Christmas Contest Entry #4

My husband and I exchange an ornament every year. Usually something with an inside joke of a meaning or something that reminds us of each other. And since we've had our son, we include him in the tradition as well. My husband and I ecxchange on Christmas Eve and this year we gave our son his when we decorated. That way we add all kinds of neat ornaments every year.

Michelle F.

Christmas Contest Entry #3

Christmas Eve before everyone goes to bed we leave the cookies and milk out for Santa and place the baby Jesus in the manger. We always did this in my family - waited to put Jesus in the manger until Christmas Eve - and I think it really helps us bring the focus back to why we celebrate Christmas. After kids are in bed we turn on Christmas music, get out the hot coco, eggnog, sparkling something and set up the Christmas surprises. Santa always brings each child something big that is not wrapped and most of the wrapped gifts are from mom and dad. It's so much fun hanging out with the adults and getting things all set up. This year we will be putting together a big boy bed and a rocking car for the kids. We have many pictures of the guys trying to put together toys late into the night!
Christmas morning we wait until everyone is up and then we all climb into mom and dad's bed and open stockings. After stockings are done dad has to go downstairs to get some coffee... he LOUDLY oos and ahhs over the goodies Santa brought. The kids have to stay at the top of the stairs until dad is ready with the video camera and of course his coffee. Then everyone else gets to come downstairs and of course get that picture on the stairs before they run down to see what Santa brought.
After the Santa gifts we go around one at a time picking a present and opening it. We open all the gifts this way, ones from relatives, mom and dad, anyone spending Christmas with us.
We have blueberry french toast every year for breakfast and then the rest of the morning is spent relaxing (and playing with toys). We have a big dinner with turkey and all the fixings and then we do a birthday cake (for baby Jesus of course).

Melissa P.

Christmas Contest Entry #2

Well the girls and I created some new holiday traditions! Every year, usually the day after Thanksgiving, but this year it was a little later, we decorate our tree. We have a small tree but a lot of ornaments, so we hang up what we can on the little 4 ft tree and the rest we hang up all over the house! On curtain rods, on the mantle, even put some hanging from the table the tree is on. It's fun to figure out where to put them! We sing Christmas carols, then after we're done, we watch a movie. Usually "Miracle on 34th street", the old black and white.

Another tradition we have is Christmas card night. I print out labels, buy stamps, then we sign cards and write notes to soldiers, missionaries, and relatives far away. It's fun because we talk and laugh and it makes the job not so overwhelming for me. It's my favorite Christmas chore now!

Michelle S.

Christmas Contest Entry #1

Christmas Eve:
First we start off with a light dinner, and then we all help out making the dessert. This dessert comes from generations past (Chocolate Roll). While that is in the oven cooking we sit around the tree sing christmas songs, read the story of Luke, and enjoy each others company. Once the roll is finished we eat and open a present. The present is the special part of the evening. We are given each a gift from my in-laws, this gift represents something you have done well or accomplished in the past year. Ex.: One year my husband stuck to school even though it was really frustrating and difficult. He was given lots of things sticky (gum, post it notes, glue etc.) These gifts sometimes are really nice and sometimes are given with a little bit of humor. The letter that is written with each of these is also very sentimental in that it expresses their love and support for you and what you have done. Once everyone has gone around to open their gift we clean up, and have family prayer. My mom started something one year and oh how I love the gift of giving. If we know of a needy family at church, work, in our community etc. We find out sizes and wants and we buy them gifts. Late Christmas Eve night we do the drop, ring, and run method. I have always wanted to be a fly on the wall when they open the gifts just to see the smiles. But the thrill and love of sneaky gift giving is great!! Then we get some sleep!!


Christmas morning:
Once everyone wakes up we go in search of our stockings. They are hidden by Mom and Dad and then once found we gather to open our gifts. This is really nice to allow parents time to sleep in a little or get breakfast ready. We open up the gifts, enjoy some breakfast and open presents from Santa. After a nice lunch we open mom and dad gifts and play to our hearts content. We end with others gifts, some dinner and a restful nights sleep.

Thanks for letting us share!!

Kim R.

Tis The Season

It's that time of year!

I have had 3 people in the last week ask me about our Christmas traditions. Some are our own, some my parents did with us growing up, some are fabulous ideas I learned from other people.

It got me thinking though, how fun would it be to find out about everyone's holiday customs.

Whether you have no kids, little kids, older kids, empty nesters or live alone...

share them with us.

Email me your wonderful traditions and I will choose (at random) one lucky writer to win a fabulous gift card to...

**drum roll**

Not this one...

That's right, THIS ONE!! (YUMM!!)

Salivating yet??

Ok, email me those traditions

itsthemotherload@gmail.com

I'll post them here then announce the winner on Dec 24th!

And a Happy Christmas it WILL be!!

Deadline for entries is Dec 23rd.

One entry per email address please.

Now, for my family's Christmas traditions.

First, decorating the tree is a family event. We turn on Christmas music and we hand out the decorations, one at a time, to the kids and let them hang them where they wish (parents filling in spaces as needed). Each year a we rotate between which child gets to hang the star on the tree when the decorating is complete, they love that.

For Christmas Eve, we have a yummy dinner of appetizer type food... crackers, meats, cheeses, dips, fruits, veggie platters, sweet and sour meatballs, yummy *virgin champagne, not to mention tons of homemade cookies, divinity, fudge...etc.

After the grazing is done, we let the kids open one present (their holiday pajamas), which they put on right away. Then we read "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazwell, then the birth of Christ from the book of Luke in the Bible, then kneel down in a circle and say family prayer together. After that we read/recite/yell (hence why we do it after we've said family prayer) all together

" 'Twas The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clark Moore

Then we all pile in the car and drive around the neighborhood looking at all the fancy shmancy decorations and lights on the houses, while blasting Christmas music.

In the morning, after everyone is finally awake (mostly by insistence instead of by their own will) we all gather in Mom and Dad's bedroom. We say family prayer together, then run down stairs (daddy of course got up before everyone and turned on the lights and mommy put the **monkey bread on timer the night before to be done exactly 1 hour later).

We then all get our stockings and empty them, seeing what goodies Santa left for us. Then when that's over, Daddy hands out, one at a time, the presents from Santa under the tree. This part I really like. My Dad did it with us growing up. Not only do you get the excitement of your own presents, but you get the excitement of seeing what your brothers and sisters and parents got, and the looks on their faces. Instead of everyone tearing into them and not being able to see anything under the flurry of wrapping paper, tape and curly ribbon.

After Santa presents, we do gifts from Mom and Dad (their one BIG present for that year...like I'm going to let Santa get credit for Guitar Hero)!

Then we eat breakfast together, play all day mostly in our pj's, have a yummy fancy dinner that night, then open gifts from extended family, then dessert, then pass out in bed.

That's our fabulous family tradition. What's yours?

*Virgin Champagne

1 part white grape juice

1 part apple juice

1 part Ginger Ale

= Yumm!

** -My recipe is a little different from this one. Ok...VERY different, but you get the idea. If you would like my scrumptious

make-the-night-before-then-next-time-you-see-it-EAT monkey bread,

or caramel pecan rolls as I call them, then just ask, I'm happy to share. So easy, and so yummy!

Seasoned Blues

I suffer from seasonal depression. It's not bad, I just get a little down and don't want to go anywhere or see anyone. I have 3 kids, all school age, and I play with them when they get home or they go over to friends houses, but we don't go out and don't invite anyone over. Recently a friend asked me why she never see's us out anymore so I told her about it. She basically told me that I needed to get over it because my kids are suffering. My children are VERY happy and well behaved. They don't seem to really notice that we aren't "out" because we still have fun at home. Am I wrong for not thinking that this is a big issue?

Blue in BC

Trick for Treats

One of the Moms at the bus stop today was complaining about all the leftover candy they still have from Halloween 2 weeks ago, and how all her favorites were gone, but she only lets her kids have one a day so it will be September of 2011 before this batch is finished.

YIKES!

So I shared with her our little Halloween trick that we do every year and she raved over the idea, so I thought I'd share it with the masses.

After our children are all done trick-or-treating and it's time to call it night, hit a quick bath, spend some quality time with a toothbrush and floss and lay their sweet little matted heads into bed, we dump out all of their candy. We then go through it and put everything we don't like, have too much of, or plainly will never eat and put it back in our "trick-or-treaters bowl". We then put it outside on a chair in front of our front door, thus blocking it from little knockers and doorbell ringers, with a sign that says "Help Yourself". Inevitably by the time the hubby and I are ready to trot off to bed, the candy is gone and we have spent the rest of our Halloween night peaceably without any knocking or doorbell ringing to make our little ones think they may be missing something down below.

Happy sugar highs to all!

~Cara

Oh Baby!

I have one child, a 15 month old little girl. My pregnancy was AWFUL! I was sick the entire time, everything swelled up and hurt, she was 2 weeks over due and my 22 hour labor was exhausting, full of complications and all around terrible. My husband wants 4 kids, and I used to as well, but the idea of doing that again makes me cringe. I really have no idea what to do. I'm so scared that my next pregnancy will be just as bad or even worse. I want more kids and my husband says it will be better but I'm so scared to take a chance.

Aubrey A. Springfield, UT

Sleep Sense

Hiya Parents, I asked my neighbor to write this up for The Mother Load. I saw how desperate she was and how this sleep website drastically helped her and her baby and wanted to make sure that we got it here for all to read and share. Thanks ~Cara

We have had problem after problem with sleep issues. My son is now 6 1/2 months and from the minute we brought him home from the hospital we've had trouble with him sleeping. He wouldn't sleep unless you held him, he wouldn't sleep more than an hour and a half at night, then wouldn't nap more than 20 minutes at a time EVER.... the list goes on and on. We figured by three months (my Dr. said 3 months is the magic number... ha!) we would be a little more under control. Nope. Then we hit four months.... five month... six months... It all seemed to get worse and worse. I was a complete mess - total exhaustion from being up 6 or 7 times a night. A friend recommended a website for me to check out: http://www.sleepsense.net I was told there was a lot of free information on there and even a free sleep survey. I read all about her and how she has "given" sleep back to exhausted parents with children of all ages. Apparently she is a sleep specialist and charges people $350 an hour for consults. I kept reading down the page about what was involved in her program: a book, a sleep tracker, a workbook, online videos, a monthly phone call to her. I just knew this was going to cost hundreds of dollars. When I got to the bottom of the page and saw it was $47 for her program and was money back guaranteed, I clicked "buy" without hesitation.
I'd like to say we are now sleeping almost through the night, he is putting himself to sleep, eating better, happier... and so am I. It's been two weeks and (almost) painlessly we have gotten our little non-sleeper to sleep!
I know this site is about parents supporting each other and offering advice... well I would like to say I've read several books and talked to TONS of parents about what to do to get my son to sleep better.... and Dana solved my problems with one 198 page book. I probably sound like an advertisement, but if you've had a baby (or toddler) who doesn't sleep, you know how desperate you can get. I hope this information helps someone else out there like it helped us. I am a different mommy than I was two weeks ago! :)

Melissa P. Wesley Chapel, NC

Differ or Defer

I have a friend who doesn't parent exactly the way I do and I disagree with some of the things she says to her son and some of the things she lets him do. Recently she has been "parenting" my child when I'm around her. I don't want to cause issues between us, so do I say something or just let it go?

~Anonymous