Replay
As the holidays approach, the posts I choose to highlight from the week that was will focus on Chanukah and Christmas and family and the giving spirit and all the little things that make this time of year so incredibly special. Enjoy!
Miracle! Divorce is an ugly and all-to-common word in our society. It often leaves couples deeply hurt and disappointed. And it tears some kids to shreds. Only this time, there’s a happy ending to divorce. The divorce was decades ago, but the story continues through the present day. Trust me, it’s a feel good true story you should read. {source: No More Casual Nonchalance}
Technicolor! This week, Karen shared a quote from Rosie O’Donnell, who said before she adopted children, she lived life in black and white, but after she adopted children, her life became this incredible technicolor. It reminds me of many mothers who have told me in no uncertain terms that my life will be infinitely better (albeit harder, too) if/when I have kids. I know these women have well-meaning intentions, but I find that kind of talk very pretentious and overly assuming on their part – as if they have jumped inside my head and my heart to know what’s best for me. But, that’s neither here nor there. The question in a bigger sense is a good one: are we living our lives fully? Because as much as this season is about giving to others, we should also be giving to ourselves, too. {source: Smiling Through It All}
Doggy! CBS’ Early Show did a piece on the top 10 smartest and dumbest dogs. I’m not sure who did the scientific rankings here (admittedly questionable), but I was happy to find SoMi’s dominant breed, Doberman, on the smart list. {source: CBS 2 Chicago}
Mobbed! The holidays can be a stressful time, particularly for college students who have to take exams before celebrating the holidays. When I was in school, some students used to relieve their stress by racing through the library at midnight naked. It always provided great entertainment. These days, flash mobs seem to be the thing. I’ve seen video of flash mobs at UNC before. Looks like they did it again earlier this week!
Fun! I’m in the giving spirit today. So, I present you with this awesome website where you can download freaking cool wallpapers, icons and iPhone backgrounds (though, there’s a way to download these backgrounds to other phones, too). Did I mention they’re FREE?!? I’m feeling so festive because I recently downloaded the design below for my phone. The blue tones remind me of winter without screaming holidays. Just my style. Now go. Have fun! {source: Pixelgirl Presents}
That’s all from this side of the blogosphere. One more weekend until Christmas. Use your time wisely. Have tons of fun. And I’ll see you on the flip side.
December 18th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Oooo, that Pixel Girl Presents site is awesome. What a great find! Thanks for sharing!
And, of course, happy Friday. :)
December 18th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Yay a replay Friday! I really, really enjoy these. I can’t wait to click on the links and read more. I agree with you about some people who think that my life won’t be complete until I have children. Because I work on a college campus, this is a hectic time of year for students and it is amusing to watch how they work out their frustrations. I’ve heard this year it was a skinny dip in the creek that runs next to campus.
Have a great weekend!
December 18th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I don’t think having kids is for everyone and I have no idea how anyone could know what would make a person happiest except for that person. Having kids made MY life so much better but I would never even try to guess what it would feel like for someone else. Some people get married, some don’t. Some people have kids, some don’t. People should treat each other with respect, and respect that other people can make different choices and still be quite happy. My way is most definitely not the only way, and not even necessarily the “right” way even though many people assume the natural progression is marriage, children.
This sort of reminds me of the people who still ask me if I am going to have more kids since I obviously love them so much. It is physically impossible for me to have more but I’d feel like an ass for telling them the true story and making them feel bad for asking (cancer, hysterectomy) so I just smile and say “we are done”. I know people mean well, but the whole issue of kids is a touchy one and I think it would be best to refrain from questioning anything unless the person themselves brings it up. But then again when I had twins tons of people asked if they were natural as if that was anyones business. That didn’t bother me to answer but I felt like coming up with an extremely personal question to fire back at them to see what they would think about that.
December 18th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Great list, as always.
I don’t know if I will be ready to have children in the next few years, or ever, but my boss brought his daughter into work (2 years old) and just having her voice carry through the office makes the day a bit more colorful. (Except of course when she runs past our clients who have no idea who she is or why she’s here.) Kind of fun, at least for a few hours =)
Happy Friday back at ya!
December 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I agree with you on the technicolor post, and how people ASSUME so many things about you just because they have chosen to live their lives a certain way (I have a cousin who is notorious for always belittling me because she’s a few years older and thus has it to much harder, “Oh, cousin, when you have kids you will understand that there is no time for a social life,” “Dear cousin, when you are in a full-time job you will understand that you can’t watch TV,” etc. My favorite was when I told her about meeting Michael Keaton (Batman, Beatlejuice, etc). “Oh, cousin.” she said. “When you are my age and up to your eyes in laundry, you will understand that there is no time to keep current on movie stars.”
“But cousin,” I said. “He hit his prime in the 80′s when you were in COLLEGE.”
Anyway, I really do believe that I hit my technicolor when I met my husband-to-be. But I would never impose that on others because, yes, it’s not only assuming, it’s also rude. Amen :)
December 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Great list!
I wish mothers would chill a bit with the assumption that a life can’t be truly fulfilling without kids. I think it’s about opening our eyes and recognizing the color that already exists there, in whatever shade. Could it be a little bit brighter? Maybe. Does it have to be? Not necessarily. Are kids the ultimate answer to brightening life up? I don’t think so. It’s rude to presume that someone’s life is not fulfilling, and it’s even more rude to presume children are the answer, especially without knowing someone’s situation.
December 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
This has nothing to do with any of your post today, but I thought of something else you said earlier, about Sweets being a people hater. Today as I was out doing some shopping, I was just amazed as ever at how rude and impatient people are this time of year. At one point I was standing in line and this husband and wife duo stood behind me. The husband asked his wife (very annoyed and shouting) “why are we standing here?” (It was one those “please wait here for the next available cashier” deals). She explained, and then he complained that other people were going ahead of us by going through an open spot on one side. (A clear lack of barrier control by Toys R Us). He continued to moan and whine and suddenly I was the object of his dismay. Apparently my existence was annoying now. It was petty, rude and hurtful. Then I decided that “ALL THE PEOPLE HATERS” must come out around the holidays because they HAVE to shop. This man CLEARLY did not want to be there. I really should bring a stack of cards with http://www.amazon.com written on them to pass out to these poor unfortunate souls. Though I have to say, that I doubt Sweets is THAT kind of people hater. Or is he? ;-)
December 20th, 2009 at 2:34 am
My life has been enriched by my little dude, but that’s MY life. Everyone has their own idea of paradise!! Happy holidays lady!
December 20th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Oh, those crazy Tar Heels… that’s how we DO!! :-)