Christmas is about being with friends and family and sharing joy and love. Maybe we should celebrate Christmas everyday, without all the trim and wrapping and keep it simple.
Wishing you peace and love, happiness and joy, everyday.
Monthly Archives: December 2013
Behind the Scenes
Do you ever really think about all that happens behind the scenes? Like getting ready for Christmas? Preparing for finals or a a big presentation? Lots of work goes on to get things just right and ready.
Tonight I got to help out back stage during Juliana’s play. It was such a different perspective and I enjoyed watching the kids going on and off stage and into the green room. I liked seeing them transforming from one character to the next and I loved listening to them whisper to each other behind the scenes. This perspective helped me to appreciate how much work goes into creating a production.
Behind the scenes and waiting in the shadows.
Seeing things from behind.
Costume changes.
The End. Closed Curtain. Success!
Red
Today I enjoyed seeing red…
Congratulations Juliana on your wonderful performance! We enjoyed watching your show!
Six more days until Christmas! Here’s a little gift for you… Breathe in calm, breathe out stress. Repeat. Feel good?
Christmas Anxiety
I get anxiety whenever I have too many different things to do. I have trouble prioritizing and balancing all the additional to do’s, especially when I want to stay present and not be stressed by all the activity that is swirling around me.
The stress still creeps in.
My husband tells me I should cancel everything.
My mother thinks anti-depressants might be a good idea.
I think playing tennis outside in the middle of the afternoon is the best solution. Check out the sky tonight!! Just gorgeous, and a perfect remedy!
Life is good.
I love Christmas and the rushing swirl.
I wish you enough. xo
Waiting
I have three kids and a husband that works at a startup. My routine is to not really have a routine. Our traditions are to not really have traditions. And to always expect things to change. I think that’s how it is with multiple kids and a non-traditional job.
I am a stay at home mom and I spend a lot of time waiting. And because I’m waiting, I don’t always want to start something because I know I’ll be interrupted. I’m trying to be better at this, but a lot of times it frustrates me. But I always look for the good and to enjoy the chaotic moments
For example, today I volunteered at our teacher luncheon. I was helping out while I waited to pick up Juliana. I dropped her off and unloaded groceries while I waited to pick up Charlie. I walked to school to wait for Charlie to be done playing.
This is me enjoying my walking alone moment and listening to my fun Stella & Dot necklace jingle jangle, which made me smile and take a selfie!
When I came home with Charlie, I sat down and had a snack with the kids. I wasn’t quite sure what to do next, so we hung out together. When I tried to read, they tried to talk. When Charlie started his homework, the doorbell rang with friends looking to play. I told them they had to wait too until Charlie was done with his homework.
They wanted to play outside, but I was mean mommy today and wouldn’t let him go out because the air quality people said we should stay indoors because of the fires nearby and chemicals in the air. Charlie learned about fairness and different rules for different families and I got to hear about it and his protests. Lucky me. And so I sat and waited patiently some more while he practiced controlling his body.
When he resumed some level of calm I taught him about life not being fair and things don’t always go as planned and that we have to deal with the loss and make new fun plans. I mean it’s depressing to miss your scheduled winter water ballon fight at 4:30 pm and it’s really hard to understand why when it’s good outside. Just look outside. Just ask him.
He decided he wanted to play with me instead then and that we should paint. He wanted to paint lawn decorations on cardboard. And so we did. We dug around for some cardboard and he sketched his design. Then Juliana and I joined him in painting in the details. We painted while we waited to take Juliana to her appointment and waited for dad to come home, before dinner.
We filled the time and waiting was good and he taught me something too. Not everything has to go as planned and sometimes not having a plan is good too, if you can be comfortable waiting for whatever shows up. Hmm.
Christmas Cards – Obsolete ?
Are Christmas cards obsolete?
I have to say that today as I was writing out our Christmas cards, I felt like maybe I should reconsider this tradition.
But I love Christmas cards. I love receiving them in the mail. I love opening them and admiring the photos of friends and family and am always curious how many pictures they took to get the one or two or three in the collection they chose to share. I love reading the annual stories and seeing the personal hand-writing, although several cards come as is, without any personalization, which I send sometimes too just because we run out of time, which is what made me wonder if this process is going to go the way of the rotary phone now that we have Facebook and Instagram and SnapChat and all the other social platforms to share our personal lives.
Do we need the physical receipt to hold on to and touch?
I still think so.
I love to share them all on my real wall for everyone to see.
When I write out a card, I am mindful of the family receiving our correspondence and I feel a sense of connection and wonder. Some friends we share cards with are from friendships we shared long ago and with whom we don’t share our daily lives with anymore. The card is a way to stop and think about those memories again.
I like the process of picking out a photo and layout and choosing which words to write on the card. I don’t like the taste of the stamps, though. This I could do without.
So even though I’m ruining the environment by printing more paper and buying more stamps, I still enjoy this one, simple, old-fashioned holiday tradition because it makes me slow down and be mindful of those we love.
Merry Christmas!
Behind the Scenes
Do you ever think about what goes on behind the scenes? It could be behind the scenes of a sporting league, your favorite company, a celebration, your spouse’s work, your kid’s classroom, or an advertisement or performance just to name a few.
So much work and planning and details and repetition and rework and editing and practice to capture the right moment, the right product, the right exposure, the best performance.
Today I worked for three hours behind the scenes helping the costume department get ready for this week’s play performances. The Director was interacting with the Costume Designer and the volunteer parents and the cast to get all the costume parts assigned. The costume director was gathering and fitting all the pieces for each role and working with us as we labeled and organized all the parts for each role and cast member. It was a controlled, chaotic and long process that we typically don’t think about when watching a show.
This made me think of all the other jobs and events that take place every day and all the work that we don’t see or visualize to make things become what they are. It made me appreciate that not everything is about instant gratification and perhaps our kids are learning through theater and sports and music and other events what life is really like. Hard work that leads to satisfying results. On with the show!
Christmas Spirit
Today we enjoyed preparing for Christmas in several ways.
Juliana and Charlie baked sugar cookies, while I sorted and prepared gifts for shipping on Monday.
Afterwards, Jeff took Juliana shopping for secret Santa presents and got a haircut. I’m sure they enjoyed their father daughter time alone.
We all met up again to enjoy watching Chuck Hunter sing and perform with the Voices in Harmony chorus at the San Jose City College Theater. Chuck has been singing for 40+ years and today we finally got the chance to enjoy his gifts and talents. Thank you, Chuck for inviting us to your show. We enjoyed seeing you.
We came home again to wrap the secret Santa gifts and to prepare an appetizer and dessert for the two big kids to take to a party. We dropped them off and then Jeff and I went with Charlie to explore the German Community Christmas Market in Mountain View. It was a lot warmer than the one we visited in Dusseldorf last year, but definitely not quite as authentic and we missed Ben being with us. We ran into friends, which made it fun, but the crowds made it challenging to navigate and Jeff’s favorite Brats were sold out.
Instead, we strolled down Castro street, and ended up trying a new Indian restaurant that was pretty good, since the Steins Beer Garden place we wanted to visit was crowded and had a half hour wait.
Charlie wanted to go driving around town, looking at Christmas lights, so that’s how we ended the evening, with me falling asleep in the car!!
Sweet dreams, and to all, a good night!
Got Grace?
I saw this on a bumper sticker today, and it stuck on my mind.
I think it’s the secret to overcoming tragedy, frustration and darkness. We don’t always get to pick the life we wish to experience, and when it changes as it always does, let’s hope we know what grace looks and feels like and can hold on.
I’ve been thinking about grace all day, and wish this for all who are suffering, at this moment, with the hope and knowledge that this too shall pass and life does and will get better again.
Sometimes the world is dark and chaotic and we’re not sure how we will get through the craziness. Grace is that calmness that takes over our body and leads us quietly forward as we navigate through the unknown, one foot in front of the other.
Grace allows us to positively face our fear and not lose control, and is something we can cling to as we figure out how to care for ourselves going forward, even when we are scared.
Grace is what saved me in my darkest hour and grace is what I wish for you, when you’re not sure of the way. Just remember, this too shall pass, and you are loved.
Namaste.
You Are So Loved
I saw this on a tea towel and thought what if everyone believed this to be true. That would sure make the world a better place. I wonder if there would be less ego problems if people all just felt loved.
Juliana thinks I’m just trying to fix the world myself. Or maybe just for my 235+ followers. Or maybe just myself. Oh it’s so nice to live with a wise, young owl.
I would like to make the world a better place, actually. Hopefully raising compassionate kids and sharing positive thoughts makes a small difference. I like to think so.
Charlie is sitting next to me on the couch while I sit and write and he said, “you look like a wonderful person.” I like the way he thinks. Maybe he’s the wise young owl. I like the way he thinks.
You are so loved.
Never forget.
here i am 