'Tis the season (for too much stuff)

Toys, Toys, Toys!!! I am tired of toys. My kids do not have a crazy number of toys yet still, it seems like they are everywhere.

On one of my boards I posted on, someone had a great idea that we are going to adopt. 3 gifts per child. That's it. Those 3 gifts represent the 3 gifts the wisemen took to baby Jesus. I think that is a great idea. They don't get so much stuff and there is meaning to the amount of gifts they do get. Obviously, they will get stuff from Grandmas and Grandpas and aunts and uncles, but the gifts from Santa, mom and dad and sisters will be limited to 3.

If nothing else, I think the state of the economy is somewhat because of greed. People wanted so much stuff and they bought it with money they didn't have because they just wanted it and felt they always needed more.

I am also hoping to teach about giving starting this year. I asked dh what he wanted for Christmas and he said nothing. That he doesn't want to spend the money right now. I explained to him that C needs to start learning about giving. What would he need to buy himself over the next month or so. Underwear, socks, windshield fluid? Anything? It didn't matter what it was, I just want C to learn that we give gifts too. I just wanted her to have something to give to her daddy. He did finally give in and he will be getting a shirt which is way more exciting then windshield fluid.

Think it won't impact you?

So, yes, the auto industry has not been the greatest as far as business goes. They have been slow to change, pay and benefits have been crazy. I know, I have thought the same things but now we are in a crisis. I know a lot of people who feel this will not impact them. These are mostly people outside of Detroit and Michigan. Well... read this!



"Detroit's car makers employ nearly a quarter-million workers, and more than 730,000 other workers produce materials and parts that go into cars. If just one of the automakers declared bankruptcy, some estimates put U.S. job losses next year as high as 2.5 million."



That is if only ONE declares bankruptcy. Do the math. The potential for all 3 could be 7.5 million jobs!

It will impact you!

I just don't understand...

I know there was a historic election and I am personally very happy with the outcome. Today though can't erase the sadness from Monday.

I got information last week that the 17 year old son of my favorite buyer at my old job had died. It was not an illness and obviously a shock. The funeral was yesterday.

I have for a long time questioned my faith/religion and things like this make me question it that much more. Someone one pointed out something to me and I think I had a bit of a revelation. Faith and religion do not have to go hand in hand and are really not even the same. I do consider myself a person with a lot of faith. If I did not have faith, I would not have my beautiful girls. Even with miscarriage after miscarriage, I did have faith that we could finally have a child and then that we could have two.

I have tried hard to be "religious" but I guess I just don't believe in a true God. I do take my girls to church and C is in the church choir so we sing about God. Fact is, I don't want my lack of belief in a God to influence my girls thoughts one day. I want to expose them to church and then let them decide where to go with their faith/religion one day.

This funeral yesterday just seemed to really do it for me. I just think, if there is a God, how very cruel to take away a 17 year old son. Yes, the priest said that he is now with God, his father. Well, I want him with my friend, his father here on earth (along with his mother and 2 sisters) When I saw my friend and hugged him, I could just feel that heaving that your body does when you are trying to hold back the sobs that make you want to drop to your knees. It just killed me to know that someone was going through such pain. He just said "Dear God, let me just get through this." Maybe it's because I am a parent now, but I just can't imagine a loving God who would make someone go through that.

I know there is a lot of rambling here, I am just typing as thoughts come to my head.

I hear and see others who have such a strong belief in a God and I wish I could have that... for now, I will have to settle for having faith.

Pictures speak louder then words...

Could I be more proud?

Yep, that's my girls. No it is not photoshopped, it's a real picture of them up in Time Square.

The little mother

C is such a little mother. She of course picks on her real life sister, but her babies and dolls, she just loves them and takes such good care of them. (naked dolls all the time does not constitute bad care)

She will rock then, feed them and tuck them into bed. I went in her room the other day and found this. She had made a little hammock bed for her BedBud doll and covered her with a wipe I had given her to give her bedbug a bath.


While it is so sweet, it always makes me so sad when I see her just loving her dolls. She is doing so great in speech and physical development. I have accepted that she is delayed and that is ok. For the most part, I don't really even get all that sad about that part. What do I get sad about... that she will never have her own children to nurture like her dolls. It's very hard to be a mom and know from day one, that your little girl will never have her own little girl. I know how lucky I am to have C here living and breathing but it is still the one thing that can always bring me to tears.

Slow down the ride!!!

J is 9 months old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like not long ago I was so excited to be at a late point in her pregnancy and now she is growing up fast.

I always felt that C's Down syndrome made it possible for me to enjoy the "baby" time so much more. Well, now having J, I can see how right I was. I loved that extra time with Cand I am in awe of the speed of time with J.

9 short months ago, this little being came into the world. She was so peaceful and so helpless. Now she is crawling, pulling up, walking around furniture and standing alone for about 5 seconds. 9 short months ago, she was too tiny to easily even take a bottle. Now she tries to eat anything she can get her hands on including some gnawing on C'c pizza. (keep in mind she only has 2 teeth) 9 months ago, I would just hold her non-stop. Now I have to rock her to sleep if I want a chance to hold her. A few weeks ago, I just sat and held her sleeping for about 3 hours. It was so peaceful and so rare. I wasn't going to miss my chance.

So, while I know this is scattered, know that, while I wouldn't change anything about either of my girls, I would love to slow down the ride and enjoy the little ups and downs and turns that go along with being a mother.

You may not like this one

Well, we are on edge in our house. Why you ask? Well, dh's company is doing a 10% layoff. 10% of their employees are being laid off. He works for a company that supplies to the auto industry.

Think about it. What is your biggest investment? You house right? Well, what is your second biggest investment? Your car. Do you buy your house from overseas? Do you order it and have it shipped here? I don't think so.

Our economy, and not just the economy in Michigan, needs people to get back to the "Buy American" thinking of the 70's.

The most common response when I say to buy American, is to say that the American cars are all from parts made overseas. Yes, many of the parts are, but many of those companies (like my husbands) are also based here in the US and employee many, many Americans. In the end, you are supporting an American based company that pays Americans. That company also supports many smaller suppliers her in in the US who then pay other Americans. Those Americans then use the money they earn to buy computers, hire accountants, get medical care, grocery shop, pay for Cable TV and on and on. If those Americans are not being paid, you are not just hurting the auto industry, you are hurting everyone that depends on that and let me tell you, in the end, you are probably only a few steps away from being impacted buy the record job losses.

The next response is that foreign cars are higher quality. BS... My last 3 cars all lasted 5-7 years and all had well over 100,000 miles and they were HARD miles. On top of that, how long do you really keep your car? Do you need a car that lasts 15 years when you only intend to own it for 3 years? Yes, I did have issues with cars, things to happen, but you can't name me a single car where it never needs a single repair in over 100,000 miles. Domestic cars are high quality and very safe! (my new one has 5 star safety rating all around!)

Are you disgusted that everything in stores is made in China now? Do you peel that Made In China sticker off before you give someone a gift you bought? If so, then why is it so ok to pride yourself, even brag about buying a huge ticket item from Japan, Germany or Sweden?

I was born and raised to buy American cars. I will always and forever buy American because, fact is, my family, friends, state and in the end, a good part of the national economy need the return to Buy American!

Think next time you are car shopping. Are you supporting people you know, your fellow Americans or the people and economy of another country?