A Christmas Letter

I was doing Christmas cards the other night and wondered if I really needed to do a whole "Christmas Letter"--you know where you brag about the wonderful things you did this year (or make stuff up so people think your life is perfect). Most of those on my list I stay in touch with through Facebook (and I'm on Facebook a lot) so they're pretty much up to date on the sitcom that is my life.  What more could I possibly have to tell them? But then I felt guilty--I'd gotten the pre-printed cards that already have our names signed to them and only had to address the envelopes.  So, because of pre-printed cards, and a small helping of Catholic guilt, here is my Christmas Letter to you:

Dear (Friend/Family/Person I haven't talked to in 5 years because you've gotten a little creepy since high school),

This year has been a busy one at the Graf household!

Husband is working hard and growing his company. When he started this he hoped someday to be the kind of boss who takes off whenever he wants.  If only our employees would play their role of indentured servants a little more diligently, but they insist on having lives.

Our son is in his last year of high school and will be graduating in June.  I go between being totally freaked out (Surely there's some essential skill we forgot to teach him?) and relieved that I am almost done being personally responsible for lost socks and missing school books.  Mostly I am freaked out (okay, and a tiny bit sad).

Our older daughter started high school this year and is a little disappointed that it's just like middle school, but with bigger kids. I tell her that one day she will be through with all this and off to college--where her classmates will be just like they were in middle school, but drunk.

The baby of our family turned 12 this year.  She now declares that I am no longer her favorite parent.  She went on one hunting trip with her father and decided that he is also no longer her favorite.  I guess she has yet to find a parent that will let her peruse One Direction videos and funny cat pictures on the internet to the wee hours of the morning.

Last March our older dog developed a cancerous tumor on his mouth and, after some creative financing (to the tune of $2,000), had it successfully removed. He is doing fine now, but I'm afraid to let him do so much as cross the street--we have too much invested in him.

The younger dog continues his quest to capture that spot of light reflecting off my watch face. 

Working from home allows me to lead a very full and exciting life. I now have an encyclopedic knowledge of Washington state sales tax laws and have perfected a technique that allows me to silently chastise the children while on hold with customer service. Giving up on my dream of being Rapunzel, I got my hair cut very short and can now pass off full-on bed head as a chic, contemporary hair style.  In my spare time I write blog posts about a bunch of silliness.


Here's hoping your Christmas Season is devoid of any Black Friday fist fights and your New Year is filled with unicorns and rainbows.

Love,

Kristin

Off With Her Hair!





Me, Before

Today I got a hair cut.  Not just a trim or a little bit off the top, but a hair cut.  My younger daughter told me it was the weirdest hair cut I'd ever gotten.  My older daughter said it looked too messy in back.  My son just silently looked at me and smirked. 

 

Ah, sweet words of praise from my loving family. 

 

My husband asked:  "Do you like it?"

 

And you know what?  I love it.

 

Super short hair has never been a dream of mine,  If I had my choice, I'd have long beautiful, flowing locks.  I'd spend thousands every year on special shampoos and high end styling products.  I would sob inconsolably if the stylist didn't give me just the right cut.

 

I would be Mudder Forking Rapunzel

 

Exhibit A: Me in 5th Grade

Unfortunately, as the angels were forming all my earthly parts, they apparently misunderstood when God said to give me thick hair and thin thighs.  Sigh.  My tresses are straight, fine-textured and thin. (Please see Exhibit A.)   I have tried every thickening product known to man.  I have moussed, I have permed, I have highlighted.  My hair simply isn't my crowning glory.  (I'm just lucky I don't belong to one of those religious sects that don't allow the women to cut their hair.  It would not be pretty.)

So when I went for a cut today I was ready for something a little different.  I was ready to give up the Soccer Mom hairdo.  I was ready to leave behind all the hairspray and unguents and limp, lifeless locks.  I was ready to let the world see my ears.

And, voila!  With a little help from my fabulous hairstylist, Marielle of Crown Creations Hair Design I now have a cut that says I have cheek bones and ears and more important things to do than mess with my hair.  This hairstyle is generally known as the Pixie and I am feeling genuinely impish.

 Off with her hair!




The "After" Shot






Offending Friends on Facebook: Finding Forgiveness in Your Newsfeed

Facebook is an amazing invention, isn't it?  Being able to reconnect with that friend from high school, former co-workers, or your second cousin once removed...and finding out just how totally wack-a-doo they really are.

I try to only "friend" people that I would honestly talk to, like in real life, face-to-face, with no modems or key boards between us. And I am always pleased when I look through my list of Facebook friends and  see the wide variety of people I've had the privilege to know over the years.  From Buddhists to conservative Christians; old and young; right, left and center (and a few way out there in the outer realms of our galaxy--you know who you are) they are an interesting group.

So it comes as no surprise that a few of these people's beliefs I do not agree with 100% of the time.  You gotta admit, some of y'all come off as crazy.  But I know there are times that I may come off as a little loopy as well.  (And really, sometimes I am a little crazy. That whole giving-up-Facebook-for-Lent thing probably indicates some serious Catholic school/ internet addiction issues.)

The problem is that some of what we post on the internet we would never, ever say to some one's face.  "You're stupid if you voted for Obama!"  Really, in high school I used to let you cheat off my algebra tests.  "My religion is the only way--share if you agree."  Um...no thanks?

What Facebook needs is a "Present Company Excepted" emoticon.  "If you like chocolate, you're going to Hell! PCE ;)"   You all might want to work on that one for me.

(Of course that would probably read "If you like chocolate your going to hell.")

During the last presidential election my mantra while checking my news feed was:

  I know these people. Inhale.  I like these people. Exhale.  These people mean me no harm. Namaste.

And then I had to temporarily hide some of their posts from my news feed.  You know, just so I could still look them in the eye when I ran into them at the grocery store.

But you know what?  The kicker is that I value all these Facebook friends because they are unique, opinionated, crazy people  And I have to remember that when I read their status updates about the world economy, gun control or their chocolate preferences (Extra Dark or Die!) they are not judging me, but expressing themselves. I will try not to become offended just because I don't agree with them.

And as a small favor to me, your former Catholic school classmate, your step aunt twice removed and your favorite Words with Friends opponent, please use the Flaming Rhetoric Filter on your Facebook settings (Ok, yeah, there is no such thing, but maybe one of you could work on that as well.)  Remember that your status updates are seen not only by your biker buddies or your fellow Tea Partiers, but your great aunt Mildred, Joe at the bank and me, your favorite right wing liberal friend.

PCE;)

The Thinking Girl's Halloween

Last weekend I took my teenage daughter shopping for a Halloween costume.  Sigh.  Just that first sentence can cause anxiety for many parents:  overpriced skimpy outfits designed to make your sweet girl look like a stripper.  The trip was my idea, as too many years in a row she's left her costume choice to the last minute.  One year she was certain she was going to be a goth nerd, had it all planned out.  Then two days before Halloween she asked me to find her a bee costume. 

Plenty has been written about the trampification of Halloween, so I checked out Party City's website for what they thought were appropriate costumes for girls.  Looking under the "Careers" category, I thought I'd find doctors or athletes.  Instead I found:

"Cupcake Cutie"--What do you suppose that pays?

"Miss Demeanor"-- I have heard of career criminals, but they say crime doesn't pay.

 

And one of the more modest costumes from the Teen section, "Crystal Ball Gypsy"--Now here's a career choice I'd never considered, perhaps because I clearly don't have the chest for it. (And where's her crystal ball?)

 

 

My younger daughter is easy--she always wants to dress as something creepy, anything as long as it's not "cute".  We'd gotten her costume (from Party City, I might add) weeks ago.  Zomberina, hopefully not a career choice, but not too skanky, either.  

 

 

So my older daughter and I went the local thrift shop to get ideas for her.  The problem is that while she's a teen girl and wants to fit in, she's also sort of a braniac bookworm so she wants to dress as something interesting.  She'd thought of going as a character from one of her favorite book series, Divergent by Veronica Roth, but it's not an easily recognized costume.  Last year she went as Katniss from The Hunger Games and all day at school people asked why she hadn't dressed up.

 

When we couldn't find anything else she liked, she decided on going for her first idea.  I pointed out that she'd spend all day explaining to people what she was supposed to be.  "Well," she said, "I'll just tell them I'm a Dauntless member from Divergent.  And then I'll tell them to try reading the book."

 

You gotta love a self confident bookworm.

 

 

This is basically what she's wearing to school today, with the Dauntless "tattoo" on her forearm:

 

 

 

Looking cool and promoting literacy--it's what Halloween is all about.



 

 

Mental Health Mornings

We are on our second week of Late Start Wednesdays and I have had an epiphany of sorts.

Our school district rolled out this new plan just before the school year started, as we were all happily buying items on the school supply lists, counting the days until out little angels were back in class.  The idea is to add extra time to the rest of the school week and leave Wednesday mornings for teacher collaboration. Can I just say, parents don't enjoy having the school schedule tampered with.  When you have everything planned out so you can just get everyone where they need to go on time, it's hard to appreciate any need for change. Since I work from the home this wouldn't mean more than a slight adjustment to my schedule, though I will admit I wasn't thrilled with my kids hanging around the house any longer than necessary.

The first Wednesday on our new schedule I figured I'd get up at regular time and get stuff done while the kids slept--kind of like summer vacation, without the summer or the vacation.  I must mention that I get up at the crack of the crack of dawn--usually by 5:30am--as that's what time my crazy, hard-working, business-owning husband gets up.  Something about birds and early worms, I don't know, it's too darn early.  I don't drag my sorry carcass out of bed because of any sense of wifely duty, but because he is just too darn loud in the morning.  If I'm going to be annoyed anyway, I might as well be up and ready to take a swing at him.

So that first Wednesday I got up with the best of intentions--kitchens would be cleaned, laundry would be washed, my inbox would become my outbox.  The reality?  I lost all five lives on Candy Crush (what human could clear all that jelly?!), checked out Facebook and flipped through TV channels.  Nothing got accomplished, zip, zero, zilch.

So this week I was determined to make better use of my time.  I would exercise before the kids got up!  I would be all done and ready to move on with my day before the school bus pulled out of the neighborhood.  Hard working husband got up and left the house at 4:30am, however, and I have a strict policy that feet do not hit the bedroom floor before 5am.  No exceptions, no way (unless, of course, it involves me hopping on a jet to an exotic location).  So I figured, as I sleepily said good bye, that I'd just stay in bed till 6am. 


Once again, no was body parts were exercised and no work was completed.  I was still too sleepy for coherent thought and it was too dark out for my morning walk.  Instead I sat on the couch and was amazed at the sheer number of infomercials.  (Did you know that Chuck Norris is still alive?)   I might as well have staid in bed.

And that's went it hit me, like a light bulb above my head, a message from God, a voice of sanity in the wilderness:

I should have just staid in bed.

All this time I have felt guilty if I didn't get up with my husband and get something done.  He works so hard and I feel lazy if I don't put forth the same effort.  If I'm not doing work for our company (which I've learned  should not be attempted before 9am when the caffeine has had a chance to kick in), I should be doing something that seems worth trading a paycheck for.

But you know what I realized?  I do work really hard.  Even if everything I do doesn't create any income, it's not like I'm sitting home all day eating bonbons and watching soap operas.  Okay, I'm on Facebook way too much, but the rest of the time I'm doing something essential--invoicing customers, paying bills, taking dogs to the vet and kids to the dentist, grocery shopping, arguing with grumpy teenagers, writing, looking fabulous--all day long.

And you know what's important for good health?  Sleep!  Actual studies by actual scientists show that people who don't get enough sleep have a harder time regulating their body weight. Sleep could practically be considered a type of exercise.

So next Wednesday I will be doing something beneficial for both my physical and mental health.  I am going to sleep in.  And if my husband complains, I will suggest he do something for his health and let me sleep.

You Don't Have To Go To School, But You Can't Stay Here

"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", Staples commercial

It's happening--my kids are going back to school!  I have been looking forward to this for the past several weeks, posting funny pictures on Facebook and sharing the fabulous Staples commercial.  I'm worried, however, that some of my friends and family might misunderstand my joy at losing my kids to the system (the school system, that is--my children are not being taken by CPS, though I have threatened it a time or two over the summer).  It's not that I don't love my kids or enjoy spending time with them, but honestly, eleven weeks is a bit much family together time for even the most sane parents.  And most days my sanity is sketchy at best.


Consider it this way:  it's summer and your three best friends are coming for an extended visit--let's say eleven weeks.  You're super excited!  These are your three favorite people in the whole world--they're like family! ;)  You clean the guest rooms and stock the fridge, thinking of all the fun you'll have.

The first week or so of their visit is great.  You laugh, you eat, you remember what great people these are. But then you realize that while they are on vacation, with no worries or responsibilities, you still have stuff to do:  cooking, cleaning, walking the dog, paying the bills, etc and so forth, ad nauseum.  Maybe you couldn't get time off work, so while your house guests stay up late and sleep in every morning, you must drag your tired self to work.  Or perhaps you work from home, trying to fill out confusing government documents and taking important customer calls in the dining room while your friends play Xbox in the living room or chase the dog through the house.  Or insist on giving you a detailed  plot outline of every Harry Potter book they've ever read when you have shit to do.

Sigh.  Suddenly having care-free friends in your house all summer is starting to wear on you.

Sure there are the good times, a weekend camp out or a trip to Pike Place Market's gum wall, but these are sandwiched by endless days of "The cable's out!", "When's dinner?" and "How do you get permanent marker off the dog?"

Your house guests, of course, are having a great time.  They eat whatever they want (Fruit Loops for lunch, anyone?), sleep till noon and shower only if they smell worse than the dog.  Occasionally they invite other friends over (who must also be fed) or ask that you take them to other people's houses (and then come get them up at the drop of a hat).  They don't worry about picking up or pitching in--they're on vacation, after all  You witness their leisurely, sun-soaked days while you're going about the business of real life and you start to feel that maybe it's time your friends went home.  Or anywhere else, really.

You don't have to go back to school, but you can't stay here.

Luckily, the government says all children must attend school and so today I thank the educational system, the teachers and the United States government for evicting my summer guests from their beds and getting them out of my hair for six hours straight. 

As I finish this post, my children are all in school and my house is blissfully quiet.  I think I even had a complete thought.



The most beautiful sight you'll see:  school bus picking kids up in our neighborhood today.





White Water Parenting

Traveling with children always presents a certain set of challenges, but vacationing with two teenagers and a tween has occasionally pushed my husband and I to our limits of the "Fun Family Memories" parents, turning us into "Just Get in the Car and Be Quiet" parents.  While planning this summer's trip,  I tried to find something that we'd all enjoy, but didn't have to drive eight hours to get to, or fork over money we don't have to wait in long lines for over-priced activities.  Or that wouldn't  lead my husband and I to AA.

When I hit upon going to Leavenworth, a Bavarian-themed town in Eastern Washington (a mere 2.5 hours away), I was sure I had a winner.  My husband was excited to go white water rafting, we could invite his mother along, and with the hotel serving up putt-putt golf, a swimming pool and a game arcade, there was something for everyone.  Our oldest quickly voiced his disapproval--he had "plans" for that weekend, complaining loudly and often about the injustices of a family vacation.  Our middle child was unimpressed and the youngest had some serious misgivings about bouncing around on a raging river in a glorified floaty.

I don't care, just get in the car and be quiet.

Our journey started off smoothly enough--having Grandma in the car with us damped down some of the outbursts of teenage irritation.  (Note to self:  bring mother-in-law along on all trips.)  When we got to our rafting trip, however, I started to feeling some doubt.  I looked around at the other participants and noted the lack of children in the group.  I worried they all knew something about this adventure that I had somehow missed in the fine print.  Was this not appropriate for the under 20 set?  Were they all judging me for exposing my children to danger?  It didn't help that our guide, in giving the training speech, was talking about what to do should you fall out of the raft.  Or as he specified, were "forcibly ejected" from the raft.  Um, wait...What?!

Once we went through the first set of rapids (class IV, huge wall of water in my face, felt like I was about to be forcibly ejected), our two younger children began to have a few doubts of their own--younger daughter was clinging to my arm and asking when it would be over--but nothing says family togetherness like fighting a wall of water in a glorified floaty.  We paddled on.

As the trip continued some amazing things took place.  After we passed the roughest of the rapids,  our guide let a few members of our rafting team try out the kayaks.  Our oldest teen got in one and was immediately transformed into a smiling, confident young man who seemed to be a natural on the river.  Our middle child went in a two person kayak with her father and they ended up tipping themselves into some lesser rapids. Once they managed to right themselves, she was no longer so blasé.  This river was the real deal and she'd have to work to get to the end--and she enjoyed the challenge.  By the last leg of our trip, our youngest, the one who had to be talked into this whole thing, was sitting on the edge of our raft, paddling along with everyone else and hardly flinching when splashed or bumped.

I sat in that raft in the middle of the Wenatchee River and was amazed at the confidence of our children and their ability to adjust.  I was proud of each of them for finding their way in this adventure I'd forced on them,  And then I gave myself a small little pat on the back for coming up with this idea (and for having such wonderful children).

Parenting, if you will, is like white water rafting.  You head out on your adventure with excitement and energy, but when you get a look at what you're in for you start to wonder if you're up for it (but by then it's too late).  You hit those first big bumps and you learn you'd better hold on tight and paddle for all you're worth.  Once you reach a patch of calmer water and get a chance to look back at where you've been,  you realize you're a little tougher than you thought.  And you just keep going.

Or parenting is like white water rafting because you do a lot of yelling and praying, praying that you're going to make it out of this alive.

While this is an actual photo of our trip, identities have been changed to protect the innocent (and so you can't tell how much I was screaming).

Thanks to Osprey Rafting Company for a fine afternoon of adventurous parenting.