Christmas Cards

The fact that Shutterfly is giving away 50 free holiday cards to people who blog about them inspired me to write this post.

Write a letter, send a picture or do nothing at all. That's what I've been wondering. So these are my options with pro's and con's.

Do Nothing:
Pro's
- I don't have to give time to the Christmas card/picture activity.
- I avoid jumping on the big comparison wagon that I get myself into. Does anyone else feel like Christmas card/letter tradition starts to be a contest for you?
Con's
- I fear if I don't send something, people will stop sending something to me.

Send a Letter
Pro's
- I get to tell people about our life right now - what the kids are up to, Robertson Electric, etc.
- I like reading other people's letters.
Con's
- I have to try and write an interesting, make-you-want-to-read-it letter.
- I have to ponder for weeks if I should tell people about my blogs in the letter. Should I or shouldn't I?

Send a Picture
Pro's
- I get to make more use of the pictures we had taken this fall.
- I love getting adorable Christmas pictures in the mail, so I like to return the favor.
Con's
- I'll spend too much time deciding which cute design to use. I really like the Starlight Snowflakes and Red Revamped and that's without looking much. 
- I'm sure I won't like how I look in whatever picture I decide to send.
- I may actually worry that people think I'm only sending them a picture to show them how cute I think my kids are when actually I just send pictures to people I want to wish a Merry Christmas.

Can you guess what I'll decide to do since I just went to this effort to blog for 50 free photo cards? 

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! I love this day where I got to ponder with family all the amazing blessings I've been given.

This week one of my freshman students was so excited to show me the new outfit he'd been given. Through being part of the Big Brother Big Sister program, he was given $100 to spend at Gordman's.

"Hey Mrs Robertson, Do you like my new outfit?"

I realized this student probably rarely ever gets new clothes, and that might be the least of his worries. I already knew I was pathetic, but this sure put my birthday disappointment in perspective, especially when I had a meeting with his dad later that day. The dad didn't know his own son's birthday. He probably has too many other big things in life to worry him.

I felt so humbled. How must it feel to be a parent and not be able to provide your kids with nice new clothes? Can you imagine not feeling like you had enough food for your kids to eat?

Today not only do I feel extremely grateful. I feel encouraged to give. I'm sure people in need will be more grateful than I understand when they're are blessed by people giving to them.

 

Ring Those Bells

I had a blast last night ringing a bell with my friend Brooke. We stood outside a grocery store and froze our toes off, but the amount of people watching, laughing and talking we accomplished was well worth it. Watching people donate money to the Salvation Army was pretty neat too. Thankfully the nice older gentleman man who Brooke thought I commented, "Look he has a limp!" still gave some money. I really said, "Look he has a list!" It was sometimes hard to hear over our vigorous bell ringing.

I would highly recommend be a bell ringer this year, especially if you have someone you want to hang out with for a couple of hours. I read today they are having a shortage of bell ringers so go sign up.  I'm considering giving another couple of hours this year.

Rave Reviews

Brad,
Thank you for the great job upgrading my electric panel. If you need a reference you can give my name. Thanks again.

I did NOT make that up. Someone actually sent that note with their payment. Have you ever thought of writing a note when you pay a bill? This guy thought Brad was so nice he wrote him that note. How nice is that! Must mean Brad's a rather nice electrician.

Birthday Issue

I had some great things happen to me because of my birthday.

I got flowers!  

I got some really cute cards.

I got to go spend a whole afternoon with just my husband at that great Nebraska vs Missouri football game. I wish I had one of those at the football game couple shots, but we went camera-less that day.

I got the infamous birthday box of goodies from my mother-in-law.

I got to go out to eat with my sister and baby nephew. 

I got some great new clothes and other nice presents. 

Of course, I had an abundant amount of postings on my "wall."

Clearly, I had lots of nice things that happened because of my birthday, and I'm very thankful for all those things.

Don't let anything else I say make you think otherwise.   
I really look forward to birthdays. I love presents. I love thinking that I get a day where I'm the one that people should make feel special. My vision of a great birthday includes me only doing things I want to do for at least several days surrounding the birthday, someone cleaning my entire house for a month, eating at my favorite restaurants, and lots of fabulous presents. It's all about me, me and me. It's my day where I get to feel as special as I always want to feel.

With expectations like that, who isn't going to be disappointed? Plus I'm a mother of two little people who have no idea the day and week is about me, a husband who doesn't quite understand my birthday fever, and I'm not smart enough to take my 30th birthday off of work. Duh!

I still hate to think I need to lower my expectation because I associate that with older people who don't get excited about their birthday. I always want to be excited about my birthday, but I'm really working on getting a grip on this issue. If you would've read what I wrote last year regarding my thoughts on birthdays (I didn't post it.), then you would pat me on the back for making progress. Actually, I'm probably not because my birthday last year... I'm not going to go there.

What am I doing to get a grip?

1. Really if I would put all the nice things that happened to me because I had a birthday and pretend they all happened in one day then I would have no disappointment.
2. It did occur to me this year I need to stop figuring my self worth based on how special I feel on my actual birthday.
3. I actually prayed this year that I'd have a good attitude about my birthday. I think it helped.
4. What do I do to make other people feel extra special on their birthday? Not enough in light of how I feel about the day.  


Thanks for reading my musings, and thanks again to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday in any way shape or form. I'm clearly needing some continued refining! Anyone else have issues with their birthday?

Oh yes - Robertson Electric is still in business, and someday I'll blog again about what he is doing. I'm pretty sure it will be more interesting than my birthday musings, so get ready.

Losing It

Blogging is amazing! I blogged about thinking I'd never find time to put Wyatt's pictures in a book, and now he has pictures from the first seven months in a book. It's a start at least.

Since blogging about that caused it to happen I thought maybe it would help if I blogged about how we seem to lose things all the time at our house. Losing something makes me feel like I must be losing my mind. It makes me feel I must be completely unorganized and scatterbrained. Then I become more scatterbrained while I think constantly about where that thing could possibly be.

I've given up on trying to find where our blue nose sucker from the hospital went even though I still often lament losing it. We were missing an 's' from a puzzle for a while, but it was miraculously found at the sitters house when they were cleaning out their toys. Sunday I couldn't find our key ring with all the key fabs then they randomly appeared on our closet floor. I really feel like we're always looking for something.

Currently I can't quit thinking about where Baby, the fifth member of our family for some time now, is hiding.
I've opened ever cupboard and drawer, checked places three times, asked the neighbors, asked people who have never seen Baby in their life, and Baby is still lost. Elliana mentioned something about hiding it on purpose, but I think she would've unhid it by now if that's the case.

I've worried that some middle school kid at the park picked Baby up and hurt her or that she was dropped in a parking lot and run over or that she's sitting in some lost and found somewhere. I suppose I could call all the places we've been in the last two weeks that might have a lost and found. I'll see how desperate I get.

We have many dolls but Baby has always been Elliana's special doll. It's impossible to make her share Baby without a major meltdown occurring. Without Baby Elliana has nothing to push in her stroller and no one to put to bed with her at night. I guess "Puppy" could take Baby's place but I see that phase ending at some point.



It just really feels sad to lose a toy that's been almost like a friend to your child for such a long time. I'm sure she's going to be completely fine, and almost is already, but if we never find Baby I think I'm going to have to go through some sort of mourning process. Maybe I already am.

Would you all help me think? Have you seen Baby in the last two weeks?

My Poor 2nd Child

If you're interesting in an issue in my life that is currently causing me stress, read on.

Elliana has two picture books full from her first year of life. Wyatt has zero. I know that's typical to not have as many pictures for any child following your first, but he should at least have some pictures in a book.  Some of them are printed, but none are in a book. It makes me so sad, and it makes me feel stressed because I have no idea when I'm going to get it done. It's been on my list of things to do for well over a year, all the while I keep taking more pictures of him and the problem compounds.

It's one of those perfectionistic things that I can't start because it's going to take time to get it done right. Partly I can't get started because I don't feel like I have all the pictures printed I want in his book.  I really feel like I can't get started because I never have a time period long enough to work on it. Maybe it would be better to just make a book online but then what do I do with all the pictures I've already printed and I would still need time to do that. I need 2 consecutive snow days after a few days off. When I am ever going to get this done? When?!

This little man deserves at least one picture book. Doesn't he? Any wisdom out there for me?