Santa, the stuff of legends, 2 kids who don't believe.

Santa, isn't really that big around here. I can remember the day I caught my parents placing gifts around the tree, funny enough I was never really heart broken. I just figured it out and that was that.

My kids are little, my son is 6, last year he asked me the BIG question. Is Santa real? Well, I said, there was a guy by the name of Nick who started this whole thing, and he was a real person. (So I am not bothering to check my facts, that is pretty much what I understand to be why the whole damn thing started) Oh. he said, so Santa is just pretend? Yes, I said. Will he still bring me gifts? Yes, I said, because it is fun to pretend. Okay, and he walked off.

Flash (or fast) forward to THIS year and my 3 year old daughter proudly announces that Santa Claus is just pretend. Of course my husband thinks they should be innocent and actually believe. I feel that with all the media, various kids, with various backgrounds in school, it is pretty obvious he is a legend. OF course I still play along, and we still write letters to him.

The truth is. My parents had the same issue, dad was a big Santa guy and mom was practical. My mom is a Pastor's kid and well growing up to her Christmas was about the Birth of Jesus. I know that is the real reason for all of this, and my kids love to read that story too. That to me is not legend, so when the kids ask, I tell them that Jesus is real and so is God.

They get it. Somehow through all of the crap, gifts, songs, media and everything else they get that it is Jesus's Birthday. I am not uber religious, but hey I rather have my kids believe in God's only son and be saved all year round. Than have them believe in an Obese sweaty man with a white beard one time a year just so they get a zhu zhu pet.

I strive to tell our kids the truth, and I strive to let our kids know that we will provide all they need despite our financial set backs. Christmas IS a good reminder that we need to think of others, but like Jesus, we need to do it more than just 1 time a year. 

I don't hold out much hope for our 1 year old ever believing in Santa, she has 2 big kids out to remind her he is just pretend.

On another smaller note, I need to send a shout out. This is a HUGE, Thank You to all of you who donate to Toys for Tots, Pick kids names off trees or however you donate to those of us who can't afford to pick up the Christmas Tab. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT and so do our kids.

Beyond Black.

Its been awhile since I've last written a post. Life got in the way of prose.

Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings and yet crowd the stores for more more more. It never made much sense to me.

Angel trees, and toys for tots drives are plentiful. If you actually stopped and asked the people in need what they really want, I don't think most of the time you'd get the answer you expect.

All parents want there kids to have what they need. (read that again) What they need. Shiny toys make kids happy right? Really, my kids want warm hands when they play on the playground at school with their peers. Socks without holes and a jacket that zips smooth.

They like toys, but paper, glue and colors go a long way. Blocks and books are endless tools of fun.

Christmas is never a time for fancy gadgets for me, the last few years I've asked for whatever household appliance quit working that year.

So when  Thanksgiving and Christmas come, I think of those who are eating whatever came in last months food shelf box, spaghetti instead of turkey, rice crispy bars instead of pie. Where I live fancy programs, food shelves where you pick what you want, giving trees and the like don't exist. If they do exist, not everyone on the list gets picked. Here, you just know who is without, and despite your own issues, you give those people what you can do without.

The next time you give, think about socks, mittens, underwear-the things you cant live without, give from the heart. If you can't give, prayer is powerful. I believe in Karma.

Sickness.

Kid is sick.

To Be continued at a later date.

Did not forget about you dear readers.

Freeze Your Balls, MInnesota.

A short briefing on where we are on the US Map. I live in Freeze Your Balls, Minnesota about 200some miles from Frost Bite Falls, MN and another some miles from American Indian Territory. I live Up North.

Deer season is a holiday in these parts, so the family traveled into the woods for a weekend of camo, orange, outhouses and lots of trees. Kids can't hunt till they are teenagers so we leave the pretend hunting to them and the real hunting to the adults.

I don't hunt. I didn't grow up with it like the hubs. Whenever he was going to teach me, I was preggers or had a baby to take care of. I just cook, eat, run after kids and make sure they wear orange when they play with the dogs.

 Deer hunters are like Fishermen. LOTS of Stories.

My deer season started out pretty rocky. My son gets home late afternoons from school. It gets dark early here, and our trailer does not have lights because the dog chewed them off. This put us in a tight spot, we had to go within an hour of his arrival.

I was making hot dish and lasagna, to take with. Packing, and getting 3 kids ready. In the midst of this Ms.chief climbed a chair, tipped it over and fell to the floor. She was fine, but had a full diaper. I took her legs out of her 1 piece pjs, took the diaper off. I then heard my daughter yell out mom your pot is leaking. So I ran into the kitchen to drain my noodles. Talk about multi-tasking.

I then proceeded upstairs for a new diaper and clothes for Ms.chief-she'd been in her long johns all day. She followed me up the stairs. As I found clothes and packed a few more items, I suddenly smelled something. I looked down at the kid and said ew did you fart? NO.

I found poop on the floor and in her pjs. I had already packed the diapers and wipes. I couldn't run down and get them so I went and grabbed a wash cloth and wiped up the mess. I needed to pee really bad, instead of peeing I turned the water on to wash out her clothes and wash cloth. The flood gates opened and I started to pee.

I quickly pulled down my pants and sat on the toilet. I pulled off my long johns and as I was doing this I looked over.

There was Ms.Chief staring at me a toothbrush shoved in her mouth, butt naked, one sock on and grinning from ear to ear. It was then I heard hubs clomping up the stairs in his boots. Yelling "WE HAVE 15 MIN". WHAT! I said?! I wiped, pulled up my pants, threw bags down the stairs, scooped clothes for Ms.Chief off the floor, dressed her as fast as I Could grabbed her and ran down the stairs. Got shoes, coats and mismatched socks for the bigs. I dressed a kid, gave them a bag, pushed them out the door, dressed another kid gave them a bag sent them out the door.

Grabbed 4 bags, grabbed Ms.chief, put 'em all in the car. We BOOKED it like mad people and prayed like hell we had all we would need.

We did make it to hunting territory before dark. We also managed to have all the stuff we needed. Somehow my stellar done-this-a-million-times survivalist packing skills kicked in.

We are back for the week. School and all. BUT we get to do it all over again next week, and if you know anyone who can re-wire trailer lights send 'em up north.

Halloween.

I've been sick for 3 weeks now, thus the lack of posts.

We managed to survive Halloween, it went spectacularly well compared to last year. The hubs and I agreed on who would take them, the kids actually ate dinner before trick or treating. Last year was a pain in the ass I had a 3 month old baby in a Moby wrap, it was cold, my son did not want to keep going but our daughter would have gone all night if we'd let her.

This year, I took the kids around our immediate block with Ms.Chief, then came back, hubs was back from work, he took the bigs and I let Ms.chief roam the house in a monkey costume with a sucker as I passed out candy. Sugar cures baby blues. Hubs brought big kids home on time, took the baby back out to trick or treat. Kids actually went to bed on time. It was a dream come true. Minus the fact that I was hacking my brains out, and trying to keep snot from running down my face.

Now every morning if the kids get dressed on time, eat there breakfast they get a piece of candy then brush there teeth then go to school. Yes candy for breakfast.

Now. It is dooms day, the day before deer season starts and I am sitting here writing a blog post, instead of gathering the essentials. I really don't feel like sleeping in a cold camper in the middle of nowhere with 3 kids, but the kids want to go and it is only for 2 days.They get to see gram and gramps, aunts, uncles and cousins. It is more like thanksgiving than anything, so  it is my duty to pull my shit together and go.

So off I go, to pull my shit together.

The Wee Lass' and Pre-Conceived Notions

I have a sick 14 month old residing in my house.

I could just end this post here. I could do that because if you've ever been within 5 feet of a sick child you know how much work it takes to keep your sanity.

I think the nastiest part is watching the kids nose run into its mouth. Yes I wipe it, but wiping the kid’s nose is like trying to duplicate one of Houdini’s routines. Not even possible.

In the process of being sick, ms.chief has learned to climb-she was already a climber, only outside. She has never been locked in the house for any length of time. I am trying to get things done- at the same time getting the babe off the chair, table, away from the attic steps, down from upstairs, out of the bathroom, away from the porch and kept inside each time a big goes outside. Oh yes and away from the garbage can in which she likes to eat from or throw garbage on the floor.

It is in the midst of all of this the hubs wonders aloud what I did all day-I just pretend it is because he's truly interested, not because it looks like a large tornado hit just the inside of our house.

I'll admit there are a lot of days I just want to give up, hand the reins to someone else and run to some random fulltime job. I love taking care of my kids. It's everything else that I dislike; the feeling that no matter what, I can't drill in my hubs head that kid’s play, which is there job. Be thankful toys are all over and they are not glued to some video game, computer or TV all day long. The glue, marker, paper mess will get cleaned up after I clean up spills on aisle 3, 4 and 6.

I won't lie, I enjoy Facebook, freebies, couponing and don't always get everything done, and often the chores don't get done right away because someone wants to play, read, go for a walk or I am tired from the night before of zero sleep. That is just how it is. My job is part work, part play and not often do I get time just to me. When he gets home, he deserves every bit of my attention, just as my kids do. Hubs, you shouldn't feel left out just because I want to go to the store myself, which never happens. Its 20min of just me running in running out, but it's quiet and I can listen to hard rock in the car. I swear if we had a babysitter we could trust and afford, we'd spend more time out. Right now movies on the couch after the kids are in bed with ice cream will have to do.

The whole point is, we have to get over our own ideals for what we think the other person should be doing and just go with what they are doing. We are trying our best each one of us, which is all that should matter.

Gandhi and other freethinkers

Every once in a while, my kids pull a Gandhi on me. Meaning they get all deep and thoughtful on me. Gandhi was what I call a free thinker, he was peaceful and deep. Much like Martin Luther King, Einstein, Van Gogh, they stick out like sore thumbs.

I love this about my children and I encourage them to think for themselves, be who they are inside and never mind what others are doing.

So today at the bus stop. Thing 2, had this to say:

 Daughter " mommy who made all of this?" me "God created us and all of this" Daughter "mommy I don't want to die till I'm old like you" me" you won't die till you're older than me" Daughter "when is that tree going to die" me "whenever it runs out of light, oxygen and water" Daughter "can we have a snack when I get home from school?" me "sure"

Hunger always wins over philosophical thoughts.