Chains

We actually got chains for our van, I haven't really used them before, but they definately make a difference. Tires Chains sure have evoleved since I last remember helping Mom try and put them on as a teenager. They are relatively simple and easy now, and they still work! It was a good thing we had them too, because I don't think we would have made it beakc up the hill to our house if we hadn't had them.

We are still getting more snow, makes me wonder if it is ever going to stop. So much for global warming, it is very unusual to have snow here this time of year, and I believe we are also breaking some temperature records. There was even a guy riding his snow machine through the street, very fun, but thats how much snow we have.

We got a new camera today!! Yay! Our other one is broken and we really needed one going into Christmas and trips to relatives. I think we got a good one, we will just have to wait and see.

Wow

The weather here is just amazing me this year. We have about 9 inches of snow on the ground, maybe a little more, and we are getting a whole bunch more tonight, along with a bunch of wind. I certainly hope all the trees can take it, I worry about these big pines that are right over our house. These trees here aren't designed to deal with this much snow and cold, so hopefully our power won't go out or anything. If it does we are rather stuck, no fireplace for cooking or heating either.

More and more

We have more snow! The kids are loving it, very fun to see.
I look out my windows to see that our yard is full of snow angels and snow men that my children keep creating.
The snow makes me feel like Christmas is actually close, and makes me much happier about preparing for it. We went out and got most of our Christmas shopping finished up today, my husband has so much fun shopping for the kids.

I am in the process of getting ready for the trip to Alaska. So much to do, and with all the Christmas presents and winter gear that we have to haul, I hope that we will have enough room to pack everything. We will just have to say everyone gets 3 outfits, and they are going to get washed! That may work the best I think.
We are down to less than a week... lets just hope the freezing rain that is being predicted doesn't happen.

Let it snow!

Snow, snow, snow!

I am so happy to see snow!

The white, bright, fluffy snow and with all the Christmas lights it almost looks like the Aurora reflected. The snow has really put me in a nice Christmas mood.

Dreary Days

Rainy days, it is days like these that truely make me miss Alaska.

Most of the time I really don't miss my familial home, until winter. Then I miss the snow, the quiet, yet bright snowy winter nights beside the wood stove with family.

Days like today bring all of these thoughts to the forefront. Here it is raining and raining, dark and grey. It shocked me so much when we moved to the lower 48 that it is so dark here at night. In Alaska the moon and the stars shine off the snow, and the NothernLights light up the sky. Here it is dark dark dark, grey clouds and heavy forest make the dark nights truely pitch black. It is a wonder that there isn't more SAD down here than in Alaska.

What good do you do the world?

What good do you do the world?

That was the question asked in our Priest's homily in mass today. What an interesting thing to say, really. He went on to talk about people getting heart transplants and getting a second chance at life and what were they going to do with it. Do you continue living a selfish sinful life or do you really try to improve yourself. That is a question that can be asked of any one of us, not just transplant patients.



Anyway, it makes me ask what am I doing? Am I contributing to the world in a positve way? I think that I am in the raising of my children. I am trying to raise and educate my children to be good, thoughtful, educated people... well we are still working on all of those points, but hey my oldest is 7. My husband was also asking, do I really contribute good to the world? I told him yes, for both of us, if nothing else are contributing our children who we are raising to be contributers to society.



I rather suspect our priest offended some people today, I mean after all homily's aren't really suppose to make you think are they? They aren't really suppose to make you work to be a better person because you priest actually does a good job of getting to the root of issues and makes people really think about what he is saying.

It always kind of baffles me how many people just go to church out of habit, and not really because they want to. Why dedicate that much of your day to something you don't understand and don't appreciate? I suppose many are just doing it out of habit, it was something they grew up doing.

Christmas thoughts

Wow the Christmas season is on us once again, I often wish that the general good will found in this season would last the whole year. It makes me think about the things that I am not doing very well, and the things that I am thankful for.

Every year at growing up we always had a big party, which was fun, but as a child that was what we all looked forward to. Parties and presents, and I guess I never really thought about some of these things until I see them coming out in my own children. Maybe it is just the nature of children, they are a paradox at times, on one side very innocent and often giving, yet on the other they really expect everything to appear for them. Christmas is a holiday of many expectations, and the parents struggle to put their children on an even keel between give and take. Though that is an extremely hard course to run, you want to give them a nice Christmas, but you don't want them to get greedy at the same time. So whats a parent to do?
I have decided that we are going to be doing about 3 gifts this year, the number 3 for the trinity.

1. will be something they need, this will probably be clothes or somthing along those lines.
2. will be something they want, this will be some kind of toy or game.
3. will be something for the family, or to share.

My second Daughter has already informed me that this is not sufficient for her, I guess we will see what she really thinks when it gets down to it. We will be making a big trip to visit relative over the Christmas and New Years Holidays, and that is what I consider to be the #3 gift, something for the whole family. Maybe I am being too nervous, or letting them expect too much. We have never had really big Christmas's, but on the other hand the kids are deffinately getting older so there is that to contend with.
I guess I am largely struggling with how to get my children to appreciate the Holidays for what they are really about rather than buying into the manufactured consumerism. It is so hard to escape though, its every where, TV, radio, billboards etc.

Yet one more trip

You know how sometimes you never realize how good you have it until you come across some who really does have it bad?

Every trip I have to make to the Dr and hospital, tends to remind me that, really I don't have it that bad. Yes I have children have have some health problems, but most of them are no where near the major issues I see every time I go to the Childrens hospital. It is very sad.



People have wanted to talk to me about my daughters cancer, and about how tough it must have been. Yes, I tell them it was tough, but when you are placed in that kind of situation you just do it. For me I made it through by counting down the days till we were done, for us there was a light at the end of the tunnel. What do people do when there is no light? I really have no idea, but probably plob through just like I did initial with my daughter.

Afterfall

Afterfall, that is a good term to describe us at the moment. Afterfall of what? Well, a number of things, but the single biggest is my daughters battle with cancer. When you talk to the doctors they will tell you about the enormous physical and mental cost of such a battle, but no one ever tells the tale of the financial aftermath. They never tell you that the costs and effects last for years. So now is the question of how do we fix all this? I am very thankful to say that my daughter won her battle, if she hadn't I don't know where we would be. However that still leaves the financial ruin we are in, something that I know the kids know at least a little about, but I really don't want them to know the whole picture. They know that we aren't going to the museum like they keep asking, and that I keep serving noddles and we aren't going to the store nearly as often as we used to. What do they know of payments, loans and debts? For now I would like to keep it that way.