Christmas just crept up on me

i don't understand it, where did the time go? how come i'm cramming my christmas shopping again? stores are getting really crowded even during weekdays....how will i ever get my list done? honestly i wish i didn't have to give gifts to a lot of people. it's silly how we try to get really good gifts for people who can very well afford whatever it is you can give them and more!

was explaining to my eldest today that we won't be buying gifts from them this year. after that big typhoon, it sure doesn't feel right if we spend more money on toys that would probably last a month, which is quite long for my kids.

why is my list so long? well i tried not to give in to feeling obligated to give gifts to the children of my friends who are sure to give gifts to my children....i have 4 so they spend a lot for mine. but then come christmas party time, it's so embarrassing to not distribute gifts to children who aren't our godchildren. i think my kids get embarrassed for us too. tried it one year and it was so uncomfortable :)

an exchange gift would solve the problem but the suggestion was shot down because someone said that it would make our kids so happy to open a lot of gifts on christmas eve.

it doesn't feel right though, having a hill of gifts per child on christmas morning. my husband feels that our kids live on excess although we're not really financially well off. but well meaning relatives see to it that our kids are up to date with toys despite our pleas to not spoil them.

so we decided to take matters on our own hands.....we have this rule at home that you can keep all books and clothes that you receive but you can only keep 3 toys per child. our kids protest a lot, it'll be the 3rd time we'll be doing it this year. but in the end they don't miss the other toys, instead they give more value to what they've chosen to keep. and where do those new toys go? we hand them out on christmas day to streetchildren.

merry christmas! hope this season won't only be of great material value to you and your family but more importantly, may abundant graces fall upon you from our Lord.

driving in manila

Driving in this city will drive you crazy! This morning I almost gave into road rage. The thought of leaving my kids motherless stopped me from ramming my car into those crazy drivers' cars. I was behind this insensitive male driver in a busy road who stopped his car just to buy a newspaper. Hello! Just because you turned on your hazard light it doesn't mean you have the right to block the road! Bozo!

Then there are those who couldn't be bothered to wait in the correct lane and choose the lane with the shortest queue.....then at the moment the longer lane starts moving, they push their way into the lane they needed to be in the first place. Hey, idiot, I'm not obligated to let you into MY lane, I was patient enough to get in line! You think only paid drivers do this? Think again, these were owner driven cars!

Phew, glad I got that out of my chest.....this driving thing, it makes me lose it from time to time....or maybe a lot! Because of driving, my kids learned the words idiot, slowpoke and ass****.....bad mom!