Giving this Christmas

This year I was warmed when I looked at the pile of our wrapped gifts compared to the donations we will be making to the Ronald McDonald House this week (items were originally going to be donated on Friday, but Zoe was ill).  The wrapped gifts were half as large as the items for donation.  I'm not trying to take the "I'm so awesome because I am teaching my children the true meaning of Christmas" road.  But I am proud that they are cherishing the few physical gifts they have received.

What about Santa?
I love the myth/historical Santa.  He is an annual visitor at our house.  He brings the Ladybugs a few fun stocking stuffers and one large item.  This year he brought a bike for Zoe (she has been using hand-me-downs since she was little) and a "big girl" flashing light scooter for Evie.  The gifts he brings are unwrapped, and were not part of the pile comparison from above.  Jim and I usually get one or two things for the girls that we wrap.  This year they got skateboards - Jim's idea.  Santa also brought the family a gift this year - a Blueray player.  Woot!  No more having to use the Xbox for DVDs!

No, there were not towering piles of wrapped surprises (like many of my Facebook friends posted this morning).  No, there were not tons of wrappings left all over the floor (a la Christmas Story).  But neither Ladybug seemed to mind.  They are thrilled.  And not overwhelmed.

What About Family Members?
I was very specific this year when I told family members gift ideas.  My grandma seemed upset at first when I told her little dollar store items were perfect (the Ladybugs call them GG gifts).  I assured her that if she wanted to also give money, that was okay.  Giving the children money allows us to purchase clothing, or other necessities.  We can even take them to museums and other venues over the two-week break that will build memories.  In my humble opinion, I don't remember a lot of things I got as a kid but I do remember special trips and times spent with family and friends.

Yesterday, the Ladybugs both received presents from my parents: Zoe got a very nice telescope (my father is over right now assembling it) and Evie got a "twin" American Girl doll.  Both girls got a couple books, and activity tables for the car from my sister.  And when Evie opened the money she cheered!  I had to laugh.  The Ladybugs thought they were rich!

Riches in Presence Rather Than Presents
And I believe this is the richest Christmas ever.  Both children have said the same thing: THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

Our Christmas program at school had a song called, "The Gift".  There is a line in it that states, "It's not about what we can give, it's what God gave to us."  And I believe this to be true.  It is not about piles of gifts or how much you spend (or save on special sales), even though the commercials illustrate a completely different theme.  To bring home a point - look at how Jesus (the Christ in Christmas) spent the first Christmas.  The stable, the hay, the simple birth.

I am thrilled to spend time together; visiting with family yesterday, visiting with more family today (the Martin side) and then spending time with my very best friend, Dana, and her son, Orson, on Wednesday.  The memories and the presence is all the presents I need.

Merry CHRISTmas Everyone!

Seeing a Change

Since I have not blogged in awhile, I thought it best to catch everyone up with what has been going on with Sock Monkey Mama.

Family Moments:
Back at the end of October I wrote a blog about our eldest ladybug, Zoe: Accepting Help.

Zoe has attended six therapy sessions now, with her seventh scheduled for Wednesday.  Even though Jim and I have not received any feedback from the therapist, we have seen a definite difference in Zoe.  She no longer freaks out before school, nor does she freak out before baton lessons.  We have also noticed a change in her angry behavior, and have only administered one time out in the last six weeks.  I know, right!

Zoe is a very dynamic child with a beautiful and kind heart.  She also has an amazing voice, which always makes me proud to hear.  Therapy has definitely allowed Jim and I to enjoy Zoe daily, and between helping us make dinner or work on reading with her sister we have a much less anxiety ridden child.

Career Moments:
This has definitely been a school year of challenges and balance acts on my part.  I have had my heart broken, and I have shed more than a tear or one million.

When I last spoke of my jobs, I was very careful to describe two problem situations: Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Since blogging I have severed the teaching relationship with the delinquent student, and the angry mom pulled her three children from our school.  Did the mom pull her children because of the Christmas Show?  Maybe, but I really don't care if that is the reason.  She had been bullying other teachers at the school, and her unhappiness is definitely not missed.  So I have been pretty drama free when it comes to teaching situations.  I still have one family that causes stress each week at private piano lessons.  However, they canceled lessons yesterday and will be on vacation for another 3 weeks.  I am definitely thrilled by this.

Tomorrow marks my first Christmas Program at the school.  I am nervous, but excited to show the families how these children are very capable.

Religious Moments:
Jim and I are officially completed with our commitments at our church after this Thursday.  Jim will be working the Christmas Tree lot once again on Thursday, but he is happy to finish his commitments.  I have spent so much time and energy on this church, I am remorseful.  However, I truly believe I can no longer continue with being taken for granted and not respected.

I believe I have already informed my readers that I took the pop tabs over to the Ronald McDonald House a few weeks ago.  When I was there I realized a need for other items, especially toiletries and "to-go" food items.  So I have been collecting items and will return this Friday to do another drop off.  I love the feeling of helping others, and if a small $1 bottle of shampoo does that then I am happy to provide.

I believe will be start attending different churches come the new year, so I will definitely keep you informed

Christmas Preparation:
The Ladybugs have been learning about the true meaning of Christmas this year, even though Jim and I have never participated in the obnoxious amount of commercial propaganda.  When I look at our thoughtful gifts this year, I smile.  Less to wrap, and ultimately less waste.

Zoe asked Santa for a new bike (she has only had hand-me-downs) and Evie asked Santa for a scooter.  Neither girl wanted to see Father Christmas this year (they call him Father Christmas because Auntie Dana uses that term), but they were very efficient in writing a letter to send.  Jim and I decided to buy each girl a skateboard and we will also give them a few little things in their stockings.  My folks are getting the girls each one other item from the list, and Jim's parents are getting a couple other items.  And that is it.  No sense in giving the ladybugs things they do not need for or want.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I will be writing more before the Holiest of Nights.

You Ironic Little Elf

We are a home with magic - fairies, sprites and the like visit us regularly*.  So why do I have such an issue with The Elf on The Shelf?

Believe me, it is not the story behind the elf stories, which is very inspiring (check out the short film on the website). First of all the elf himself or herself (yes, add earrings and you have a girl) seem to be looking eerily at one, which is probably why I do not like to sleep with dolls looking in the room.  Secondly, the elf is supposed to report mischievous and bad behavior to Santa, but the ironic part is that he creates havoc himself overnight.

I realize that the elf was not originally created for the purpose of encouraging overachieving mothers and fathers to create dastardly and insidious scenarios.  The writers of the story are incredible women and the company behind the products is truly magical.  However, on a given day during the Christmas holiday at least three or more friends post pictures of what their elf was doing the night before.

I have read a couple blogs that write humor based articles describing the odd behavior of parents who go to great lengths to outdo the antics of the night before, or to ultimately outdo (or recreate) a pin on Pinterest.  And in all seriousness, if you want to go to great lengths to entertain your children (and yourself) I commend you, because like I said before we have many little visitors who stop by our home throughout the year.*

What I am suggesting is that I am confused to why a child would be "good" for an elf who is clearly NOT setting a good example.  And in most cases the elf gets exceedingly worse as the holiday season proceeds.  So what exactly is this suggesting?  Santa wants you to be good in order to get gifts, but his elf can be a real jerk and mess up your house and that's okay?

*Fairies, Sprites and the Like
We have a variety of little visitors at our house, and I thought you might want to know who.

Garden Fairies 
Rosemary, Lavender and Thyme visit through our fairy door throughout the year.  They exchange letters with the ladybugs and the ladybugs in leave letters, gifts (Evie loves making little dresses for them) and drawings at their door.  Most of the time the fairies remind them to behave and to be kind.

Sugar Sprite Fairy
The Sugar Sprite Fairy comes on Halloween night and replaces candy with small toys.  This year the girls each received a Littlest Pet Shop toy.  My girls are allowed to keep 20 pieces of candy and the rest is given to the Sugar Sprite Fairy to make her sugar palace.  Interesting fact - the ladybugs still have half their candy stash from Halloween.

Tooth Fairy
Ah, the good 'ol Tooth Fairy!  She comes and retrieves teeth that have fallen out.  She never gives more than $1.  NEVER!  And she occasionally writes a little letter thanking the child for the tooth.  She uses the teeth for her palace.  Gross if you think about it, but structurally teeth would be very strong.  The girls and I wash their teeth before putting them in their special fairy bag (little doll with a bag specifically for the tooth), because we don't want the Tooth Fairy to have a house full of spit and blood.

Toy Fairies
In a brief moment of genius, I created the Toy Fairies.  The ladybugs were becoming so difficult when it was time to clean up their toys.  Jim and I had tried everything.  Everything.  And then, one night, I told them about the Toy Fairies.  The Toy Fairies fly around each night after children go to bed looking for toys that are not properly put away.  They take the toy or toys to give to another child (one with less money) who will take better care of the toy.  Yes, the Toy Fairies have taken toys.  However, after receiving an apology letter, the toys were returned.  Very rarely do we have problems with toys anymore.

The house motto is: If you Believe You Will Receive.  This way if children at school do not believe in Santa (or the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy, etc) and share their knowledge with my ladybugs, I know that they have a foundation to respond accordingly.  How long will their belief in magic last?  I hope forever.

I do believe to each his/her own, but I find the elf craze to be just that - a thing people think they need to do to have their children experience this "tradition".  My grandparents had an elf JUST LIKE the one that is mass produced today.  When I went to visit, my Grandma would always have to remove the elf from her shelf (top of the curio cabinet) or turn him away from me.  I guess I never liked those elves.

Just don't tell the fairies I said that.

Where Oh Where Have I Been?

The addition of my third job this fall (private teacher and mom are the other two) was supposed to be a way for me to fulfill a calling that I felt on my heart.  Teaching 8 hours a week was going to afford my girls to continue to have the education that we have come to love.  However, I pretty much spend close to 15 - 20 hours involved in the job.  This is added to the 13 private teaching hours (which is approximately 20 hours with prep time).  I'm a full time teacher, and it is wonderful, until I have to deal with individual students and their parents.

I have definitely been humbled as a teacher this fall, and my heart has been touched in so many ways.  I know I'm making a difference in the lives of students at the school.  And yet, there is always one person (or two) who really make make head spin.  Two situations came up in the last 2 weeks and both have damped my spirits.

The first was a private student who was a no call no show twice in two months.  Per the contract I have each family sign, I had to end the relationship with the student.  I was told she would be apologizing to me at her last lesson, but that never happened.  Regardless, I was paid the late tuition, and I was sad to have to end the teaching relationship.  However, being tough in business is essential in my line of work.

The other person struck last week, and she took me completely by surprise.

I have been debating as to how to share the second situation and still keep it private.  I have made the decision to not share the exact details, however, I will share the sadness I felt over the behavior of the parent.

My faith was questioned, my professional and personal time were wasted in needless emails, and my classroom was interrupted on more than one occasion by her children who were very upset at the ultimate decision.

Let me be clear: we all have convictions, and religious ones are very strong.  If I didn't agree with how my children were being taught and I was unhappy with the programs being offered at our school, I would simply look for something better suited to my family's needs and wants.  The school where my girls attend, and where I teach, is one that is going through a huge reorganization of priorities and mission.  I love what the school stands for, and I think the education is top notch.  However, a few families left in the summer to have their children attend a school that better fit their needs and wants, and I am confused why this parent did not do the same.

People like this parent are everywhere.  They are negative and they feed off of poking and prodding others.  Most often people like this are selfish and are oblivious to how their convictions affect their children.  Time for a quote:

I must say my impromptu pedicure on Friday definitely put me in a better place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I am proud of what I am teaching these students and I know that each one will take something positive away from my classes - even if it is that Dubstep started out as Krautrock.

So tomorrow begins another week and my classes will be constructing instruments and enjoying the creativity of music.  I have a pile of boxes, tubes, glue, and tissue paper just waiting for little hands to create.  And the truth is, I cannot wait to see what happens.