This morning, next to the tree (not under), Anna found Butterscotch! He had this note in his mouth:
January 8th, 2008
My dear Anna,
Finally! Christmas Eve was one of the busiest ever. I made it back to the North Pole, slept for 2 days straight and ten took Mrs. Claus on a very relaxing beach holiday!
When we returned, the Elves had caught up with their toy making and there was a Butterscotch with your name on it!
I was glad to see that your parents left your Christmas up with the lights on tonight so I could easily find your house. It doesn’t look very much like Christmas with not very much snow at your house anymore.
Enjoy Butterscotch Anna! And remember to write me again next year with your wishlist….a little earlier so we don’t run into the same problem again next Christmas.
With all my love,
SANTA (and the Elves)
p.s. Remember to be good!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Butterscotch Arrives
Today, with no warning, no email, no nothing, Butterscotch arrived on our front porch in the biggest box ever!
Thank God! So, I put it together, hid it in the laundry - good place because it's such a bloody mess in there no one can find anything anyway.
Have to think of a creative way to "give" him to Anna!
Thank God! So, I put it together, hid it in the laundry - good place because it's such a bloody mess in there no one can find anything anyway.
Have to think of a creative way to "give" him to Anna!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Beauty and the Beast?
Shannon called last night to let Anna know that there were tryouts for Beauty and the Beast today at the high school. Of course, Anna HAD to also go. So, we made a last minute change of plans and instead of going skiing - we went to tryouts.
The newspaper had the tryouts listed as 9:30. We got there at 9:25 and there were plenty of people already there. In fact Alaina had gotten there so early - they were first in line. Anna was number 58. I had to sign a gazillion sheets of paper, list her experience (none) and sign her in.
She then got the number 58, had ot pin it to her shirt and have her picture taken. Then all the girls (and a couple boys) lined up in the hall - 1 to 60. Then they all filed into the auditorium and were gone for over an hour and a half!
At abt noon Anna finally came out. She was all smiles and several of the girls were telling her she had done a good job. And of course I had loads of questions - I wanted to hear all about her tryouts!
Apparently they all went in, learned a song and then one by one got up on stage and sang a song! Wow....I can't believe she had the guts to do that. When I asked her if she was nervous she said, actually it's easier to be on stage in lots of people than just a couple. Is she really my daughter?
And that was that - there were over 100 kids there, there would be 30 call backs and then 6 children picked for the show in April.
They were going to call every single person tonight and let them know.
So after skiing, we called into our homephone and got the message:
"Thanks but no thanks."
I told Anna - and she was just fine with it and she and Lila just went off to choreograph their latest High School Musical Masterpiece.
And me.....I suprised myself....I felt like they had rejected my beautiful Anna...how could they?
I had to force myself to get over it....why was it so easy for her? She's the one who really wanted a part. I have no idea how we would have swung it if she had gotten the part....
The newspaper had the tryouts listed as 9:30. We got there at 9:25 and there were plenty of people already there. In fact Alaina had gotten there so early - they were first in line. Anna was number 58. I had to sign a gazillion sheets of paper, list her experience (none) and sign her in.
She then got the number 58, had ot pin it to her shirt and have her picture taken. Then all the girls (and a couple boys) lined up in the hall - 1 to 60. Then they all filed into the auditorium and were gone for over an hour and a half!
At abt noon Anna finally came out. She was all smiles and several of the girls were telling her she had done a good job. And of course I had loads of questions - I wanted to hear all about her tryouts!
Apparently they all went in, learned a song and then one by one got up on stage and sang a song! Wow....I can't believe she had the guts to do that. When I asked her if she was nervous she said, actually it's easier to be on stage in lots of people than just a couple. Is she really my daughter?
And that was that - there were over 100 kids there, there would be 30 call backs and then 6 children picked for the show in April.
They were going to call every single person tonight and let them know.
So after skiing, we called into our homephone and got the message:
"Thanks but no thanks."
I told Anna - and she was just fine with it and she and Lila just went off to choreograph their latest High School Musical Masterpiece.
And me.....I suprised myself....I felt like they had rejected my beautiful Anna...how could they?
I had to force myself to get over it....why was it so easy for her? She's the one who really wanted a part. I have no idea how we would have swung it if she had gotten the part....
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
No Butterscotch for Christmas
Oh dear...it's 3:00 in the morning - and that'd be Christmas morning...and the present that I ordered for Anna didn't come in time. Granted, I knew this all afternoon but there was nothing I could do and I had not come up with a POA (plan of action).
And the reality is that I didn't come up with the plan until 2:00 am. Below is what I came up with - a letter, printed in fancy script, 4 pages, scrolled up:
Christmas Eve, 2007
My dear Anna,
Where do I start?
First, I saw your Christmas Wish List asking for Butterscotch. And then I got a note from your mother asking me to NOT bring you Butterscotch.
I discussed this with Mrs. Claus and the Elves and we all agreed that we should indeed bring you Butterscotch. I feel very strongly that your mother really should not have a say in what I decide to bring you! Christmas is between you and me.
But here’s the problem. By the time I decided to bring you Butterscotch there were none left to bring you. The elves have been working overtime and there are just not enough Butterscotches to go around.
So somehow, once we catch up here at the North Pole I will manage to get you your Butterscotch.
I hope you understand and can be patient! I will bring you a Butterscotch as soon as we have more made. Anna, I know that you will be okay this- I do love your outgoing and positive personality! One day, you will find your Butterscotch somewhere you least suspect it!
With lots of love from,
SANTA (and the Elves)
And the reality is that I didn't come up with the plan until 2:00 am. Below is what I came up with - a letter, printed in fancy script, 4 pages, scrolled up:
Christmas Eve, 2007
My dear Anna,
Where do I start?
First, I saw your Christmas Wish List asking for Butterscotch. And then I got a note from your mother asking me to NOT bring you Butterscotch.
I discussed this with Mrs. Claus and the Elves and we all agreed that we should indeed bring you Butterscotch. I feel very strongly that your mother really should not have a say in what I decide to bring you! Christmas is between you and me.
But here’s the problem. By the time I decided to bring you Butterscotch there were none left to bring you. The elves have been working overtime and there are just not enough Butterscotches to go around.
So somehow, once we catch up here at the North Pole I will manage to get you your Butterscotch.
I hope you understand and can be patient! I will bring you a Butterscotch as soon as we have more made. Anna, I know that you will be okay this- I do love your outgoing and positive personality! One day, you will find your Butterscotch somewhere you least suspect it!
With lots of love from,
SANTA (and the Elves)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Road To Happiness
I found this in a magazine I got years ago, clipped it and taped it onto the front page of that year's agenda (that'd be 2002). And I thought it's really too good to be hidden in a box or on a shelf so I decided to include here (and it sort of seemed to fit with my previous entry):
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, we have a baby, then anotehr. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete whenour spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are ablet o go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself adn decide to be happy anyway.
Alfred D'Souza once said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinisged business, time still to be served, a dept to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on methat these obstacles were my life."
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, we have a baby, then anotehr. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete whenour spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are ablet o go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself adn decide to be happy anyway.
Alfred D'Souza once said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinisged business, time still to be served, a dept to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on methat these obstacles were my life."
Seize the Moment
Two days in a row putting on one of those emails...NOT GOOD....but this one really touched me.
It was sent to me from a woman who I got to know through my business. At one point we were in touch almost every other day - she is bubbly and energetic and full of great ideas. She's also an incredible writer.
We had lost touch - you know that's how life goes - and this is what she sent along:
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched ' Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain" And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker cone. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all of you.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for ... but while we are here we might as well Dance."
end
I of course stopped what I was doing and wrote her a long email explaining what I've been up to...it had been on my list since August!
It was sent to me from a woman who I got to know through my business. At one point we were in touch almost every other day - she is bubbly and energetic and full of great ideas. She's also an incredible writer.
We had lost touch - you know that's how life goes - and this is what she sent along:
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched ' Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain" And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker cone. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all of you.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for ... but while we are here we might as well Dance."
end
I of course stopped what I was doing and wrote her a long email explaining what I've been up to...it had been on my list since August!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Parent: Job Description
PARENT
Job Description
This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!!
Job Description
This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!!
POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work
in an often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills
and be willing to work variable hours,
which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required,
including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends
and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated,
at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case,
this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars
and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing
of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years,
without complaining,
constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this!
You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18
because of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme
is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement,
no paid holidays and no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth,
unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, letting them know they are appreciatedfor the fabulous job they do...or forward with loveto anyone thinking of applying for the job.
** AND A FOOTNOTE…
THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!! **
If you are fortunate enough you will become grandparents!
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