Santa Stranger Danger

This afternoon we participated in an event that is traditional to families with kids involving an old man dressed in a red velvet suit with a long white beard and a hat. The only body part visible to children is his eyes. I can see how visiting Santa Claus would frighten a two year old.

However, my daughter had only a small attack of the shybies and was able, very slowly, to spit out her hearts desires for Christmas, quietly muttering something about a vanity, fake cat, and dolls. Then Santa glanced at me assuring her that a couple of those things could be under our tree Christmas morning. Great .. now I gotta go buy more stuff! :)

Meanwhile, Mason was standing, staring at the man in complete fear at a safe distance of 10 or so feet back. When it came time for him to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas he kept his safe distance and repeated whatever Kara was whispering in his hear. Something about a Ladybug Pillow Pet. Say what???

At any rate, he did, for a brief moment step forward to retrieve a candy cane from Santa while bolting away as fast as he could. Then once again as he was safe distance from the Santa, proceeded to stare at him. Only to fret when I forced BEGGED him to take a picture with Santa. Mason did compromise by sitting on Aaron's knee while leaning dramatically away from Santa.

When I think about all the children that scream and throw fits when parents put them on Santa's knee for a holiday picture and then put into perspective the camouflaged issues of his clothing with only the peering eyes, yeah that scares me too! What is it about Santa Stranger Danger that frightens so many kids? And, yet, we as parents INSIST on violating those natural instincts of survival by forcing our children to interact with someone they do not know. LOL It's quite humorous I guess.

Anyway, here is a collage of the event. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Not So Common Public Knowledge

I have been debating for some time as to whether or not make this public knowledge, but I've come to the conclusion, that it is something I need to let anyone know who wants to make, send, or buy me edible gifts.

I found out in July that I have a severe cow's milk, baker's yeast and sesame allergy. This is probably shocking to a lot of people, as you can imagine how learning this information was extremely shocking to me. And it dramatically effected my grocery lists and bill.

I haven't been diligent AT ALL with sticking to a diet that removes all these things and their derivatives until as of late, when my migraines, stomach issues and acne reappeared and said .. "okay .. you wanna eat this stuff .. we'll make you a deal and just hang about." Yeah I'm so not okay with looking like I'm going through puberty all over again.

It's been a learning experience for me. I have realized that I don't need to eat anything that contains those things. For a long time I felt deprived, angry, and most frequently, HUNGRY! You wouldn't believe how incredibly hard it is to find foods that are 100% cow's milk free .. I'm talking even preservative free. Even soy and almond cheese alternatives have sodium caseinate in them which is a milk protein. I have become fond of goat cheese as an alternative. Soo...

At any rate, I never wanted to discuss this because I get so tired of people always complaining about their health issues, allergies, or what have you. I just usually refuse whatever it is that has the milk component and find a more fresh, less tainted item to eat. It really is amazing the difference I feel when I don't eat foods with those three items.

I'd like to say in closing, PLEASE don't treat me like a freak when I say "No, thank you" to your 5 star cheesecake or your yummy yummy creamed soups! They are my favorite.

Peace!

I write poetry! AHAHAH

SAHM ADD

Dirty socks and underwear,
Laundry is my burden to bare.
Groceries, snacks and meals that fill,
Oh, crap! Did I pay that bill??

Endless errands to get done,
Bandage up that little bruised thumb.
Sweep and mop and vacuum the floor,
PLEASE DON'T SLAM THAT BEDROOM DOOR!!!

Children that run and laugh and play,
Make Mondays seem Okay.
Bathtime, storytime, bedtime, YES!!
Now I can sit and rest.

Wait... leaving dishes in the sink,
Will really make my morning stink.
Kitchen cleaned, time to sit,
Really wish I knew how to knit.

My stay-at-home days are numbered too few,
And are going by fast with all I do.
I am a loud and proud Stay-At-Home Mom,
EW!! That diaper was a bomb!

Hair Touching or HAIRassing!! AHAHAHA

Something has been sticking out at me the past .. oh say 30 odd years .. something bright, vibrant, noticeable, and it's something that EVERYONE has to comment on. Can you guess what it is???? OH yeah .. my hair color! :)
I've been a red head since birth, and while I do love my hair, I can remember a time in my life that I didn't care for being a redhead. The truth is, red hair is somewhat a phenomenon. So does this make me a phenomenon?!?! Heck yeah! Which is why I'm so awesome, right??? Just agree and go with me on this!
I have a few redheaded friends that are gorgeous women. My sister and brother and few cousins are redheads (runs in the family). My grandpa was lovingly called "Red" and not because of his rosy cheeks after a glass or two of Wild Turkey. :) Love you gramps!
The truth is that red hair is a show stopper. Women pay hundreds of dollars to dye their hair red, all the while, a true redhead can point out dyed red hair. ;) Oh yeah .. we know girls. You can't fake it.
You know, I have dyed my hair twice in my life .. like ALL of my hair. And it was always a darker shade of red. I never sought out to actually "change" my hair color. Cause I love it.
I'm sure you wondering if there's a point to this blog. No worries, I'm wondering the same thing. HAHAHA!
I know that when people comment on my hair, they are doing it with the best of intentions, but sometimes, very rarely, am I wondering if they are going to stalk me in my sleep and scalp me. No no .. just kidding. .. er wait .. no I'm serious.
I bring this topic up because I have a friend who has aweseomely beautifully styled hair all the time, and recently she was at a shopping mall where some creeper touched her hair. I can totally relate to the creeper. I want to touch her hair all the time. HOWEVER, I value having ALL 10 of my fingers connected to my hand.
Anyway, I know what she felt when she was weirded out (and somewhat annoyed) at the touching of the hair. This is my whole life. People always want to touch my hair. WHY!?!? I don't get it. I mean, I could have been suffering from lice that day or something. Seriously.
The point is, even though people have beautiful hair, don't touch it. It's wrong on so many levels. Not to mention most women have spent countless seconds perfecting exactly where that specific hair you are touching is being positioned. And because you thought it was okay to touch said hair .. you've now messed up the positioning.
In closing, if you really want red hair .. you will really have to pay a pretty penny to get it perfectly dyed. Maroon hair does not look good on anyone. Well maybe that one person, but typically not really on anyone.

Cheers!