This year, though…

Sorry, Charlie.

I am not sending out Christmas cards.

I’m tired.

I’m overworked.

I’m . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Sorry, Charlie]]> So every year I usually spend a crazy amount of time creating Christmas cards, ordering them and mailing them out to almost everyone I know. I think my Christmas card list peaks at about 50.

This year, though…

Sorry, Charlie.

I am not sending out Christmas cards.

I’m tired.

I’m overworked.

I’m trying to prepare my classroom for January because I know that I will not be doing ANYTHING over Christmas break.

Anything- you hear me?

I’ve just decided that sending Christmas cards is just way too all-consuming.

Holiday spirit, Christmas Cheer, Spread joy, All that good stuff. I know, I know.

Listen here folks,

I just got my child potty trained, she does not sleep at night (nor has she ever since the day of her birth)- she’s still waking up about 3 times per night. My alarm goes off at 5 am, I get to work and start running around, making copies, lesson planning, etc. school starts at 8:10 and in bursts 24 screaming, yelling, rambunctious 6 & 7 year olds. I spend 7 hours a day with them- after school on Tuesdays I do detention and on Wednesdays I do Student Council with the 4th and 5th graders. More lesson planning, more copies, cleaning and prep for tomorrow. Pick up Pea from school, run any errands, come home, make dinner, family time, watch tv, lesson plan, blog, bed, turn around…

Do it again.

I’m tired y’all.

I don’t know if that’s a good excuse, but that’s the one that I am using.

But I’m not going to go into total slack mode. I’m thinkin’ I’ll send an e-holiday card. I mean it is 2011, everything is electronic now, right?

I mean who was it that said it’s the thought that counts?

Well, it better be, cause that’s what’s happening.

Christmas Card #fail in 2011.

Maybe in 2012 I’ll do better.

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Just like the Trix bunny rabbit is not real, I am really started to think that we have all been brainwashed by Saint Valentine. I mean, archaeologists have unearthed proof that St. Valentine did exist. BUT Catholic.org gives two beliefs surrounding who he truly was and his origins. . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Silly Rabbit]]> Trix are for kids.

Just like the Trix bunny rabbit is not real, I am really started to think that we have all been brainwashed by Saint Valentine. I mean, archaeologists have unearthed proof that St. Valentine did exist. BUT Catholic.org gives two beliefs surrounding who he truly was and his origins. (That’s comforting)

I am like the Grinch who Stole Valentine’s Day.

This is seriously a made up Hallmark/American Greetings card holiday and yet one more excuse for human beings to spend unnecessary amounts of money.

To me, true love is love that does not need a day to show it’s face.

TRUE LOVE buys you a Pepsi because you had a bad day.
TRUE LOVE promises you a car wash and sits in line for 45 minutes to get it done.
TRUE LOVE still smiles and tells you they love you even though you’ve had your third, completely unwarranted breakdown this week thanks to your Post-Partum Depression.
TRUE LOVE knows you’re a horrible driver, that’s why blew a tire when you hopped a curb in your “new to you” just-bought-it last week car and still doesn’t complain when they have to buy you a “new” $80 tire.
TRUE LOVE knows that you probably spend way too much time on the computer, but has stopped arguing with you about it because they know that writing is your passion.
TRUE LOVE goes back to King Soopers for the third time today to get you tortilla chips, cause you forgot and doesn’t complain and doesn’t take you up on the offer to go in his place.

Dude, I don’t need red roses or balloons on my desk. I don’t need a poorly lit restaurant that I can hardly read the menu in because of my astigmatism and far/near-sightedness. I don’t need a box with chocolate full of dumb ass fillings on the inside because my true love knows that I’m super picky when it comes to chocolate and I only like my chocolate with peanuts, almonds or peanut butter in it… preferably in the form of a Snicker Bar, Hershey Kiss with almonds or Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

All I need is someone that loves me unconditionally, regardless of my flaws. Someone who, when I say I’m not in the mood- doesn’t give me shit. Someone that I can wake up in the middle of the night because I had a bad dream or I can’t sleep.

Fuck a Saint Valentine and his ridiculous holiday. I’ll take my husband every day- hands down.

***I know Valentine’s Day was on Monday, but, our internet was out, so… deal with it!  ***

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“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”

Clarence Budington Kelland

Dear Daddy,

Sorry I didn’t buy you a card this year. As we re-evaluate our spending habits, I have opted to reduce the amount of cards I . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Open Letter To My Dad on Father’s Day]]>

“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”

Clarence Budington Kelland

Dear Daddy,

Sorry I didn’t buy you a card this year. As we re-evaluate our spending habits, I have opted to reduce the amount of cards I buy. I find that people like handwritten notes better and I can easily express how I feel. And anyway, what do people do with cards after the holiday/special day has passed? I always feel bad throwing away old cards, but I have found that I have become sort of a card-hoarder. So last year, I went through all of my cards- there was an entire box- and kept the ones that meant the most. The ones that I could due to part with, I sent to an organization that was using recycled cards for something. So, consider this your father’s day card.

Our relationship has always been… interesting- wouldn’t you say?

There are definitely moments from my childhood that weren’t so fantastic and that I probably resented you for at the time. There’s no need to rehash old stuff, though. Regardless of what I thought or felt at the moment, I am sure that those experiences only helped to mold me into the woman that I am today.

I wanted to take this time to thank you. Our family has never been good about expressing our feelings in a positive manner. We are more yellers, shouters, point-the-finger(ers) lol. Which is the first thing I wanted to thank you for.

You taught me how to feel. I was always the “sensitive one” in the family, always crying, “just like my father”… and while I admit, I never understood your sensitive side, in retrospect, it is important to be in touch with one’s feelings. Over time, I have learned how to have more control over my emotions- when to allow myself to be vulnerable and when to stay guarded. I guess you can say that I have become a mixture of you and Mommy. And I am okay with that. One needs to be tough, but to a certain extent. I think being in touch with my feelings and emotions allows me to express in an honest manner how I am feeling- something that many people cannot do. The toughness in me allows me to be vulnerable enough to put that out there and not really care about what the person has to say in return. As long as I am honest with myself and others, that’s all that matters.

You taught me the importance of managing my money. Some may laugh at this, thinking that you have lived… beyond your means at certain points in your life. While I understand your rationale for wanting some of the things that you want, behind that, in my opinion is someone who is very aware of how much money he does and does not have. You taught me how to balance a checkbook and that would be an important skill as I left the nest and went out on my own. I will admit, that I don’t balance a checkbook anymore… one needs money in their checking account to do that. When I start working again, I can take that up again. Your money management tutorials has allowed me to be responsible for our household income right now- I pay the bills and I know what is and is not feasible for us financially.

You know, you always wanted to hold my hand when we crossed the street or something like that when I was younger and I hated that. I’ve never really liked to be touched- hand holding and hugging… not so much my thing. But having those moments with you- as much as they made me want to cringe at the time- they have taught me what is important regarding my daughter. I need to give her hugs, hold her hand and tell her that I love her every chance I get.

We were (and still aren’t) the ‘I Love You’ family. You were the only one who said it and I couldn’t understand why. But now, as a Mom I get it. I can look back and remember my father telling me that he loved me. I want Cadence to be able to look back and remember the same. It is a feeling that I cannot describe to you for me to be able to tell my daughter that I love her. If anyone in our family besides you told me that they loved me, I would be sure to cringe and feel uncomfortable. I don’t want it to be like that in my (new) family. I want us to be open and honest about those feelings we have for one another. There are so many people out there who don’t have parents or don’t have someone to tell them that they love them. So.. I get it. Thank you for that, Daddy.

Something that stands out in my mind is when you would go to BJ’s after work and buy a super-sized box of Always pads- just that. I don’t know how many men would walk into a wholesale club and buy a ginormous box of maxi pads, but you did that for me. That showed me right away what kind of man I needed. One who wasn’t afraid to do those little things. Yesterday, we had lunch on base and Cadence was being a handful, so while I tried to calm her down my awesome husband stood there in line with lots of male soldiers in uniform around us and held my very large white Coach bag with purple writing all over it. That’s what real men do- you taught me that.

Of course, there were things you inadvertently taught me like: how not to speak to people. You taught me that I knew I was going to marry a man that knew how to cook and iron his own stuff. You taught me that I was not going to be anyone’s maid. I am an independent woman and needed someone who would respect me as such. I appreciate you for these things.

You always told me that I needed to marry someone who was going to treat me like a Queen. That let me know what to look for in a spouse.

You have made many mistakes in your life. I don’t judge you for these, because though the road may have been long, I believe that you have learned from them. And those lessons are ones that you have tried to instill in both me and Junior to learn from. I am proud of you for having turned your life around and not looking back.

And though you pushed me in ways that I definitely did not appreciate at the time, you taught me the importance of education and striving to do/be the best that I could. You are one of the smartest people that I know and I take pride in knowing that I can call you for a word definition or to edit a paper for me.

Thank you for always supporting me, regardless of whether you agreed with the choices I made or not. Thank you for giving me that good balance of parent-”friend.” I always knew that I could come to you to talk, but I also knew that there would be consequences for any poor decisions that I chose to make.

We aren’t best friends, we have our fights- some last longer than others, but at the end of the day I know that you will always be there for me- regardless of how mad we may be with one another at the moment.

Most importantly, I am happy to have a dad. I’ve said this before, but one thing that I find repulsive is “men” who plant the seed (if you will) and walk away. You are not a man and there is nothing more irresponsible and disgusting to me than someone who doesn’t want to own up to their child and give them the opportunity to have both parents in their lives. So thank you for being there.

As it is always said, “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.” (Proverb).

So, Happy Dad’s Day.

Love,
DEW

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All the way from Nebraska! It’s a white Christmas. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday.

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Relaxin’. Holiday Shopping.

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Yea, It’s cold in Nebraska.

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I know it’s been a while… maybe 26 years to be exact (since I can’t quite recall the last time I wrote you a letter).

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, full of changes. I’m becoming comfortable in my role as a Stay-At-Home Mom and I have . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Dear Santa (A Stay-At-Home Mom’s Christmas List)]]> Dear Santa,

I know it’s been a while… maybe 26 years to be exact (since I can’t quite recall the last time I wrote you a letter).

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, full of changes. I’m becoming comfortable in my role as a Stay-At-Home Mom and I have a few requests. I think, since you watch us all of the time, that you know that I’ve been nice this year. So I hope you’ll look out for me. Alright, I hope you’re sitting down, ’cause here we go:

1. I’d like a Dyson. (Don’t act like you didn’t know this one was coming). Not just any Dyson Santa. I’m talking about the DC25 Animal Vacuum Cleaner. Everyone knows that besides living in the desert, I have a 65 pound lap dog who leaves our carpet smelling like crap and sheds- therefore making the desert dust bunnies bigger than they need to be. Ugh.
2. This may seem a bit lavish for you Santa, but you know all of the things that Stay-At-Home Mommies have to do… If you could get me a gadget to sweep my floors for me, that’d be great. How ’bout this one? The iRobot Dirt Dog. I think that would do the trick. That would take one thing off of my to-do list for the day. I promise I’ll take care of it and clean out the canister often.
3. Speaking of things that would make a Stay-At-Home Mommas life easier, how about a single-cup coffee brewer. You know what Santa, this should actually be number one. I. Need. Coffee. I don’t think I’m alone out there. I would probably get a whole chorus of ‘Amens’ on that statement. Especially from Stay-At-Home Mommas. Cadence is some type of Energizer bunny, so when she wakes up in the morning, she is ready to go for the day. Me… not so much. So you would really be looking out for me if you dropped one of these down my chimney. Now, there’s a lot of competition out there in the single-cup coffee maker world and I’m a little confused. But, you’re Santa, so holla at your Elves and find out which is the best- because that’s the one I want. Tassimo makes a single-cup coffee brewer that I heard was pretty sweet and Keurig makes one too. (Just in case you needed me to point you in the right direction) I hate that I either make too much coffee in the morning or not enough and need to make another pot. This way I can make the cups on an as-needed basis. And lest you think that I am selfish, this machine would serve multiple purposes because my husband likes tea and hot chocolate- so I could make him a warm drink on a cold day too.
4. Now, I know that I am a renter, but for goodness sakes Santa- can you bring me a dishwasher that actually works? I’m not the only person in the world with this problem. I’ve spoken to many-a people who have a dishwasher that leaves food on the dishes when the cycle is “done.” This is why I just gave up and I just wash the dishes by hand. But if you brought me a top of the line one, I wouldn’t have to do that. K? Thanx.For my Stay-At-Home Moms out there in Cyberspace, I have a few requests as well Santa:

1. A Shark Steam Pocket Mop. I have one, so I know the joys of owning such a wondrous piece of
machinery. Every Stay-At-Home Mom, scratch that,  Every Mom should have one of these. So,
make it happen. Please.

2. A good night’s sleep. Just once. Err, well more than once, but I don’t want to push it. Maybe
you could just send Ambien sliding down every Mama’s chimney, on the fire escape and
under the front door- that’d be great.
3. Some time alone. Seriously Santa. Being a Momma is hard work. A day at the Spa would be
great too!

4. A good book. Oh and time to actually read it.

5. An endless supply of Barefoot Wine. (Or that Momma’s drink of choice)

6. A Slowcooker. So that the Mommas out there can let dinner cook itself for once.

7. Twitter friends who don’t judge, belittle or bicker- this isn’t Elementary School folks. (She
did it first)

8. A webcam so that they can Skype with said Twitter friends.

9. A quiet spot in the home for sanity. (Which means you need to bring good toys to keep the
kids occupied.

And most importantly:

10. A note for the door warning visitors not to ring the doorbell when the baby is napping- or
else.

See Santa, that’s all. This really isn’t asking too much is it? I mean everybody knows if Momma isn’t happy- no one is.

Oh yeah, and world peace.

Thanks so much.

You’re the best.

Oh and I wouldn’t try to get down the chimney. We’ve got the door and the chute closed on the fireplace- ya know, to keep the baby safe. You’d better come through the front door. And watch out for the dog.

Loads of Love,

Dawana
Stay-At-Home Mom Extraordinaire

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Come on in…

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Gotta keep my toes warm with my Christmas socks!

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