Trying to prepare for the SPIRIT ...

"Thanks to Walmart, I can now give them a Christmas as big as their imagination"

as big as their imagination?

REALLY?

That quote is no joke. My ears really did hear that on television this morning ... in between the countless toy commercials my little ones witnessed.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me that a company so big wants us all to want more and give more. It just rubs me the wrong way when I see how commercialized Christmas has become. Over the years I know I have been guilty of buying too much, trying to even the score between girls, and overspending/overspoiling BIG TIME!

This year I want things to be different.

WAIT! Didn't I say that last year?

yeah ... I did

All over the internet I have read some great plans for Advent, but it seems in the real everyday world that I see and hear involves women talking great big plans for their Christmas. What insanely expensive and practically out of reach gift they will get their 7 year old ... yikes!

The "real" spirit of Christmas needs to be what we expose ourselves to and not the very contagious over-materialized Christmas.

Sure I love gifts and giving to others really does bring me great joy. It just seems that it's taken too far with a much greater scale each year. Besides giving more and spending more, I find that so many are getting "encouraged" to give to a much broader base ... the mail carrier, the lawn person(s), the hair stylist, the countless teachers and coaches, etc. , etc. etc.

Instead of being excited to shop, I often find myself dreading the whole experience. The sheer volume of gifts and $$$$ seem way to much for me to take in. So instead, I nearly shut down until the last minute. Sure, I get it done, but the joy is missing. I'm simply getting it done to check things off my list.

This year I want to be more thoughtful and really set limits. I want to put my family OUT THERE to do something for the good of others (in some capacity). My children are spoiled (as are so many children today). Hopefully they do know and recognize their blessings ... heck, I remind them enough ;)

Off to think ...

Feeling every bit of 46 ... ugh!

When I was 45, I was feeling fabulous. I was fit, energetic, and I thought I could easily pass for 40;) Age was just a number and I certainly didn't think I felt or looked my true age. Then February 11th came and I turned 46. I have sciatica on my left side, my left knee is stiff, and I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I've resorted to stretching all the time and popping the occasional anti-inflammatory. There are dark circles under my eyes that I've had to start putting concealer on. My hair is growing out from last years 45 year old short hair, but it's just in an awkward stage. I can't decide if I want to cut it again or let it grow out. I even thought of styling my hair differently by doing a different hair part. That was a terrible idea because I was SHOCKED to see how much gray is now growing in the center of my scalp. I also think my metabolism is slowing down because my mid section seems a little thicker ... ...

"The Loveliness of The Seashore"

What is the "Seashore" like? "Where the sky meets the sea ... The seashore is a place where the sea and the sky are the same smoky gray until ... the morning sun breaks through. The hot noonday sun feels warm as a big soft cat covering you. And it seems there is nothing in the world except the sound of the wind and the rising and falling of waves." Over at Dawn 's there are so many wonderful books suggested on her blog. Earlier this month I couldn't help but to peek at some of them ... thanks Dawn! *The above quote came from The Seashore Book . The ocean moves in and then moves out. This place where water, sky and earth meet is never the same. The tide comes in, the tide goes out, each wave that returns pushes against the incoming swell as it is pulled back into the endless depths and swallowed into the vastness of an unknown deep. Such is each day of our "daily" lives. I grew up enjoying the sights, sound, and the surf of the NY/Jersey "shor...

A scattered post ...

I throw myself into stuff all the time. It can be anything from the start of a swim season, a new school year, the election, a vacation, an exercise routine etc. I'm kind of in a phase where I really don't know what my focus should be. I turned on the television and honestly, I have no idea what is on this fall season ... NO IDEA AT ALL . If I watched television in the past few months, it was something kid related or Fox News. I NEED A NEW FOCUS. My current thoughts ... reading a fictional, just for fun book stepping up my exercise routine thinking about our Christmas wish lists and shopping baking more ... I really am slacking in this area ways to save money so that we can get a new (second) washer and dryer for the upstairs (not a fancy kind because this would mostly be used by my oldest two children)... I actually have hookups. I wonder if a lot of people go through a sort of "lull" period this time of the year. Surely it doesn't last long with the start ...

"A Wink and a Smile"

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