Thursday, November 27, 2008

O Christmas Tree



The day after Thanksgiving dawns bright and early. Millions of shopppers are poised at retail outlets ready to scoop up the post-holiday specials. I, myself am tucked snuggly in bed with my husband listening to the sounds my 3 children make as they start their morning. I am looking forward to this day of early Christmas preparations and lazy post Thanksgiving food.

My children however are looking forward to hunting down the best tree for our humble living room. They chatter about the decorations, the lights and their favorite ornaments from years gone by. After a brief internet search for local tree farms I settle on one only 10 miles down the road. In fact a neighbor of one of our friends, so I knew right where to go.

The boys jumped out of the car practically before it was parked. They ran towards the entrance and immediately were drawn to the fire pit. The fire held their interest for about 2 minutes before they laid eyes on the two beautiful, brown coated, tail waging girls barking in their pen.

I walked over to the Douglas Fir trees standing so nobly in a line. This one looks nice. It's about the right height. Ow, $55 a little more than I was expecting for small town Tennessee. I wonder over to the long needle White Pines. A fun little shape and surprisingly soft needles. I contemplate this variety of tree for a bit but decide the weight of my larger ornaments will pull down the fragile branches. So back to the first tree I liked for a second look. I move on down to the taller and fuller trees. $95, $135, $155....Well that certainly makes my $55 tree look like a bargain. Excuse me mister but I think I'll take this tree.

I gather the family in front of our treasure and point my camera in their general direction hoping I can capture a smile on each one of those dirty but adorable faces. I'm rather successful and without to much ado the tree is packaged and tied to the top of the car for our proud drive home.

The lights, What about the lights? Do we have enough? Will they still work from last year? O shoot, we better stop at the Walmart on the way home. No use making two trips. But wait a minute...It's Black Friday....Walmart? Seriously???

Seriously, we pulled into the crowded parking lot, but edged our way over to the garden center entrance. "Less people over here!" I think to myself. As the electronic doors open with that swish of a noise it makes, I hold my breath to see what mayhem lays before me. I see no one. Not literally, but seriously, no one is in line! I can't believe my luck. I immediately see the $2.98 light sets and think these will work. I grab 6 boxes then foolishly walk over to the larger display of lights to contemplate all my options. 400 light strands, LEDs, Red, Colored, Blinking, Netted, I could go on. I stand there dumbfounded while my children run around and my poor husband tries to coral them into better behavior. Having achieved Christmas light overload, I look down at the boxes in my arms and think "I'm sure these ones will do".

Now I'm not so lucky. There is a line about 6 people long. How did this happen? Where did all these people come from? Just a minute ago I could have walked out of here in 30 seconds flat.

After paying for our purchase I walk out of Walmart holding my youngest sons hand. He spots our tree perched on top of our car and says "Mom, we're the luckiest family at Walmart" and I agree. "Yes, Yes we are."

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What About Me?

When I woke up this morning, my beloved, Bruce was still in bed with me. This has got to be a sign of a good day. No School for the Kids and No Work for the Husband...pure together Family Time! But wait a minute, it dawns on me. I still have chiropractor visits, allergy shots, last minute holiday errands and pre-Thanksgiving food prep ahead of me. Not to mention the never ending laundry, dishes, vacuuming and other household chores one would like to have completed before friends and family descend upon ones home. Where is the change in routine for me? "Where is my holiday?" I think to myself. Oh, but that is where the danger lies. When one begins to ask..."What about me?"

"What about me?" results in...walking in the door after hours of errands and only seeing what still needs to be done. The children not dressed, lunch still on the table and kids in front of the TV with eyes glazed over as if they have been there for hours. A few cranky words are spoken and children and spouse disappear from view. "Good", I think to myself. Now I can put the groceries away in peace. Once I have eaten lunch and my blood sugar returns to normal the scene replays in my mind..."Now there will be peace?" on what planet could I believe that true. Does the absence of my family bring me peace? Of course not. So I humbly trudge up the stairs to find my husband sorting laundry. My bed has been made, my bathroom cleaned and all the children's rooms picked up and clean. Even the yucky boys bathroom is sparkling. All this accomplished while I ran errands.

So "What about Me?" I have a husband and children who want to please me. Want to make my day easier and want what I want too. A home where every day is a holiday when we get to spend time together. Yes, today will be a good day.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

School Mornings

I just dropped the kids off at school and I am home creating my first blog post. The older kids missed the bus, or I should say woke up after the bus pick up time. The younger one, Andrew, came to my bed to cuddle instead of getting dressed. Needless to say we had a rushed morning. On mornings such as these I wonder "how can I help this go better next time?" And the answer always seems to be "Wake up earlier and get your tired self out of bed to crack the whip on those kids!" But I never like that answer. First of all it requires personal responsibility, ugh. Shoot, that's something we've been working on with our kids.... And I've been wondering why our lessons are not sinking in.

So come Monday morning, I, Jennifer Crow, will drag my tired, oh, so not ready for the morning, self out of bed to lead my children through their morning. Then maybe, just maybe, our mornings will run more smoothly and the lesson of personal responsibility just might have a surface to sink into.