Christmas time

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and I started thinking, which is actually not that often, as I am in a constant panic about not getting everything done on time. Anyway, I digress, I started to think about what Christmas actually means to my daughter.

I am guessing for her, Christmas means candy canes, decorated trees, lots of food, and of course Santa and presents. I am trying to encourage her to think of Christmas as a time to be good and kind to others (though this should be all the time), and an occasion to spend and enjoy time with people you care about and care about you. It is nevertheless hard to compete with presents.

We are not a religious family. I did not grow up in a very religious household, but when I was little, my parents did take my sister and I to church almost every Sunday – I vaguely recall making crafts and colouring stuff. When I was older, I enjoyed some of the pageantry and rituals associated with going to church, but I definitely did not like sitting through the sermons. Yet, even with my lack of attention during my 'religious' upbringing, I do remember the Christmas story.

My daughter has never stepped foot in a church, okay, that is not completely true, her school concerts take place in an auditorium inside a church, and I think we had to go to one to vote, but you know what I mean. (And, this blog is not really about how I am introducing, or in this case, not introducing religion to my daughter.)

Well, I figure the easiest way to find out what my little one is thinking about is to just ask her.

And here is what she told me: Christmas is time for family.

I think she knows exactly what Christmas is all about.

Giving Thanks

We took a short break from turkey day/turkey weekend to think about what we are thankful for (and to digest).

I am thankful for so many things, but I can make it simple by saying I am thankful for my life.

Yes, there are times when I wished I was someone else, but for the most part I am very happy with where I was and where I am right now (thank you to everyone in my life). And though there are also times when I wonder what would have happened if I made different choices, I would not change a thing if it meant not having my family. As well, as much as I love my darling husband, I am most thankful for my little girl.

And here are the things that my precious little one is thankful for (in no particular order):

• she is thankful for her grandmothers, though after some questions, and prompting, she included the rest of her family, including her parents

• she is thankful for her shoes (which by the way, are usually bought by her grandmothers)

• she is thankful for the Earth, because that is the source of her presents (including shoes)

What are you thankful for?

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

I have become a walking Disney ad....

My sort of first review…

Recently, I have discovered that I have become a walking advertisement for Disney. I never thought this was going to happen, but there I was, spewing the wonders that is a Disney Cruise.

Maybe I am still experiencing some sort of post-vacation bliss (unlike my last vacation). However, you would think this blissfulness would have ended after doing three loads of laundry, discovering that I have to cleanup after myself (and the family); purchasing and preparing my own food; and finding out that there is no room service button on my phone…

I guess this is why I really enjoyed this cruise; I actually felt like I had a vacation!

Sure the ship was gorgeous, the weather was great, the shows were spectacular, and the food was yummy (a little too yummy, as I found out that I did not need to use a belt by the end of the week…). But most importantly, unlike our last vacation, we were able to have time away from our child. It was nice to spend some time alone with my husband, even if it was just sitting on deck to read a book together.

This vacation, after learning my lesson from our previous one, I wanted a set of grandparents to come with us. But it turned out I did not need free babysitting after all (I am still glad they came). The price of the cruise included a children program (for those three and older, and toilet trained). And my child LOVED the program. Given the option between hanging out with her folks or going to the ‘club’, she picked the ‘club’ every time. I am not sure if I should be happy or offended about this…

I really have to hand it to Disney for the effort they put in to make children happy, which in turn makes parents happy. Their children program was great, my little one got to spend time with kids her age, make crafts, watch movies, dance with Snow White, read to by Belle, and play with all sort of other characters! For parents, the program is very flexible; we can drop her off for five minutes or for the entire day, as the club is open until midnight on most nights (but we never did). AND you can leave the ship! So the night that we docked until 1am at Key West, the grown ups left the ship and went out for a drink!

As much as I love her, and want to spend time with my child, I need a little bit of time away from her to recharge my own batteries. So this vacation allowed us to spend time together as a family, and be able to do our own thing. I think this is the recipe for a great vacation, at least for this family.

And yes, the Disney cruise was loud, but what do you expect with a boat full of small and excitable children, and the lineups to see the characters were long, though I heard it is still much better than the line up at the parks, and it is a bit pricier than some other cruises, but this cruise pass the ultimate test:

When asked if she would like to go another Disney Cruise, my daughter said “OF COURSE” with a big giant smile.

Now if only I can win the lottery to pay for the next one…

after the vacation

Ahhh…. Family vacations… Am I the only person who routinely thinks that I need a vacation after my vacation? Do not get me wrong, I had a great time last week going to Mexico with my family; BUT it was exhausting! To try and get as much ‘fun’ time in, I do not think we once slept past 8! (And I found out that the breakfast buffet line grows exponentially after 9am)

No matter how much fun family vacations are, I think they can be very stressful. I think, we (or maybe just me) might have reached our limit of ‘together time’. I mean at home, we have our own lives, husband goes to work, kid is in school, and I can have some alone time each day to gather my thoughts, or at least regain some sanity. On vacation, we were together ALL THE TIME – from morning till night, and through the night, since we were in the same hotel room! As much as I love my child, sometimes I just need a little break from her (and the husband). I am sure they feel the same way about me.

So, as I was thinking up ways to escape my family, I noticed that many people were travelling in groups – there were a lot of three-generation families travelling together. Yep there they were; baby, mommy/daddy, and grandma and grandpa.

I have to admit that once I became a teen, I no longer wished to travel with my folks (still wanted them to pay for everything though), but now that I have a kid, I really really want my parents, and/or my in-laws, to come on vacation with me. I wonder if this is becoming a trend, after all, there is nothing quite like dependable, FREE babysitting. I think this is a win-win situation. The grandparents get to spend some fun time with the kids, and the parents get to have a VACATION! So, despite the fact that my dad still treats me like I am five, I am all for him coming with me the next time.

Really... Where is my brain?

So, I did something a bit silly yesterday; I bought myself a new toy... A very expensive new toy (not so expensive that it will put my daughter's college tuition in jeopardy...but still…).

I really do not need a new toy, but I really, really, wanted one. It was not a complete impulse buy. I did think about it for a few months, okay, most likely weeks, before I finally decided to go for it. I still feel a little bit bad, but I am enjoying the thing way too much to feel too guilty.

I think my dad is right; sometimes money is there to be spent, as long as it is not too ridiculous. It is probably better to buy the thing than to subject my poor family to me pining away for one all the time.

In the end, I guess the lesson is that: sometimes it is okay to get myself an expensive present, as long as I am responsible with my purchase choices for the next couple of months, and I should not be expecting a big Christmas present...

Now back to playing with my new toy.... And oh! Check out those boots!