The Thanksgiving Anti-Nap

Usually, on Thanksgiving, I eat, I nap, I chill.

But this year a friend convinced me to shake things up a bit. She had something much more exciting planned...

Yes, I actually went Black Friday Shopping. (Dun dun duuuunnnn!)

Don't worry... the earth is still orbiting the sun in the same direction it always has.

For those of you who know me, you know that I do not particularly enjoy shopping. I pretty much have what my family calls a "short shopping span." I shop with a goal in mind, hit the store where I can find that particular item, and am done.

The shopping gene skipped me.

However, I am capable of shopping for slightly longer periods if I am shopping with friends (or family). Because then it's not really shopping... it's spending time with my friends and getting a chore out of the way at the same time. (Yes, I just called shopping a chore!) The fact that I'm with someone makes it much more fun.

So there I was Thanksgiving night... actually wandering through the masses. We started about 10pm, although many stores had opened hours earlier. We did think it was a little ridiculous that a few places were open at 7pm or even 4pm!!! Anything to make an extra buck I guess.

At first, it felt a little foreign. But before long, I was actually having fun shopping. (Yes... the words "fun" and "shopping" just collided in a sentence by me.) We hit the mall, we hit a couple strip malls, we hit other stores. The majority of my Christmas shopping was completed that night. Oh... and let me say that when 6am found us winding down our shopping at a local Einstein's, I was still energized.

Will I do it again?

Absolutely! ...as long as my friend is there to make it fun again.

How many times do I have to say "Thanks?" - part 2

Thanksgiving is TOMORROW! I'm looking forward to it. There is just sooo much to be thankful for.

Last time, I listed my top two things I'm thankful for. Well, now here's a few more to add to the list...

3. My Parents - I have them to thank for my love of learning, musical talents (OK, the talent's from my mom, but the love of music is from my dad), creative writing, and wacky sense of humor. Plus, they're just stinkin' cute together. There's a reason my friends dubbed them "The Lovebirds."

4. My Mother-in-Law - What?!? Some of you may be shocked, but I actually get along with my mom-in-law and our relationship has really grown over the years. Plus, if I ever need to complain about dear ol' hubby, she's the one I turn to. Why? Because I don't want to complain to my friends and have them not like hubby just because of something I said in anger. Instead, I turn to the one woman who completely understands and usually has some really good advice on how to deal with the man in my life.

5. My Sister - We used to be frienemies, but now we're just friends. I love hanging out with her. And Little Dude loves hanging out with her son. What could be better than raising our kids together?

6. My Sis-in-Law & Niece - Again, I seriously scored in the in-law lottery when I married. We all have so much fun together.

7. My Friends - You know who you are. You're probably reading this right now. Yep... you! Some of you I've known for a few years shy of forever. Others I've known only a few years. Some sit next to me in church or praise band every week. Others I haven't sat next to for years. No matter what, I love you all!

Other things I'm thankful for: my relationship with God, my wonderful church family, the fact that I still have a job, living in a free country, and so much more!

I hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving! And I hope you find many things to be thankful for!


Next time: Will I join the Black Friday madness this year? It's very possible. Get a non-shopper's take on it!

How many times do I have to say "Thanks?" - part 1

Wow. Thanksgiving is next week? Where do the weeks go?

I'll keep it short and sweet today (heavy on the sweet) with a list of a few things I'm saying Thanks for!

1. Big Dude (a.k.a. My Husband) - OK, he doesn't read anything I write so I'm safe to brag about him here without his head exploding to gigantic proportions. He's handsome. He's handy (seriously... master carpenter). He cooks. He vacuums. He's always helping other people. And although seriously challenging at times, he supports me in all the crazy things I want to do.

2. Little Dude (a.k.a. My Son) - He amazes me every day. He's smart. He's funny. He's outgoing most of the time. His laugh makes my heart sing. I love watching him learn how to read and sound out the letters. I love the duets we sing in the car on the way to school. I love his hugs and "hundred kisses." Oh, I could go on and on and on. Just know this... I LOVE this kid!


I'm just going to stop there for the moment. I'll add more later because there is so much more to be thankful for!

Watch next time to find out what family member I'm thankful for that might surprise some people!

The Bedside Manners of Child Nurses

Aren't mothers supposed to inherit some sort of immunibility gene when they give birth? Wasn't there something in the contract about never getting sick again, if only to attend to the needs of your family while they are sick? Isn't motherhood supposed to give you a super-strength immune system?

When I was growing up, it seemed like my mom hardly ever got sick... other than seasonal allergies. There are very few times I remember her actually being ill. In fact, nobody's mom seemed to ever get sick. It was like they were in another category of their own. Some sort of super hero power kept them from getting the flu or catching cold.

So when I became a mom myself, I thought I would suddenly be blessed with an inhuman ability to ward off all disease.

Boy, was I wrong.

Within the last month I had severe allergies, a cold, and full-body hives. Luckily the hives didn't last long. But the allergies almost made my head explode on a flight back from Florida. The sinus congestion moved to my chest, and you know the rest of that story.

Mothers are expected to be sympathetic when their families are ill. But what happens when Momma doesn't feel well?

Let me tell you...

Nada.

I realized this when I had an unavoidable coughing fit and my son scolded me.

"No, mommy, don't cough into your hands. You'll cough the germs into your hands and then touch other stuff and the germs will go everywhere and get everyone sick. Cough into your elbow like this." Then he proceeded to demonstrate a fake cough into his sleeve.

I had tears in my eyes - not because I was so impressed with the preventative medical instruction I had just received from a 4-year-old, but because my throat felt like sandpaper rubbing against a cheese grater set on fire.

Immune to my pain and the fact that I was stifling another coughing fit in order to pay attention to my petite nurse, my son continued, "Or you can cough into your shirt like this." And he did exactly that.

The icing on the cake was being told by the same child nurse to immediately go wash my hands... so I don't get everyone else sick.

Wow.

A few days later, hives broke out all over my body. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as I've had before, but it was still painful. I heard my husband on the phone telling someone about my unfortunate condition and stating, "but she's a trooper. She doesn't let it bother her."

That's when I finally had my aha moment. It's not that moms don't get sick. It's that we often have no choice but to suck it up and carry on. All those mothers I watched never get sick while I was growing up probably did have the flu or bronchitis or colds. But they had families to take care of and jobs to do so they just sucked it up and carried on.

So I'll just grab my vitamin C and box of Kleenex and fight off my own infirmities so I can be ready for when my family is stricken with illness. Because, after all... I didn't cough into my elbow!


Just a Note: To be honest, my family is usually pretty healthy. We hardly ever have to visit a doctor. And that includes me. :-)