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Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Disclaimer: I will be receiving a coupon in exchange for this post.

Review - NBC's Community - Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas

I was recently contacted by One2One to participate in a project where I was able to get a sneak peek at this week's Community on NBC. In exchange, I was asked to give my honest review.  To give you a bit of background about myself, I have watched Community in the past and enjoyed it.  However it is not one of my "must-see" shows.  Now, before I give you my review, here's a bit about the episode:

When Abed (Danny Pudi) wakes up in stop-motion animation, he takes it as a sign that he and the group must re-discover the meaning of Christmas. Meanwhile, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) become growingly concerned about Abed's mental health and enlist the help of Professor Duncan (John Oliver). The group undergoes hypnosis to explore Abed's winter wonderland and soon unravel the truth behind Abed’s madness. Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, and Ken Jeong also star.

To be completely honest, within the first few minutes I was bored and even a little confused.  I didn't really like the intro to the show.  I didn't enjoy or appreciate some of the inappropriate (in my opinion) humor. I didn't like that they described themselves as being in stop-motion.  Having watched the entire program I understand that the explanation was important to the plot.  Only Abed saw them in stop-motion which is why the group sought the help of Professor Duncan.   That being said, by the first commercial break I was hooked.   While I could have done without some of the sarcasm, I just love Shirley in the show.  I found myself laughing out loud during a couple of her lines.  In addition to the humor, I also appreciated the message.  As you may have read here, for me Christmas is about new and old traditions.  It is about family, friends, and opportunities.  The magic of Christmas is not in the gifts, it is in the experiences we all share.  I personally love the idea that no matter what you believe, Christmas can be a time when we all come together to create our own magic!

*Disclaimer - I reviewed this episode through One2One.  I did not receive any compensation in exchange for my review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What do you want for Christmas?

"What do you want for Christmas?"

I might be completely alone in this, but it drives me crazy when people ask my kiddos what they want for Christmas, their birthday, or any other holiday or event.  Honestly, I think it drives other people crazy when my kids don't have an answer.   We don't ask the girls what they want as far as gifts are concerned.  We simply pay attention to things they do and say throughout the year.  We watch which section of toys they are drawn to when we are shopping for others.  (Though admittedly this might become more difficult as they get older.)  My reasons for this are two-fold.  First, I don't want them to think that holidays are all about the presents.  Second, I don't want them to be disappointed.

We live fairly far away from most of our family and friends.  The holidays  are pretty much the only time we have the opportunity to visit with great-grandparents and other extended family.   In addition, our extended family is rather large.  My dad is the oldest of 12 children.  All of whom are married and have kids.  Many of those kids are also married with kids.  This means that there are close to 100 people at the family Christmas party.  Grandma gets everyone a small present, but generally few other gifts are exchanged.  The holidays are simply a time to reconnect with those that have helped us to become what we are today.  They are an opportunity to learn what is going on in the lives of others.  The holidays are a time for relaxation, joy, connection, history, and tradition.

I have an amazing family.  My parents were always (and still are) kind, generous, thoughtful and fun.  I have some great memories from the holidays.  I remember our traditional night out at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by a drive around looking at Christmas lights while carols played in the car.  I remember going with my dad to pick out the perfect Christmas tree at the farm.  I remember hanging lights with dad and baking and decorating cookies with mom and my sister.   I remember going to Christmas mass together.  I remember the feeling of being safe, secure and loved.  Do you know what I don't remember?  I don't remember a single specific present that I received.   However, I do remember something else.  I remember the feeling of disappointment with my gifts.  It wasn't that I didn't get what I wanted.  I did.  I got what was on my list.  I think with all the magic of the holidays though, I was expecting more.  I was expecting surprises.  I was expecting a perfect something that I hadn't even known I wanted.  I don't think I'm a greedy person.  I don't think that I was ever ungrateful or unappreciative.  It is just that the listed items weren't as exciting or glamorous as they looked on TV.  There wasn't any magic in the "things" I received.

Just the other day I had to rethink my stance on this issue when Peanut came home from school in tears.  They are apparently working on letter writing in school.  She said that she had to write a letter to Santa asking for at least two or three things.   She didn't know what to do since she doesn't make a list for Santa.  "What do I ask for?  I don't make a list, I like surprises." was mumbled through her tears.  (Whether she really likes surprises, or I have just ingrained that into the girls is an entirely different post.)  We talked through it and she did come up with a couple of small items she could write about.  It seemed to appease her for the moment.   After our conversation, I did decide to stick to my guns . . . for a while.  For me, the magic was never in the gifts.  It was always in the experiences.  Hopefully, by focusing on the experiences rather than the gifts we can keep the magic of Christmas alive for just a bit longer. 

Jingle Bells Are Ringing . . . Can You Hear Them?

It is November!

I am typing that more for my own benefit than anyone else's.

How has time passed by so quickly this year?

I had such great intentions for the year.  With Peanut in school all day every day, and Pumpkin in school for 2.5 hours every day, I was going to have so much time to get things done.   Where did my time go?

I planned to get family pictures taken.  I planned to send out my Christmas cards before Christmas this year.  (Actually sending them out at all would be make me a step ahead from last year.  Oops!)  I even had the cards picked out.  Well, my cards might not arrive as early as I'd hoped, nor have the pictures I'd imagined, but it will get done.   Thankfully, the quality of Shutterfly's cards means that they'll look good even if they aren't "perfect".

In the past I have ordered at least one photobook from Shutterfly every year.  I have also ordered calendars as holiday gifts for grandparents.  I have even ordered Thank you cards.  (I love to create thank you cards with images of the girls on them.  Inside I type a standard thank you greeting leaving a blank space for the girls to fill in the item they received.  I also leave plenty of space for them to add their own note of appreciation or a drawing of them using the gift.)   Each time I place an order, I always ended up being more than happy with the results.  While I haven't ordered Christmas Cards in the past, based on all my other experiences I have to believe that they would be amazing!  From cards with one photo to an entire collage, the selection is extensive.   Now, if only I could find a nice picture . . .

*Disclaimer - I wrote this post as part of a Shutterfly promotion to receive 50 free cards.  You can also apply to participate by going here.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.