I so enjoy the days following Christmas! There is no more anticipation, anxiety, plenty of leftovers, and an abundance of toys to keep the children busy during their vacation. I do not have to worry about the early morning rush to school; and since the kids are home busy with their Christmas gifts - they don't pester me about boredom. Everyone is content and that means more time for me to relax and do what I want.
However, the only little problem I have about the Christmas break for the kids is the vacation homework! Whatever happened to our days of Christmas vacation where not only did we have two weeks off, but there was no homework packet? Now the kids have only one week off and a homework packet that can lasts for two weeks. There goes my relaxation...
I am just elated that the kids completed their homework packet by Christmas Eve! And of course their new tablets and X-box games and a whole bunch of toys their grandparents gave them - keeps them quite busy and quiet. (I also made sure their tablets were downloaded with a Math app and has an e-reader in which I loaded with required reading books. :) )
Therefore they have until the day after New Years for FREE time. And now I can enjoy my Coquito...
As Always - Happy Holidays and Be Safe!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
The Night Before Christmas
As I sit here exhausted with excitement, I too can not wait for Santa to arrive tomorrow night! Every year I scramble my little money and try to get the best Christmas gifts for my little Elves. Usually my mother makes up for the difference - and thank God for her! I like to see a lot of presents wrapped under the tree for the boys. Being that my Christmas list for relatives gets unusually shorter every year, seeing a whole bunch of gifts under my tree is not highly in probable.
I remember as a child my father playing Santa every year for the family. I think the adults were more excited than the cousins. My father even had a large red bag for all the presents. Long gone are the days of Christmas past. As we lose more family members, relatives tend to forego the Holiday tradition of everyone getting together. It is also very expensive! Although everyone brings a tray of food, there is still the financial burden of purchasing gifts for everyone. And even though it is an unspoken gesture, ironically the family just buys gifts for the young children or for anyone under the age of 18 years old.
I shamefully admit how I missed the family gathering for the Holidays, despite the unstable economy and the financial woes. Whatever happened to "it is better to give than receive?" I personally am at an age where the looks on my children's faces is priceless!
I mean after all isn't that what Christmas is all about....
Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Noche Buena, Happy Kwanza, and the most Happiest of Holidays!! .. ... ...
I remember as a child my father playing Santa every year for the family. I think the adults were more excited than the cousins. My father even had a large red bag for all the presents. Long gone are the days of Christmas past. As we lose more family members, relatives tend to forego the Holiday tradition of everyone getting together. It is also very expensive! Although everyone brings a tray of food, there is still the financial burden of purchasing gifts for everyone. And even though it is an unspoken gesture, ironically the family just buys gifts for the young children or for anyone under the age of 18 years old.
I shamefully admit how I missed the family gathering for the Holidays, despite the unstable economy and the financial woes. Whatever happened to "it is better to give than receive?" I personally am at an age where the looks on my children's faces is priceless!
I mean after all isn't that what Christmas is all about....
Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Noche Buena, Happy Kwanza, and the most Happiest of Holidays!! .. ... ...
Sunday, December 16, 2012
UNFATHOMABLE TRAGEDY - Shooting at an Elementary School
During the past few days, the news and media are discussing the shooting at an elementary school in CT. Horrific is more likely the word to describe the scene of this tragedy. Twenty children murdered and six adults - not including the shooter who committed suicide after his rampage and his own mother prior to this insanity.
This is probably a mothers or fathers worst nightmare! We rush to drop our children off to school in the morning in order for us to get to work in a timely manner. Not one thought given to the safety of our children. Early Friday morning on the 14th, ten days before Christmas - twenty parents after arriving at work and settling into their daily schedule received that call. "There was an emergency at the school, please come immediately!" The fear that enters every parents' mind - WHAT HAPPENED?! Nothing can come close to their minds with what those parents were greeted with as they enter the vicinity of their child's school. Rescue vehicles, Ambulances, Bomb Squad, Fire Dept., Police Dept., FBI and men in tactical gear is what surrounded an elementary school in a quiet suburban area. All those parents were told to go to the Firehouse Station that was across the way from the school - to pick up your child or to be told that your child was one of the victims! The anxiety, the panic, the anguish, that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach and the sheer terror one must feel taking those steps from the road entering the school towards the Fire Station. Then to realize that your child is NOT one of those victims and the relief comes pouring out in tears as you hug your child...
Twenty parents were NOT fortunate! Twenty mothers were told their precious child will never come home! Twenty families are now left with a void for the rest of their life. There will be at least twenty gifts unopened under the Christmas Tree for the next 40 years!
"There are no words" told to a news reporter by one of the "lucky" parents who said what can you say to a parent that was NOT "so lucky"...
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Madeline Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6
MAY YOU ALL REST IN PEACE...
Monday, December 10, 2012
My Son's Birthday
I think perhaps I expect too much from family or friends when it comes to my son's birthday?! My son was born three months premature on what would have been my sister's 29th birthday. It is also my ex mother-in-law's anniversary of her passing. Not only do my family and friends know when my sister passed, so do her friends. So as everyone post comments on my FB page about my sister's passing and what would have been her 38th birthday - I think to myself why does not anyone wish my son a Happy Birthday? I mean after all he is here and my sister is not? Perhaps, I am too selfish? As Christians we do no longer celebrate one's birthday after they pass. We do however, celebrate the anniversary of their passing. Although it sounds a bit morbid, that is how it is suppose to be...
My sister passed in August 2003, and my ex mother-in-law passed in 2001 five months after I gave birth to my first born son - a stillborn. So even if my own family or sisters' friends forget in their grief that it is my son's birthday, I expect my ex in-laws to remember. Perhaps because I am divorced and conceived the pregnancy during the divorce of my ex-spouse, (I also have a DNA test to prove that it is his son) - that is why my son does not receive a phone call for his birthday. I have no communication with my ex-spouse due to my own personal feelings and due to his incarceration. Since I am re-married, my present spouse raised my son as his own, and my son is unaware of the situation. Of course my ex in-laws are not in agreeance with this situation. But so far in the past 9 years of my son's life they have never given him anything - not a gift, not a bottle, a can of milk, pampers, onesies or anything. They did offer to visit and I thought that was a bit "shallow" of them since they have never visited me when I was first married. Of course it would be better if I visited them so I can leave promptly instead of vice-versa when they can possibly take their time exiting. But if the visits are going to be seldom - maybe once a year, why bother opening this door to my son when it would just confuse him? As it is, I receive a phone call from them once-a-year, just for an update. Not they are concerned or anything, but for them to be nosy! The ex in-laws want to know if I have returned to work, where does my current husband works, and to ask a question about my youngest son who is autistic.
I recently decided to de-friend the ex in-laws from my FB page! I mean why bother to call if you can just visit my page and find all the info you want? Unknowingly to my husband, I had them on my profile for a few years, including my ex step-daughter, who is currently pregnant. I decided I did not want to be bothered (or even hurt) to see my ex in-laws pouring their attention to my ex step-daughter and forget all about my son! I even blocked them from my page - so if they wanted to "hear" from me, they would have to initiate the call. Or am I suppose to call them and let them know what's going on?!
In any event, why would anyone call on my son's birthday...
My sister passed in August 2003, and my ex mother-in-law passed in 2001 five months after I gave birth to my first born son - a stillborn. So even if my own family or sisters' friends forget in their grief that it is my son's birthday, I expect my ex in-laws to remember. Perhaps because I am divorced and conceived the pregnancy during the divorce of my ex-spouse, (I also have a DNA test to prove that it is his son) - that is why my son does not receive a phone call for his birthday. I have no communication with my ex-spouse due to my own personal feelings and due to his incarceration. Since I am re-married, my present spouse raised my son as his own, and my son is unaware of the situation. Of course my ex in-laws are not in agreeance with this situation. But so far in the past 9 years of my son's life they have never given him anything - not a gift, not a bottle, a can of milk, pampers, onesies or anything. They did offer to visit and I thought that was a bit "shallow" of them since they have never visited me when I was first married. Of course it would be better if I visited them so I can leave promptly instead of vice-versa when they can possibly take their time exiting. But if the visits are going to be seldom - maybe once a year, why bother opening this door to my son when it would just confuse him? As it is, I receive a phone call from them once-a-year, just for an update. Not they are concerned or anything, but for them to be nosy! The ex in-laws want to know if I have returned to work, where does my current husband works, and to ask a question about my youngest son who is autistic.
I recently decided to de-friend the ex in-laws from my FB page! I mean why bother to call if you can just visit my page and find all the info you want? Unknowingly to my husband, I had them on my profile for a few years, including my ex step-daughter, who is currently pregnant. I decided I did not want to be bothered (or even hurt) to see my ex in-laws pouring their attention to my ex step-daughter and forget all about my son! I even blocked them from my page - so if they wanted to "hear" from me, they would have to initiate the call. Or am I suppose to call them and let them know what's going on?!
In any event, why would anyone call on my son's birthday...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)