It really has been too long!

Mary at work is great when it comes to my blog. Periodically she will ask me "When are you going to post next?" I smile and say "Soon." Well as I log back in to my blog and see that my last post was at the end of March, I have to chuckle. It really has been too long. I blame the National Boards. That took so much mental power and writing out of me, I just had to veg for months! But now that we are at the end of another year, and I am off work with time to myself I feel inclined to write.

One of the things hat has been on my mind this holiday season are societal expecations. As I get older I find I am less inclined to do much for the holidays. I am not completely sure why this is, but I do know this does not make me a bad person. I know I have a 7 year old son, and I don't deny him the festive fixings. He wants lights and decorations? We do lights and decorations...on a small scale. He picked out his very own lil tree and decorations, and we put it on an end table by our door. He was thrilled to do it, and it wasnt taxing for me...a win-win!

Then there is the craziness of shopping and holiday cards. Let me address shopping first. Any who know me know I LOVE TECHNOLOGY. I hate shopping. I hate crowds. Does that make me a scroodge? No. Due to finanaces I can only afford to get gifts for the kids in my family and my parents. Unfortunately the amount I can spend on each is not a huge, but I do what I can. In the end that is what the holiday is about right? Showing your love and appreciation for loved ones? Huge expensive gifts should not be a requirement. I was asked several times this season if all my shopping was done or my house decorated. I smiled and nodded not engaging in much of a conversation over it as it isn't something that is a huge deal for me. I do what I can for those I love and they know I love them. Is my house done up in lights? No. Do I have a huge tree with a ton of gifts spilling out from underneath? No. Do I love my family? Of course I do.

Now cards. I officially stopped doing them this year. I used to do them here and there, but in the end the stress of doing them was too much. I will not be penalized for not doing them. Will my friends think less of me for not doing them? Maybe. And if they do, then I imagine we are not very close. Will my family think less of not getting a card in the mail from me? They shouldn't. We get together, give gifts to the kids, spend time together. Again, they should know I love them whether or not a card arrives in the mail. I get less cards now that I stopped sending them and that is ok. Holiday cards seem like an obligation. Do I think less of people who don't send them? No.

So why write about all this? Because it has been on my mind. Why ask rhetorical questions? Because I want to. ;) This is my blog, I can say what I like and that is awesome.

So Mary, I hope you have enjoyed the holiday entry of my blog. Now that I have my thoughts on societal holiday norms off my mind, we shall see what I blog about next. I plan on trying to blog again before 8 months pass.

Oh and by the way for any who did not know, on November 18th I learned that I did achieve National Board Certification. Thank goodness. That THREE YEAR journey was a painful one, but in the end it inspired me to be a much better teacher.