Taking a Stand on Holiday Stress

Women feel that they have to do everything!! - and that everybody would just as soon dump everything on them...and woe is me!! Not so. You can say no. AND you can distribute tasks. When you're spread too thin, then you, and consequently eveyrone around you suffers; doing less is good for your sanity and good for your own family.
Some women bring it all on themselves, to honestly, feel important. Wanting attention, you know, because their SO bogged down, with all their awful blessings! Sounds like a little envy preemption to me. Taking too much time trying to impress instead of taking care of what's important.
Confession: I have been guilty of this in the past.
I had to let a lot of things go this year; baking, scrapbooked or other homemade gifts, decorating, dinner parties, holiday outings, etc because I have a 14 month old who needs me and a 48 hour a week job and my husband and son's need my attention more than I need to get these unessicary extra things done. And it's okay. We may not get a tree up till New Years, but hey, my baby is not neglected. Yea me! This is a blessing that I will acknowledge, and not "loathe."

Love in the form of Torment

Sometimes I wonder whether I would've done this — become a parent — if I'd known. You know, Really KNOWN about this kind of love. Mostly, and obviously, I think: Of course. Don't be silly. But sometimes my love for these children feels almost like an affliction: Like my heart is within the fist of a beast, and I'm utterly helpless -and that love feeling will scare me, startle me as it bangs around inside my chest like a huge, flapping bird.

Teenage Angst

The plight of the Pre-teen
Is there a time when kids between the ages of 9 and 11 suddenly have their brains ooze out onto the concrete? Just walking down the street, home from school maybe, and blam! There it is, all kinds of brains, all over the driveway. It happened to me, and now it’s happening to my son. My sweet, gentle, adorable child who before last week, wouldn’t hurt a fly, and who got all choked up if you so much as looked at him the wrong way. But those days are gone. I wonder if there is any way to avoid this fight of hormones vs. brains, short of shipping all off the teenagers to (their own) deserted island somewhere. Suddenly I am faced with misbehavior, dumb choices, ignoring me, the oh so beautiful reaction we call “the rolling of the eyes,” the groundings, the sudden unexplained bouts of anger, the talking under the breath, the exasperated sighs! Nooooooo! Not my Boy! Take me instead!
And oh yeah....I know that I haven't seen anything yet....

Why Marriage?

Why do people get married?
I believe it is because you need someone to validate your life. Your contribution in the world will not go unnoticed. Someone is there to notice YOU. One other person knows you, really knows everything about you that you are willing to share, and even things you weren’t. Someone who knows what turns you on, and off not only chases away It is to make your life count in this big world. Your existence is noticed, and so are you needed; emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
The world will never offer this, not even fame can. Marriage is this only better because, marriage is here and now.
And if you’re lucky, it will last in the hereafter also; Validation for eternity. Is there anything better than being noticed, every day?
People will crave fame and fortune because they want their life to count. But even famous people will fade into the background. And yes, even marriages fail but isn’t it because someone forgot to notice someone else? This is why human nature draws us so much towards making love, is shows you are noticed, and needed physically.
Need for validation is why people cling to their religion so tightly. It is another form of validation for one’s existence. Even if that justification comes after this life. It is a possibility that humans will cling to even if it is a dream.