My kids are good kids. Well, at least that’s what they want me to tell the fat man up North (and I don’t mean Dirty Daddy on a fishing trip). And with Christmas coming, they have figured out pretty early how to gain a few extra points on the nice list.
While I frantically attempt to complete all the shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, visiting, order filling, shipping, mailing, toasting, carolling, cleaning, and bookkeeping by the 24th, I may have lost some ground on the nice list. Actually, I’m pretty sure my nice klout is dropping.
Large crowds, congested shopping mall traffic, depleted stock items, rushed shoppers, post office line ups – it can turn the happiest time of the year into the most stressful time of the year. Amidst the never ending list of –ing’s I need to complete, I find that my patience at times is stretched a little thin.
So this year I have decided to give my kids presence. My presence. Sure, they’ll have presents under the tree to open, but they will be gifts that require interaction and imagination. Our Christmas morning will include a rousing game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos, the construction of a rocket ship bound for the moon (http://thespottedmonkey.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=313&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2), a dramatic reading of Duck Soup, and a swooping superhero to help save the day (http://thespottedmonkey.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=22&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2).
I am always here, but I’m not always present. So I figure my presence is the best present I can give to my kids. Now all I need to do is figure out how to wrap a present of presence (I’m pretty sure red bows make my hips look wide).
A married and messy Mom of three children three years old and under and Stepmom to a beautiful and fabulous teenager, Stephanie Choquette of Waterloo, Ontario co-owns (with her Mom!) an online e-tail store full of sassy stuff for spunky kids (www.thespottedmonkey.com) and has a dedicated following on her wildly popular blog called The Dirty Mommy Club (www.dirtymommyclub.com). She is currently on maternity leave from her corporate career.