Christian Momma

May your Christmas be filled with blessings!

Merry Christmas to all my readers (all 2 of you!)

I was reading blogs yesterday and came across Heather’s post about the new Word Press 2.7.  Me being the nosiest person curious, I had to check it out for myself!

So, I go to my Word Press log on.  I look at the old screen…I see where they are telling me the newest version is available.  I remember that Lisa (from Simply His) added the Automatic Update onto my screen, so I click…and wait…nervous…I’m afraid that I’m going to screw something up.  I start second guessing myself…maybe I should ask someone about how to do this first.

After reading the first page, it seemed pretty simple, it says “Click Here for the next step”…Ok, so I clicked it.  The computer did something (I have no idea what) and then the screen told me what just happened on the update and then said “Click Here for the next step”…this continued until all the steps were completed.  With each click, I got a tinge of panic in me…am I screwing it up?

After the last click, I got the “Congratulations, you have updated your Word Press” screen.

So, now that my head is swollen to 3 times it’s size word press is updated, I go and sign in to see what Heather is talking about.  WOW! It looks so much different than what the older version did.

I like it!!

And, I’m so stinkin’ proud of the fact that I updated it by myself!

A few weeks ago, Michael came home from school and I noticed that his backpack was pretty full.  Here’s how the conversation went…

Me: “Michael, what’s in your bag?”

Michael: “Newspapers, Mr. Stewart wants us to collect newspapers so we can recycle them.”

Me: Thinking this is a great idea…but we don’t subscribe to any newspaper subscriptions. “Ok, where did the newspapers come from”

Michael: After handing me the bag, “They were just laying in the yard next door, so I picked them up.”

Me: After realizing that this was the subscription type of paper and not the free one that gets distributed door to do “So, you stole these from the neighbor’s lawn?  When?”

Michael: Stunned that I called it stealing, “In the morning before school.”

I took his backpack and found a week’s worth of newspapers in his bag.  I pulled them out and showed them to him.

Me: “You do realize you are stealing the neighbor’s newspaper?”

Michael: Stood there staring at me like I was speaking another language.

Me: “You are going to take these papers next door and tell the neighbor that you stole these papers from him.”

Michael: “I don’t want to.  I promise I won’t do it again.”

Me: “You are going to take them back and tell him you stole them or you are going to show your dad what you’ve done and he will take you over there.”

Michael: “Ok”  He was fighting back the tears at this point…it wouldn’t be right for a 11 year old to cry in front of his mom.

We go over to the neighbor’s house and the whole time I’m hoping that it’s not the neighbors that don’t particularly care for children.

We get to the door and he stands there…

Me: “Ring the bell.”

We wait and hear the footsteps of someone coming to the door.

Neighbor: “Hello”  Looking very confused at this woman standing on his porch with a young boy holding newspapers in his hand.

Me: After a moment of waiting for Michael to say something, “Do you subscribe to this newspaper?”

Neighbor: “Yes.”  Still seems a bit confused

Michael: Very softly “I took these and I’m sorry.”

Neighbor: “That was you?” Laughing a bit, “I have been wondering where my paper went every morning, even getting up earlier each moring to try and get the paper before whomever is taking it gets it.”  Chuckling a bit more “Thank you for bring them back, but please don’t do that again.”

Michael: “I won’t.”

Me: Turning to Michael as we leave “You got off so easy this time…things could have been so much worse than that.  I don’t ever want you to steal again.”

Michael: “I won’t, I don’t want to do that again!”

I hope this scared the stealing right out of him.  I didn’t know what else to do to have him realize how bad stealing was other than to have him admit and appologize to the person he was stealing from.

Boy, I wish parenting would come with a manual!

When I was young, every year we had Christmas for my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve at our house…well, mom and dad’s, I just lived there because I was too young to get a job and live on my own

Anyway, I can remember standing in the doorway a day or 2 before Christmas Eve waiting for my Aunt Vikki to arrive (she lived an hour and a half away and would come and stay a few days at my mom and dad’s house).  As she arrived, I would greet her at the door and help her bring in her gifts and things.

The mornings she was there, I would get up and make coffee for her and my mom.  I learned how to make coffee way before I even had thought of drinking it (now I’m addicted!).

On Christmas Eve, my mom would scurry around the kitchen moving canisters, the toaster, and anything else that was on the counter out of the way to make room for all the food that was there.  Dad would get the leaf for the table out of the closet and put it into the table, and then get the card table out for the kids to sit at (there were only 4 of us…me, my sister, and 2 cousins).

Soon guests would arrive.  And just as I had waited for my aunt to show up a day or 2 before, I would wait for them as well.  My Uncle Bobby would always have to make at least 4-5 trips to get all the loot into the house.  Aunt Jan and Uncle Tom would come, but since they had 2 children, it never took them very long to get into the house.   How convenient that my sister and their oldest daughter were only 2 weeks apart in age, and their son was a year older than me.  Instant playmates!  My Uncle Bobby had 1 daughter, but she lived with her mom in Florida.

While the guests arrived, my dad would be carving the turkey…I always snuck out to the kitchen to grab a piece of turkey…I loved eating the skin!  I was young then, I didn’t know how bad eating skin was, I just knew it was GOOD!

My mom would run and get my Grandpa before the guests arrived…he didn’t drive, I don’t know that I ever seen him drive…ever, but I’m sure as a younger man, he did drive.

We would start by eating supper, then the kids would be shuffled into the bedrooms to get dressed for the Christmas program at the church.  Then out the door!  Usually it was just my Aunt Jan and My mom and the 4 kids…everyone else stayed at the house.

We would come home knowing that the presents would be opened soon! My Uncle Bobby would never disappoint…he always had gifts for each of us that required batteries!!  We LOVED it!

Gift opening would always go by age, meaning I ALWAYS went 1st!  1 gift at a time, round and round until we were done. Then it would be time for cleaning up and everyone to leave.

Those were great times!  We still have Christmas Eve at my mom and dad’s house, but things are a bit different now…My Aunt Vikki now lives in CO, so we don’t see her.  We no longer exchange gifts.  My Uncle Tom, Uncle Bobby, and Grandpa have since passed away.  There are a lot more than just 4 kids…I have 4, my sister has 4, my sister’s friend (who is like my sister) has 2, my cousin (girl) has 2, and my other cousin (boy) has 3…so now there’s 15 kids!  Can you imagine a house full of 15 kids??  Oh, and add spouses and boyfriends to the mix as well.  It can get a bit crazy!

Thank you for coming on this journey of my Christmas Past!