Writer’s Block, so here’s 10 short, unfinished “head blogs” for you…

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I rarely get writer’s block, but lately it has consumed me. My insomnia doesn’t help either. My brain fires on all cylinders as soon as I lay my head to the pillow and a million thoughts run rampant. I can’t seem to focus on one good blog, so today, just to get back into it, a random sampling of thoughts, or ten “head blogs” for you.

1. I wish Oz was a real place, and the wizard was a real person, because I think a walk down the Yellow Brick Road would be pretty awesome, and I would ask him for a switch to turn off my thoughts at night. While there, I’d hang out with Glinda and see if she’d let me wear her crown for a little bit, dance with the Lullaby League, and get some spa treatment at that place where the “horse of a different color” lived.

2. If The Voice was The Pen and it was for writers, who would be the judges? My ideal judges would be, living or dead allowed: William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Steven King, and Nicholas Sparks. They are four of my favorites, and I would be happy with any one of them turning their chair (or desk) around for me. I’ve realized after typing that, I am a giant nerd to even think about this scenario. 

3. I just watched my 2-year-old son dance to a New Kids On The Block song (they were on the Today show) and I realized that I was dancing to their music over 25 years ago. All things that are “old” really do become new again.

4. If this Pittsburgh weather doesn’t warm up soon, I think we’re all going to go crazy. It’s been snowing and cold for the past 6 months, and we’re just starting to give up and pretend it’s warm. On the 47 degree day (heat wave as of late) I saw people in shorts, spring dresses, and flip-flops.

5. I turn 30 in less than 3 months and I’m not upset about it. I’ve done everything (mostly) that I wanted to do before I was 30 (got married, own a home, have a baby, own a business, write for a living) so I don’t feel depressed about it at all. I actually think my 30s are going to be great, and I’m going to embrace it. Let’s see if I still feel like this on the eve of the day when that cute little 2 in front of my age, becomes a larger, more daunting 3. 😉

6. I miss Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies. A LOT.

7. Saturday Night Live is still of one of my favorite shows and if you haven’t seen the episode that Justin Timberlake recently hosted, do yourself a favor and watch it. He’s insanely talented and they brought back tons of old cast members and skits. If you’re not an SNL fan, you seriously don’t know what you’re missing. “Bring it on down to Veganville…”

8. Movies I will watch ANYTIME they are on TV, even if I’ve seen them 100 times:The Princess Bride (AS YOU WISH), Serendipity, The Labyrinth (DANCE MAGIC DANCE), The Never Ending Story (FALCOR!), The Hangover, Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street,
The Devil Wears Prada, The Proposal, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, and basically any movie with John Cusack in it or any Step Up movie. I’m sure I missed some, but you get the idea.

9. Sunshine coming in through the window in the morning is of the most beautiful things ever, and it makes me feel alive, motivated, and blessed.

10. I’m an Apple snob. This laptop I’m using is a Dell and with each tap of the keys, I wonder why I’m not back in the other room using my beautiful, new 21 inch iMac. I guess because the sunshine isn’t as bright back there.

Thanks for helping me through this block. Hopefully a succinct blog will follow soon.
Until then, Happy Wednesday!

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I’m Romy, and I invented Post-its

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Tara Darazio

If you know the title, then you know the movie that inspired my blog today: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, circa 1997. Hilarious movie, one of my faves, and one that got me thinking about high school reunions and how different they are and will be nowadays, versus the older days.

When Romy and Michele were ready to return to their old stomping ground and catch up with their classmates, they really hadn’t seen or talked to those people for TEN YEARS. That’s almost crazy to think about in our era of social media craziness.

We know exactly what most of our classmates are up to, whether we want to or not, and making up a story like inventing Post-its, wouldn’t fly for even a second.

The mystery is GONE. There’s no wondering if our own high schools’ Billy Christensen (the hot football jock) is still dating Christie Masters (the popular cheerleader and leader of the tormenting A-Group). There’s no surprising everyone with our awesome jobs or how skinny we got, or how cute our kids are; everybody already knows.

Sure, not every single person we went to high school with has Facebook or Twitter, but a simple Google search would at least probably land you on a LinkedIn page, or some article they were mentioned in. It’s near impossible to not be found anymore.

So in a way, it’s kind of sad. I hear my own generation, most of us just about out of high school for 10-12 years, and no one really feels the need to go to their reunion. If you’ve stayed in touch with people, you probably still see them, or at least talk to them online, and the other people you didn’t keep in touch with,  well you probably still have them on your social networks, or know someone who does, so what’s to talk about?

Getting together and just being in a room with everyone you once went to school with is cool, I guess? But now we’re also faced with the awkward part of the day.

Maybe you haven’t “friended” a certain person, not because you’re blatantly being rude, but just because you weren’t friends in high school, so why connect now? A lot of us find ourselves doing the annual cleaning up of Facebook friends, and I don’t know about you, but I literally feel bad every time I delete someone, thinking that if I happen to run into them, that’s the first and only thing I am going to be thinking about and feeling some strange need to explain. I hate that feeling!

It’s never personal, or rarely is, it’s mainly because our news feeds are cluttered, and we can barely find time to comment on our family and close friends pictures and events, let alone the 10 people we met on vacation last year, or the friends of the friends who add you to their list because they are seriously one of those people who have over 1,000 friends and seem to just add daily.

Also, reunions can be awkward because social media makes it very easy to offend someone, without even knowing it. I’m not one to post any of my political or social or religious beliefs,  but many people do. I saw a lot of “good friends” fighting with each other over political posts last year and now with the gun issue at hand, it’s happening again. So when you walk into the reunion and someone you thought you were close with gives you the evil eye, it might stem from one simple post, or quote, or article you shared.  It might be a completely different experience, than if you really hadn’t seen them for 10 years.

We’re all kind of stuck in the spider web of the WEB and we can’t hide who we are.
Nor should we.

The bright side: social media has given us a way to truly stay in touch with the friends we did and do hold dear, and that wasn’t as easy even as little as ten years ago. Romy and Michele decided they were going to be themselves, just like they were in high school, not caring if the A-Group liked them. And that’s a great way to live your life. Our personalities are not going to mesh with every single person we ever meet, go to school with, work with, so why try to be someone we’re not? Be you, do you, and the people meant to be in your life, will be there.

I’m Tara. I’m a very happily married, work-at-home mom, freelance writer, and
all-around goofball. And unfortunately, I didn’t invent Post-its.

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My Favorite Word: Serendipity

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Tara Darazio

For those of you that know me, you probably know my obsession with the word Serendipity. It’s my favorite word and even more so than that, I truly believe in its definition and live by it. Life is made up of “fortunate accidents” and “unexpected surprises.” You always need to have your eyes open.

Wikipedia says: The first noted use of “serendipity” in the English language was by Horace Walpole (1717–1797). In a letter to Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754) he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of”.

What a fantastic word. So much so that I even have it tattooed on my back!

My favorite movie in the world is also, you guessed it, Serendipity, starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack.

Here’s a clip of one of my favorite parts of the movie, when Kate talks serendipity:

I absolutely agree that the universe gives us little signs to help us find our destined path. Sometimes we miss them, and sometimes, if we are lucky enough, we realize them.

We may not even know it’s happening. Maybe you got stuck behind a school bus today because you were going to be in an accident if you were on time. Maybe you forgot your phone at home, because you were going to see that you left the iron plugged in when you got back. Maybe you took a job you ended up hating, but you met some of the best friends of your life there. Don’t coincidences like this happen a lot? Do you think it’s fate? I like to think so.

Sure we all have free will, and we can do whatever we want, but how do you explain the moments that just “feel right.” Or the ones that don’t.

I met my husband when I was 22 years old and guess where? The one place you aren’t supposed to be able to meet someone, A BAR. And I sure as heck wasn’t looking for anyone. I had just graduated college, was enjoying the time with my friends, not working full-time yet, and had no plans at all to find THE ONE.

But that little beauty Serendipity had her sights set on us that night, and when I first saw him, I felt an instant pull towards him, like nothing I can describe, nor have ever felt since. It was like a magnet. I guess when your heart finds its other half, it’s pretty determined to let you know.

From the first few words we spoke to each other, it was as if we had known one another a lifetime. And it only took us 6 weeks to get engaged after we met. Now we’ve been married 6.5 years, together 7.5. That chance meeting, that “unexpected surprise,” gave us a true happy ever after.

And I thank my lucky stars that I went up and talked to him, because like in the clip below, from a really funny movie, fate only takes us so far…it’s up to us to make it happen. Guess the movie??

So to all my fellow dreamers and silly-hearts out there, I’m with you. I believe in it all. True love and soul mates and destiny and fate. We only have a short time on this Earth, so why not go for it?

Follow your instincts, look for signs, and even if just for today, for me, live a serendipitous life!

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The Stopwatch: Use It Wisely

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Rod Serling.

If this name means nothing to you, you’re missing out. He was the creator and narrator of one of the greatest television shows of all time: The Twilight Zone. His stories were simple and complex all at the same time, and his messages always made an impact.

There were many New Years Eves when I was younger, spent at home with my family watching marathons of these shows. We had our favorite episodes, and I remember waiting after each beginning to see if it was “the one.”

Now, I can just YouTube whatever the heck I want to see, and I was thinking about one of my favorite episodes this morning, and how it pertains to me right now, and thought I’d blog about it.

Originally airing in October of 1963 was a true gem entitled “A Kind Of A Stopwatch.”

I tried to find a short clip, but the entire episode is on YouTube so watch it if you can. SPOILER ALERT. Don’t read the rest of this if you don’t want to hear the end.

Basically, a very annoying man in his 40s that no one likes, heads to the local bar for a drink after getting fired. He’s pretty much done with everyone and sick of the world. He meets a drunk man who gives him a stopwatch as a gift for buying him a drink, and the man realizes it can stop time. Everything around him stops, the cars, the sounds, the people. He’s amazed by his new power and at first, uses it for fun and games, messing up things at his old office, putting people in weird positions, etc., etc.

But then his mind turns devious, and he decides to rob a bank. On the way out of the robbery, he drops the watch, breaking it, freezing time FOREVER. He frantically tries to push the button to get everything back, but it’s too late. In a cruel, twisted turn of fate, the people and the world he so shunned, became the one thing for which he once again yearned.

How I feel like this pertains to me, is I feel like this guy a lot of the time. I wish I could stop everything, even if just for a minute, and take a breather. I think we all want that.

Sometimes I’m in the middle of an argument with my husband or a friend or a family member, and I just want to push that button and SCREAM as loud as I can, say what I want to say, get the words out, even if just to myself. But on the other hand, fights keep things interesting. Drama makes us stronger, and we can’t just freeze or get away from these moments in our life. We need them. We’d miss them, if they weren’t there.

When my son is throwing a tantrum and I’m trying to work, I would LOVE that stopwatch button. Can you imagine complete and total peace. No kids to run after, no cars or fire alarms outside, no dogs barking, no television or cell phone interruptions. But then again, maybe those distractions and the sounds of the world are something I would miss. Maybe getting too inside your own head, with nothing around you but NOTHING, would be ultimately pretty scary.

I’m often inspired by the most random of things, so maybe the dog barking or the commercial on TV or the email coming in, would only add to my day. Even though we all think we want to get away from it all, we think we want to be alone, we think we’d be happier without all the craziness, I really don’t think we would. 

If I had the stopwatch, I’d try to use it in a positive way. I would press it before I’m ready to say something that I’ll regret. I would press it before I lose my temper with my son or my husband. I would press it so I could stop and look at this amazing world around me, with all its imperfections and instabilities, and realize that we’re all here and part of it for a reason. And that reason shouldn’t be a selfish one.

So if you’re angry today, or bitter, or feel like everything and everyone is just getting on your nerves, remember the man in the story, and how you’d feel if it were all gone.

He got what he wanted, yet he lost everything he ever knew, all in the same day. What we want and what we need are often not the same thing. Use your stopwatch (imaginary or not) for good today. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow.

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Finding Your Balance: To All The Moms…

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Tara Darazio

Baby Boom (staring Diane Keaton, circa 1987)  is one of my favorite movies, and I happened to catch it the other night. I love when you’re surfing channels and you come across an old gem that you almost completely forgot about. Sorry for ending that sentence with a preposition, but I just did…

When I watched it in my younger years, I just thought it was cute. I liked that her farm house in Vermont was falling apart and she had to deal with the one and only handyman in town; that she had 100 cans of homemade baby applesauce in her cabinets and no idea what to do with them (until she started selling them and made a lot of money); and that she fell in love with the (of course) single, handsome doctor in town. It was just a fun movie, with a sweet baby and a nice love story that made you think you could run away to the country and do that, too. But it’s not reality. Most of us would go bankrupt from the farmhouse, mess the applesauce up or lose the orchard, and the handsome doctor in town would already be married. Such is life…

When I watched it the other night though, it took on a whole new meaning for me. I watched Diane Keaton’s character, who was at the top of her game, a woman amongst men in her corporate job, flying high, on track to be partner, realize that she had to give it all up if she was going to be a mom. She just couldn’t dedicate the 80 hours a week at her job, and raise the baby, too. A dilemma with which a lot of moms struggle. (The movie is about her getting a baby from a distant, deceased cousin and deciding to keep her and raise her. She moves to the country to get away from her New York City lifestyle after she quits her job, and it’s the ups and downs and ins and outs of this decision). 

Her boss tells her before she quits, that “we can’t have it all.” Is this true? I always thought I could do it all. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be working from home and spending my day with Disney and Dr. Seuss, but I am.

I think it’s obvious that there’s give and take, pros and cons to the working outside the home conundrum  And as women these days, most of us have to contribute to the family income, and it’s almost impossible to just be a mom. Some of us don’t even have the option.

Whether you make the decision to stay home, or work from home, or work full-time or part-time, or whatever – then you should be supported in that decision. I hate when I hear people say stuff like “saw some lady in her Lexus SUV this afternoon with a Starbucks in her hand and three car seats in the back, heading to the gym. Obviously her husband is out making the money while she’s having fun all day.”

It really irks me. And you know what, if her husband makes enough money that she can solely focus on her kids, or go to the gym in the middle of the day, then so be it. Who the hell are we to judge? And maybe stop to think that she could be a single mom, maybe working a great job that bought that Lexus, and just happens to have the day off, so she took the kids out, got some java, and is heading to work out. That’s possible, too! Remember what you are if you assume…

Our job as parents is to be the best one we can for our child, and it’s our choice as to what that means. So next time someone tells you their situation, try to understand it, and even if you don’t agree with it, you can appreciate it.

I’m a proud work-at-home mom. I’m busy all day, even if I’m not in an office, either working for my freelance clients, running my small business, or doing laundry or dishes. I’m lonely sometimes, and yeah I sit down for 45 minutes every day to watch Days of our Lives (they are my pseudo co-workers and I still get a lunch break, right?). I do run to Starbucks in the middle of the day (although I don’t have the Lexus) and I’ve found my balance between being a mom and a working mom. This is my life.

Find your balance and own it.

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Give me a typewriter and some Hemingway please…

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I want to write on a typewriter. I absolutely hate the sound of clicking laptop keys, but the pounding of a typewriter, although so harsh and distracting, seems a more peaceful sound to me.

I want to manually put each page into the roller and push it to the side, hearing those gears turning as I start a new paragraph. I want to get ink on my hands from the ribbon, and make mistakes and find smudge marks all over my paper. I want to be able to pick it up and move it anywhere I want, regardless of Wi-Fi capabilities or battery life.

I don’t want to stare at a bright screen that makes my eyes feel like sand by the end of the day, but rather just the crisp, clean view of a new sheet of paper. Every page, a fresh start. I want to be able to feel each letter, see each word, and hold the pages in my hand, watching the stack rise as each page is finished. I don’t want to deal with printers, or paper jams, or lost connections. I just want to write…

Every day I feel more and more that I’m living, and writing, in the wrong time. I recently watched Hemingway and Gelhorn (a movie staring Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman) and I can say, I am now obsessed. I wish I could have known someone like Hemingway  It’s as if every word out of his mouth, every thing he spoke, was genius. Sure he drank all the time and married four different women and was egotistical and self-serving, but I guess he can get away with all of that for giving the world the GIFT of his words. We just don’t have writers, or perhaps people, like him anymore.

I am very embarrassed to admit that I can’t remember reading one of his novels any time lately, if ever, in my life. But my plan this week is to start! Watching him type away on his typewriter in the film gave me new inspiration for my writing. Who would have thought that someone from so long ago, can make such an impact on me today. Find your muse.

A few favorite Hemingway quotes I’ve come across lately…

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
-Ernest Hemingway

“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”
-Ernest Hemingway

 “For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.
-Ernest Hemingway

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Here’s to 2013…

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Tara Darazio

I make resolutions every year, and I follow through with them for about a week. This year, I’m determined for that not to happen. I opened up my iPhone last night and made a list in Notes of my 2013 resolutions. It’s right there in black and white, and I’m going to force myself to look at it everyday. I’m going to hold myself accountable, just as if that list were a “to do,” not a “try to do.”

This time of year gives us a clean slate. Not that we don’t have a clean slate any day of the year if we want to, but there’s something about the coming of the new year and the reflection on the last, that gives us that push to try to be a better version of ourselves.

I made my list reasonable (well except the one where I want to write and publish a book) but hey, one giant goal is needed to keep me honest. And if I can look back at 2013 and say that I really made an effort to do everything on that list, then I’ll be happy.

2012 was a great year for me. I successfully worked freelance the entire year; I won the fantasy football championship, beating 11 of my boys and leaving them with the knowledge that they all got beat by a girl; I made new friends, some of whom I know will last a lifetime; I watched my son grow and learn, from crawling, to walking, to running, to talking, and becoming the little man I’m so proud of; I spent a wonderful year with my husband, and we made it through the “raising a baby/toddler” stages while still making time for date nights and alone time; I got to visit my family and make memories during the holidays and other celebrations; and so much more.

I also had my struggles, as we all do, but I’m choosing to focus on the positive. When I wrote that list, although short and sweet, it made me very thankful that my year held so many great moments. It wasn’t a year of loss or sadness for me, as I’m sure it was for many others. It wasn’t a particularly special year either, but it was mine. And every year we get to spend here is an important one.

For 2013, focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t. Focus on what you DO have, not what you don’t. Focus on the ones you LOVE, not that ones you HATE. Count your blessings often, set goals and keep setting them if you achieve them, never give up on a dream, never use your age or situation as an excuse, say I love you and say it too much, and be the person that you truly ARE. Be the person that your mom knows you can be, that your wife knows you can be, that your best friend knows you can be. Be that person, for you.

Here’s to a fantastic year for all of my readers and to all of my family and friends. Each of you has made an impact on my life and I thank you for letting me share this crazy journey with you.

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Ten Things Ralphie Taught Us…

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Tara Darazio

A Christmas Story is Christmas to me. Ever since I can remember, it’s been on all day long on Christmas Day and most of us can recite almost every line of that film without even thinking about it.

Here’s ten things I think Ralphie and the gang taught us:

1. It’s ok to daydream during breakfast, or school, or any other time. Rhinestone cowboy outfits are acceptable to wear in these daydreams, as well.

2. A theme is apparently a couple of sentences about a certain topic. If you have Miss Shields as a teacher, you can get a C+ with little to no effort pouring from your penny pencil.

3. Don’t say fudge or any other variation of that word while in front of your parents. You will eat soap. Although oddly, that red soap looks kind of tasty to the outside eye, right?

3. Stay away from anyone name “Scut.” If said “Scut” messes with you, use the mittens that are conveniently attached to your jacket to show him who’s boss.

5. Your neighbors aren’t that bad. You could be dealing with the Bumpuses and their dogs!

6. For some reason, at some point after you watch the film, you will crave a glass of milk and red cabbage. They just make it look so darn good.

7. Major awards are as awesome as we make them out to be. A leg lamp in the window, heck yeah! Appreciate everything you get this year.

8. Aunt Clara exists in all of our families, maybe by a different name, but we will all receive the quintessential “pink bunny suit” gift at some point in our lives.

9. Icicles can be used as an excuse if you shoot your eye out with you BB gun.

10. And of course, be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

Signing off until after the holidays. Have a great one everybody!

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Insomnia and the Address Book

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Tara Darazio

I’m an insomniac. I take that diagnosis as a romantic sign that I must be a true writer. A tortured soul who can’t sleep, can’t function in the everyday world. Writers seem to be quirky and odd, and I’ll gladly own those qualities any day. I have a love/hate relationship with my insomnia. When my son wakes me up at 7:30 in the morning, I wish I had went to bed at a normal hour, but when I’m up at 1:00 am addressing Christmas cards and I write an entire blog in my head, (which I am now typing) I’m thankful. Insomnia and the night are my creative partners. I have my best ideas in those bewitching hours, and here is what my brain wrote for all of you last night.

I have an address book. Like an actual old-fashioned address book. My late Grandmother gave it to me, filled with our relatives names, addresses, and numbers when I went away to college and she put a little tag on the front that said, “Keep in Touch.” My Grandma and I wrote letters and cards to each other all throughout my four years in school, and that address book has become a staple part of my life. I have used it every year since, adding new people, crossing out things like phone number and instead adding email. And when using it last night as I wrote out Christmas cards, I realized how special that book is to me.

book

Sure, to anyone else, it’s just a bunch of names and addresses, but to me, it’s history. I laugh because I’ll go to look up a friend’s name, and when not finding it under her married name, I go back to her maiden name and there she will be. I have written her boyfriend’s name when she started dating someone, then crossed it out and wrote both their names when they got married, and on some of them, I’ve used the little space to add their kid’s names. How crazy! How much we have all grown, changed, moved. I have a few friends with about five different addresses. I just keep crossing them out and putting OLD over it, and then adding a new entry. It’s funny to look back at all the places they’ve been, things they have done, and to see how long I’ve been a part of their lives.

Sometimes there are sad memories associated with the book. I’ll come across an entry of someone I have lost, or people who have since divorced, or just those with whom  I didn’t keep in touch. But then again, there’s always new entries, new people in my friend’s lives, new babies, new homes. I love this book and I’ll keep adding to it until there’s no space left.

When my Grandma gave me this book, she couldn’t have possibly known what it would become. It’s a little piece of nostalgia, opened rarely, but opened at important moments, when I’m sending someone love.

Every time I do cards, I think about how I should really send them more often. The mail is the one little mystery and surprise we have left in life, and getting a card when you least expect it always makes for a better day. So after the holidays are over, and it’s a bleak and snowy February day, I think I’ll pull out my address book and send some winter love to my friends and family. A thank you, an I miss you, an I love you, all of the above.

My blog is a passion for the pen for a reason. I believe that putting pen to paper and writing someone an inspiring or encouraging message, can be a much greater gift than anything money could ever buy.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday season!

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Thieves, Screws and Bolts, and Clark W. Griswold: My Thanksgiving Weekend

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Tara Darazio

These past four days were just a little nutty, so I thought I’d share some of our experiences for your comic pleasure.

Ten minutes into our Thanksgiving visit, we received a call from a fraud company that our debit card number had been compromised and someone was making charges in another state. Of course the banks were closed, so while trying to enjoy turkey and potatoes, my head was swimming with thoughts of our thief doing holiday shopping on our dime. So Turkey Day wasn’t the most pleasant this year. As much as you think you can just forget about it, you can’t. Now that we know everything is okay, I guess we can laugh about it. The funny thing is, our thief went to two stores I won’t name, but let’s just say they weren’t fancy places. They probably realized how much money we had in our account and it put a slight damper on their planned shopping extravaganza – so BAZINGA!

Friday we were all ready to decorate the house, and spent two hours trying to rearrange our furniture so our 19 month old wouldn’t be able to reach the Christmas Tree. That didn’t work and the furniture ended up in the same spot and the tree where it is every year. Instead of fa la la’s, there will be a lot of no no no’s, as we teach him not to touch the branches and the ornaments. I think he’s already eaten about a pint of glitter and a few pine needles. And while pulling out the decorations from our shed, we had the great joy of finding thousands of stink bugs, many of which were still alive littered amongst our stockings and snowmen. The one that parlayed itself inside our countdown calendar was quite a surprise and while moving the little mouse to Dec. 1, I screamed bloody murder as his little neighbor flew onto my sweater. Yuck! We did go shopping later that day and found some great Black Friday deals late, so BAZINGA again to all you “let’s get up at 3 am and shop people.”

On that shopping trip we decided we needed a new TV stand, since our current one was all open and our son loved recording stuff on the DVR and unplugging every wire he could find. We found a great one at Target, but to our horror, when we opened the box, we realized we were in for a long night. I should have taken a picture of the pieces. I have never seen so many different screws and bolts. There was 18 packages with different parts, with about 10-15 in each one. It was a nightmare. There was actually an instructional video on the Internet on how to put it together  because they couldn’t even explain it in directions. There were 13 clips and even watching the guys put it together, it was still hard to follow. It took us close to five hours between all the tightening, and stopping to fight, and rewinding of the video, etc. etc. It looks great, but geesh. There should be some kind of award for that work. And I think I could narrate those videos a lot better than the guy who did ours. If he said drawer in that awkward weird drawn out way one more time, I was going to lose it.

Saturday we finally finished decorating and did some more shopping, before collapsing to watch Christmas Vacation at night. My husband and I are Christmas movie fanatics. My husband basically is Clark W. Griswold. He loves Christmas, putting up lights, everything! We own pretty much all the classic movies, and we have a list of ones that are “must see.” For your future viewing pleasure, check out Holiday In Handcuffs with Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez. It’s so quirky and hilarious that I promise it will become one of your favorites.

Then it was Thanksgiving visit#3 on Sunday and freelance work at night, all while watching my fantasy football team ruin my chances of remaining in 1st place. Thanks a lot, guys. We did watch Home Alone, which always brings a smile to my face, and accomplished the watching of another movie off the list. Slightly depressing though is realizing that movie was made over 20 years ago as we sat there wondering where the heck the time has gone.

Today is a go back to work day for most people, but for me, it’s just a continuation of this crazy weekend. Laundry is piled to the sky and my email box is brimming with Cyber Monday deals that I’m deleting so I don’t get depressed I can’t order anything. Not like I have a debit card to do it with anyway!!

So now that I’ve spent an entire blog complaining, I feel better. And you know what, I wouldn’t change a single thing about this weekend, because even with all the craziness, it’s my life and I’m just lucky to be living one. So even if the holidays are getting you down, and you’re dreading the visits and the baking and the fuss, just try to remember the real meaning of this time of year.

Sit back, watch It’s A Wonderful Life while sipping hot cocoa, sing Christmas carols with your kids, try to get past the family drama and just enjoy each other’s company, and get ready for Santa Claus.

Even if he’s not real in the literal sense, he sure is real in the way of spirit. Channel him and make this holiday season a special one. 🙂

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