.......................

[smidgy]

We really didn't suspect much either. My husband has this surround sound system from hell in the house and while it is going none of us can hear. So we just attributed it to that. He finally came to my mom and said he was at a fast food restaurant and could see their lips move but couldn't hear a word they said. How he kept his grades up as well as he did I will never know. Facing similar loss with my own vision I can relate to missing out on so much and struggling. I am just glad this is a problem that was able to be fixed for him. With all the other crap going on in my life right now I can cling to that smile that I saw on his face when he realized he could hear again and cherish it and cheer myself up. He is an awesome kid. He is almost 16 and just so well rounded I can't believe he is mine.

this post brings up 2 things. when hubby was a child, they had him in speech class. they didn't realize that he was pronouncing words the way he heard them.. he was hearing impaired.
when my youngest was little I used to sit with a book, one boy on either side and read to them. Jeremy kept saying 'I can't see it!" me: "yes you can, it's right in the middle!" I still feel guilty to this day that at age 4 he had to have coke bottle glasses and he REALLY couldn't see it! and I didn't notice!!! (he is now 26, very successful .. with contact lenses, but I still feel guilty)

Progress! I actually did a little shopping today! Very little, but still, its a start. And when I got home my 17 yo DS and three of his friends were waiting to help me put up our outside lights! They all pitched in and acted silly and just had a good time and we had it all done in about 45 minutes. That was a huge spirit booster! Just when I think I wanna strangle that kid, he pulls something like this...

aren't teenagers great? (sometimes ) when jeremy was about 17, he wanted money for a valentine's present for his girlfriend. I was divorced (broke)and my then boyfriend had recently broken up with me. me"you think I don't know it's valentine's day? and you want $ for your girlfriend? I HAVE no valentine! no one is buying ME a gift!"(totally inappropriate on my part) the next morning I awoke to a chocolate foil covered rose on my pillow with a mushy card from my son!
and there was the time his "group" of friends (I'm sure it was mostly the girls)
cleaned my whole house , top to bottom , as a birthday surprise. my house has never been so clean!!!! ... (by the way, he married that girl, and that group, at ages 26-29, still all hang around together. that group was a handful, all the time at my house, at the time... now they are a great bunch of young adults, married, with kids, and still all call me "mom"!)

C. Ann, (and everyone else) it's ok to not be artificially happy at this time of year. (and it's OK to NOT have any GREAT plans for New year's Eve, too. ) just try to get some perspective on it, don't build up a lot of expectations for yourself or your family. ... (and ignore the people who insist on saying, "you ready for christmas yet? I have all my presents bought and wrapped!") baby Jesus is my best present. second best? family and friends.
even if you can't see them (my sis is in boston, I'm working both christmas eve and christmas day) do what you can and don't set any high expectations.
(it's ok if I don't get around to making the almond crescents this year,etc)
buy little stuff, use newspaper to wrap it in, . I cut out cards years ago, too much for the postage.. just send to those out of state, etc etc.
hope this helps. merry christmas!

 

[DISUNC]

For some odd reason I am in a SUPERCRAZY CHRISTMAS SPIRIT this year! Got all new outside house decorations, etc, Shopping is done...Just didnt have time to do all the stuff yet...THIS WEEKEND for sure.

I think having a 2 year old around helps a lot.

 

[rie'smom]

For those having a rough time, The down part for us is this is the first Christmas w/out my DH's dad. What's helping us is that if he had lived longer, he would have been in dreadful pain-the cancer had spread to his bones.

However, I do have the Christmas spirit this year and I'm very thankful. We went through 2 hurricanes and came through relatively unscathed- just needed a new roof. I am a little behind-about 2 weeks because that's how long it took everyone to get and running after the storms. All that's left for me to do is to make soaps, lotions, creams, and bath bomb fizzies for baskets. My DSIL and I are doing those this week. Then I have to wrap gifts.

 

[Kteacher]

Well I turned down my co-worker's request to take one of her weekend shifts, and she was upset and tried to make me feel bad for not working for her . I told her I would let her know one way or the other by last night, and when I saw my schedule I knew there wasn't any way I could work all those hours. I'm really trying to look on the bright side-I am healthy enough to work 2 jobs, and lucky enough to have any job, but I am exhausted. I told my DH last night when I got home from my retail job that I didn't know when I was going to have time to do anything for Christmas since I was working almost straight through at both jobs until 12/24 .

 

[Cindy B]

Well I turned down my co-worker's request to take one of her weekend shifts, and she was upset and tried to make me feel bad for not working for her . I told her I would let her know one way or the other by last night, and when I saw my schedule I knew there wasn't any way I could work all those hours. I'm really trying to look on the bright side-I am healthy enough to work 2 jobs, and lucky enough to have any job, but I am exhausted. I told my DH last night when I got home from my retail job that I didn't know when I was going to have time to do anything for Christmas since I was working almost straight through at both jobs until 12/24 .

I hear you. I won't be done student teaching until the 23rd. DH has to work Christmas Eve to Christmas day and I haven't got a bit of shopping done.

I don't have a job yet (just finishing up student teaching) and it is getting discouraging.