Christmas Traditions

Today I happened to be reading an article on FoxNews.com and I thought at first it was going to be another attempt to de-Christmas-ize our society. After reading through the whole article it really made sense to me!


Article


I LOVE this idea. It's so unfortunate that kids today think that Christmas is all about presents! Now, I am by no means a weekly church goer. I usually feel compelled to attend church on Christmas and Easter and an occasional Sunday in between. My biggest excuse for not attending is that I don't want to join a church and then move and have to join another church. I want to buy a house, then become fully invested in my neighborhood and community, including the church. I do, however, greatly value my upbringing and my involvement as a child in our local parish. I grew up Lutheran and I LOVED the Christmas Eve sermon. It was always about a really good story that I knew well since I was a kid. We got to light candles, they would turned off the lights and we would sing Silent Night...one of my all time favorite Christmas carols.

The thought of my son growing up without a soft and loving memory like that really makes me sad. I don't think he necessarily needs to grow up with a memory from church, but a memory that doesn't involve his favorite toy or how many gifts he got to open would be nice!

Since I met my husband and we've started a family, we've already spent a couple Christmas' away from my family back home. We have had to start our own traditions and I'm trying really hard not to create "greedy" ones. For instance, we have had artichokes on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember! My brother also joined us this year and he provided the Schmidt's Bakery rye bread that gets spread with Cheez Whiz and sprinkled with green olives. I bought some crab legs and we made salmon. I've always made cookies and this year was no exception with the help of my cousin. The food at Christmas time is so special and unique, it's one of my favorite parts of the holidays.

After dinner we sat down with a glass of wine and allowed my son to dive head first into the presents that he had been so patiently waiting for. He opened a few that had clothes and other items, but with the first toy he opened the angst to open more vanished! He couldn't wait to play with the toy and he didn't care if there were others under the tree. I practically had to beg him to open a couple more and then I just gave up. We did get them all opened by the end of Christmas Day, but it started me thinking. Obviously as a child we aren't programed to be gift getting gobblers. One toy was absolutely enough for him. Granted he's two and I'm sure that mindset will change, but does it have to? The dollar amount of the toy may go up, but he doesn't have to be inundated with toys and lights and games, he was perfectly happy with one. I hope to nurture that feeling for as long as I can. I hope that as he grows up he understands that it's not the quality or quantity of the gift, its the relationships you have and the thought behind the gifts that is the true meaning of his tradition.

In true two-year-old fashion for the next three days he asked to open presents, but this time of year I can see how he is confused. A couple weeks before Christmas we always go to my husband's grandmother's house for dinner and he gets a gift there, then we have Christmas, and there is usually some sort of additional family get together where he gets to open presents yet again. Perhaps next year I will just wrap up some empty boxes, or better yet, take his toy apart and wrap the individual pieces, because it's not the item that he's after...it's the actual unwrapping that he craves (how often does mom allow you to rip paper and make a big mess??)


To wrap up my tangent (pun intended), I will say this...family traditions have lasted me much longer than any of my childhood toys. To me, that is what is so special during this season. As we look into the New Year, perhaps we can all start appreciating the smaller things more.

Black "Eye" Friday

My Black Friday Story.


Black Friday is always a conundrum for me. As I grew up, we lived about 80 miles away from any major chain store, so there really wasn't any desire to wake up at 2AM to make it to the stores in time for a good deal. This year, my mom and I looked through the fliers and tried to gauge whether we were going to brave the crowds or not (I've since moved to a big city and the major chain stores are right down the street) I tried to see if there was anything I was willing to get punched in the face for...there really wasn't.


So we slept in, woke up and I made cinnamon rolls, we drank coffee and played with the wee one. We had a very relaxing morning. Around 11:00AM we decided that there were a few things that we thought might be worth the crowds and headed out to the local mall. Our plan was for the husband to drop my mom and I off at the door and then look for a good spot with no hurry. It just so happened that we walked into the right department, found the exact item we were looking for, and it happened to be the last one! My mom also found a few other things she was looking for while I stood in the checkout line. The lines weren't long, there were plenty of staff around to help, people weren't rude, and everyone seemed to be in a pleasant state of mind. This is how shopping should be, not just regular shopping, but Christmas Shopping to boot!


The absolute worst story I heard about this year was that of the man from New York...

This day should have been termed "Black-Eye Friday". Not only do we hear about altercations every year on this day, but someone actually lost their LIFE! And all those people that didn't bother to think about their actions just kept on shopping. There were lines outside the store all day. Wal-Mart didn't even bother to close it's doors to restore order after this mishap. They just kept filing the people right by "Oh, don't mind the man lying on the floor, the Plasma TV's are over there." This just makes me sick to my stomach. I think Christmas has truely lost it's meaning when things like this happen. To think that in this day with the economy down, unemployement up, and everything else going to hell in a hand-basket that people would be able to focus on the more imporatant things like health and life. Unfortunately in America with the mass consumerism we just focus on where we can get our X-box the cheapest. This year, we will exchange gifts, but there will also be a lesson at my house on the 24th. I plan to teach my son about the meaning of peace on Earth and good-will towards man. I'll make sure, as he grows up, that he knows this time of year is about merriment and joy, about giving not receiving, and about family values and recognizing those that we love. In addition, we can have the fun Santa traditions and trimming the Christmas tree, in my house and heart there is room for it all.

So to all that I love, Merry Christmas and I hope we have a better New Year.

Holiday Cleaning

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. My mom is flying in tonight and we are having my in-laws and my aunt and uncle over for dinner. Yes, dinner at my house! The husband and I spent all last night cleaning, getting to bed at around midnight. I must say, it's the cleanest our house has been in a very long time. I always bust my butt to get things just so before company comes over, I think its a throw-back to my childhood. Besides, it's one thing to wallow in your own filth, it's a whole different thing to wallow in someone else's filth. It's amazing how much crap we can accumulate in just a month. The last major cleaning was in Oct when my son's birthday party was held at our house. I love lists, so here is a list of clutter that bugs me the most.

1. Mail. Junk mail, real mail, invitations, announcements, bills...I never know when to throw something away. Obviously you throw away invites after the party has come and gone, but what about all that other mail? Cards from birthdays or other holidays. Someone took time out of their life to pick this card out for you and then you read it and throw it away? That is sort of callous don't you think? Junk mail you think is junk, you throw it away and all the sudden your credit card company says "we've raised your rates because you didn't call to tell us not to.(?!?!?) We sent you a letter about this." (me) "well, you send me about 5 letters a week and 99.9% of them are trash. How can I decipher the trash from the important stuff?" Needless to say I cancelled that card.
2. Random crappy toys. You all know what I'm talking about. The crappy toys you get in Happy Meals or the ones that you get a kids birthday party. My son seems to think that these are way better than the $20 toys he gets from his birthday...I think for Christmas I'm getting him a wooden spoon and a cardboard box. Imagine the possibilities!
3. Empty CD cases. I usually try to re-purpose these for CD's with pictures on them or what have you, however, the majority of mine are cracked (from hiding underneath clothes and getting stepped on). Do I save it? A sub-point to this one is also the random CDs that you didn't mark...are they precious day of birth pictures or is it an empty CD? Who has time to sit there and read all the CDs?? From now on I mark all the important ones!
4. Paper DVD covers. Why????? Why to companies put that crap on their DVDs? The plastic cover isn't good enough? Inevitably I always find about 3-4 of them underneath my TV table...I've relinquished to just throwing them away.
5. Random nails, paper clips, broken wheels, and other such crap. First off, let me say, I love having a junk drawer. This drives my husband crazy! He shudders to think of an entire space dedicated solely to crap (drawers are limited in my house so I have a "junk shoe organizer" hanging on the back of my closet door). I, however, feel comforted by it. When I need just one nail, I don't have to wade through his tool box to find it, I can look in the "junk rack" and find it just as easily (and less dirty). I can also throw crap in there that doesn't have a specific home...it's great. I feel like Monica on Friends. Did you all see that episode when Chandler found her secret closet? I am by no means as much of a neat freak as she, but it's still funny and so true.

Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very happy holiday season. I also hope that at least some of you have to clean your house for relatives and you will know exactly what I'm talking about!!

Why do people come to work sick?

You know when you are sick, the aching back, the cloudy feeling in your brain, it feels like someone is standing on your chest and squeezing your head.
So my questions is, when you feel that bad...

WHY COME TO WORK?!?

I am all for companies automatically giving you days off for being sick that don't count towards PTO. Can you imagine the kind of efficiency you could have if only one person took one day off versus 18 people taking 18-20 days off?
As you have probably guessed, I have recently caught the horrible cold that everyone at my office has been sharing. I don't know who it started with, but every day I would hear someone else sniffling and hacking. I vehemently defied the virus with everything I could, but finally, it infiltrated my cloud of disinfectant and hand sanitizer. Damn you cold virus!
So now, I'm the annoying sniffer and I have to put people on hold for my coughing fits. I get the "oh, you sound sick. You poor thing" with every phone call (regardless of whether I even know the person on the other end!) I take my daily regiment of DayQuil and vitamin C. At night have the the Breathe Right nose patches and my lovely, lovely NyQuil (Dennis Leery was so right!)
But couldn't this have been avoided by the first person saying to themselves, "I don't feel good. My job is not that important to where someone wouldn't miss me for one day if I took the day off and prevented the cold virus from contaminating the entire office thus infecting all of my co-workers." No, that first person decided that they needed to get to work and share their lovely germs with all of us.
I guess it's THAT time of year again. Cold and Flu season. Perhaps big corporations can start making that into a holiday to spread the wealth? You could have a gift exchange of decongestants. They could sell cards that when you open them spray you with disinfectant. We could decorate our homes with Kleenex and those silver bubble wrappers that pills come in. We could go door to door and people could hand out Halls lozenges. We could have people dress up like bacteria and sit in malls with kids getting their picture taken with them. This holiday could make up for the lack of holidays in the months of January - March (seriously, we go from Christmas to no time off until Memorial Day!) It's just a thought. With our sagging economy we could just add another gift giving holiday in there and people would eat it up.

Maybe it's just me and my DayQuil talking, but have I gotten my point accross that I hate being sick?

This magical time of year.

There's something about the this time of year, the first snow, the warm baking of fragrant goodies wafting through the house, the wonderful sounds of laughter coming from small children as they play during family get-together's...that is until the first snow turns into the first hour long commute, the fragrant goodies turned black because you forgot to set the timer, the sounds of laughter turn to tears because "she hit me", and the family get-together's turn into long marathons. Of course, none of us have ever experienced any of those things!

Major holidays have long since been my Nemesis. I tend to hurt myself only on days that the banks (and some hospitals, at least in a rural town) are closed. In fourth grade on the 4th of July I ran into a horseshoe pole that just so happened to be freshly cut, then pounded into the ground (rough edges). This incident left a large gash in my right shin. On Thanksgiving one year I was opening a can of cranberries and like an idiot tried to pry the lid off by holding the freshly cut lid between my middle finger and thumb...sliced them to the bone. I broke my arm one year two days before Easter, and let's not get started on the croquet wickets. Most recently, though not a major holiday, I sliced the tip of my thumb off the day before my son's birthday. I guess I get so excited on holidays that I forget my brain.

Now that I'm older...and know my enemy well. I tend to be a little more careful on those special days. I shy away from putting Christmas lights on the roof, I don't light candles, I no longer open cans on major holidays, and I rub a rabbits foot then turn around three times and throw a penny into a wishing well before opening the oven door. Okay, so maybe that last one is a little much, but everything counts right? No one wants to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas in the Emergency Room!

So this year, along with your baking and cooking needs, remember to stock the first aid kit too! You never know when I may be coming to dinner!!!

Election Day

Thank goodness this day is here – and nearly over! I for one cannot stand another smear commercial about those running for political office! Whatever happened to letting people know what you stand for? If I listened to those commercials, I would have no idea who to believe, what to think, or what they stand for regarding the politicians in my state. Here are a few of my biggest pet peeves this election.
The money spent on smear ads.
It really makes me sad to think of all the money that is being spent on TV ads with half truths about other candidates. Tell me what YOU plan to do about the economy or the housing markets. Tell me what YOUR stance is on health care and education. I do not care if you used to be on Saturday Night Live or if some rich guy buys you suits. If I had a dollar for every commercial I heard about someone not being "fit for office" or someone else having "Bush politics" I would be able to put on my own Obama-mertial (which happens to be another example of money “well” spent.) The most unfortunate thing is I think most people really do get their opinions from these commercials and head to the polls miss-informed. That is the true travesty of our nation. No one bothers to do any research when making a decision.
You know what would really impress me, if someone ran a commercial saying exactly what they plan to do while in office and then donated all the leftover campaign funds to a charity. Now that would get my vote.
“Bush Politics”.
This concept that George Bush has his own set of politics and that he has such a commanding grip on the entire GOP that everyone within that party is a drone working solely to help out Bush and his ideology is completely ridiculous. Enter our right to vote leaders into office that will do the best job regardless of whether they are DP or GOP.
Everything is the [enter current presidential party here]’s fault because the current president is [repeat party name here].
Congress currently has a democratic majority. (In the 2006 election the Democratic Party won the majority for the first time in 75 years. In 2007 the Democrats gained the majority seats in the Senate - www.senate.gov and elections.foxnews.com). This means that the Democratic majority Congress and the Republican President had to be in agreement in order to pass things into law. I am no expert, but I'm pretty sure that if the president made all the decisions all by himself we would no longer be a democracy. Last I checked we were still in the United States of America. I’ll sit back and let anyone blame Bush, but when people start to generalize everyone into the same category, that’s where I get heated. It’s like saying “Oh, you’re from Ohio? I know a guy from Ohio that robbed a bunch of people. That must mean that you are a robber too.” This type of sweeping statement is just ignorant. Everyone should get a fair chance. Oh and by the way, Bush did win the last election so if you want to place blame, talk to the voter majority in 2004.
People that make fun of McCain because he can’t raise his arms above his head.
Seriously? Would you make fun of someone that lost a leg in Iraq? Would you make fun of someone that has burns scars all over their face as a result of an IED attack? NO! I don't know anyone, not even the most cynical person can ethically or morally do that. Click here or here to read the facts about why John McCain has limited mobility in his arms. I just want people to know that regardless of your political views, John McCain fought for many years and suffered at the hands of captors for our country. At the very least we can honor him as a POW and the war hero that he is and refrain from laughing at his limitations.

I've never voted for someone because of their party affiliations. I always vote for the person that I think will do the best job. Now go out and make an INFORMED vote!!

Whew, I think I should lay off the coffee on Election Day.

Fleeting Days of Warmth

Today we are supposed to have a high of 67 degrees! That's darn near 70 and that's the kind of weather that I love. No humidity, nice warm days but cool nights. Unfortunately they are already spreading the S word around here. We had some flurries of s...s...snow on Sunday, but nothing accumulated and that was just fine with me. Saturday was a beautiful day and we decided it was probably the last time we would get out to look at the fall colors. And since the gas prices are seemingly low here for now, we thought it would be fun to drive down to the bluffs along the Mississippi River. The trees there are beautiful, even though we had missed the peak color. It was still a lot of fun. Here is the view from the top of the bluff down into the river valley.

I'm not sure I'm ready for winter. I like being able to walk out the door without 20 minutes of prep. Finding jackets, hats, mittens, and boots is just the tip of the iceberg! First I have to run out and start the car, then wrestle him into his clothes, then find my winter items, then wrestle him into the car seat with all that extra padding, I'm usually sweating before I actually get into the car! I will leave the "driving in the snow" for a later blog, but let's just say I'm not a fan. I'm planning to enjoy these last few days before the ground freezes and the snow flies. Somehow I'll make it through until Spring!

Birthday Barrel of Laughs

So last week was my son's 2nd birthday. I went onto Evite to send out invitations as I hate filling out things by hand and then finding time to go to the post office to mail said things. So email was easier! The only good "theme" I could find for my son's personality and age group was a monkey "barrel of laughs". It was really cute and turned out to be pretty easy to run with. Everyone that replied had a good monkey come-back and since my son likes Curious George it was easy to find a few decorations.

Rather than have traditional party hats we had monkey masks. We ate monkey chow (or puppy chow to others) and banana bread. And I made a monkey cake. Yes, I made it and not to toot my own horn, but it was damn cute! I started with two box cakes and baked them into a two layer cake, and a monster cupcake using a flat bottomed glass bowl, plus there was some left over for normal cupcakes to munch on while decorating! I let the cakes cool overnight. I cut the rounded top off the massive cupcake and used that as the nose/mouth area.
Then I used the bottom of the cupcake (cut in half) for the ears. Here's the result!

I was a little nervous about hacking into a monkey head (though monkey's brains are a delicacy in Cantonese cuisine) I thought my son may have a little fit. Of course he really just wanted the cake and didn't care that I was chopping up my masterpeice. I was glad I re-thought using red velvet cake (my personal favorite) and went with the traditional chocolate. My son loved it, he now calls all cakes monkey and wants to sing Happy Birthday and blow out any candle even if it's a scented candle on the table! I think its great. I can't wait to do his next birthday cake!

High Risk??

Since when did daily routines become so "high risk"?

It seems in these tough times that everything is a gamble. For instance, gas prices are so volatile that if an ant sneezes in Uzbekistan gas sky rockets to $3.50, but if a butterfly flaps its wings in Kirghistan, the price plummets to $2.65. It literally is a guessing game as to when is the best time to fill up your car. You could either feel great about getting such a wonderful deal, or spend time smashing your head against the steering wheel because you just paid $.30 more.

My most recent purchase in our wonderful economy as it stands today were two airplane tickets. I've been mulling over what the best deal would be for the last couple weeks. My dilemma is to buy now when I know the price is seemingly low, or wait to see if NWA will have a sale, thus risking the chance they won't and end up paying $600 per ticket. I felt like I was on Deal or No Deal.

"I'll take case number 13, Howie!"

I ended up shelling the money out now in hopes that I've made the right choice (I've always been a little conservative). Unfortunately I don't get to see if I made a great deal "after these few messages"...I have to wait a few months! Knowing my "luck" there will be some huge energy breakthrough in the next month that will make jet fuel cost a penny a barrel and I'll look like a fool for paying so much for my tickets. I feel like there is some huge website out there that tells people exactly where to buy what at any given time. If you all are keeping this from me as a joke it's not funny! I honestly feel like I have to be some sort of detective super sleuth to find a good deal anymore.

All right, I guess I'll keep you posted (HA, no pun intended...get it because you do posts on a blog...okay, not so funny when I have to explain it!) I'm willing to bet that in this day there won't be too many deals to be had. I looks like Howie has a corner on that market!

Are we really wireless??

Everyone keeps saying that we are a "wireless" society now. I'm sorry, but now that I have a few of the newer tech-y gadgets, I have more wires to keep track of than I ever did before!!


Why do people think we are "wireless"??


Merriam Webster's Dictionary has the meaning of "wireless" stating "having no wire or wires." Hmm. I am pretty sure that I would disagree (especially when I'm hunting for the right cord to plug in my phone!)...let's take a look shall we?


Blackberry

1. Cable for plugging it into the wall to charge.



2. Cable for plugging it into the car to charge.



3. Cable for transferring info and documents to my computer.



4. Cable for plugging it in and transferring info at the same time. (why is this a seperate cord?)

Camera

1. Cable for plugging it in to charge.



2. Cable for plugging it in to the TV to see the pictures.



3. Cable for plugging it into the computer to download pictures.

Laptop

1. Cable for plugging it into the wall to charge.



2. Cable for plugging it into the printer.



3. Cable for plugging it into the moniter.



4. Cable for plugging in my external drive

To me, this sounds like the more technologically savvy you are, the more wires and cables you must keep in order! I like to use a plastic shoe organizer. You know, the ones that hang over a door? They are see through, perfect for all those cords to have their own little place and not get all tangled (here Russ, there's a little knot in these Christmas lights!)

So, the next time you hear someone say "oh, it's wireless" just know that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and there's no such thing as wireless!!

Why Change Daycare??

So this morning as I sat in traffic a common dilemma in our household rekindled in my mind. My son currently goes to an in home daycare that he loves. He often cries when it's time to go home (at least more often than when I leave him there). He enjoys the other kids despite a few child tantrums, the lady (and her family) who does the daycare is really nice and she reminds me of someone that would fit right into our family. So...

Why change daycare??

My dilemma here is that I've switched jobs and now commute in the complete opposite direction of where his daycare is. My husband doesn't have a commute so the last few weeks we've been having him drop off and I pick up. This system has worked great for the last couple weeks, but the husband is doing a few jobs in which he must leave really early so I'm stuck with traffic two ways on both my morning and afternoon commute. Here's a list of the pros and cons.

PROS of leaving him where he is

• My son loves his daycare and it's obvious to me that he has a good time there.
• I trust my daycare provider, and she lets me know if there were any issues or problems with the kids that day.
• It's a small amount of kids so I know he gets the attention he needs.
• He interacts with older kids and he learns much more than if he were home with me!
• My daycare provider has been doing daycare for 13 years and never once had a complaint lodged with the state (I did my research). She also has a degree in child development and used to teach preschool and kindergarten.
• If we have another child I know what to expect and how much it will cost.
• I would truly miss my provider and our casual chit chat when I pick him up and/or drop him off. Like I said before, my provider would easily fit into my family so I feel at ease with leaving my son with her. Her family is great with him too!
• I wouldn't have to research another provider! The husband and I went on 6 interviews and I called at least 30 daycares to see if they were taking infants after my son was born. When I finally decided on the current daycare provider I called the state licensee board and talked to the state representative that does visits to said establishment to ask her about the one that we had liked, luckily it was a good review. Yikes...that was a lot of work.
• Putting our son in a daycare center is almost completely out of the question. First off, they are SUPER expensive! For a single year of daycare at a center (this includes a discount from my work) I would pay almost as much as my student loans from a four year degree!!!! I feel that is absolutely outrageous and I refuse to pay that much for my son to be ignored! Don't even mention if we had another kid, that would more than twice as expensive (infants are apparently more work although I beg to differ!) Some people will say that you can't put a price on the safety of your child...they are right. I would pay this if it was my only option. However, since it's not and my current provider is less than half that of a center I like the in homes better. They also get a little more attention if you pick the right one.

CONS of leaving him where he is

• It's no longer convenient at all for either my husband or I. I spend at least an hour in traffic in the morning and at night. Fortunately half of that is with my lovely little boy and we count and sing songs, that is when I'm not cursing under my breath at the guy who just cut me off.
• Gas prices are still high (although they are down to $3.33 even with a new 3 cent tax taking affect today!) and that means my tank is expensive to fill. When I was younger I would always get carsick from the smell of gasoline, now I get sick from the final total!!
• I have to go through the worst "intersection" in my opinion. Not only do you cross the worst rated bridge in the metro area at least 40 feet above the Ol' Mississip...they are doing "inspections" on it this week and I'm pretty sure they are just checking it to make sure the cracks are still in the same place. It's slated to be rebuilt in 2011...but about 200 feet after the bridge you enter the on-ramp for 2 major interstates. You pull a 270 degree (which means you can't match speeds of the regular traffic) turn onto I-94 and then stay in one lane that takes you to I-35E north. You can only imagine how backed up this gets on a normal day...don't even ask what its like if some yahoo wrecks their car anywhere near it, but I digress.
• People do NOT know how to drive. I either get stuck behind the foreign immagrant that has never bothered to actually get a driver's license or behind the Grandma who's so self consious about driving in the big city that she becomes a hazard herself!

Well, as you can see I guess my PROs list is much longer. I'm also recounting my CONs list and most of it is about traffic anyway. I guess we're sacrificing for the sake of our prince. I hope he appreciates everyone of my grey hairs when he gets older!!

Working Rant.

Alright, I'm going to vent about work a little here so if the kids are in the room and of reading age you may not want them to read this, not because there will be swear words (though I'm not going to guarantee) but because they shouldn't pick up bad habits.

Things not to do in the work place.
1. Do not yell over the cubicle at people that sit next to you. Get your lazy ass out of your chair and walk over to ask that person a question. If you are one of those people that don't know how to speak softly or whisper, perhaps you should use email.
2. When you are having a private conversation regarding your personal life at work, you should keep your voice down. I don't care to hear about how your sister is a spoiled brat and how she made you drive all the way out to the mall to pick up your mom and then back down to Shakopee to pick up the dogs. I DON'T CARE! My brain is already full, I don't need to know that your best friend's daughter named their baby Abigail. Since it is utterly useless information it will remain in my head for no less than three weeks!
3. If you have an issue with someone, go tell them or talk it through with them. We are all adults here and we should start acting like it. Do not come and complain to me unless you are willing to back it up. If you need me to boost your confidence then I'm here, but I don't want to hear you gripe about something day in and day out without doing something about it!
4. Don't copy me on an email unless I NEED to know about it. I hate when people copy everyone and their dog on emails for a stupid question. This just makes a chore for me, and it takes me twice as long to clean out my inbox.
5. Don't click REPLY ALL unless you really want everyone to see what you've written and what everyone before you has written. This stems from those people abusing #4. I don't want to get 400 emails regarding the treats that are getting ordered for someones birthday party. I was copied on the first email to be invited and then a string of random emails afterwards comes to me as well. Watch who you email!
6. Be cognizant of what you're doing in your cubicle. If you are moving heavy things and banging around remember that your wall is attached to someone else's and their stuff is flying off the shelves!
7. If you are stepping away from your desk either take your cell phone with you or make sure it's on vibrate. There is nothing worse than listening to someones annoying cellphone ring five times before their voicemail picks up. It's irritating, disrespectful, and just plain lazy!
8. Take notes. If I walk through how to do something then I expect you to retain at least some of the information. If that is a difficult task for you, then take notes. There's nothing more annoying that explaining something to someone 5 times...and then explaining it again!
9. If you don't know who's mail it is...find out! Do not just assume that it's my mail because it has the master mail station on it. There are at least 15 people that use that mail station, why do you put it in my mail box?? I know why, because I have this annoying reputation of actually doing a tiny bit of research to find out where the bill is supposed to go or who the piece of mail is for. Do some research people!!! How do you think I do it?
10. If you are going to tell a story, gather all the people that you think might care and tell the story once. I can't tell you how many storied I've heard 5-6 times because I sit smack dab in the middle of the most popular kids.

Man, I really feel better. Let me know if you have any work woes. I'd be glad to allow you a place to vent as well!!

Why Christmas so early???

What ever happened to Halloween and Thanksgiving??

Yesterday I ventured into a Target and I was absolutely appalled by the fact that they have Christmas decorations up already. Two measly isles for Halloween and four already dedicated to Christmas!!! I love Christmas, it's my two favorite holidays combined (I am a Christmas baby), but seriously folks, when did this holiday really get that out of hand?

It won't be long now that we will see Christmas commercials and they will get extremely irritating by the time Christmas actually gets here! It is 3 months and 10 days away and I'm already being bombarded to buy stockings, lights, cards, and other decor. Why can't I enjoy football season or Halloween? Santa has no place being an isle away from witches, ghouls, and Hannah Montana. I want to buy candy in the shape of a pumpkin, not a snowman! I start my Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving and so should everyone else.

At this rate we might as well skip right on over Turkey Day and make Christmas a two month holiday. So sorry to the Pilgrims, the cornucopias, the turkey's made out of my hand prints. Glossed over are the decorations that remind us to give thanks to all the things that we love, they are now replaced my the twinkling light-up Santa that sings Jingle Bell Rock screaming "buy me, buy me, buy me!" We need to celebrate all the great holidays, not just the ones that are retail driven. Why don't we just have the Christmas decorations up year round. I used to always get mad at people who would leave their lights up until April, but now I know that they were ahead of the curve! Eventually we will all have to mow around that Santa and his Reindeer display because the retail stores will force us to start thinking of Christmas in June!!!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It's the only time of year that it's okay to scare people and to have a HUGE bowl of candy in your house. For one night you get to dress up and have fun without feeling weird. You can put on a costume and pretend to be someone or something else! Thanksgiving deserves it's share too. I really do love this holiday because I get to cook and visit with family. I get to eat entirely too much and drink wine all day and never get drunk! I get to tell my family how thankful I am that I have them and oh yeah, and the four days off work isn't too bad either!

What I'm laboring to say here is, there are many more holidays throughout the year other than Christmas. This year I plan to make most of my gifts so the "subtle suggestion" behind the retail industry starting so early is completely lost on me. Don't forget the little holidays as they are just as important and carry their own traditions.

Happy FALL to you all.

There are good things about FALL!

There are a few good reasons for the weather to turn colder again. Believe me, I hate to see summer go by the wayside, the boating, jet skiing, swimming, camping, and other outdoor-sy things are so much fun! Below is a list of things that I love about FALL.

1. Once it freezes, my allergies will calm down. As an update, over-the-counter Zyrtec doesn't work either...it cost me $20 to find that out!!
2. Football!! I love watching the sport. I love the hype around it especially when you live in a town and state that has a pro team. Tailgating, awesomely-bad-for-you food, and of course I can't wait to try out my new football shaped dip bowl!
3. Bonfires! These are great all summer long, but it's hard to sit by a fire when it's already 80 degrees and humid. The fall is great because the days still climb up to 65-70 and the nights lend themselves to cozy-ing up to a great fire with great friends. And an added benefit...no bugs!
4. Sweaters. I love hoodies! I also love a good non-itchy sweater that makes you feel good about your body! And, gone are the days that I get made fun of for wearing a sweater in the office when it's 90 degrees outside. To those teasers I say, "It may be 90 outside, but it's 65 in here and I'm freezing!"
5. Halloween and Candy!! I have a HUGE sweet tooth and I love the cheap bags of candy around this time of year! The miniature Reese's, York peppermint patties, candy corn and peanuts (I hate Salted Nut Rolls, but I love this combo...go figure), the combo bags of Tootsie Rolls, and Bottle Caps! I could go on forever. I love figuring out what I should be this year for Halloween. My friends usually put on a spectacular Halloween party where everyone dresses up. Now that I have a son, I get to go Trick-or-Treating again without all those awkward, unpleasant glares!!
6. Crunching dried leaves. I don't know what it is, perhaps my weird addiction for sounds (flipping through a book, nails beating on the table...my friends will know what I'm talking about.) I LOVE the sound of a good "CRUNCH" from a dried out leaf. Speaking of leaves...
7. The beautiful colors! The shore of Lake Superior is spectacular this time of year! The leaves are turning and rival that of the upper East Coast in their beauty. It truly is a wonder of nature!
8. Pumpkins, apples, and spice! I love pumpkins. I love carving them, I love grinding them up (actually I usually let the canned pumpkin company do that!) and making pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cake. Unfortunately my husband does not like the taste of pumpkins...but that just means more for me! Apples are the best too. Caramel apples, apple pie, applesauce, hot apple cider! Who doesn't love these things!!!

Well, that's all I could muster up on this cold, rainy day. I hope that I've encouraged you to be happy about the season change and to make the most of these fleeting days of summer!

Work vs. Home

Ahhh...the joys of being a working mother. I believe that this will always be a conundrum with me because I would give anything to be able to stay home with my little prince and cook, clean, and mother all day long (well, almost anything...food and a roof are definitely things that my family have come to expect). I could have dinner waiting for my hunk of a man every night, a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other. The kids are fed, the house is clean, and I all I have to do is enjoy the evening with my husband.
Wait...did I just say that?
It's true, there are some days when I just wish that I could walk out of work and never come back. But there are also days when I look at the mountain of dishes piled up in the sink, the Everest of laundry piles mounting in the bedrooms, the cat hair and dust settling on the TV and my son whining and crying for a cracker ten minutes before dinner is ready and I think to myself "thank God I get to go to work tomorrow!"

I often find that my two worlds are not that different! I have to tell my dear prince four or five times to pick up his toys (granted he's two, but there's no time like the present for him to learn how to pick up after himself...his future wife will thank me!)
This is a conversation all too often had in our house: "Pick up the red truck and put it in the toy box. No, the RED truck...[pause]...right there by your foot. No, turn around...look down, right there, now it's behind you, the RED TRUCK. There you go, now put it in the toy box...no, not the toilet the toy box. Right there. Good job!!"

This is a conversation all too often had at work: "Click file, then save as to save that file. No, close that window...with the little "X" in the corner...click the file menu...[pause]...right up here where it says FILE, then scroll down...nope too far, go back up, right where it says SAVE AS. Okay, now name the file whatever you will remember. Save it to your My Documents...no, not My Computer, My Documents. Right there. Good job!"

The similarities don't end there either. There are meetings to arrange...menu's to plan...people's schedules to coordinate...appointments to keep, and then I have to go to work! One thing that isn't similar...my organizational skills don't always flow from one life to the other. At work I can find just about any file or folder within a few minutes, however, Microsoft helps out by adding a Search function to their software. If only there was a search function at home. I think it would go something like this...

Search for: Clean socks
Look In: Bedroom, Laundry room, Living room

Searching...

Results: One pair white socks. Found under left cushion of couch in living room.

Wouldn't that be nice? Hey Mr Gates, let's get this project off the ground eh?

As much as my work and home life are similar, I truly would like to spend more time with my baby. I'm jealous of all those moms out there who get to do projects and remember all those obscure holidays like May Day or the Pagan holiday of Obscurity (yes, that's a nod to my sister!) Usually the only holidays that blow my skirt up are the ones that I get Paid Time Off! Unfortunately, I don't know if my personality would be able to handle toddler talk for eight hours a day, nor could I handle going to a Mommy and Me class. Other people's kids usually bug the crap out of me! However, I have noticed quite a lack of "crap bugging" since I've had a child of my own.

Some of the similarities really do make me feel more at home. I appreciate my fellow colleagues for their effort in that. Perhaps someday I will seek employment on a more "part-time" basis, a bank teller or a teacher. But for now, I will just have to take all the days I can get with my family. I think all the time we spend apart really makes the time we get to spend together that much sweeter!

To all those stay-at-home moms out there: bless you for your patience, your kids will appreciate it some day!
To all those working-moms out there: bless you for your ability to schedule, your kids will appreciate it some day!

Why do people miss-pronounce words??

Okay, so I was watching the McCain speech a few nights ago and I heard him say "Warshington". Seriously, this gaffe is enough to sway my vote alone...there is no "R" in Washington!! So...

Why do people miss-pronounce words that are clearly spelled?

It happens all the time. From "Expresso" to "Warshington" I can't help but get aggravated when I hear people miss-pronounce words. So below you will see a guide of the most common (at least that I can think of) words that are miss-pronounced.

Incorrectly - that's right people, there is a "T" in there before the "ly". Let's break it down as my second grade teacher did. In-correct-ly, say it together class "incorrectly". That's good! You all get a gold star.

Hundred - I used to always get mad at this one kid in my grade school class that always said "Hunnerd". I realize that I grew up in a rural town with farmers and ranchers that talk with that country drawl, but the word is clearly spelled with two "D"s. "Hun-dred" just because there are two does not mean that one "D" is less important than the other.

Nuclear - This one gets miss-pronounced all the time! If we break it down into syllables you can clear-ly see how "New-clear" is supposed to sound.

Especially and Espresso- If there is one sure way for people to think that you have a lower IQ, it's definitely to pronounce "ESP" "EXP". There is no "X" in either of these words so please, leave that consonant alone!

Frustrate - This one really is really "fustrating" to me. Yes, there are two "R"s in there, so please give this consonant it's due (twice) and pronounce the word "FR-UH-STR-ATE".

Realty - I have actually been guilty of this myself. It is correctly pronounced "REAL-TEE". A lot of people like to put an "A" in there, but really it's real-tee!

Last and certainly not least (as I'm sure there are many more, feel free to comment if you have another good suggestion!)
Pitcher or Picture. My high school geometry teacher used to always refer to a picture as "PICHER". I was genuinely waiting for an example of a pitcher so that she would say "Look at the picher of the pitcher." Perhaps then she would realize there is a "C" in "PICK-CHUR".

Alright, I'm off my high horse. You have to agree that four years of listening to the person representing our country refer to the White House in "Warshington" would get pretty old!

Edit: Thank you to anonymous for pointing out that I miss-spelled "definately". With all the deliberate miss-spellings I didn't catch that...even on my high horse I can be humbled!!
Also, watching the Presidential Debate I noticed a definite change in McCain's pronunciation. Kudos to his speech therapist!

Why not donate??

With the RNC in town I just can't help but post a blog about it! I'm not a huge fan of matching wits when it comes to an individuals political affiliation. I say whatever you believe in, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else, is your business. There are some out there that go way overboard to get their point across. My question is...

Why not donate your money?

Kare11, the Twin Cities NBC affiliate recently ran this story (all I can do is shake my head, I can't believe they even publicized this): There are a couple of people that have rented a jumbo tron to put on the top of a building and show "anti-Republican video and audio messages" (whatever that means). This thing seriously cost them $30,000 just to rent! Not to mention the legal fees and site rentals and I'm sure all the other incidentals it takes to rent and install a jumbo tron! That would be an amazing dollar amount which could have gone towards supporting the troops in Iraq, helping with a food shelf, donating the money to a charity or even donated to the Democratic Party. Check it out if you want, I just can't believe they spent all that money on a protest that hardly anyone even noticed.



Now, I can't say that I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I like to think I fall somewhere in between. So in no way should this post be construed as a commendation to either party. I also want people to know that the Saint Paul police department has been working around the clock to ensure the safety and health of all the delegates, protesters, and citizens of Saint Paul alike. I personally appreciate that since I live only a few miles away from the downtown area.


Overall I haven't been impacted by the RNC being in town, other than the news coverage and a visibly higher police presence I haven't noticed anything a miss. Of course had I been curious or stupid enough to venture downtown this week I might be writing a whole different story!

Why Allergies?!?

Today I am officially apologizing to my brother and my mom for thinking that you were faking it all these years. I now know all about the allergy haze and the face-erase! That brings me to my first Why question of my blog...

Why don't they make stronger over-the-counter allergy medicine?

I understand the obvious reasons for not making stronger medications over-the-counter (which will probably be another Why blog), but I don't understand why, with all the medical marvels that are in the medical field today, they can't make a stronger pill to alleviate my allergies that isn't included in the recipe for Meth! I don't know what I'm allergic to since I've only recently been afflicted with this monstrosity, but for the love of Pete I don't know why I can't stop the sniffling, scratching, itching, and running of my eyes, nose and throat! I've tried Allegra, Claritin, Benedryl, and Sudafed, only to become desensitized to them all. I'm currently working on my tolerance of Actifed which is now down to about a pill every two hours.

It all started with the conception of my son. "It's because you're pregnant" said the doctor when I told her I have never had any sort of allergy before. Well, I can officially attest that I am not currently prego so what gives??
My mom says it's hormonal. Does that mean that I will have to suffer through this every year until I go through menapause?? Not only do I get to carry and deliver an 8 pound baby (and hopefully more to come), but now I get to suffer through allergies for the next 30 years...great.

So for now, I guess I will be at the whim of mother nature, and not far away from my pills, eye drops, and throat lozenges. I also plan to open a portfolio with Pfizer being at the top of my investments!

I hate to see summer go, but I can't wait for the first freeze!!!

Wedding Day Do's They Don't Tell You About

I recently had the pleasure of getting married to the father of my son and my best friend. There are just a few things that I would warn brides about before they take the plunge, things people don't tell you and you won't read in a magazine.

1. Take a Honeymoon! Whatever sort of vacation you can afford, even if it means 4-5 days just staying at home. Not only will you be all geared up after the wedding, but you also want to take advantage of all those special offers that honeymooners get. I went back to work three days after our vows and I couldn't focus on a thing! I was tired and burnt out after a week of wedding fiasco. The added bonus if you stay home: you get to ooh and aah over all the gifts and you can get a head start on the thank you notes!!

2. Get it in writing. I'm not talking about a prenuptual or anything, I'm talking about finding a reliable person that somewhat knows your friends and family to write down (in detail) all of the gifts you receive at the shower and the wedding. Including cash and gift cards! You will not remember a thing, I guarantee! I had a couple great people who did this for me and I am very grateful. On a second note, also have someone take all the cash, checks, gift cards, and list of gifts and put them somewhere safe. We only lost one gift card that was easily replaced, but there was a lot of stress as to who had the cash!! If you lose cash, it's irreplaceable.

3. Don't let the weather get you down. My husband and I chose a very special place with a great view of the mountains. However, we did not anticipate the huge wind storm that blew in unexpectadely. This meant that most of the decorations had be taken down before my husband and I even got to see it! I'm not disappointed (however I hope someone took a picture of it!!) We knew that was a possibility. On that special day, it's best to just let it be (in the very famous words of Doris Day), Que Sara Sara!

4. Bring a list of the photos you want to have taken. I suggest this regardless of whether you have a professional or a friend taking pictures. My father-in-law took the photos at our wedding and he did a great job! However, it was pretty confusing and there were a lot of people around to distract us. I think we dealt with it well, but there were a few pictures that we didn't get. If there had been a list, we would have gotten them all and I would have felt a little more organized!

5. Hire or appoint someone to be a coordinator of sorts. I purchased a bunch of fun stuff like bubbles, glow sticks and crayons for the kids, and other items that didn't even make it out of the box. It's my fault thinking I would remember all that on the busiest day of my life. I wish I would have appointed someone to take care of all that! At least my son likes bubbles and glow sticks 'cause he has about 100 of each!

6. Last but certainly not least, enjoy yourself and stay in the moment. All day long I kept reminding myself that this day will never happen again and I need to stay in the moment and remeber this. I think I did a very good job, but even looking at the pictures my memory gets jogged about a certain part of that evening that I had forgotten already. The one thing I will never forget is looking into the eyes of my husband as we recited our vows...that was a moment I will be in forever!

Good luck to all the brides out there, as for me. I had a great day, and I'm glad I never have to do it again!