"Time" Magazine Got It Wrong...

Move over Miley. Sorry, Royal Baby George. The most fascinating person of 2013 is the Elf itself. Okay, maybe not most fascinating, but definitely one of the most polarizing. He or She, depending on your preference, is more talked about this time of year than the Presidential "funeral selfie" or the foam finger.

Elf on the Shelf is the Kim Kardashian of Christmas. Fake, plastic face, cold? No, that's not why. Either loved or hated, the Elf on the Shelf is a major source of contention in our society. And the Elf has the biggest paparazzi I've ever seen. We've all seen the sweet side, but we've also seen some photos floating around the internet of our friend, the Elf, in some very compromising positions.



Do I love or hate the Elf, you ask? Truth is, I haven't decided yet. Really awesome moms love the Elf because they get to show off their creativity (or Pinterest addiction). Really cool moms don't even do the Elf, or do just the basics, because the Elf tops the list that "ain't nobody got time for." I'm somewhere in the middle of awesome and cool. So I decided to make a list of things I love and things I hate about the Elf. Let's be a ball of positivity and start with hate.

 

Ten Things I Hate About You, Mr. Elf:

 

I hate the way you look at me,

and your creepy hair.

 

I hate the way you pressure me

to move you here and there.

 

I hate your big dumb elf hat,

and your sewn together hands.

 

I hate all of the messes you make,

and how your legs cannot stand.

 

I hate the way I do all of the work,

and you take all of the glory.

 

I hate that I can't touch you,

who wrote this stinkin' story?

 

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you,

Okay well maybe a little bit,

afterall.

 

 

Now let's move on the love part. This part won't be a poem. That's on my list of things I "ain't got any time for" right now. Sorry to disappoint.

 

I love the way my kids get so excited to hunt for you every morning. I love that you're a tradition. I love that you are a tool for me to help them believe the magic of the season. I love to see them rush out of bed (okay, maybe not when it's before 7) to see what crazy thing you're doing. And for them, the messier, the better. And for the record, my kids clean up ANY mess the Elf makes.

 

So, I do it for the magic. For the fun. For the memories. And for the tradition. Love the Elf or hate it, I have a feeling the little creep is here to stay. 

 



 



I'm "part of the problem." And I'm okay with it.

I read a Facebook post the other day that said, "If you shop on Thanksgiving, You are part of the problem."

I guess, then, I am.

I've never gone "Black Friday" shopping on Thanksgiving. But I might. I'm okay with the option.

My husband and several family members and friends work for a grocery store. They've always had to work on Thanksgiving. Christmas Eve. Easter. 4th of July. New Year's. Name the holiday, aside from Christmas, and they are usually working. And it's usually "all hands on deck" busy in the store, at least until after lunch time. It's been this way as long as I can remember. Does it stink not having my husband around sometimes? Yes. Sometimes I wish he were home with us. But I'm thankful he has a job. I'm thankful he's providing for his family. I'm thankful that myself and others can run out and grab a last minute pie or, let's be honest, hard alcohol.

There's never been an uproar about grocery stores, or gas stations, or football (there's a lot of people away from their families in order for you to be with yours, watching football, eating, drinking *wink, wink*.) So maybe instead of complaining about it, which I have come to accept is human nature, just be thankful. If it upsets you, that's your right to be upset, but don't judge other people. When I worked retail, I actually LOVED working the holidays. Everyone was happy and the store was so busy that the day FLEW by. And, some companies give you holiday pay, which was a nice bonus.

My husband doesn't mind working holidays. We just celebrate when he gets home. Being together is the important part. And I knew when I "signed up" to marry him, that he would work retail the rest of his career. Just like he knew, when he chose his career, that holidays, weekends, evenings, they were all going to be in his future. It's a necessary evil. Would you complain if everything closed down for every holiday? Where do you draw the line? Which holidays are more important than others, and who gets to decide that?

So, I might shop on Thanksgiving this year. I have been a "Black Friday" shopper for years now. It's not even about the deals, as much as it's about the experience. I love the chaos. I love the "hunt." I love spending the time with the women in my family. I love escaping the "mommyhood" for a while to shop and leave the kids with their Daddy. It's a tradition now as much as the turkey. I've never encountered a rude person while shopping, never been trampled, and never get stressed out. You can refer to my post about how much fun I have on Black Friday here.

Just because you don't like it, or don't agree with it, doesn't make it the right or wrong thing to do. This applies to oh so many issues that come up in life. Just be happy. It's so much more fun.

Adventures in Basketball

Callie decided not to take dance classes this year. I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed. I loved the frilly and sparkly and girly adventure. I asked her if she'd like to try something new. Maybe gymnastics or swimming or basketball. She chose basketball.

I asked her why she didn't want to take dance lessons anymore, and she told me it was because she sweat too much, and she missed out on what was going on at home while she was in her one-hour-a-week class. I explained that basketball is a lot of running, and that it would actually take more time out of her week than dance did. Craig was all for basketball, as it was much, much, (did I say much?) cheaper than dance.

So, we had our first practice and game last week. How'd it go?

Callie had never played basketball. I'm pretty sure she had no idea on the concept, rules, or fundamentals of the game. And last week proved that. I was also quite confident she'd be injured, as she isn't very graceful. Last week also proved that.

She's only in first grade, so this is all for fun (thankfully). It's about learning at this stage. Craig took her to her first practice and reported back that she wasn't very good but was improving towards the end. And she had back to back games on Sunday. That was interesting. And entertaining. And, well, sort of exhausting.



She didn't handle the ball much, I am not sure she was very aware of its location 90% of the time. She got to inbound the ball a couple of times, until she kept handing it to the either team. She dribbled (I use that term loosely. Very loosely.) the ball down the court a time or two as well. I could tell that by the second game she was getting the hang of it. She was putting her hands up on defense and actually following the ball up and down the court. In between games is when her injury occurred, of course. A ball hit her tooth and knocked it right out. Luckily for her, it was a tooth that needed to come out and not a permanent tooth. I, in turn, lost the tooth somewhere that day but that's a whole other blog post! And the girls did a great job and won both games.

 



All in all, she did pretty well for a 6 year old. Tonight we had our second practice, and she made two shots in a row. A huge improvement. She dribbled better. She hustled more. She hugged me and told me she loved basketball. And that is what it's all about.