Glass Houses

Oh yes - we're going there this morning. This guy - Josh Duggar - sex offender, pervert, hypocrite - is in the news today. The oldest Duggar - you know - those super-syrupy sweet conservative people with 19 Kids...and Counting? 

You know - these circus freaks? 

Well, by now, we've all heard the SHOCKING news - oldest son Josh has admitted to MOLESTING young girls - including some of HIS SISTERS and other girls. The family has come out and made very well crafted statements, no doubt written by PR heavyweights paid for by TLC. Josh has resigned from his position as Executive Director of  The Family Research Council. 

I use the word "shocking" in the previous paragraph in a satirical and ironic context. How many of these GUYS - you know the ones that I am referring to - the ones who use their "religion" to spew hate and justify discrimination against non-traditional families and the LGBT community- have been caught with their pants down? Many of them LITERALLY with their pants down around their ankles in airport or bus station bathrooms engaging in the type of sexual behavior that they have been condemning in the media. 

WHY WHY WHY??????  Members of the Family Research Council and Josh Duggar have gone on the record saying that LGBT people are a "danger" to children. A "DANGER TO CHILDREN". That is rich coming from a closeted child molester . What kind of psychosis convinces a man who MOLESTED HIS OWN SISTERS that he is morally superior to others? That he has a right to condemn other people for their sexual preferences or lifestyle choices? What convinces this person's PARENTS that putting their ridiculously controversial family on TELEVISION is a GOOD IDEA? Maybe if it was a show devoted to the rehabilitation of sexual predators I could see their logic. But their show is about how wonderful and good and wholesome their lifestyle is. WTF???

I am so angry about this. The sheer hypocrisy is infuriating. I don't blame the parents for the child's behavior, I really don't. But I question their judgement when it comes to putting themselves on television to be held up as some sort of moral bar or standard that the rest of American families should strive to meet. The real monster in this story is Chester the Molester himself. Not like the actual molestation isn't appalling enough.

It is. But what is almost just as appalling is this guys belief that he is somehow MORALLY superior to others and has a right to pass judgement on people who do not believe in his conservative beliefs. What kind of psycho stands up in front of people, makes a CAREER out of discrimination and judging others, KNOWING that the skeleton in his closet is FAR scarier than the implications of same sex marriage. 

I need to stop writing about this now - it is making my head hurt. I am so angry. I have never liked the Duggars. I do not agree with their philosophy on child bearing and child rearing. I do not ascribe to their moral beliefs and values. And honestly, I find them all super annoying and fake. But I've always felt that they have a right to live their beliefs, to talk about them and as long as their lifestyle doesn't hurt anyone else - rock on.  Josh Duggar's life is ruined. His wife's life is ruined. His kids will always live with the stigma that their dad is a child molester. Whether he has ruined the money machine that is "19 Kids and Counting" remains to be seen. No good ever comes out of these situations. 

But maybe, just maybe, one person who is watching this ship sink might stop and think before he or she spews some hate. Maybe one person will stop and think about the glass house he or she is living in before they pick up that stone. And if that happens, I guess Josh Duggar HAS done something good for the order.

Ribgate 2015

Hi Peeps. So, Busy Momma has a problem...well, that's kind of an understatement. She has lots and lots of problems...but the most pressing issue is that Busy Momma is broken. And I don't mean that in a cool, deep, dark and twisty broken on the inside kind of way. I mean broken - as in LITERALLY broken - like I have broken pieces and parts.  Seriously. I keep injuring myself. And I wish I could say something cool about these injuries, like: "Yeah, I took a tumble while I was training for the Iron Man I'm doing in June." Or, even something like: "That zombie was much faster than I thought a zombie could be! Thank God I outran him, even if I did break my ankle getting away from him." But I can't. I can't say anything cool about my injuries because I am in no way athletic at all. (And Zombies don't exist.) Hence, my injuries would NEVER be caused by anything remotely resembling an athletic event or an escape from a zombie apocalypse.

 My latest injury is a broken rib - which I sustained yesterday at work. A broken rib hurts like a BIOTCH by the way. I suggest avoiding breaking ribs at all costs.
 The cause, you ask? How on EARTH could busy Momma break a rib at work, you wonder? Isn't she a sales rep for a book company? Is she really a super hero at night? Book Girl to the rescue?

Nope, Sorry.

Is she using the whole Sales Rep thing as a cover for her actual job as an operative for the CIA?

Um - no, not so much.

Nope - nothing exciting like that my peeps. No, the cause of yesterday's disaster was much more mundane. My shoes and a rock came together to create what I am calling: 

Ribgate 2015. 

That's right - these beauties betrayed me. Yes, they might be beautiful. They might lift the fanny and elongate the leg, but they are no match for a small rock encountered in a crumbling parking lot. Once these bad girls step on a rock, they will turn your ankle like a doorknob. They will allow you to fall, ungracefully to the ground - in front of your boss- like a drunken frat girl. They will allow you to attempt to break your fall by flailing your arms out in front of you while you tumble onto your side and BREAK YOUR OWN RIB WITH YOUR ELBOW.

Oh yes, in attempting to save myself and shield my face - my moneymaker - from any and all injury - I broke my own freaking rib. And to make matters WORSE - I broke the rib DIRECTLY under my boob, so it feels like I broke my boob. Seriously - a broken boob. How sad is that? 

I wasn't going to get it XRayed, but my physical therapist told me that I had to.

Caught that, did ya?

 Physical therapist? Oh yes - I am in PT right now for Achilles Tendinitis. Another incredibly painful condition that I highly suggest avoiding at all costs. How did I manage to do that? Would you laugh if I told you it was another shoe related injury?

Yes, they are gorgeous. No support - but beauties none the less. But once again, these beauties are a bitch. They provide about as much support as a training bra and when you are pounding the pavement trying to sell a few books, you might want to wear something a bit sturdier.

Thanks to Therese, my life saving physical therapist, I did go and get an XRay. I trust her, as I've known her for YEARS. She's treated my hip for bursitis, a stress fracture or 3 oh and a labral tear. And she cured my Achillis Tendinitis last summer. 

I can't seem to stop breaking myself. My friends and family are frightened to do fun things with me. Seriously. No one will go horseback riding or inner tubing with me for fear of what part I will break. They need to think about issues like: how far away from civilization will we be if we take her with us? How many of us will be needed to carry her out of the woods and back to the car? Is there any scenario that we can think of where she might bleed out? Has anyone in history ever been known to break their lady parts?  Do we need to have a drill where we practice various rescue scenarios before we actually go somewhere with her?

I'm not kidding. I am beginning to feel like I need to wear bubble wrap...but then again....

Be careful out there my peeps!

2 Books for your Snowy Enjoyment

OK, I enjoy a nice snow day as much as the next gal...but this is getting ridiculous. I can't remember the last time my kids had a complete, uninterrupted week of school. This winter we've baked cookies, brownies, cupcakes. We've made new recipe after new recipe. We've gained at least 5 pounds per person over here. We've become pro snow boarders - you'd think we lived in Colorado or Utah. And guess what - it's not even 8pm and we are ALREADY closed tomorrow!!! Dear Lord, help me.

So, what's a girl to do when she's not baking, cooking or cleaning on a snow day? Well, the only thing you can do is curl up with a nice cup of tea and a wonderful book. And do I have book for you! I have 2 books for you actually. 2 wonderful books that will keep you up late into the night, turning the pages, reading with a flashlight under the covers! That being said - I realize that everyone (except yours truly) is trying to write the next "Gone Girl". These 2 authors are not exceptions to that rule. However, it's been a long time since I've read a book that I have enjoyed more than these two.

Now, I must admit, the first thing that attracted me to this book was the author's last name. Anything written by a Lane girl is guaranteed to be great. And this one did not disappoint. We selected "Her"

by Harriet Lane as our March book club book. It is a story told from the perspectives of two very different women. One is an elegant, successful artist and mother to a teenage girl. The other is a flustered new mom in the throws of all that mothering 2 children under the age of 3 or 4 involves. As the story unfolds, we realize that one of these women knows the other. Interestingly, the other woman doesn't recognize her. As we go deeper and deeper into these women's lives, we begin to question their motives, their stories and ultimately, their endgames. I hesitate to say anything else about this one because the author keeps you guessing right until the very end. And I mean that quite literally. If you are looking for a page turner that you won't soon forget - pick this one up.

OH MY GOSH - this one was FANTASTIC. I actually started this one on the train this past Monday afternoon. Because what's better than being a girl on the train reading "The Girl on the Train"? (Maybe being a girl on a train drinking a glass of wine while reading...) I have a feeling that this one will make my top 10 of 2015 list - I know, it's a pretty bold call, it is only March, but this one will be hard to beat. This is another one told from the perspectives of a few different characters. By the end of the very first page, one of them is murdered. The reader spends the rest of the book furiously turning pages trying to figure out which character dies, who kills her and why someone would want her dead. Once again, the main characters are women who are as different as night and day....or are they? This is one of those stories where no one is really who they seem to be at first. Paula Hawkins has a wonderful way of drawing you into the lives of these complex, multi-dimensional characters. None of the characters are 100% good or 100% evil. (Well, OK, one of them is pretty bad!) You can't help but feel bad for the alcoholic ex-wife who stalks her ex-husband's new wife. You can't bring yourself to hate the temptress who cheated with the alcoholic's husband and stole him away. And you can't believe that life is all that perfect for the perfect couple you see from the train. I will admit, I had this one figured out well before the end. However, I still enjoyed unraveling this complex mystery. "The Girl on the Train" is one of those rare books that you can't wait to finish so that you can resolve your burning questions, but when you DO finish it you are sad beyond measure because you KNOW that you won't be able to find another book as great as this one! 

Well - that's it Peeps. I hope you enjoy these 2 books if you decide to read them. Let me know what you think!

I Need a SERIOUS Pin-ter-vention!

Ahhh - Pinterest. It's my new favorite website, my new favorite thing, my new favorite obsession. And by obsession - I mean, total, crazy, insane, time-consuming, mind-numbing addiction.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Pinterest is a website that allows you to "pin" various images that appeal to you on a virtual bulletin board. Each image usually links to a blog post or a recipe or a retail site. Now, don't get me wrong - PINTEREST is a great tool. There are great recipes and other types of information that is really useful on the site. We have tried many of the recipes and for the most part, they've all been great. There is information on every and anything you'd ever want on Pinterest - diet and excercise tips, pet health and wellness tips, funny quotes, funny pictures, home decorating suggestions and advice, fashion advice, makeup and hair pages,organizing advice, parenting advice, bookclub suggestions, educational suggestions, teaching tools....you name it - it's there. And that's the problem....there is SO much available to look at, you will never get bored. And there is always something new to see, explore and investigate. 

My addiction started out innocently enough. I initially visited the site to check out some educational ideas. I used many of the ideas I saw with teachers I was working with. So I started by creating a board called: 

And then I noticed that there were some great recipes on this site, so I created a few more boards:

Nothing crazy - right? 

But then, I started exploring and I found all sorts of images and information. I found pictures of awesome, blinged out, customized soccer and baseball mom tee shirts! So I created a few new boards:

And then, I started finding all of these beautiful pictures of Jacquie Kennedy - well, I couldn't just let them disappear into the ether.. so...

I know..I know. This is where it started to get serious - the addiction started to gain control. 

I created a board for my beach house...you know - the one I don't have.

Then, I realized that a beach house board was ridiculous since I don't have a beach house. So, I created another board to remedy the issue:

Yep - this is when I admitted that I had a problem. Because that's the first step in recovery - right?

I don't even know what prompted me to create a "Smarticles" board. Or a "Pretty Little Things" board that is entirely made up of images of peonies. Pink peonies. That's it. Pink Peonies. No shit.

I have boards that have crafty projects and home projects that I really want to get around to. At the rate I am pinning these pottery, wreath, painting, home redecorating, knitting, sewing and yard projects, I will have enough to keep me busy until 2099. Seriously. 

I have at least 4 boards dedicated to "Healthy Me", "Exercise", "-60 Motivation" and "Wellness". I have a board dedicated to Bella, gifts for Bella, Bella's birthday parties, even - and I am ashamed to admit this - ideas for Bella's hair. I have an entire board dedicated to nail art. I have another one devoted to cakes! And I don't even BAKE CAKES! 

I need a serious intervention. I need Dr. Phil! I need to hear his concerns and admit that I have a problem. Then, I need Dr. Phil to tell me that he is willing to help me if I am willing to get help. I need him to send me to a rehab center somewhere remote - somewhere with no wifi signal, no internet. I need to detox. Maybe a luxury resort in the woods, or a beachfront mansion where I can reconnect with nature. I need to get back in touch with the simple things in life. I need to have huge blocks of time WITHOUT technology. I need hours and hours and hours with unlimited crafting supplies so that I can create something REAL. What will I create, you ask? GREAT question, let me check a few of my Pinterest boards....

Notecards and Outlines and Papers Oh My! (Oh - and Throw a Board Game in There for Shits and Giggles!)

Hi my Peeps! Has everyone dug themselves out yet? I spent HOURS shoveling us out this morning. What was supposed to be a 3 incher dumped about 8 inches on us. Normally, PC handles these sorts of clean-ups...but he is sick...AGAIN! So, it was up to me and my 2 helpers. As much as I hate the idea of my little babies growing up and leaving the nest - having children who are of an age to help me do things like shovel and clean is kind of nice!Although I did feel very bad asking them to help me today.

They both have massive projects due tomorrow. Epic projects that they have been working on for weeks. Bella is working on an English project. She has to craft a speech that will convince her teacher and English class that the death penalty should be outlawed. The process of writing the speech has to begin with the kids creating 50 electronic note cards with facts that will support their case and the proper citations for each fact. She has been working on this for about 2 weeks and is FINALLY, as I type, printing them all out. She is going to take a brief break for dinner and red-carpet fashion critiquing, and she will be right back on the computer, putting the finishing touches on a Science project that somehow also involves notecards and the different types of energy.

Jack also has a Language Arts project due tomorrow. And if you want to talk about RIDICULOUS projects - well, come sit by me. I have a personal educational pet peeve - and it is about ridiculously inappropriate school projects. This particular project takes the cake. The teacher had the kids read a novel - a really good one - The Westing Game - and is asking them to do a project with it. Awesome - I love good projects. I love it when a teacher allows a child to express their understanding in a unique manner. I love it when a teacher gives kids choices. Power point presentations, timelines, sculptures, flipbooks,  board games, movies, songs are all GREAT ways for kids to express their understandings as well as their personalities and strengths. The problem is when the teacher wants them to do a power point AND create a board game AND compose an original song AND write a bird watching book...as 1 project worth 100 points. Note I didn't say "or" anywhere in there. My boy created a 25 slide power point presentation, a board game complete with game pieces, and 2 sets of cards, an obituary for one of the characters AND a movie pitch for the book.

So - yeah. We've had no life for the past 2 weeks. Thank GOD we had some snow days or we would have been in big, big trouble. My boy choose my absolute LEAST favorite project - the board game as one of his activities. I would rather help him write a paper or sculpt one of the main characters out of butter or hire a Mime to act out the book than make a freaking game. I have NO creative mo-jo when it comes to board games. They make me panic and sweat. I can't draw a game board. I can't come up with original rules or clever game pieces. Yet, somehow the game is done. (Thanks to PC)

Now I do like to pride myself on having everything done on time - early in fact. But that isn't happening with these bad boys. And I blame it entirely on the snow. And PC's sinus infection. Because my people are STILL working on the finishing touches. And it is stressing us ALL out. PC is trying to get to bed - like that's going to happen anytime soon. Jack is REFUSING to compose an original song about the Westing Game. I have provided all sorts of helpful suggestions. SO far, this is his song of choice:
(Sing to the tune of "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes")

Oh I hate this stupid stupid book I do!
Oh I hate this stupid stupid book I do!
Oh it has too many characters
and I don't care about any of them
Oh I hate this stupid stupid book I do! 

Ahhh - my own little Kanye. So, I am thinking we need to come up with a late night bird watching book or I need to get cracking on my Sam Westing butter sculpture. But wait - I can't. Because I have a hysterical 13-year old girl crying about the thousands of people sitting on death row "just waiting to die"!!! I am now questioning the wisdom of making "The Death Penalty" one of the topics for the 8th grade speech project. I mean, knowing what we know about the melodramatic nature of 13-year old gals, couldn't we have stuck to less emotional topics? I mean, can't the objective of the lesson be met with a less hysteria-inducing topic? Like vanilla or chocolate? McSteamy or McDreamy? Coke or Pepsi? Neil Patrick Harris or Ellen DeGeneres? Birdman or Boyhood?

So, as you sit back and enjoy watching the Oscars - think of me. Picture Jack, singing his "original" song. Picture Bella, working on her types of energy notecards, smearing the ink with the tears she is crying over all of the "poor, poor people on death row....sitting and waiting to die......". Picture PC, coughing, blowing his nose, trying to block the singing and crying out while yelling "KNOCK IT OFF!" at the singer and telling the crier that the people she's crying about "won't be crying for you tomorrow when those Science notecards aren't ready!!!!"

And friends, picture me. Guzzling wine right out of the bottle at this point. Guzzling wine, massaging my butter, wondering if it will soften up in time for me to sculpt it, trying to come up with rhyming words for "Westing Game" and "Faked his own death" and "Turtle Wexler". (In case the butter sculpture doesn't work out and we have to go back to the original song.) All while contemplating the fact that in this country of ours, one can be put to death by lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber and hanging. And if Jack keeps singing, Bella keeps crying, and PC continues to yell at them both - I think I'll go for the firing squad.....

An Open Letter to Nationwide Insurance

Warning: This letter is not written in usual Busy Momma style. It is serious and not funny and gruesomely honest and real. If you don't need a visit to the dark and twisty forest that lives inside of Busy Momma -stop right here. 

To: The Marketing Team at Nationwide Insurance
From: A mom who represents thousands of potential customers

Re: Superbowl Commercial

I am writing in response to your multi-million dollar Superbowl ad. I realize that you are receiving a barrage of letters from parents who have lost children as well as parents who might not have lost children but were equally horrified, confused and offended by your ad.

I lost my son, Aiden Brian, on January 1st, 2011. He was our surprise baby - our gift from God. He was actually one of a twin, but I lost his twin very early on in my pregnancy. Aiden was a very active boy while in utero. I would often say that he was destined to be a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars - he was just so active in the womb. It did feel like he was tap dancing - especially at night. His brother and sister would read to him every night. They would read "The Cat in the Hat" and "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go!" and all of their other favorites. They would read into my belly button so that he could hear them! My son told me that he was reading into my "pothole" so that "Baby Aiden can hear the story." My husband and I would often say that Aiden wasn't "our" baby - he was "their" baby. When we told them that I was pregnant - they both burst into happy tears. When we found out that "sweet pea" was a boy - we filled the house with blue and white balloons so that they found out as soon as they walked in the door from school.

My pregnancy was picture perfect after we got over the initial miscarriage of his twin. I wasn't nearly as nauseous as I was with the other 2. I felt great, I worked and traveled and all was well. I did everything right. I took my vitamins, I drank my water, I made sure that I was taking in enough folic acid, vitamin C, iron, calcium, vitamin e. I cut out the sashimi, the soft cheeses, my wine, I exercised and got plenty of rest. I was your model pregnant lady. I thought that I was insuring a healthy, happy baby.

But here's the thing I learned; you CAN'T insure health or happiness. Aiden died in utero at 24 weeks. I was 6 months along and he just died. One minute he was there and the next - poof - he was gone. I felt his spirit leave my body. I was the one who told the doctor that he was gone. I was the one who warned the tech at the sonogram that she would not hear a heartbeat - and that it was ok. I actually told her not to feel bad when she told me - because I already knew. I didn't want her to feel bad - especially on a holiday.

See, that was how we learned that there is NO insurance that can be purchased that will insure your child's life. If there was - we would have bought the Cadillac version of the policy. Trust me. We'd have been your best customer.

This is why your Superbowl ad so disturbed me. I'm being honest - I was only watching for the commercials and the snacks. The other commercials were GREAT - best I've seen in a few years. Some of them were real tear-jerkers...but in a good way. Your commercial was NOT a tear- jerker. It reminded me of the scare tactics employed by Dick Cheney and company after 9/11. It made me ANGRY. See - here's the thing: you decided to capitalize on the worst thing that any human being can go through. Oh, I know, I know, your intention was to "start a conversation".

OK - so let's converse.
Me: Oh, you want to discuss what happens when a child dies? Ok - well for the good of the order, I can give you a bit of insight. No one knows what to do with you or what to say. Oh, wait, I take that back. Did you know that there are nurses who actually go to school to help patients and parents of patients who die? Did you know that there are certificates that a nurse can get to become a specialist in neo-natal death? Sound gruesome, right? But let me tell you - they are angels. They know, for example, that you need to contact a funeral home - and they aren't afraid to tell you. They tell you exactly what is about to happen - without flinching and without sounding like an emotionless robot. They remind you that you have to look at your dead child, that you will want to take pictures. They will send you home with a little box that has everything your baby wore, anything that touched him. They will take his footprints and give them to you. They will fill out all of the paperwork for his death certificate. They will make sure that you are so drugged up that you don't "feel" a thing as you deliver him. They will sit with you as you cry and cry and cry until you think you will die. And when you don't die, they talk to you about grief counseling and grieving and how important it is. When it's time to go home - they sneak you out, like you're a celebrity, a back door. Why, you ask? Well - so that you don't have to go through the labor and delivery waiting room, silly! I mean who wants to see an obviously not-pregnant mommy leaving labor and delivery without a baby in her arms and "It's a BOY!" balloons attached to her wheelchair. That's a downer.

Have you had enough "conversation"? Seriously? But I haven't even told you about what it feels like to have your milk come in and NO baby to feed it to. Or what it is like to have to tell your 6 and 9 year-old that their beloved baby brother has died.  Or what it is like to watch your Dad try to convince you that he's not crying as you tell them. Not to mention what it is like to bury your child. That can be another whole letter. The one thing I will tell you is that the cemetery workers are super smart. They make sure that the hole is too narrow for the mommy to jump into with the casket. I mean that hole is really narrow. I couldn't fit in with my coat on - forget fitting in there with the casket.

Oh - ok. You've had enough. Sorry - as you know by now - dead kids are a real downer. So here is my question: which of your policies "prevents" this type of thing from happening to us again? I visited your website, but I couldn't find it. I must be clicking on the wrong link.

What? What's that? You don't have a policy to protect my living babies from "never growing up"?

I'm confused. So what does your policy do?

What? Seriously?

Pay funeral expenses? Wait a minute....that's not what your ad implied....

I guess Nationwide is NOT on my side.

A Simple Little Christmas

Happy New Year Peeps! I hope everyone had  a great holiday season. We did...sort of. If you've been following my blog - thanks to the tens of you- you know that nothing is ever easy here at Busy Momma's house. So, here is a look back at our holiday.

It started off really well. I mean REALLY well. Our annual Christmas tree hunt yielded us the perfect tree. I am looking at it as I type and darn it if it isn't the prettiest tree we've ever had. AND, as a bonus, both children selected it at the exact same moment! So we skipped the whole "you like her better than me because you picked her tree" dilemma that we have had every year.We even bought a new stand for our tree. The guy at the tree lot swore that it would be the best tree stand ever. And - it is really great. No bad words were said while putting the tree in the stand and then putting it up. The whole process took about 5 minutes - a miracle, no?

And it is in moments like this one that I really need to learn to just appreciate the Christmas miracle and NOT say things like: "Hmmm - it looks great...except from over here where it really looks like it is tipping over." Now, you all know how patient PC is with me, seeing as I am still alive and not buried under a pile of leaves in a ditch. So he came to where I was standing, looked at the slightly crooked tree, and said: "Do you really want me to try to straighten it? It is really so slight and it looks perfect from every other view."

This was clearly a sign from God. God was saying: "Listen Busy Momma, Christmas is not about perfect, it is about the birth of our Lord and appreciating all of the gifts I have blessed you with."

So I said: "Yes, I would like you to just move it a skoosh to the left to make it straight." God was obviously whispering and I didn't hear him. For I have identified the moment that PC went to "straighten" the tree that everything just went to hell. Of course, as you would guess, trying to tilt the tree once in the new stand is a BIG No-No. Tree falls over.....onto PC. (And just as an FYI - Christmas trees are HEAVY! And your adrenaline does NOT pump so hard that you can just lift a tree with your bare hands all by yourself.) The good news is that we did rescue PC, the tree was no worse for wear and it looks great...and straight!

The following week brought bronchitis AND a weird virus to our happy little home. Bella came down with this awful Mono-like virus. She was achy all over, horrible sore throat but no fever. So she just had to ride it out. PC on the other hand came down with a nasty case of bronchitis and ended up missing our Christmas celebration with my brother and his family. Thankfully, he really started to feel better on Christmas Eve. He felt great Christmas day and the day after. The shivering started Sunday evening after being outside at the rainy Ravens game all day. The fever spiked sometime during the night. The barking cough started the next day along with the horrible body aches. Yep - hello FLU! And this wasn't a little case of the "Man-Flu" this was balls to the walls influenza.

Peeps - it was like CONTAGION over here. I was seriously thinking about asking Santa to throw an Ebola suit into the sleigh for me. I contained the patient, isolated him and put the fear of GOD into my children about coming anywhere NEAR him. So far, so good. He is up and moving, but he was sick for days on end.

So, what that lead to was a simple little Christmas. He was so sick before Christmas that he wasn't able to help me with anything. So, I didn't do nearly as much. He was bedridden the week after Christmas, so I couldn't really leave him. So, we did less and relaxed more. And guess what? It was the best Christmas holiday we have had in a very long time. (I would bet you that PC wouldn't agree.) We weren't RUNNING. We weren't RUSHING. And if it could not be purchased online - well - there is always next year. Now, don't get me wrong - I am not advocating bringing an infected monkey into your home to play with the kids the week after Thanksgiving. I don't want another Contagion Christmas. But I DO want another SIMPLIFIED Christmas. I didn't decorate every inch of the house, I had the kids do the majority of the cleaning while I cooked, the kids even helped wrap one another's gifts, AND thank the Lord, that Elf on the Shelf didn't visit us ONCE this year.

I am un-decorating tomorrow. I am resolving to look at everything I didn't put up this year and decide if it's worth keeping. We had a perfectly lovely holiday without it and no one missed it..so I think tomorrow will be a huge "purge" day for me as I make the kids "un-decorate" the tree. I hope that you had a healthy and happy Christmas and I wish you peace and simplicity for 2015!