We have had a pretty low-keyed week around here.  Joe had the week off, and I went to work on Wednesday, and Thursday.  My boss is out of town, and it was nice to finally catch up on some projects and get organized at work for the New Year. 

We had a major snow storm hit on Wednesday night, and Thursday.  I left early for work on Thursday, and slid across two lanes of traffic on the black ice (even in 4 wheel drive), and came very close to crashing into a tree!  Fortunately, I managed to steer into the curb, and the back wheels of the Jeep stopped me, just before I hit the tree.  I came to a complete stop, and didn’t even hit anything- no trees, houses, people, or other cars.  It took a while for my heart to stop beating though.  I drove super slow the rest of the ride into work!

The boys have been playing with their Christmas toys, and have managed to stay healthy…knock on wood.  Joe and I finally decided to break down, spend the money for a new computer.  Our, er- my computer is over 10 years old!  It has run great, but it is slow, and I am sure it is just a matter of time weeks, before something finally gives out on it.

I have a remote log-in from work, which means I can log in with my home computer and work off the server at work, which is really nice.  I have been doing more and more work from home, and my computer is very slow, working with the brand new server at work.  We also store all of our pictures on Joe’s laptop, but it is running out of room, and we wanted to transfer all of the photos off his laptop on to something with way more storage.  So, we finally justified the purchase. 

We got an HP Pavilion Elite, for a very good deal thanks to some rebates.  It didn’t come with a monitor though, so today we ventured out in the bitter cold temperatures to Circuit City, where we bought our new 24 inch LCD Acer flat screen monitor. 

Then we had to organize clean the crap off our desks, that have been accumulating for a few years.  It wasn’t bad, but it did need a good cleaning.  We put on a Thomas DVD for the boys, and in 40 minutes, had everything cleaned, sifted through, and organized. I can’t believe how much nicer it all looks.  We are pretty organized anyway, but just getting rid of all those loose ends and papers that we didn’t need, really made a difference. 

Now Joe is giving the boys a bath, and hopefully once they are in bed, we will be able to set up the new computer.  I really like my old computer, but am ready to move onward and upward.  After 10 years, I guess it is time.

For the rest of the week, we are just going to hang out and take it easy.  It is supposed to still be cold, but Joe took Ryan sledding yesterday, so maybe we’ll try taking both boys tomorrow for a while.  My brother is also generously giving us his flat screen TV- he upgraded to a new HDTV-, and offered his previous one to us. Did I mention we have a TV that is 15-years old?  I guess we just don’t replace electronics unless they are broken.  Anyway, my dad and him are going to come up and “deliver” it for us tomorrow.

Joe has to go back to work on Monday, and I have an appointment with a doctor for second opinion about me possibly needing braces.  I’ll blog more about that next week.  I also have a few more projects to wrap up for work, so I’ll be doing some work too.

Finally, I am trying to get organized for 2008.  I need to get a calendar, clean out some files, and set up our bookkeeping.  We are excited about 2008- we hopefully have some changes coming our way, but I don’t want to “jinx” it just yet.  When it comes to be, of course I’ll share.

For New Year’s, we will probably go out to dinner, and then just hang out at home.  I can get used to all this relaxing. 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year’s!

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For the first time ever, we actually stayed home today-the entire day- for Christmas.  In years past, we have spent Christmas with family and relatives, but the way it worked out this year, there were no family plans for Christmas.

We got home late from having Christmas Eve at my aunt’s house “in the big city.”  We had a blast, with my siblings, my mom, my cousins, and my aunt and uncle.  The boys had a wonderful time playing with their teen-age cousins, and Ryan was thrilled we picked him up a Santa hat, earlier in the day.  He was saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas,” and saying he was one of Santa’s helpers.

We had an Italian theme for the food, and Ryan and Cole couldn’t have been any happier with the generosity of family and their selection of gifts.  Cole received a shopping cart, play food, art supplies, books, an airport playset, a blanket sleeper, and the big hit- a play pizza set.  He played with that for hours last night!  I think we have a future pizza maker on our hands.

Ryan received a musical instrument set, a mini United Airlines die-cast airport set, art supplies, a giant train book, a Bob the Builder tool / play set (complete with a hard hat), a Thomas glow-in-the dark- puzzle, Thomas pajamas, a colored illustrated copy of “Little House in the Big Woods,” (his first chapter book),  and a copy of the new Puff the Magic Dragon book.  When Ryan would open a gift, he would say, “Well, what do you think about that!”  It was so funny.   I was really overwhelmed by the gifts- it seemed like everyone knew just what to get the boys- they love all their gifts!

After us adults participated in a white elephant gift exchange- we watched my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding DVD.  It was fun to watch, but every time we started laughing at something, or talking over the DVD, Ryan would stand up and say, “Be quiet- I am trying to watch TV.” 

This was my niece’s first Christmas as well, and it was so sweet to see her reactions to everything.  Like every baby, she liked the wrapping paper and ribbons, more than the gifts. :-)  Here are a few pictures from Christmas Eve (you can click on any picture to see it larger):

When we got home, Cole stayed asleep from the ride home, but Ryan was wired.  We put out cookies for Santa, that we had made earlier.  Ryan wanted to play with his airplane toys, and Joe read him his new train book to try to settle him down.   We finally got him to go to sleep at about 10:30.  He was SO excited Santa was finally on his way.  As I tucked him in, he had a big smile on his face.

I finished wrapping a few more presents, and then stuffed Ryan’s and Cole’s stockings.  I wanted to arrange everything so it was perfect, since this was the first time, Ryan was really excited about Santa.  I couldn’t overlook anything, because I know he would notice.  I finally got to bed around 2 am.

Fortunately, the boys slept in until 8.  I heard Ryan wake up, and Joe and I rushed out of bed.  We got Cole out of his crib, and we headed down stairs.  When Ryan saw the tree and the presents under it he said, “Santa came!”  Then he saw his new, red, shiny fire truck, with the ariel ladder, he so desperately wanted (we even had to make a last minute phone call in to Santa on Sunday for the request!).  He yelled with delight, “An ariel ladder truck!  Santa really did come!”  Then he noticed the crumbs on the cookie plate, and said, “Santa ate all the cookies, and even got the little cookie I made for the reindeers!”  It was just the most magical moment.  Obviously, I didn’t take any pictures, but I will always remember the joy and happiness from Ryan this Christmas morning.

Cole wasn’t quite ready to get up, and did not want to open any presents until he had woken up a bit.  Then he wanted to play with the fire truck.  Surprisingly, the boys just shared beautifully today, and there were very few squabbles over the toys.

Joe and I made breakfast a of scrambled eggs, and French toast.  We had a leisurely breakfast, while the boys played.  We did a few minor chores around the house, and I tried to get Cole to take a nap, but he didn’t fall asleep.  Right before lunch, the boys opened more presents from Joe’s side of the family, and again, the boys loved every gift, and we are so grateful for the nice presents they received. 

Ryan received a  glow-in-the-dark marble runner, a wooden xylophone, books, construction toys (for Cole as well), and a hand-made pillow.  Cole also received a hand-made pillow and some books.  Cole was so content playing with the gifts he had already received, he didn’t want to open anything else! We still have about five gifts from relatives that he did not want to open today.  So we will be opening these in the coming days I’m sure.

Joe made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and the boys wanted to watch Bob the Builder’s Christmas video we checked out from the library.  After that was over, it was nap time, for all of us.  We all took a nice, long, nap.  It even started snowing!

When the boys and I got up, after two and a half hours (Yay!) Joe had started the ham, and had it in the oven.  I made mac & cheese, and pears for the boys, and also made broccoli, and garlic bread for Joe and I. 

After dinner, we cleaned up, and I made a quick batch of toffee.  Then we went out for a drive to look at Christmas lights.  The boys were getting pretty tired and fussy, so we cut the drive short. 

Joe and Ryan started putting the marble runner together, and Cole watched for a few minutes, before it was his bed time.  He was very tired!  I read him a new book Santa brought him, and he went right to sleep.  Then we got Ryan in his PJ’s, and he was ready for bed too.

Staying home this year was wonderful.  It was so nice, being able to just relax and not having to worry about coordinating schedules and naps.  It was just a very easy, and lazy day.  We did miss celebrating with family though, and I don’t think we would want to stay home every year, but it was a nice change, and with two small children, it was a lot easier on them too.  Overall, it was just a great day.  I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas too.  Here are some more pictures of our Christmas. 

Here is a series of Cole I just loved- eating his first Candy Cane (click on it, to see it much larger):

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 Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having , in spirit, become a child again at Christmas time.- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!

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Today, Ryan and I spent practically the entire day together, which has been what I think has been the first time this has happened since Cole was born- 19 months ago.

My mom is in ”the big city” for a visit, so we met up with her, and my sister for some last minute shopping.  My mom also didn’t do any Christmas shopping before she arrived, since she didn’t want to pack all that stuff! 

Ryan told me before we left, that he really “needed some mama time.”  We met my mom, sister, sister-in-law, and niece, at a pretty cool toy store.

Our local toy store has a train table set up, but this toy store, “downtown in the big city,” had a train table, a Lego table, a pirate ship table, and a doll house set up.  Ryan was so happy just playing.  Of course, it was crazy busy, and I didn’t venture away from where he was playing, so I didn’t get to look around too much, but did manage to find this neat, realistic toy trumpet for him, that I know he will love for his birthday.  I even managed to “sneak” back and have it beautifully gift wrapped.

My mom and I wanted to get some play food for Cole, since he will be receiving a cash register from Santa , and a shopping cart from my brother and sister-in-law.  I had seen a play food set from Melissa & Doug at our local toy store about a month ago, and when I went in yesterday, they were completely sold out.  I even tried a few more stores in my town with no luck.

So my mom and I weren’t very optimistic we would find the set we were looking for, but we were thrilled when we saw this: the set we were looking for.  It even had 12 pieces, and the set I had seen previously, only had 10 pieces.  I know this says for ages 3 and up, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what could be a choking hazard.  Each piece is solid wood construction, and there aren’t any lids that come off, and the pieces are big.  Maybe it is something on the crate.  At any rate, I know Cole will just love playing with these.

Back to Ryan…we had so much fun together.  He kept kissing me, holding my hand, and thanking me for bringing him along.  He told me he was having a fun day.  He was so good too- he didn’t cry, or otherwise fuss when it was time to leave the toy store.  I told him we would go to Jamba Juice and get a smoothie, since that is his favorite treat. 

We stopped where we thought there was one, but it had closed.  So he had to wait, until we got to another mall, and he didn’t whine or fuss.  He fell asleep on the way to the mall, so I stayed in the car for 15 minutes or so, and let him sleep a bit.  When I woke him up, he was fine, and we went to get our smoothie.

He climbed up to a tall table, and kneeled on his knees, and just grinned from ear-to-ear.  He would sip his smoothie, and smile at me.  At one point he said, “I love you Mommy…this is the best day ever.”  That just melted my heart. 

Before we left to meet back up with our group, I realized how much I love this little boy.  He means everything to me.  As he grows, he doesn’t need me as much as he did, or even as much as Cole needs me now, but I am so happy that he can tell me when he does want to spend time with me.  It is nice to be reminded that he still does need me, but now it is in different ways, and it is so fun to enjoy him as a little person- as a little boy now, instead of a baby.

I realized how much I miss us just having time one-on-one.  We will definitely have to have another Mommy and Ryan day soon, but today was the highlight of the entire holiday season for me.  Spending quality time, with my sweet boy- it doesn’t get better than that!

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Our weather is calling for snow tomorrow, and then some on Sunday.  We still have a few inches left on the ground from previous snowfalls, so by all accounts we will have a White Christmas!  Yay!

I have been thinking a lot these last few weeks on how I can make our Christmas a little “greener” as well.  It has always bothered me how much waste gets produced during the holidays, before it became “mainstream” so to speak.  Whenever our families were done opening presents, there was at least one big, huge, trash-bag stuffed with wrapping paper and gift bags.  Not to mention the bows, boxes, tissue papers, ribbons, and cards.

My mom was really good about teaching us to save ribbons and bows, so at least we would try to reuse these items.  I guess it got in my blood, because I am always trying to scavenge the reusable bows, ribbons, and now gift bags (Gift bags weren’t used too much in the 70’s and 80’s when I was growing up )

But, even with that, there is still a ton of waste.  I could never save wrapping paper- let’s be honest.  Unless there is a freak of nature unique person, who can open a present with out crumpling, tearing, or creasing wrapping paper, it just isn’t practical to save it and try to reuse it.  It always looks horrible, and it is never the right size.  Believe me, I’ve tried!  This was before I had kids, and there is no way any wrapping paper that my boys even look at, let alone touch, will be in any shape to be reused. 

Amy had a great post earlier this month, on all kinds Green Tips for the holidays.  One of my favorite ones, was running used wrapping paper through your paper shredder, and using it to stuff gift bags.  You could do this year round as well, and use the shredded wrapping paper in gift bags for birthdays, baby showers, etc.  It occurred to me that even if you can’t use all the shredded wrapping paper in gift bags, it could be used as packing (instead of Styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap) if you are shipping a package.  I’m sure there are other uses for this idea too.

I really love using gift bags.  Not only are they quick to assemble compared to wrapping, but they can be reused several times again.  I doubt I have bought a gift bag in several years.  I save all gifts bags given to me, and reuse them.  This also can save you some money too.

Since I have used a lot of  my “stash” up of gift bags, I realized I may be running low on gift bags and wrapping paper.  I decided not to buy any more wrapping paper, and make due with what I have.  I bought some gift boxes for a few presents, and wondered what kind of wrap I should do for them.  Then I realized that they already had Christmas pictures on them, and they look nice without wrapping paper.  Do I really need to “waste” paper for a box, that a kid will be ripping off in a few seconds anyway?  No.  So I am going to tape the boxes, and add a ribbon to them, and I am done, and hopefully saved a few resources in the process.

For Ryan and Cole’s presents, as well as a few others, they are in large boxes.  I cleaned out my brown paper bag stash, which multiplies faster than rabbits, under my kitchen sink.  I am going to cut them all up, and tape them to fit the boxes, and then put ribbons on them as well.  I’ll have “brown paper packages tied up in strings,” and will be reusing something.  Hopefully, I’ll be saving a few more resources.

If you have any other “green” holiday tips, I’d love to hear them.  I think a lot of people doing a few little things, can make a big difference.

Finally, if you get a Christmas present from me without wrapping paper, or wrapped in brown “recycled” grocery bags, no- I didn’t procrastinate and run out of paper, but you will know ahead of time, why your gift is wrapped this way, and hopefully you will be happy, you are a participant in my green Christmas. 

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I attended our annual cookie exchange on Sunday.  My sister started this, what we figured out, seven years ago.  We always have the “die-hard” people that attend practically every year, (unless they are sick, or working)  and then there are some people that have come off and on over the years, and there is always someone new, that someone else invites.  It is a nice chance to catch up with people, that I don’t see very often, and meet new people too.

My brother’s ex-girlfriend, C., hosted the party at her house this year, and it was a lot of fun!  C., and my sister worked really hard to make sure there was lots of snacks, wine, and oh yeah- sugar cookies to decorate.

We didn’t have as large of a turn-out as we have had in years past, but it gave us more room to work, and it was a nice chance to talk to people longer.  I always feel the need to talk to everyone at parties, so this gave me the chance to do that.  My 8 month-old niece also showed up for the last half, and I was thrilled I got to hold and play with her.

The exchange works like this: each person is asked to bring 3-dozen cookies that are already done, and ready to exchange.  Then at the party, sugar Christmas cookies are baked, and then the group sits and eats, drinks, and talks, while we decorate the sugar cookies.  We have really gotten this part down to a science- at the very first party, we actually tried to BAKE everything at once. I think that first party was like seven hours, because we all had to wait to use the oven. We even did this the next year, until my sister had the stroke of genius to figure out to have everyone bake their cookies BEFORE the party.

When all the sugar cookies have been decorated, all the yummy snacks are eaten, and the bottles of wine are gone- the party is over.  Then we all load up our containers, and plates with the cookies.  They make great gifts to give to co-workers, neighbors, friends, and people that you want to do something nice for.  I usually leave a big tin for our milkman and give a plate to our tenant as well.  This year, C. made some beautiful favors in holiday mugs, with candy, and I think I will end up giving that to one of Ryan’s teacher’s aides at pre-school. 

I love having some home-baked goodies to give to people on hand, and there is NO way I would have time to make all the different goodies that show up. I was up to 2am one night this week, working on my cookies as it was.  I decided to do something a little extra special this year, and made gingerbread snowflake cookies, with homemade lemon icing.  I have made these before a few years ago for my family, and it required me to purchase a pastry bag for the icing. I never used one prior to this, and haven’t since.  It makes me feel very Martha Stewart-ish. 

Joe was out of town all last week for work, and I wanted to start on them sooner, but I just knew, the moment I started decorating them, one of the boys would wake up, and then I’d be in a mess.  So I waited until Friday night, when Joe was home, to make and decorate all of the snowflake cookies in one session- whew!  I ended up with 4 dozen of them, and here they are: (drum roll please!)

The second picture are of my two favorites.  I intended to do a different design on each cookie, but after about half an hour into designing them, I was running out of ideas, and started to repeat the designs I really liked.  Still, no two were the same. 

On Saturday night, I made two batches of toffee, one with nuts, and one without. I think that is my favorite- it is so good, and so easy!

I was really happy everyone at the party liked the gingerbread cookies, and I hope whomever ends up with my snowflake cookies enjoys eating them too. 

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I am beyond being in disbelief, but Cole is sick again.  He started on Sunday night with a high fever.  At one point it was around 103.  It finally broke Monday night, and then on Tuesday, he started to break out in a rash around his mouth and diaper area only.

He actually had his follow up appointment that was rescheduled from last week, for his croup and lung issues on Tuesday.  His lungs had cleared up, and our doctor, Dr. B., said the rash looked like a yeast infection from the antibiotics.  He suggested I give him some Kefir, to bring up the good bacteria count in his gut.  He noticed that his tonsils were inflamed and debated doing a step throat culture, but we decided not to right now. Most babies don’t get strep throat before age 2, according to Dr. B. 

I am supposed to call Dr. B., back tomorrow and let him know how Cole is doing.  He said if he still had a temperature, and seemed like his throat was still sore, he’d call in another antibiotic, but at this point I think he is over the worse of the sore throat, and he hasn’t had a fever again.

The rash is bugging me though.  Yesterday it started to appear on his back and upper legs, but very faintly.  My mother-in-law pointed out there are a lot of baby viruses that result in rashes, and we probably just have to wait it out.  The good news is, the rash isn’t bothering Cole at all.  He is totally happy, and doesn’t even know the rash is there- he isn’t trying to scratch or pick at it.  I guess this is a case where it truly looks worse than it is.

After telling one of my friends about this today, she pointed out that it could be roseola.  After reading up on it, it probably is- but maybe a milder version, since Cole doesn’t have the rash over his entire body, and only around his mouth and diaper area, is the rash red.  So maybe he does have roseola, and then the yeast infection on top of that as well- who knows anymore!

I am at my wits end with Cole getting, what seems like every illness!  He just gets better and then one day later he is down with something else.  Roseola says kids come down with it 10 days after they are exposed.  I don’t even remember what or where we even were, where he could have been exposed.

I am going to work with my friend who is an herbalist, in trying to build his immunity up. She mentioned that he may just need some more immune support, and when I told my boss today what was happening, she reminded me how weak babies this age immune systems can be. 

She said her nephew who is three now, was sick every week from the time he was 1 until he was 2.5- she said she wasn’t kidding. That made me feel a bit better, but I hope that is not in store for Cole.  This really bites, one sickness after another.

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After all the great suggestions, and ideas, (thank you everyone who e-mailed and posted ideas), we decided to have Ryan’s party at a kids indoor amusement park “in the big city.”  It is about an hour from where we live.

We went to another kiddie amusement park (outside) not too long ago, and Ryan just loved, loved it.  He has already stopped talking about Christmas, and now just wants his birthday to come.  As he was falling asleep tonight, he said, “Mommy, I’m going to dream about my party.” 

Now the hard thing is deciding a theme- Ryan goes back and forth between wanting trains and construction, so I think we may just do both- have Thomas plates, and construction truck cups.  I guess it will all work out in the end.

The only down part to having the party so far away, is it is not a convenient location for our friends in our town.  Fortunately, the place doesn’t have a time limit, so if people do make the drive, they can stay as long as they want- they won’t just get there, have an hour, and then have to turn around and drive home.   

We have quite a few family members “in the big city,” so it should be a fun time.  Now if I can just get everything done between now and then, and hopefully, cross-your fingers that no one is sick on the big day.

Here is the original post on Winter Birthday Party Ideas if you missed it.

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I had a dental cleaning today- about six months late.  I am usually very good about going to the dentist every six months, but the time has gotten away from me. Last time I was there, (which was almost a year ago), I mentioned to my dentist, Dr. K, that I wake up sometimes with aching teeth.  He told me that is a sign of clenching teeth in your sleep.  We talked about a night guard, which will prevent it, but I never made a decision about it one way or another.

I have tried to become more aware of my mouth to see if I was clenching my teeth during the day, and I didn’t really notice it.  It also seemed like the days I woke up with sore teeth were fewer and fewer, so I liked to think mind over matter was working.

After the hygienist was done scraping and cleaning, Dr. K came in.  She told him everything looked fine, but there was one tooth where the gum around it looked inflamed.  After checking it out, he told me the tooth was loose, and he said he couldn’t believe how “off” my top bite was.

He poked around, made me do that tap,tap, thing so he could see my bite and he told me my top teeth were seriously out of alignment.  He “sandpapered” some of the offending teeth down a bit, and told me to try that.  I couldn’t believe it!  My mouth and jaw felt so light- like a lot of pressure had been released.  I hadn’t realized how tense my jaw was, and evidently it was because of my bite problem.

Dr. K told me I need a consultation with an orthodontist, because the “sandpapering” was just a temporary fix.  He said the teeth will keep moving back out of alignment, and pretty soon I’ll be right back to where I was.  He said he was pretty sure I was going to need braces!  He gave me two referrals.

I was a bit stunned!  Braces, at MY age?  Evidently I am a thirty-something mother with two young children, going on 12.  I had braces from the age of 13-17; most of my teenage years, and now I am facing the possibility of having them again-some 20 plus years later!

Dr. K told me the misalignment could be causing me to clench my jaw too.  He told me which tooth was loose, and of course I immediately had to wiggle it, and he told me not to wiggle it or play around with it- it could fall out!  WHAT?!  Now I am not only a thirty-something mom, with a 12 year old’s mouth, I am going on 70, where my teeth (or at least a tooth) is in danger of falling out. 

While I was gathering my free toothbrush and free sensitive toothpaste (yes, I have sensitive teeth on top of it all), the hygienist told me the good news was (really, there is good news in all of this?) I was young, (I had to hold back a laugh there), we were catching it early, and she said with the proper treatment, my teeth and loose tooth will have the pressure taken off of them, and the ligaments and tissue can grow back correctly and not be loose anymore.  So maybe I am not facing dentures before the age of 40.

I walked out of the exam room, pretty stunned.  I was making my next appointment in 6 months, (look what happens when I slack off and miss my cleanings!) and Dr. K came up to me and said, “Please, please call the orthodontists today.”  He told me this was very serious and could cause me a lot of problems down the road if I don’t take care of it.  He told me if by chance I don’t need braces, then I would definitely need the night guard.

Still stunned, I came right home and called the orthodontist.  I have an appointment the second week in January.  Joe and I have almost every insurance possible, but of course we don’t have insurance for adult orthodontics.  He had braces too, when he was a teenager, and we have orthodontic insurance for the kids.  Who would have thought we would need adult orthodontic insurance?  Our days of wearing braces were  behind us- or so we thought. 

If I do have to have them, I hope I can get the clear ones, although I hear food and stuff shows up in them more- lovely.  My two adorable teenage cousins just got braces, and they have bright pink ones, and lime green.  Somehow, I just don’t think those colors are appropriate for someone my age. It would look like a box of crayons exploded in my mouth.   But I don’t think I can take being called “metal mouth” again in my thirties…let alone what my boys will think.  Ryan notices everything.  They will probably think I am a robot taking over their mama’s mouth.

Oh, good times are ahead for me and my mouth!

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I came across this video clip on Yahoo tonight, and watched it- mainly because I couldn’t believe the heading: Experts Believe Santa’s Body Image Harmful (or something close to that- I don’t remember it word for word).

The clip is about two minutes, and it did raise some good points on the health of the actual people who play Santa in the malls, and some of the problems they may encounter from being overweight.  It said the “experts” agree that Santa is a role model, and kids look up to him- but come on- it is SANTA!

I have never heard a child say he wanted to be overweight, fat, obese, etc., because Santa Claus is.  Isn’t Santa like the constant that every kid has?  Kids look up to Santa because he is magical, kind, happy, generous, and loving- the best of the human spirit.

This clip said there is an actual website and movement devoted to keeping Santa fat.  One of the men who runs the website asks something like, what was next?  Are we going to start melting pounds off Frosty the Snowman?  What about the Easter Bunny?  He said he was starting to look a little chubby.  He said this was absolutely ridiculous.

Then the reporter asked some people on the street what they thought, and they all said Santa should be chubby.  One girl said she didn’t see people leaving carrots and celery out for Santa.  That made me laugh.

The story ended with the point that Santa used to be portrayed with a pipe and they dropped that.  I think that is good, but Santa isn’t portrayed eating junk food, holding donuts, and soda pop!  Maybe Santa is just big boned.  Maybe Santa has an overactive thyroid- not everyone who is overweight eats bad!

If we start taking these things to this extreme, what IS next? Will children not be allowed to have a role model (teacher, policeman, baseball player, coach, parent, grandparent, etc.) who is overweight? 

Yes, obesity is a problem, but I think talking to your kids about a proper body image, giving them good eating habits, and making sure they exercise, will go a lot further in preventing childhood obesity than insisting Santa is thin. 

The world is made up of all kinds of different people.  Why should our kids only be exposed to thin, skinny people as role models?   What kind of message does that send them- that overweight people are not worthy of being a role model?  I think Santa teaches us that it is OK not to have a perfect body.  Santa is overweight, but guess what- no one (until now) cares.  Children  and adults still love him, and he is defined by what he does, and who he is, not what he looks like, and not by how he does or does not live up to a perceived body image.

That is my stand- keep Santa fat!  I am curious to see what everyone else thinks about this.  Please just keep the comments respectful.

Merry Christmas! 

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