Take Me Down to the Paradise City

So, the weather here in North Carolina is going crazy.  Last Thursday we had snow and the whole city was practically shut down.  The grocery store was filled to capacity with people worried they would be snowed in for weeks!  There was a 78% lift in milk and bread sales in the NC market. (It could be true!)  Everyone went crazy worrying about what could possibly happen.

 In New York, it would snow as high as your car and schools wouldn’t be shut down.  Wear your snowsuits to school they would say, and as kids we loved it!!!  It wasn’t until we moved down south that a light dusting of snow would keep us out of schools for 2 days.

I watched the news Wednesday night and due to the “threat” of severe winter weather, most schools would be on a two-hour delay.  As the school closings ticked across the bottom of the screen, I slowly rolled my eyes.  These people are ridiculous!

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Yesterday and Tuesday we had 70 degree weather. The shirts and tank tops came out. Pale, pasty legs were on full display.  People were riding with their windows down, hair blowing in the wind and their music turned up loud.  It was indeed a nice change of pace.  I thought, spring here we come!!! Yeah!!  Now, this is what I’m talking about..nice warm days, not too hot and not too cold. Just perfect!

That should bring you up to date.  We’re rolling back down the weather roller coaster; today’s high is forecasted to be 50 degrees and Friday is 42.  Apparently Momma Nature is at a point in her life where she is going through “the change.”  Hot flashes and cold sweats are in full force.

Needless to say, this back and forth change in weather has me wishing for warmer climates. 

Warmer climates, paradise….

VACATION!!

Spring break is coming up soon at the kids’ schools and I just hit my anniversary date at work.  This year I get 2 weeks of vacation!!  The last week in March is wide open! 

Oh, the possibilities are endless!!

It’s time to spin the Wheel of Vacations!!! Woooooo!

The wheel has all of our vacation possibilities.  Will it be a cruise, camping, sailing the World’s oceans, backpacking through Europe, beach, mountains, etc? Some are unrealistic and will never happen on our budget with 3 kids, and some are definitely more in our range.  Some are just for S’s & G’s.  Can you guess which is which?

Okay, so no the 2013 Riggan Family Vacation will not be planned by spinning a wheel…I only wish it were that easy. 

Our ideal vacation must have the following qualifications:

1. It must be family friendly.
2. It must be reasonably priced.
3. It must not be ALL about the kids.
4. It must be warm
5. It must not be too warm.

I have a few realistic plans laid out.  First, we could go to Myrtle Beach.  We would walk along the boardwalk, get some ice cream, and spend a small fortune on the Ripley’s Aquarium.  Let’s not forget the sand.  The awesome, stick to every square inch of your body, sand! Yipee!  Can you tell I’m not that big on the beach??  And no, the fact that I will never again be able to wear a bikini has nothing to do with it…kind of!  I just think we’ve gone to the beach a gazillion times and done the same things every time!  It gets old after a while!

Second, and ideally, we’d like to take a trip to the mountains.  The flowers are in bloom and the weather won’t be too hot or too cold.  We can take the kids to the Tweetsie Railroad and The Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain.  Plus, I found this awesome place called the Forest Discovery Center that lets the kids do a scavenger hunt and when they find everything on the “forest floor” they get ranger scout badges! Also, I’d like to take the kids to Emerald Village where they can mine and keep their own gemstones! How fun is that?!?  ALSO, we’d be staying in a “rustic” log cabin, complete with hot tub and a separate room for the kiddos!! (See bullet 3.)  I think this is a winner!

I think when I’m older and the kids have all moved out, Brian and I will go to a travel agency and let them do everything for us!! Wow, that will be a nice change!! Only 18 (pfft) more years to go!

So, what is your typical family vacation?  I need some fresh ideas for next year!! I’ve got to keep this family on their toes!!

Thanks for reading today!!

Kristen B Riggan

Ready for a break

I'm A Mom I Got This Blog-Thursdays With Kristen

Ain't No Party Like A Kristen Partaaaayyyy!!!!!

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Okay, so I feel like I’ve been kind of Debbie Downer on myself lately so today’s post will have a slightly different tone! Woo hoo, finally!

Today, I’m going to list all of the many (eh?) reasons why I, Kristen Riggan, am so totally awesome.  Not only will it let you all know that I’m not this fat, lazy slob with a short temper that I have made myself out to be but it will also remind ME that I am in fact wonderful!

So here goes…brace yourselves.

1.) I can cook like nobody’s business.  Can you tell I’m on a diet since the first thing that came to my mind was something to do with food?? Anyways, you better believe my family’s bellies are full every night!  Pork roast, mashed potatoes, chicken…you name it, I can cook it like a boss! In fact, one of my specialties is lemon meringue pie….whooo weee, delicious!!  I spend hours scouring pinterest and food.com for new recipes that I probably won’t follow anyways.  At any special occasion or work luncheon, I am ALWAYS asked to bring in one of my dishes…yes, I am that good! I even have a album on facebook called “Cooking Adventures.”  Yes, I’m one of those people.

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2.) I am very loyal to my friends.  I actually only have a very close circle of friends.  My best friend and I have been besties since 7^th grade.  We have gotten into silly fights out the ying yang, as most immature girls growing up together generally do.  Even those few times where we weren’t speaking to each other, if anyone else tried to say something mean about her, man I would get so fired up and give that person an earful!  We’re the kind of friends that don’t have to talk every single day to know we still have that special kind of sister love.  Plus, we both LOVE mashed potatoes and popcorn…obvious fit for best friends, right?

I’m pretty sure I sound pretty silly and middle school talking about my best friend and how awesome she is and yadda yadda…I don’t care!! She has been part of my life for so many years and has helped shape who I am today, you all should thank her! I love you Dana!

P.S. I’d also like to say that I’m awesome because my friends love me!

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Okay…..

So, it took me like 15 minutes to come up with those first two reasons.

  This is proving to be more difficult than I thought!

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3.) I’m very manipulative—hey that’s a good thing! Perhaps manipulative is the wrong word to use.  Maybe I should use convincing and persuasive; yea, those are good ones!  Here’s the thing, if I disagree with your decision to do something I will “convince and persuade” you to think like me!  For example, we were taking the kids out to eat one night and Brian wanted to go to Denny’s.  Well, there’s nothing wrong with Denny’s, I just didn’t have a taste for it.  So, I made my move.  “Hey don’t you remember last time we went we got that really crappy waiter who got in trouble for letting us sit there so long? I sure hope we don’t get him again.” Or this one, “Well, I hope they don’t take as long to get our food out as last time; that took forever!”  Slowly but surely, he comes over to my way of thinking and Cracker Barrel it is!  I am this way ALL the time, it no doubt gets on Brian’s nerves but he’s man enough to let me get my way! 

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4.) I have an uncanny ability to justify ANY bad decision I make.  No seriously, it’s actually quite comical.  So, I’m on a diet right now and I’m going pretty strong.  I’ll take you back to my low point about 2 weeks ago.  I was sitting at my desk at work and around 3 I got a very strong desire for something sweet.  Much to my pleasure, my job offers us an unlimited supply of ice cream.  We have one of those coolers full of ice cream sandwiches, mule bars, cones, everything placed back in the corner of some random room.  So, the 3 o’clock snack attack hit me and I went and got a GIANT ice cream sandwich.  Absolutely wonderful!  Well, about 20 minutes later, I had another attack and went and got a chocolate covered cone.  As I was devouring it, the guilt started to roll in.  Really Kristen, two ice creams, back to back? Shame on you, I told myself.  But, but, I walked around the block at break time, and I didn’t have any breakfast.  So, that should cancel itself out.  There see, I did it! I justified my bad decision and went back and got a third ice cream treat.  I know…I’m so bad!

Needless to say, my diet started a couple days later and I haven’t had to justify anything since!!

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5.)  I’m a world class juggler.  No, not like in the circus but metaphorically speaking that is true.  Let me elaborate.  I am a mom of some wonderful kids who, it seems, are always on the go. Between soccer, baseball, homework, fundraisers, and PTA meetings, I am always doing something for these kids; non-stop. 

I work full time at a job that gives me brain farts at least once a week.  The constant typing and crunching of numbers is actually pretty exhausting.  I never knew that sitting on my butt would make me so tired but oh how it does! 

I cook dinner every night; meat, pasta/potatoes/rice, veggie, bread, the whole nine yards. 

Now, I have added writing this wonderful little blog to the mix.  I read and re-read, going over my piece time after time after time.  I’ve also been writing what I hope to be a really good book.  It should be wonderful, someday.

What makes me different from any of you?  Probably nothing but I still think it helps make me awesome!  We are all jugglers in our everyday life, so go ahead and pat yourself on the back!

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Mom, ladies, friends….right now, I want you to take the time and push all of the negative aside.  Get out some paper or pull up Microsoft Word and make a list of all the good things about you.  You’ll be surprised how many things you realize make you an awesome person.  With all of the hustle and bustle we put ourselves through everyday; we can’t let ourselves forget the things that make us special.  I’ll be honest with you, I’ve done that to myself for far too long; but not anymore!! From this day on, I will tell myself at least 1 positive thing per day.  Whether I look in the mirror and say, “Kristen, your eye make-up looks perfect today,” or “You did a bang up job on that steak,” I will tell myself! Because really, isn’t it all the little things that really count?  They add up to the big picture, and if we don’t see ourselves positively then eventually no one will.

Sometimes, life in general can beat us down so we should be the ones to pick ourselves back up and dust yourself off.  So go ahead, compliment yourself! I dare you!!

While you’re at it, let me know how you see yourself.  Post below one compliment for YOURSELF and let’s get this compliment ball rolling!!

                                               

Thanks for reading!!

Kristen B. Riggan

www.facebook.com/Kristen.Riggan 

I'm A Mom, I got This!-Thursdays With Kristen

Bedtime Blues

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So, in the last 8 years of my life, or rather since I’ve been a mom, I’ve noticed how of little importance my rest, let alone any relaxation, has become.

When Darien was born I was much younger so the lack of sleep I’m currently experiencing didn’t bother me then quite as much as it does now.  Now, with Daniel, it seems I cannot catch a break. At first, he did not have any problems sleeping through the night; in fact he slept so peacefully every night that I was a bit worried that something wasn’t quite right.  I got used to it and then took every possible opportunity I could find to brag about my restful sleep to anyone with an ear to spare. 

This all changed when he turned 4 months old. 

Let me just say I feel that there should be a way for us to prepare our babies for the emotional assault we put them through at the doctor’s office.  The dreaded day fell upon us sooner than expected.  It was time for his appointment…it was time for shots. 

Daniel received 4 immunizations in all that day, 3 shots in the legs and 1 oral.  The moment the first prick entered his leg the agonizing crying commenced.  And I’m not above admitting that seeing my little sweetie that upset brought me to uncontrollable tears; even after the baby was calm, those salty little emotional tattletales steadily rolled down my cheeks. I made the appointment 2 months in advance so honestly I had plenty of time to get my own emotions in check. 

Daniel has NOT been the same since. 

The night following his appointment he downright refused to sleep in his bed…pssh, who am I kidding? He refused to sleep…PERIOD!  I gave him pain medicine, a nice bath, and tried everything I could think of to get him to relax and go to sleep.  Nope, all he wanted was his mommy to hold him and cuddle him all night.  ALL night.  Any sleep on my part was not an option.

And so started the long and exhausting journey of getting Daniel back on his sleep schedule.

I would go to work the next day looking disheveled following a night of being kept awake by him playing for hours.  Coworkers would say, “Awww, Daniel wants to play at 3 am.  That’s so adorable”….No awww, it’s not cute anymore; it’s just plain mean!!  Never mind that I have got to get up and go to work in 2 hours.  Or never mind the total lack of sleep I endured throughout my entire pregnancy that I still haven’t caught up on.  Let me tell you, from “morning” sickness and heartburn to a pea-sized bladder and leg cramps…you name it, it kept me awake.

So for the past 4 months I have gotten so little sleep that it’s truly amazing that I’m even able to remotely function in my everyday life.

Well, starting this past Sunday night, I decided I wanted my room back.  I want adult time with my husband.  I want to be able to watch TV in bed without having to lip read what the actors were saying.  I finally put my foot down.  I gave Daniel a nice bath, complete with lavender baby wash to help induce sleepiness.  With the lights turned down low I sat in my rocking chair and read him a little book about a baby bunny who didn’t want to go to bed.  Then finally, it was the moment of truth…I put him in his crib and walked out of his room, closing the door behind me.  Man oh man, did he cry! He was so mad at me I’m telling you!! I could practically hear him screaming, “Mommy, why are you abandoning me?? Don’t you love me anymore??”  I paced the floor outside of his bedroom for a good 20 minutes until finally there was silence.  Being the over-protective mom that I am, I naturally assumed something was wrong and I frantically rushed in his room to check on him.  But, there he was, sleeping peacefully.

Daniel slept the entire night in his crib and it was AMAZING!! The hubbs even slept on the couch so I could get some uninterrupted shut-eye, free of the startling chainsaw snoring I have come to expect less than 2 minutes after he closes his eyes.

So the following night we followed the same schedule, I thought surely last night was a fluke and I won’t get two nights in a row—fate has never been so kind—until now!! Once again he slept all night in his crib, with a little less fussing this time.  So, since Sunday night, Daniel has been sleeping in his own room, ALL NIGHT LONG!!

SLEEP will surely come my way.

I couldn’t be more wrong.

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Darien, my 8 year old, is a morning person.  He’s one of those annoyingly chipper morning people who like to get up before the sun and watch some TV, play with some toys, and leisurely get ready without a care in the world.  I am the polar opposite.  I like to sleep until the very last possible minute.  I seem to thrive on the stress of getting ready in a hurry.  On weekends, when I don’t actually have to get up early, I am almost ALWAYS rudely awoken by the sound of stomping feet above my head and running down the stairs next to my room.  I can forgive that.  I cannot, however, forgive the tiny voice right next to my ear, “Mommy, have you seen my green bear?”

For the love of all that is good in this world, why in the world would any human being need to know the location of a tiny green bear at 6 o’clock Saturday morning???!?

Emily, bless her heart, is not a morning person.  Like me, she enjoys sleeping as long as possible; however, when she does finally wake up, she stomps around the house on her heavy little heels making as much noise as humanly possible.  Why?  I have asked…she doesn’t know either.

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That brings me to my husband; my dear, sweet husband.  After many hours of wrestling with Daniel to get him to sleep, I finally fall into bed, exhausted.   I feel myself drifting off to what will hopefully be a dreamless sleep and as my eyes close for the night, I feel a soft caress up and down my leg.  Followed by a soft, sweet whisper, “Babe, are you still awake?”  As this can only mean one thing, I internally debate with myself; to answer or not to answer.  That is the question…which usually happens to be, “No, I’m not awake.”

After finally giving up his pursuit, he lays his head on the pillow and 1.3 seconds later, the snoring begins.  At first it starts quietly, just a soft purring almost.  My eyes close and I fall asleep.  Moments later, I am startled awake by the most ungodly snort coming from Brian’s side of the bed.  I gently shake him and ask him to roll over where he continues snoring.  Repeat this process about 7 times and that should paint a nice picture for you. Needless to say, his snoring has gotten out of hand.

The next morning, my head is buried under at least 3 pillows as a result of the mixture of snoring and stomping I am constantly assaulted with.  I hear Brian puttering around the house, making coffee, letting the metal spoon clang against the sides of the mug, intentionally being as loud as possible in an effort to let me “wake up on my own.”  A few minutes later he comes back into our room, yanks the blankets off me and says “Are you gonna sleep all day?”  I cannot describe to you the fury that goes through my entire body.  This man, who I love very much, is about to get injured. 

People, this happens every weekend.  I kid you not!

So, I wrote all this to say….well, I’m not really sure anymore.  I’m so tired; I lost my train of thought!  Any advice on how to block out the world will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading everyone!!

Kristen B Riggan

Exhausted

www.facebook.com/Kristen.Riggan

http://kriggan.blogspot.com/



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The Bras Are Coming Off…

Monday through Friday from 8am to 5:30pm, I am at work, decked out in dress pants, heels, and a semi-casual shirt.  My hair is done, occasionally, and my face has just the right amount of make up and I always try to be professional and courteous to my coworkers.

The minutes seem to tick by like hours or even days.  I, along with everyone in the building, watch the clock, waiting, waiting, until…FINALLY!

5:30 has arrived!

 It’s finally time to leave and go home where I can go and work even more until bed time…

Everyday when I get home I have a routine.  While heading towards the bathroom, I kick my shoes off at the door, hang my purse up, take my coat off and hang it on the back one of the dining room chairs.  I unbutton my pants, yank those off and toss them aside, and then finally I get to the holy grail of comfort, the removal of the old over the shoulder boulder holder.  I twist my arms around behind me resembling a contortionist and swiftly unhook the claps, I then pull the boobie basket through the arm hole of my shirt and bam, instant relief!!  FREEEDOMMMMM!!!

Compare it to being shackled in prison for years and finally you’re set free!  The first epic notes of Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock & Roll play in my head…I’m ready to get down and dirty and cook some dinner!!

When I come home, all false pretenses like professionalism and ladylike manners cease to exist.  I am in my castle and I can do whatever I darn well please.  I go to the bathroom door wide open and don’t mind a bit.  I walk around barefooted, crank up the music, and dance in the kitchen.

I really think that if ladies were able to act at work like they are at home, the world would be a much more peaceful place!  Just imagine an office building filled with women photo copying papers, typing memos, going to meetings, all without the restrictions of shoes, nice pants, or bras.  We’re able to listen to our music in our headphones as loud as we want and jamming in our nice cushy chairs all while creating a spreadsheet. 

I want to live in that world….

We can do it ladies…Wait, are bras even listed in the employee handbook?!?!?

So, tell me what you do when you first get home to wipe the day away.  How do you cut loose and relax after a long day of work? 

                                                            Thanks for reading today!!

New Years Dissolutions

So, 2013 is finally here.  2012 was a year of some serious ups and downs for me.  I had my beautiful baby boy, Daniel, which obviously was a huge “up.”  I messed our taxes up and had to re-do them and pay extra money, down.  Being able to be on maternity leave for 3 months, up!  Not having any of my income for 3 months while I was on maternity leave putting us in a bit of a bind, down. 

All in all, I can honestly say that I am happy.  I love my life, my husband, kids, family, and job (mostly).

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So, I had originally resolved to not having a New Years’ Resolution, because how many resolutions are honestly kept for the year?  I’m still working on last year’s resolution to become more organized and I’ve never been quite so far from completing a goal as that one.  I took a step back and realized that I have way too many faults and short comings to not work on myself so I broke my first resolution of the year and came up with another resolution, to work on myself as a whole.

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First, a few things about me; I have a short temper.  I am zero to enraged in about .318423 seconds.  Tiny things set me off like opening the fridge and seeing only two drops of milk left in the gallon jug.  Or even just an annoying, highly repetitive, clicking sound that Darien subconsciously does all the time.  I’m like a cartoon character; you can see the red swiftly rising to the top as I blow my lid! So, that is now a top priority for me to work on this year; controlling my temper!! I’m thinking of taking up yoga or kickboxing, something that will allow me to release some built up steam without taking it out on those unsuspecting victims, oops I mean family and coworkers, around me. 

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I am the queen of holding grudges.  It’s ridiculous and juvenile, I know, but I can’t help it.  Oh you didn’t hold the door open for me, complete stranger, as I try to maneuver my kids and stroller and diaper bag into the tiny store opening? Well, you are now on my list!  A month later, if I see this person in the grocery store and I have $200 worth of groceries and he only has milk and gum, I will NOT let him get in front of me….serves him right as far as I’m concerned.  Ugh, I hate that I’m like this but it’s one of those things where my brain doesn’t allow the logical part of me to talk some sense into it.  I’m not sure how I’ll work on this one but I’m darn well gonna try my hardest!!

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I am downright unhealthy.  Okay so I don’t smoke and I only have the occasional drink (very occasional), but I LOVE to eat.  I love to cook big dinners and then I love to eat said dinners…and then possibly desert…and then a little more around 9 o’clock while sitting on the couch watching reruns.  Every night, dinner consists of a meat, a starch like pasta, potatoes, or rice, a veggie, and bread.  That is simply way too much and unfortunately, all the healthy alternatives I tried to substitute have sent my grocery budget spinning out of control.  On top of unhealthy eating habits, do you think I work out?? Nope, not at all but I want to, I really do!  If pure intention was a work out I’d be the perfect weight!  I’m lucky that I’m not bigger than I already am.  I’m hoping the kickboxing to help with my temper will also help with my weight.  Plus, I’m taking the steps to research and buy a treadmill!!! So yay me!

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I use my baby as a crutch.  I had Daniel 8 months ago and yet I continue to blame my pregnancy hormones or weight that I gained during that time.  I breastfeed him so I took that as a free pass to eat as much as I wanted…huge mistake.  The problem is, I felt/feel hungry all the time and I assumed it was because of the how many calories are burned while breastfeeding.  Well, I was right but I shouldn’t have abused it and now I’m sitting here overweight and unhappy with myself when I should be celebrating this wonderful time in my life.  So….I’m going to stop blaming Daniel for being emotional and chubby J It is my own fault and now that I’ve accepted that, I can get better!

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I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself on these resolutions but I think that 2013 will be the year of ME!! I’m going to love myself a little more and stop making excuses for myself.  Frankly, I’m getting on my own nerves so I know without a doubt I’m on everyone else’s…

So sure, I’m not perfect and I know I never will be but I love myself and my family enough to want to make things a little better.  We all have room to grow(or shrink as the case may be) to make our lives happier and healthier and I started my journey on Tuesday, January 1^st, 2013!!!

By the way, now that I’m trying to work on my temper, it seems that every annoying thing is the world is happening right next to me…this is certainly gonna be a long year!!

So, I want you to tell me what you’re going to do for YOURSELF this year.   Be honest and feel free to leave a word of encouragement for other moms (me) who are starting their very own almost impossible journey of New Year’s Resolution follow through!

Wish me luck everyone!!

Kristen B Riggan

Kristen.Riggan@hotmail.com

www.facebook.com/Kristen052

Christmas Advice

Oye vey! It has now been 2 days since Christmas and I have still not fully recovered.

Being Christmas and the season of giving and all that jazz, I would like to “give” all my fellow mommies and first timers a little Christmas advice for next year.  I do ask that you try not to get offended…I will most likely be much more cheerful after I have made a complete holiday recovery. J

1. DO NOT bite off more than you can chew with the whole Santa thing.  There is absolutely no reason to add 2 more years worth of debt to your already staggering amount just so little Johnny can get every single item on his Christmas list.  Let’s be serious here.

2. Start putting out granola bars and low fat milk for the big guy because he really needs to go on a diet—and by Santa I mean me.

3. Do NOT use the wrapping paper that you used to wrap other gifts with as makeshift “Santa tags” to avoid having to buy actual tags.  Your 7 year old WILL question this strange coincidence.  “Mommy, this gift is NOT from Santa, this is the same paper you used to Gramma’s gift?!?!?” “Um, uh, well….Brian, do you want to take this one?”

4. When friends and family ask what your kids want/need for Christmas, don’t be coy.  Just tell them already.  This will prevent a) them wasting their money on the wrong size b) getting a terrible gift that you will have to either re-gift or wait in a long line to exchange for something else.  Without their knowledge, assign every one who asks a different item as this ensures they get everything they want!! Genius or evil?? You decide!

5. Go through old toys and clothes BEFORE Christmas! Do NOT wait until they get 27,000 new toys and outfits to organize it all.  There will be hell to pay and you will cry.

6. Make your kids help you organize the old stuff into 3 different piles; keep, give away, and trash.  Also, it’s a good idea to make them come with you when you take the “give away” pile to the Salvation Army.  This way you can explain to them how much it will help another kid in need so they can have a good Christmas and it will teach them to appreciate what they themselves have.  Plus, you can use your donation as a tax deduction! Cha-ching!

7. Do NOT cook a big dinner—that is what relatives are for.  If you must be forced to visit your entire extended family on Christmas day, at least get something out of it and eat ’til your heart’s content!  Plus, who really wants to cook for hours and then clean up for a few more right after a sleep deprived, hectic Christmas Eve?  Not me, that’s for sure!

8. Do NOT buy your infant hundreds of dollars worth of presents.  A baby has no earthly idea what the heck is going on.  Save yourself the money and give them a pile of bows—it will keep them occupied for hours!! Trust me on this one, my 8 month old refused to play with any of his brightly colored, flashing lights, and noisy gifts.  Nope, all he wanted were the bows!

9. Please, put your kids to bed on Christmas Eve in at least halfway decent jammies.  You will undoubtedly take 172 pictures of every move your kids make on Christmas day and then post them all on Facebook. We really don’t want to embarrass our babies, now do we?

10. Skip the whole ordeal altogether and save yourself the stress- - the kids will eventually forgive you for ruining their childhood and faith in Santa, right?  Okay, okay, I’m kidding…no but seriously, skip it!

Well, that’s all from me for now.  I have but a few days rest before chaos will reign down upon my household yet again.  Darien and Emily’s birthdays are in January. Yay!

I would like to hear from you though!  What advice would you give your fellow mommies and first timers?  Let’s all help each other get through the holidays with some sanity intact.  Let the advice fly!!

Kristen B Riggan

Recovering Christmas Over-doer

Kristen.Riggan@hotmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/kristen.riggan

Christmas Woes

The closer Christmas gets, the higher my blood pressure rises. 

 Coincidence…I think not! 

Every year my husband and I go through the war of getting the kids to write letters to Santa.  They ask for what they want and every year their lists get longer, more detailed, and of course more expensive.

This year, when told to write his letter, Darien responded with “Uhhh, if Santa was real shouldn’t he already know what we want, magically?”   To which I replied, “Um sure, but we just want to make sure he doesn’t miss anything.  Plus, Santa is only able to give gifts that Mommy and Daddy approve of.” 

The kids are 7 this year and will be turning 8 in January. Honestly, how much longer must we keep up with this Santa Claus charade??? Why does this morbidly obese fat man who breaks into homes get all the credit every year for OUR hard work??  Sure, it’s a nice story to believe in for a little while but what is the cut off age?

I remember when I was little, getting sent to bed on Christmas Eve, barely able to contain my excitement!  Soon, Santa would be coming down our chimney, wait, we don’t have a chimney.  How will he get in??  How has he done this in the past and more importantly, how will he succeed tonight?!?  The questions starting racking up in my brain until I could no longer help myself; I HAD to find out the truth.  Why have I never heard the clatter of reindeer hooves on the roof?  And, am I the only kid in the world creeped out by “’Twas the Night before Christmas?”

“He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!”

Eh….I was not impressed. Just creepy.

That one particular Christmas Eve as I was lying in my bed attempting to will myself to sleep, I heard it!! No, not the clatter of hooves but soft footsteps from the end of the hallway, my parents’ room!  I slid out of bed like a serpent and tip toed to my door with my parents none the wiser and slowly, silently I slid open my bedroom door.  Could it be?? Was Santa actually real?!? Would I finally catch this mystery man in the act?

No, sadly it would not be so. 

The culprits were none other than my parents, arms overflowing with gifts, whispering and shushing each other in attempt to stealthily deposit the presents under the tree. I couldn’t have been more than 7 years old, and it was at that very moment that my belief in Santa Claus ceased to exist.  I don’t remember feeling sad or even disappointed, I simply felt acceptance.  I never did tell me parents about that night.  I still, as an adult, get gifts from Santa, Mrs. Claus, and even Rudolph.  My parents are so sweet...trying to help me hold onto the innocence of childhood. J

Lately, Darien has been asking a lot of questions about the big guy in red.  They are starting to get quite technical and as a result our lies are quickly catching up with us.  Perhaps we should have written all of our excuses down.  How this child remembers a conversation from when he was 3 years old about Santa but can’t remember that I just told him to brush his teeth is beyond me.    Two years ago, after being told repeatedly that he was forbidden to go in the basement, what did he do but go into the basement. 

What to his wondering eyes should appear but all of his

 Santa Claus gifts sitting next to Brian’s beer.

(Ha!Ha!)ß-I can laugh at this now!

His 5 year old self was in absolute awe!! “WHOA!!!!! A go-kart!!! AWESOMMMMMEE!!! Mommy, there’s a Go-Kart in the basement!!!”  Yes, this happened.  I even have a Facebook post to prove it!

 Kristen Bonaparte Riggan   December 9, 2010

So...Darien just went into the basement and saw ALL of their Santa gifts....WTF are we supposed to do now??

Our lie on that particular occasion was that Santa’s workshop gets SO full around Christmastime that sometimes he has to get the parents to help with the storage.  He eyed me in unamused speculation but eventually believed me….and that was followed by a hiney spanking and getting sent to his room for going in the basement after being told not to a thousand times!! So, his Christmas surprise was ruined….luckily he never spilled the beans to Emily or that would have been a very terrible day, indeed.

So, let me hear it from you.  What age do you think kids normally stop believing in Santa?  What age do you think the plug should be pulled??   Should we just let the ornaments fall where they may or should we fight to keep our kids believing in this guy??

Thanks for reading today!!

Where For Art Thou, Brian?

 

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Kristen is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

THWEERRRRRRPPPPP!!!!! My lovely daydream is smashed to pieces by a resonating flatulent so powerful; even Godzilla would quake in fear. My dear, dear husband…I love him. I love him. I love him. Repeat this to yourself, Kristen….

I am abruptly torn from the fantasy of Shakespeare and no longer is Romeo standing below my balcony professing his undying love. He has been replaced by Darien (7) and Brian (28) both laughing and high-fiving thoroughly enjoying my reaction of fear mixed with disgust and topped with amusement. 

I say fear because, my nose hairs have been singed by the smell and I’m afraid I can’t afford to re-do the now paint curling walls. Disgust, because the man I have promised my utmost love and devotion for as long as we both shall live has released a noxious gas so potent, my dog, Bella, who keep in mind eats horse poop on a daily basis, runs from the room whimpering with her tail between her legs. Finally, I say amusement because, and let’s be honest, farts are funny. I’m actually proud to have a man who can rumble our house off its 83 year old foundation with minimal effort. No seriously, really, I’m proud. >:-l Don’t you believe me?

You see, the men in the novels I read are horse wranglers, billionaires, Irish pub owners, you know what I’m talking about ladies. They never burp, fart, sneeze, and pick their noses. Never in a million years would they forget to put a new roll on toilet paper dispenser or fall asleep on the couch with their mouth wide open.

Deep down they are all poets and romantics and can recite Shakespeare without pause.

                                           This is not the case in real life.
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For instance, for Thanksgiving, I spent HOURS making a homemade pumpkin cheesecake. This was some gourmet cheesecake complete with gingerbread crust and a caramel drizzle. It was delicious, sweet, decadent, and absolutely perfect in every way!

After our traditional Thanksgiving meal, followed by the traditional turkey induced Coma, we were finally ready for dessert! Being the cheesecake fanatics they are, my parents showed up at my house just in the knick of time, forks already in hand, ready to devour my genius!

I carefully sliced and plated my masterpiece, topped it with caramel sauce, cool whip, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and served it to my family. The kids just got regular pumpkin pie—“Cheesecakes are for grownups,” I explained to them as they looked disappointingly at their plate and longingly at mine.
The moment the fork passed through their lips, my parents eyes lit up. Mom sputtered in amazement, “it’s perfect!” Dad stuttered in awe, “I…I…I…love it…” My gaze finally landed on my husband. I grinned from ear to ear in anticipation of his opinion of my work. I expected a compliment so great that I would humbly fall to my knees in gratitude.

Instead, I got “s’good.”

For a moment, the world stood still. My Dad’s fork clattered to his plate but no sound was heard except for the twin gasps of shock from my parents. Does this man not know me at all??? I want confetti and balloons to fall from the friggin ceiling the very second my heavenly creation passed beneath your nose. But no, “s’good” is all he muttered.

Now, had Brian been a character in a Nora Roberts book, for instance, he would have swept me off my feet and carried me to our perfectly neat and organized, candlelit bedroom. As the tear slid down his face, he would softly whisper, “You are the best cook on the face of the Earth. I am not deserving of such heavenly extravagance. Thank you, Kristen. Thank you for loving me enough to share your life and such divine desserts with me.” Then, we would make passionate love for the entire night with out pause….

Oh…sorry, I took a wrong turn there.

“S’good”….Believe me, I had a few choice words for him myself, after my parents left of course. J
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This past Sunday, I did get to see my hero in action. We were rudely awoken at the ungodly hour of 9 am by our dog and every other dog within a 5 mile radius barking frantically. Brian jumped out of bed, stepped into his ever present steel toed boots, which I have stubbed many a toe, and ran outside only to find…two ginormous MULES grazing in our backyard. So, Brian came back in to put some clothes on, gave me a kiss and said “I’ll be back; I’ve got to go get these animals home before something bad happens. If I don’t make it, just know that I have always loved you.” Okay, so I added that last part but it sounded good. He was so excited to herd the mules, it was kind of cute!
He eventually got the mules safely home and jackpot even brought home some brown eggs, fresh from the butt, as Brian so gently said, as a thank you from the neighbors. Double jackpot, he then COOKED the eggs!!!

So, while my husband may not recite poetry or climb balconies for me, he does recite the owner’s manual on my truck when he does an oil change or replaces the brakes. And he does climb to the top of the roof to put up Christmas lights for me.

He may not be Shakespeare worthy but he is definitely the hero in my book and I wouldn’t have it any other way!! Just add up all the little things your man does for you before criticizing the things he doesn’t. You’ll see that you’d rather have him cook you scrambled eggs for breakfast than put that fresh roll of toilet paper on the dispenser any day of the week!

I love you hubbs!!!