matter what. We made a list of friends and relatives to send letters to, and she filled out their names and signed her own to each one. She's going to give one of her own dollars for each donation envelope she gets back. I was so proud of her. Especially when she added "Mom + Dad" to her list.
It's such a weird time of year. "I want" hangs heavily in the air in a way it doesn't the rest of the year. I admit that I get caught up in the frenzy. I'm a bit of a shopaholic to begin with (shopping is my cardio and all that...fortunately for my credit card balance returning things is my cool-down :) I love giving gifts, and I hate giving cheap gifts. I'm trying to refocus, though, on meaningful gifts. Because there's a much greater meaning to this season of giving, and I don't ever want to forget that.
12.12.2009
12 Women
I've been thinking about a new feature to add to my blog for 2010 (sidebar: how is it possible that it's almost 2010?!)
I've decided that I want to feature one inspiring female each month. Women who are funny, creative, moving, honest, determined. Women who have motivated me to blog, to create, and even to be a better mother.
I have a preliminary list of my favorites, but tell me, who are your favorite women on the internet? Would love to know who the most popular are amongst you, and also maybe be introduced to some new "faces"!
Happy Holidays!
I've decided that I want to feature one inspiring female each month. Women who are funny, creative, moving, honest, determined. Women who have motivated me to blog, to create, and even to be a better mother.
I have a preliminary list of my favorites, but tell me, who are your favorite women on the internet? Would love to know who the most popular are amongst you, and also maybe be introduced to some new "faces"!
Happy Holidays!
12.10.2009
A 4-year-old's Christmas surprise
We're a Jeep family. We all drive some model of Jeep, even E has a pink Barbie Jeep. So she was super excited to see a Jeep-shaped cookie cutter in Daddy's 4WD magazine. She thought it would be a perfect Christmas gift for him, but wants to keep it a secret so he's surprised. Here's her plan to throw him off track:
E (stage-whispering to me within earshot of daddy): "I promise I won't tell Daddy we got him a Jeep cookie cutter for Christmas."
Then, to him: "Daddy, we're buying you a flower cookie cutter for Christmas."
Then stage-whispering to me again, so proud of herself: "I just told him that so he won't know we're getting him a Jeep cookie cutter!"
E (stage-whispering to me within earshot of daddy): "I promise I won't tell Daddy we got him a Jeep cookie cutter for Christmas."
Then, to him: "Daddy, we're buying you a flower cookie cutter for Christmas."
Then stage-whispering to me again, so proud of herself: "I just told him that so he won't know we're getting him a Jeep cookie cutter!"
12.08.2009
And the winner is...
Cheryl!
Cheryl wrote, "Oh my goodness. I would love to win this for my little girl. I am going to be doing a photo shoot with her this coming Jan. and I would love to get one with her and her dolly dressed in these aprons. I would then proudly hang it in my kitchen. So cute!"
We look forward to seeing your photos :)
Cheryl, please shoot me an email by Thursday at noelle823 at yahoo dot com so I can make arrangements to send this to you.
But wait...there's more....Tadpoles and Tulips is offering 15% off a custom order to anyone who entered the giveaway! Please email me for a coupon code. (The Tadpoles and Tulips Etsy shop is closed for the holidays but feel free to contact Tracy about custom orders for apron sets, twirl skirts, flirty tops, and more!)
Note: The winner was chosen using the random number generator at www.random.org
Cheryl wrote, "Oh my goodness. I would love to win this for my little girl. I am going to be doing a photo shoot with her this coming Jan. and I would love to get one with her and her dolly dressed in these aprons. I would then proudly hang it in my kitchen. So cute!"
We look forward to seeing your photos :)
Cheryl, please shoot me an email by Thursday at noelle823 at yahoo dot com so I can make arrangements to send this to you.
But wait...there's more....Tadpoles and Tulips is offering 15% off a custom order to anyone who entered the giveaway! Please email me for a coupon code. (The Tadpoles and Tulips Etsy shop is closed for the holidays but feel free to contact Tracy about custom orders for apron sets, twirl skirts, flirty tops, and more!)
Note: The winner was chosen using the random number generator at www.random.org
'Tis the season for pampering
Tis the season for pampering and for holiday cocktail parties. At polished: the skincare lounge you can have both! Check out my new post on bambini studio's blog featuring this unique, retro chic spa!
11.30.2009
The First Tears Have Been Shed / The Holiday Season Is Officially Here
First things first: there's still time to enter my super awesome blog giveaway! Leave a comment on that post to enter!
Next...how is it possible that Christmas is in less than four weeks? I'm way ahead of the game this year, and in better spirits than in recent years. Part of it is the fact that E is SO excited this year. Her enthusiasm is infectious. And her list reaches from here to the North Pole.
It doesn't help that her birthday is ten days after Christmas. I do all her shopping at once, so it feels like I'm spending way, way too much.
How much is too much to spend on a four-year-old?!
But we're also trying to teach her about the real spirit of Christmas. That it's not just about Santa, but Jesus. It's not only about what you get but also what you give. So we've gone to the store and picked out gifts giving trees. She's also helping me fill out donation requests for St. Jude's.
I think she gets it :)
Sure, there was a little incident this weekend when we went to the Christmas village lighting. She cried because we didn't want to wait outside in the cold for an hour to see Santa. She could care less about Santa. She just wanted the candy cane :)
I was like, let's just go somewhere warm and buy a whole box of candy canes. My husband said let's just wait, it's a big deal to her. I was all, but it's a candy cane. And he said, "she's four."
Point taken.
So we waited. And she got her candy cane. But I got something, too. A smile that stretched across her face. One that ten boxes of store-bought candy canes would never have created.
Totally worth it.
Next...how is it possible that Christmas is in less than four weeks? I'm way ahead of the game this year, and in better spirits than in recent years. Part of it is the fact that E is SO excited this year. Her enthusiasm is infectious. And her list reaches from here to the North Pole.
It doesn't help that her birthday is ten days after Christmas. I do all her shopping at once, so it feels like I'm spending way, way too much.
How much is too much to spend on a four-year-old?!
But we're also trying to teach her about the real spirit of Christmas. That it's not just about Santa, but Jesus. It's not only about what you get but also what you give. So we've gone to the store and picked out gifts giving trees. She's also helping me fill out donation requests for St. Jude's.
I think she gets it :)
Sure, there was a little incident this weekend when we went to the Christmas village lighting. She cried because we didn't want to wait outside in the cold for an hour to see Santa. She could care less about Santa. She just wanted the candy cane :)
I was like, let's just go somewhere warm and buy a whole box of candy canes. My husband said let's just wait, it's a big deal to her. I was all, but it's a candy cane. And he said, "she's four."
Point taken.
So we waited. And she got her candy cane. But I got something, too. A smile that stretched across her face. One that ten boxes of store-bought candy canes would never have created.
Totally worth it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
