Pull up a chair and dig in girl...I've been waiting for you!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

it's different. and that's ok!

Imagine...

Christmas growing up.
No less than 40 people.
Grandma’s house.
Food, fun, cousins.
Best sort of chaos.

Fast forward 20 (or so) years.
Christmas.
Just the six of us.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I got stuck.
With the word “just.”

Growing up the oldest of 40 grandkids (give or take a couple-but literally only a couple) where most of us lived within a ten mile radius I had a rather unique childhood. Problem is…I didn’t realize that it was unique. Who WASN’T best friends with their cousins? Who DIDN’T bounce between aunts houses on the weekend to hang out? Who DIDN’T do every Sunday dinner at Grandma’s and have to fight for a place to sit? I grew up with the idea that when I had kids I would create the exact same atmosphere. Because surely that was the one and only way to successfully raise kids-right?

Jump forward through marriage, children, divorce.
Major move away from my mom and sisters, remarriage, etc.

The last two years I have really had a love/hate relationship with my decision to live a 6 hour drive from my extended family. Being the oldest of six girls there is a blessing in not being in the hub-staying out of the drama and loving my family even more when I do get to see them. At the holidays, however, it’s a struggle to hear about great gatherings that our little family is not a part of simply because of distance.

In the midst of my annual holiday pity party this year, Mr. Man reminded me that WE chose this, my mother and sisters did not. I really needed to reexamine expectations of both our little family and my extended family and remember that WE moved, not them. (Side note: sometimes it’s a bummer when he is so right.)  I set on my way to adjust my attitude and see the joy in the “just.”

Christmas Eve was a delight. As my friends posted on Facebook that they were running to the inlaws house or getting everyone dressed and ready, I enjoyed Mr. Man and the four little one’s making a “roast beast” for dinner in our pj’s. We played games we hadn’t played before. We hung out. We laughed. “Just” the six of us. We made cookies and put out carrots for Santa’s reindeer. We read The Story. The kids all slept tucked in together in the same room.

Peaceful. Loving. Calm. Amazing. Fun.

And different.

Christmas morning started at 6am (perks of being divorced parents = kid free weekends, downfall = sharing kids on Christmas leads to very early mornings!) We unwrapped and enjoyed ourselves until it was time for the kids to head to their other parents houses by 10am. By 11am, Mr. Man and I took a deep breath and reveled in our Christmas celebration "just" the six of us.

The thing is…I always wanted to recreate what I had as a kid because I felt so blessed by it. But the truth always happens and what the truth reminded me is that different can also be great!

Different is often scary.
But more often than not it’s also a great new adventure.

Different is ok.
Different has been a blessing.

Just the six of us is exactly where we belonged.

Who knew?

(OK-Mr. Man knew but that’s beside the point.)

-McGee

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

guilty pleasures.

Found a new blog I'm slightly in love with.
When I find one I like...
I will read it.
No.
Like ALL of it. 
To the first post ever.

It's called The Mormon Child Bride
Click the name and check it out.
It's not what you think, necessarily.
She's irreverant, liberal and hillarious!

She shared things she likes (that she's not supposed to)
Which got me thinking about guilty pleasures...
(Other than blogs...not guilty pleasures, just time consuming!)

A few come to mind:

Jersey Shore. 
Look.  I said guilty-get over it.

Facebook. 
Slightly obsessive habit.

Spray cheese in a can. 
No comment.

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. 
Other peoples chaos is a train wreck I can't pass up!

Kid free weekends. 
2x a month.  Perk to being divorced. 
Don't judge until you've been there!

KFC Coleslaw.
Like crack.  Don't know why.

TMZ.
I think celebrity's need their privacy. 
But I read it daily.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Tell me I'm not alone here!

-McGee

Monday, December 6, 2010

mini-McGee goes to high school.

Mini-McGee is literally just that.
A mini-me.
Physically, emotionally, athletically…
It’s like a carbon copy of my heart beats outside of my chest.

Mini-McGee starting high school this year was bizarre. She’s very age appropriate, an amazing student, a great athlete and has a really good group of friends so it’s not like I was worried about what SHE would be doing as much as the fact that she would be going to school every day with (practically) grown men! The difference between a Freshman and a Senior is all of a sudden staggering.

*Sidenote* To my mom and dad. I’m so sorry. You were right and I was wrong. It’s not ok for a Freshman girl to go out with a Senior boy. I totally get it now. Totally.

I had the awesome opportunity to watch her first high school basketball game last week and walked away loving who she is even more. I watched Mini-McGee play hard, lead her team, acknowledge the other team members with exceptional sportsmanship and stay out of the nastiest physical girl fight I’ve ever seen even while her team nearly cleared the bench to participate. (That last one was an eye opener-we are no longer in the proverbial “Kansas” anymore!)

It’s an amazing thing.
Watching your little girl.
And seeing glimpses of the woman she will become.
Scratch that.
Is already becoming.

And…
Then…
She was invited to play Varsity for a tournament.
As a Freshman.
And I watched her giggle and nearly jump for joy.

Today is a good day.
Her win’s are hers, for sure…
But I relish in them with her!

-McGee, proud mommy of a high school girl

Thursday, December 2, 2010

december gratitude list

My sister passed on an excellent idea yesterday.

Start a gratitude list on December 1st.
Add 5 things you're grateful for each day until January 1st.

Think it will change your life.
Well.
At least your December.

The thing is-that's a big list and you'll have to get creative!
Up for the challenge?

I'm off to make my day 2 list.
Starting with being grateful there are more than two of you out there reading this!

-McGee