Our guest blogger today will be Gus, one of my little shoes!

"Dear journal today where is the double u? found it. Well it was a great day.we played Lego Harry Potter"
Gus is 8 years old.  Beautiful boy!

What to get a 9 month old for Christmas?

This scrapbook design customized with Smilebox What do you get a nine month old for Christmas?  I think back on the other kids and I guess it was easier.  Zoe was our first, so we bought her toys and clothes and it was a given that she got lots of presents.  Gus was the first boy, so "boy" toys of course, and he was 8 months, almost the same.  Emma was the new baby and only about 4 months, so she got clothes and a floor toy thing I found her.  I had the other kids get her a build a bear.  Now Teddy is here and he is the new baby who needs nothing.  He needs clothes, but I didn't wrap them, or opened them already.  The other kids had toys left over that needed new batteries, so we replaced them and they wrapped them for him. He is getting a cute shirt that I picked out, but decided to put my in-law's name on it, since they had me buy his present from them.   He got the old build a bear's that were saved from going to Goodwill, and he loves to unwrap things, so maybe we will just let him play with all the paper and boxes, and take lots of pictures of his first Christmas.  Next year, Thomas the Train will take over our house again, and toddler toys are a little easier to pick out, just hope they have come out with some new ones that we don't already have two of!  Merry Christmas!

December is Here

It's already December. I always remember when I worked in a collections office, that the girls would comment that customers who owed money would say "Christmas is coming" as an excuse for having no money. They would scoff and say things like "you know it's coming every year, that's no excuse". And though I agree, it's not an excuse for not paying your bills, I am one of those people, who December and Christmas sneak up on every year. It's the far away theory. In January, Christmas seems so far away. When tax season comes and we get a little cash back, I will always say, let's buy Christmas presents now (in March or April). But we never do, because we need it for other things. Then I think we should put some away every month for the Christmas season, or do a Christmas club at the bank. I've tried those too, and can't ever seem to put money into them, or keep it in for very long. So I am here again, surprised that time has flown so fast, as I get older it does fly! We will have to make it work, I put if off until the last possible moments to shop. Can't break the cycle, so I guess we should just enjoy the ride. Maybe one day, I can have all my shopping done by June, and I'll be one of those people who December never sneaks up on, but until then, I'll just be the one to go out at 3am on Dec. 22nd to shop at Walmart, and wrap it all up.