Absolutely love Christmas. Start shopping every year by end of August for kids. sm

• Anyone started their Xmas shopping yet? - ER-MT
  • Shopping - Mom of 3
  • Christmas - ginny
  • Most have everything they need; what about everything they want?!? lol - nm
  • I never shop before December 10th....sm - Consumer guru
    • That sounds like a good plan... - MT in MS
  • Absolutely love Christmas. Start shopping every year by end of August for kids. sm - no scrooge here
    • christmas - ginny
    • that is my goal for this year... - sm
  • I haven't started yet, but have started my lists. - CAMT

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He even has decorated the house with Christmas villages, lights etc.., wrapped all the presents, even his own..LOL (I did put them in brown boxes). I'm sorry but I sit here all day working..he can do something. I know how lucky I am. Going from being a single mom to this has been heaven. For every dream I had, it was answered by him. I shouldn't brag..but...last year he took me on 3 cruises..and it just never stops. So kudos to all of you who have a wonderful man in your life. Lord knows they are few and far in between..

Was it that bad financially?  Christmas is not supposed to be about gifts; it's about spending it with your loved ones and celebrating the religious aspect of it.  Money or not, we celebrate it every year.  It really saddens me that you feel this way.  Please share your situation, maybe we can come up with some suggestions to help. 

...yep, I'm feeling sorry for myself.  I didn't receive a single Christmas card or gift.  My only child and I decided to forego gifts for each other and just concentrate on providing gifts for my granddaughter.   A friend said she would call last week and we'd go to lunch, but I never heard anything else from her. Makes me realize I really have no friends and am not worth remembering.  Just a card would have made me feel better.

On top of that, I fear I'm going on such thin ice with both of my part-time jobs that I'm afraid every day I go in, I'll be called into the supervisor's office and fired.  I just can't keep up with the transcription as well as the other part-time person has done.  I'm in debt--really have not had a good-paying job in 2 years and things have built up on credit cards.  I used to think I was pretty intelligent--but now have doubts about that, even.  I'm ashamed about my predicament and have avoided people for over a year, so I'm sure that's part of my isolated feeling.  What can I do?

One of the girls at the office I pick tapes up from beads.  They're beautiful.  I've bought an anklet and bracelet for myself and an anklet for my daughter.  She only charged me for the beads that it took to do it, but I love them. 

I'll see if I can find out the web site she uses, as she says it is cheaper.  I'll get back to ya' on that....  Happy Beading!

AC Moore in our area is offering a 2-hour class, and I'm so tempted to take it.  I'm just afraid I won't have the time to bead once I learn! 

My grandchildren all come here before/after school and on days off.  They are driving me up the wall with questions about their presents, wanting early presents, wanting to shake boxes, etc.  The youngest one who still believes in Santa is actually the least problem in this area, the big kids are gonna make granny a nutcase. 

I was much younger when my children went through this stage cause I don't remember it effecting me like this. 

How you all coping?   

I thought it might be a good idea to post ideas for gifts that are inexpensive. I have made a few Christmas gifts in years past, but, since I've already given these particular gifts and my family members already "have one", I need new ideas!

I will start with the ideas of gifts I have given in the past:

I made family wreaths for each of my kids (grown). What I did was, buy a nice size wreath at the craft store, purchase inexpensive small frames at the dollar store (or wherever I could find them), made copies of baby pictures of my kids when they were little, family picture, pics of the grandbabies, etc. and framed each one - wired each framed photo onto the wreath, put in some berry sprays or whatever, and a 20 count string of white lights and some ribbon. Then I sprayed them with spray glue and sprinkled with the white snow stuff. Also, I put a few blank frames with Christmas card fronts so that they could add pics from the inlaws (who I did not have pics as children) and new baby pics as appropriate.

They were darling! My daughter in law actually cried when I gave them their wreath!

I also made a similar thing for my mom - I made her a Grandchildren tree - because she has too many grandchildren to get all their pics on a wreath. I just purchased a small, prelit tree from Wal - Mart, and basically, did the same thing - framed pics of all the grandchildren and children, glued ribbon to the back of the frames - hung them like ornaments, added some ribbon and some berry sprays. It was beautiful and she has used it every year since, because it is small and she can put it together herself - without much work.

I will post more ideas in a little bit, but, I need other ideas from all of you - because, how many memory or family wreaths can you give . . .

Christmas is next week.  Got pix of the family to put in the cards, and tons of Christmas cards from last year's Christmas sales.  Every day, I say, I will do these cards.  At least to grandma and grandpa on both sides.  Every day, I put it off.  DH got a roll of stamps and he has the cards sitting on his nightstand with pix, he has not done any either. 

Thus far we got several newsletters from people, saying they did this, they did that, they celebrated this birthday, their kid did this and that.  We don't plan to do a newsletter this year, b/c it seems to me these newsletters sound so self-centered! They are not even from family members, they are from DH coworkers and such.

My friends send me e-cards pretty much or we chat over the I-net.  We send holiday greetings and catch up that way.  My son will be getting grandma and grandpa's on both sides presents the end of the week, and I think I will just put the pictures in the packages when I send and forget about the cards.

This is really sad.  Years ago, Dec 1 we'd get a bunch of cards and have ours sent out.  Different colors of ink on the envelopes, red and green, holiday stamps, it would be so fun.  All the cards we'd get my dad or I would put on a board in shape of a tree and we'd put it on the wall. 

Now, it seems with snail mail, and so many other worries about cutting budget, finding enough work, I am not in the mood to write cards.  Maybe it will become a thing of the past, and the boxes of cards will accumulate dust in the top of the closet.

Anybody else in this predicament? Thanks in advance for sharing your card stories.

I chose to come home for two reasons, I absolutely loved doing MT work and I had a child who stayed with my mother during my working hours.  At that time, I worked in-house. After figuring the line count I was getting compared to cpl versus hourly rate, I realized that coming home was the way to go, not to mention more time with my baby (age 3). My baby is now 10 and I have another baby almost 3. I still love being at home, and I sure would not change being home for anything in the world. I have been able to see every ball game, help with every homework assignment, volunteer in the classroom and read every day with my children. When I have jobs that need to be transcribed ASAP, they know it is time for me to work and usually watch a movie or play a game together.  I still manage to get my days work done, both work and home and still spend time with my children and husband, and nothing in this world could ever change my mind about staying at home.  I am not saying it is a picture perfect world, there are bad days mixed with the good, and I have suffered burn-out and went back to work outside, but quickly found my way back home.  It is not all peaches-n-cream, but I do love my work and at least I know who is raising my children and taking care of the housework, not to mention who is looking at the dirty laundry.  To the other women out there who have raised children and done MT work at home, I praise you..you have two job titles: MT business manager and home business manager.  For Missy, well....maybe you just need to have a baby for yourself to find out why it is important for many to stay home and raise their babies.  You do know...some children go to daycare and the parents later find out there was a case of neglect or abuse with their children.  PRAISE TO THE SUPERMOMS!!

Kids are 30 and 14 (both live elsewhere).  I usually get them expensive presents for major holidays.  The eldest often whines that "nobody ever does that for her but me" - well, DUH, perhaps its because she refuses to reciprocate in any way!  Both kids ignored me last Christmas, and they ignored my birthday (2 weeks after).  I informed both of them that this year they get nada on either occasion, and its not about the money, its about making the SLIGHTEST attempt to make MY day special TOO, as I actually have feelings (who'd a thunk it?).  IF they can bear to pick up the phone and merely call me on either occasion this year, or throw a cheap card in the mail, I will resume giving them gifts, if not, I'm through!