One of my younger brothers called me today to tell me that now every time he hears the Band Aid song, Do They Know It's Christmas, he thinks of little Bec. He said that having Bec has totally changed the way that he understood the song from when he was he was younger.

If you grew up in the 80s like we did, you have to know this song. I hadn't heard it on the radio yet this year, so I listened to it online. I did have different images for me as well, and I'm glad that he shared this little tidbit with me. Here are the lyrics, just in case you just got them out of minds!

Lyrics With Performers (Paul Young) It's Christmas time There's no need... more

Coley's most recent post inspired this post from me. She writes about how a Christmas letter has changed and does change with growing up. It reminded me of this Christmas song that I listen to every Christmas on my Merry Christmas To You CD by Reba McEntire.

Artist/Band: Reba McEntire Lyrics for Song: A Christmas Letter Lyrics for Album: Merry Christmas To You

At an antique desk An old man sits alone It's Christmas Eve And it's almost time to go

He signs his name to a letter he just wrote Then he reads it back with a voice as soft as snow

I want peace on earth for Christmas In a world where there's not... more

Tomorrow I am foreseeing a sticky and uncomfortable evening with an in-law. This is nothing new and is actually the norm for the past 5 years. With some new developments within the last month though, I'm not really sure how things are going to play out.

I've decided to try out some of the coping strategies that I've been posting lately. Here is what I've been doing or what I will do:

Limit your participation in family celebrations. In years past, this coming up function would have required Herculean stamina as a short 2-3 hour visit would have been "rude" so we would stay at least 5 hours, including driving time would make it 6. Now, we will head out around the... more

"Clomid For Christmas" Holiday Medical Treatments by Teri Brown.

I found this article on line yesterday. Not only is it timely, but the coping suggestions are perfect.

Limit your participation in family celebrations. If your family's holiday traditions include children opening presents, you may want to come at the end of the gift opening, or skip it altogether. If you are feeling particularly depleted or vulnerable, there is nothing wrong with giving yourself permission to protect and take care of yourself. It is OK to say, "No, we really can't make it this year." If you want to limit the time... more

4. Define 'On Time'

"Being on time is really respecting other people's time," Post says. "Communicate about what 'on time' means to you. It means different things to different people."

Post also advises to call if you're running late and check with the host first if you plan to arrive early. If you are the host, let family members know what time you would like them to arrive, rather than what time you plan to start the meal. Don't assume people will come early to help unless you ask them directly.

5. Avoid Re-Gifting

"You don't have to break the bank for a really nice gift," Post says. "The key is to find something the person will really like. Stay... more

As we're heading into the holiday weekend, here are some more ways to avoid some of the possible stress. The following hints are from www.webmd.com

1. Be Realistic

Post tells WebMD the first step toward enjoying the festivities is to set aside idealized images of how things should go. "Be realistic," she says. "Don't think anything is going to be perfect."

2. Anticipate Conflicts

"Plan ahead and try to be as calm as possible with other people," Post says. If you can anticipate the types of conflicts that are likely to come up, you can plan a response in advance. This can help avoid the knee-jerk reactions that... more

Well, my aunt was at it once again. I came into the office this morning and found another sweet little handmade gift tucked into my computer keyboard. If any of you need a last minute stocking stuffer idea, or just want to hand out a small gift that won't cost a lot of money, this project could be just what you are looking for.

To describe it, I'll do my best and I'm sure that you will get the basics of it. My scanner really wouldn't do it justice since the font and the papers are so small. She took a piece of thick white paper and cut it decoratively to about 3x4 inch dimensions. On top of this she glued a regular piece of blue copy paper so that only the white showed as a border.... more

As you can tell by the photo, I found an appropriate Christmas style outfit for Bec! Ivy already had her little outfit that was purchased for her by my mom last Christmas but didn't fit. It is a little sweatsuit by Ecko with the white fake fur around the hood and sparkley rhinestones in a star pattern on the jacket and pants. It is odd because Ivy is 3 but can fit into a variety of sizes. For instance, this outfit is 18 months!

We took the kids to our local mall to have their Santa pic taken before it got too late in the season. I was resigned... more

Well, have I got the blog for you!

Christmas For All

And talk about the "For All". The posts on this site run from instructions on how to decorate with lights on the outside of your house, all the way through to the Brad and Angelina wedding planned in South Africa this Christmas. The posts are pretty put up pretty regularly and are very lengthy and fun.

The blog started back in August with a post on "Christmas Party Ideas". The blog is written by Sean Carter who also has blogs titled, "Thanksgiving", "Valentine's Day" and "Halloween For All". There are lots of links for almost every Christmas need and also... more

To put a spin on today's message, I thought that I would do a post about a mix of thirteen things that I'm thankful and not thankful for today:

Not Thankful - Spending the holiday meal apart from Chris and the kids as this is the only way that we can make the majority of people happy. Sometimes living in the same town as everyone else can have it's disadvantages. Not Thankful - Stores that continue to be open, although there really isn't that much of a need for consumerism today. I am old enough to remember... more