It's Still Snowing

Okay, it's still snowing. I've been almost afraid to post since I got my first christmassy award from Court. After all, I don't wanna ruin my award winning set up! *L* Thanks to court for the award, I was tickled pink.

My husband is proudly telling anyone and everyone that I got an award! *LOL*

"Honey, honey, it's a made up award."

"So, it's still an award."

It did prompt me to enter my one snow photo into an online contest. Don't know if I will even get an honorable mention, but who knows.

So we did get some shopping done. Hubby rented an SUV and we headed off to the big city. Needless to say driving was an absolutely nightmare, cars in ditches, snow on the road. You know, the whole crazy people who don't how to drive in the snow because it's so rare here. It took my brother just 55 minutes to get out of the parking lot at a shopping mall. We were glad we decided to go to a smaller, less popular mall. We still had to sit in traffic a lot which was a drag. It seemed there was another big snowfall warning for Sunday/Monday so they were recommending to everyone to make sure they had their supplies on Sat. So sure enough the entire City was out in full force determined to get their provisions to hunker down and wait out the storm. *L* Anyone from someplace where it snows lots would be howling.

Here: Snow = Panic

We panicked in a sense too. This was our one and only shopping opportunity to be kidless from Sat until Xmas. So we shopped and shopped. We got it all done in just 2 hours at 2 malls. What went into the shopping cart? Everything! I think we were so worried about not being able to shop and not having presents for the kidlets that we bought EVERYTHING! We just didn't have the time to take it slow and weigh we wanted to get. If it was the right size, buy it. If it was age appropriate, buy it.

Man, this will teach me to be more prepared. Every year we tend to be the ones to shop early. I like to get it all planned out so it ticks me off when my brother approaches me a week before Xmas with a super rad gift idea for my dad that he wants me to go in on only I've already bought him a gift already. My bro, likes to play it close and always seems to wait to do Christmas shopping the last pay cheque before Xmas. Like there is suddenly more money then than the rest of the time. Let's face it, we all are usually sucking the money out of our accounts even if we don't have the extra. Why not do a little bit at a time and spread out the cost instead of having to pony up the dough all at once and being stressed the whole season that you're not going to make your other bills?

Of course, this year is tougher because of the recession but I wonder how many people will actually cut back and spend less this year? Or will they just put it all onto the credit cards and worry about it next year. So many of us these days try to shop our way into happiness. We've never been rich, just comfortable or maybe it's more apt to say just making it.

I'm tired of struggling to balance the check book. I hit a low point this summer when, trying to stick to a strict budget, realized that if we wanted juice we couldn't afford ice cream. Maybe next week kids. That totally sucked. AND we don't buy junk. That's just getting the staples but prices sure has gone up, that and my 3 kids are eating more. Yii. So I can understand why some people throw caution to the wind and just say f@#! it and go spend anyways. Of course, whenever I do do that, I regret it because suddenly we are in some financial crisis and it's because of overspending.

So don't mind me if I say Oprah's favourite things show is on the top of my hate most list. Who really wants to sit and watch an entire audience of people get free stuff and I mean really expensive free stuff. I'm happy for them but at the same point I'm green. I'd like to be able to sit there just once. I'd like just once to get a free makeover, home or personal. I'd like to be on the receiving end of some of that free stuff just once. But (a) I don't live in the U.S. anywhere remotely close to where these shows are made and (b) I don't have a sob story that would even qualify me. My living room isn't the ugliest in America etc... you know what I mean. So while I'm grateful that we're all healthy and our lives are bumping along relatively smoothly sometimes I think why not me too.

Ever watch extreme home makeover? It's a neat show and most of the families on there are very deserving, they like to play up how generous the family is etc, but I can't help but think there are so many other deserving people out there too so what about them? Do you think some of those people's neighbours must be resentful to see a crap house go and an over the top dream house pop while they themselves still have a crap house? Do you think if they did less on the main family's house that maybe they could afford to help MORE people? C'mon, normal every day people don't need houses like that.

Wow, that's not where I thought I was going with this post. Bit of a downer rant there.

I'm gonna have to get myself all cheered up. We're making Santa cookies this afternoon. That is cookies for Santa. Hopefully, they will last until the 24th *L*. And when you're baking with a 5 year old and 3 year old, you need to be upbeat cause the mess is gonna get heinous. This year a happy Christmas is gonna be a somewhat tidy house, three happy children, two parents with unlimited patience (maybe some time under the mistletoe) and snow, snow, snow outside. (Please Santa bring me some more patience)

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Zeemaid

In the mommy Trenches