I Heart ABC Family

Every year this happens. ABC Family suckers me in with their 25 Days of Christmas marathon of Christmas movies. Tonight was no exception. The kicker? December isn't even here yet and I'm hooked. Those ABC movies get me every time. I know the acting isn't phenomenal and the plot lines are completely predictable but there is something about a cheesy Christmas movie that puts me in the holiday spirit. Going along with my vow to really cherish winter and enjoy every moment, I'm promising myself I won't be a scrooge. I always LOVE Christmas but I let myself get too worried about keeping everyone else happy and trying to appease everyone. Make it to every party, have every present wrapped just so...but this year, little things will not stress me out. I will not spiral down the tunnel of bah hum bug and I am going to remember what the real reason for the season is. I'm focusing on family, and friends, and my faith. Happy that we are healthy and able to celebrate together. This month I want to do more "ABC Family movie" type things. Little favors for people, Christmas surprises, random acts of kindness. I know our lives aren't the movies and not everything can be perfect, but I can work at it....and to keep me motivated I'll just keep watching those cheesy Christmas movies. Everybody needs a little holiday cheer. Snuggle up and enjoy one. I know you'll love it...and you don't ever have to admit it!

Winter Wonderland...and Being Thankful

Here it is the night before Thanksgiving. My break has started. I had today off to just enjoy my husband and daughter. I am so thankful for all that I have...all that I've been given. We did some shopping, had our favorite lunch, and are now located at my in-law's in preparation for the holiday. It's no secret that I absolutely love the holiday season. Unfortunately, I don't respect the turkey. I love Thanksgiving, don't get me wrong it's great to focus on everything I am blessed to have, but I had to put up my tree last weekend. My hubby and I put on fun pajamas, dressed Jani in her Santa jams, and played Christmas tunes while we strung lights, put up the tree, and placed our favorite ornaments in all the right places. We had a fun time walking down memory lane, remembering all the times we had put up the tree and where each ornament had come from. It was wonderful and just what I needed to put myself in the holiday spirit.

I think here in Iowa, it's easy to enter a state of depression when winter draws closer. Everyone says they hate the cold, they hate the snow, they hate the darkness. We complain, and complain, and complain incessantly about how we'd love it to be done and how summer just needs to get here. I realized last week how easily I slip into this state of mind. Then, while listening to my fav Christmas CD, I started really hearing the words..."Walking in a winter wonderland", "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow", It's a marshmallow world in the winter"...These songs make winter seem so amazing, so completely wonderful. How is it that years ago, winter was embraced? And now we wish it away?

So I swore to myself...this year? I'm embracing all that is winter, all that is Christmas, all that is Iowa. I'll go for walks in the snow, savor my hot chocolate and peppermint coffee, put a smile on my face when the weatherman says to prepare for a storm. I'm going to enjoy seeing winter through my daughters eyes, wearing warm sweaters and comfy fleece pants, and cuddling with my husband on dark, snowy evenings. This year, the seasonal depression isn't going to get me down. I'm not going to spend winter like a typical Iowan. I promise.

And in two months, when there is three feet of snow on the ground, it's 30 below, and our heating bill is sky high, please remind me of this. I'll probably need a gentle nudge :)

All Smiles

We finally got Jani's 2 year pictures done. Since football is done, Doug is with us on Saturday mornings now. So we packed up the camera, drove through Starbuck's, got mommy a mocha, and headed to Hartman. We had a great time on a beautiful morning. Jani was all smiles and was ready to ham it up for the camera. I never know what I'll get from her. Sometimes she wants to perform for mommy...other times she just wants mommy to hold her. We got lucky on this one :)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (giveaway)

Can you believe it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards already?! Last year, I made some amazing cards from Shutterfly.  The adorable character on the card helped too ;) So this year, after much deliberation, I'm looking at a few designs. They had more Christmas cards than I even knew what to do with!! This one, or this one,  or this one...or a slew of many others. I seriously can't decide. I think I'm going to have to figure out outfits before I select the cards! I'm also planning on making some Christmas gifts on there this year. I made an awesome picture mug that I love using at work. It's such a great way to keep Jani with me all day long and people get to see her as I walk around school! Pretty sure a calendar is going to be in the works as well. I've been trying to find a way to showcase a lot of photos to put on display. It definitely is the most wonderful time of the year....

But the most wonderful part about this!? I have 3 sets of 25 free Shutterfly holiday cards to give away!! So three winners are going to win free Shutterfly holiday cards!!

How to enter: Become a follower of this blog and then comment on this post with your favorite Shutterfly card design. If you already follow, just comment with your fav. Three lucky winners will get codes to go on and order their free cards! Good luck!

Giveaway ends on November 14 at midnight.

Pay It Forward

Go into any store right now and you will be greeted by Christmas trees, Christmas music, and Christmas sales. We just said goodbye to Halloween, haven't even welcomed Thanksgiving, yet there Christmas is...slapping us in the face. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the music, love the food, LOVE the shopping. So today, instead of being ba-hum-bug and cursing the sales industry, I embraced the holiday spirit. I decided to go to Starbucks this morning, ready to grab myself one of those signature red cups and a peppermint mocha. My favorite holiday indulgence. After ordering, I got up to the window to pay. I quickly decided to pay for the car behind me. I have wanted to do this for a very long time, hearing many people talk about either doing this or having it happen to them.

Upon glancing in my rear view mirror I saw that my lucky receiver was a college student. The B parking sticker hanging in her window gave her away. I was quickly caught up in knowing her story. What was her major? Was she headed to class? Was she hung over from the night before? Questions ran through my head as I watched her pull up to the window. I realized quickly that it was worth the money. The smile on her face, the sheer astonishment that she didn't have to pull out her wallet, was something that I hope keeps the holiday spirit alive in my heart for the next 51 days. 'Tis the season people...pay it forward

Dear Parent

Dear Parent,

Thank you for coming to Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you for valuing your child's education and coming to hear about their progress. I need you to please remember that we are a team. I am not out to judge you or your parenting. I am not out to make you feel like you aren't giving your child what you need. I'm here for your student...and I'm here for you. When you have questions about how to help your child at home, ask me. When you are wondering what your child spends their day doing, ask me. When you are worried that your child isn't  making the progress you want, ask me. Please don't feel like school is a bad place, or a scary place, or a place where your time and opinion isn't valued. Together, we need to challenge your child. We need to stretch their abilities, stretch their minds, help them go to places they didn't think they could go.

We also need to help this child see that learning is valued, speaking to adults in a disrespectful way is not acceptable, and treating others the way we don't want to be treated is not how we make friends. I need you to help your child understand that I do have authority, that my opinion does matter, and that I can set consequences for poor choices and less than desirable behaviors. If your child does not see me this way, I am unable to help them learn to the best of their abilities.

Allow us to work together. See me as an advocate for your child. Help your child value their education. Remember that I love your child, I want them to succeed, and I am going to do everything I can to see to it that this happens. Please, let me teach them.

Signed,
Your child's teacher

(I felt compelled to post this after I wrote it during a break at conferences...sums up my thoughts and feelings for these few days.)