The Chore Chain

chore chain (n.) - A series of household duties that must be accomplished in a certain order or they cannot be completed at all. Ex. Mary wants to clean the fish bowl, which takes five minutes, but first she must move the dirt dishes out of the kitchen sink, and in order to do that she must take the clean dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away, thereby extending the fish bowl chore from 5 minutes to 45.

Only women understand the chore chain dilemma. Men just see the dirty fish bowl and wonder why it hasn't been cleaned when it only takes five minutes.

The Gift of Giving

We've decided to make our family Christmas celebrations more about the true miracle of God's ultimate gift to us - Jesus Christ - and less about Santa. Easier said than done. This was my conversation with Mason during his bath tonight.

Mom: Santa is a fun story, but do you know the real reason we celebrate Christmas?

Mason: Jesus.

Mom: That's right! God gave us the best gift we'll ever receive when he came to earth as a baby so that we can live in Heaven with him forever someday. That's what really makes Christmas special.

Mason: So who gives us presents?

Mom: People who love you give you presents because it's fun to think of what someone might like and give it to them. Maybe you could think of something to give someone this Christmas to make them happy.

Mason: I could get myself a new electric train.

Mom: But that wouldn't be a gift. You have to give something to someone else for it to be a gift.

Mason: Well then, I could give my old electric train to someone and then get myself a new one.

We'll try again next Christmas.

Okie Thanksgiving

Thankful

I'm thankful for the family that God has given me - we're having such a good time in Norman with Mimi and Grandpa Trent. We spent Thanksgiving Day in Guthrie at Uncle Rocky's new house and then came here to await the much-anticipated OU-OSU game. Jas, his dad, and his brother fully plan to freeze their tail off at the stadium today. I plan to watch it on TV.

Yesterday I was lying down with Carter for a little nap, and Mason decided to join us. I was surrounded in a full-size bed by 2 warm little bodies and 3 fuzzy bears (Big Bear, Little Bear, and Boo). Mason and his bear friends didn't stay long, but it was cozy while it lasted!