Santa Claus.....Naughty or Nice??

Ok, SERIOUSLY?? I had to clear the cobwebs out of this blog to start writing this post!! What can I say, having 2 kiddos has not given me much time to be a blogger, I honestly don't know how other mommas find the time. This post is so seemingly random since I haven't blogged in over a year, but I've got something on my mind that I need to share and this is my outlet. Ok, here goes, let's pretend that the next line is the REAL start of this post.......


It's that time of year again, it comes around so quickly now. CHRISTMAS. A time for love, joy, giving, family, and all sorts of other warm and fuzzies. In all reality, it's also a time for frustration, exhaustion, overloaded schedules, and DREAD. That last one was for me, dread. Please don't assume that I'm a Grinch! Really I'm not, I love Christmas, always have. The dread is really over one simple question that I hear so often now as a mommy (directed to my kids), "Is Santa coming to see you?" or, "What's Santa Claus bringing you this year?" Sigh. And there it is, the dread. Why, you ask? It's simple. We don't teach our children "Santa Claus". Now freeze that facial expression and push the pause button in your brain.....find a mirror. There, my friends is my dread. It's the look I get, and the "WHAT? WHY NOT!?" that follows. In the past, it hasn't bothered me as much, but for some reason, this year, it gets to me. Quite a bit, apparently, if I am finding time to blog about it! So, why don't I teach Santa to my kids? I'm glad you asked. No, really. Take the time to read this, and do so with an open mind and heart. Maybe you will change your mind about the jolly fat man, or maybe you will just see things from a different perspective.

First and foremost, I am a Christ follower, and I try to live in a way that pleases my Heavenly Father. (Notice I said TRY. No claims to perfection here, just want to set the standards for my convictions.)

#1. Lying is not ok. Ever. Lies and deceit are sins, and not of God. The legend of Santa Claus is simply not true. If I teach my children to believe the story of Santa Claus, I am deceiving them, and sinning against God. (Not to mention, at any little threat of being exposed, we have to pile more lies on to cover the original....isn't that the very nature of deception?)

#2. As parents, we are responsible for teaching and nurturing our children. More than anything, I always want my children to trust me. I never want to give them reason to doubt me. One day, they will learn the truth about Santa, and when that day comes, what will they think of me, and what will they think of everything else I have taught them to be true? This brings me to my next point, and the most important.

#3. I want my children to love Jesus Christ with all their hearts. I can't make them do that, I can only teach them about who He is and how much He loves us. They will have to make their own choice as to what they believe. As I said before, I don't ever want my children to doubt me, but I most certainly don't want to set them up with any reason to doubt or question the reality of Jesus. If from birth, I tell my children that: a jolly little fat man in a red suit rides in a sleigh with 8 flying reindeer, comes down the chimney with their presents, goes back up the chimney and goes all around the whole world in one night to visit all the "good" children, HOW can I expect them to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, performed miracles, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven? Those are two very powerful and crazy stories that take faith to believe. One is true, one is not. If I teach them both as truth, what happens when my lie is exposed? Wouldn't it be understandable for them to question the existence of Jesus as well? Some children may not, but why even risk it? I met a guy when I was 19 years old who, religiously speaking, didn't know what he believed, but he was pretty sure he was an atheist. Upon further discussion, the topic of Santa came up. He said that his unbelief really started when he learned that Santa Claus was nothing but a fabricated story. My own mother experienced this questioning and doubt when she found out the truth about Santa. This world does a good enough job influencing our children in a negative way, why be a part of that?


Honestly, this was an easy decision for me. My parents didn't teach me Santa Claus. I don't feel deprived, or let down in any way. I grew up loving Christmas, still do. I have total respect for my parents for making that decision. They were both taught Santa, and they caught alot of grief from their families when they chose to be truthful to my sister and I. I can understand how this would seem weird to someone who grew up believing in Santa, but I would ask you to think about this from the perspectives I have given here. Does it change anything? Regardless of religious beliefs, I think all parents want their children to trust them 110%. If only for that reason alone, why would I want to lie to them from day one?

These are my reasons for the decision not to teach Santa. I sincerely hope that no one takes offense to this. I am not judging anyone who chooses to teach Santa. There are many areas in this life where we all have different opinions or beliefs. I would just like the same respect, not to be judged for teaching my children the truth. My children love Christmas. We teach them that we give gifts, because Jesus was a gift to us. When asked what Christmas is about, it is "Happy Birthday Jesus!!" They feel the same excitement and awe, they just know the truth about where the gifts come from. Frankly, I like it that way and so does my hubs. Truth is just easier.

Where did the time go?

Well, here we are again! It has been months since I last wrote, and of course, so much has happened this summer. We are moved into the new house now, still getting settled in and trying to get things in order. I am loving the new house, minus the bigger electric and water bills!! We got sod put down, and splurged on an irrigation system. We are still trying to learn the most efficient way to water the grass without running the bill up. Thank goodness fall and winter is on the way... I cannot handle another $200 water bill, and neither can our budget!

I am one week away from my due date with our newest addition. It's a GIRL by the way. I haven't written since we found this out. Miss Adelyn Marie Weaver. AKA "Addy-Bug" I almost have her nursery complete, and will post pics when it is. I feel bad, Will still doesn't have pictures on his walls. I just really want her nursery to be complete when she gets here, and I haven't decided what I really want to do to his room just yet. It actually matches the rest of the house. Kinda naked looking. I decided to change color schemes when we moved, and so I have no pictures or decorations on the walls! Only my paint colors. I don't like it, but I will just have to decorate a little at a time, as the budget allows. I am somewhat anxious about having a new baby. Will is 2&1/2 now, and coming into the "terrible two" phase I am afraid! We are working on potty training, not very successfully. He will get there, I know, but I just don't want him to regress when his sister is here. I can only pray that we all adjust accordingly, and this includes mommy and daddy!!

I don't have long to write, as Will is crawling all over me wanting some attention. Hopefully I can find more time to write, although I don't think anyone out there is awaiting my posts! Ha! It is more for me I guess. Makes me feel connected, and it is nice to imagine someone is interested in my going-ons... Til next time......

Changes.....

Wow, it has been a while. We are experiencing some big changes in the Weaver household! We found a house! We actually found a prebuilt home that we LOVED! It was a new home in a cute little neighborhood that is actually much closer to my family, instead of further away! I was shocked that Chris liked it as much as he did, but it is also much closer to his brother and I think he likes that idea too. He also has a very good friend who lives in the same neighborhood. So, we put a contract on the house and GOT IT! Yay!! Almost. So, while we were there picking out paint colors and measuring for furniture, my mom and sis and I noticed that the room measurements all seemed to be off. Like alot. Out comes the measuring tape, and we measure the whole dang house! Every nook and cranny! What did we find? The house was almost 300 sq ft smaller than what it was supposed to be! I was so upset, and thought maybe I was wrong in my findings, so Chris called the realtor (who is also the builder), and she had her guys measure it again. She was in shock, I was right! It was way off! So, I still loved the house, I just didn't think it was worth as much knowing it was so much smaller. Unfortunately, she wouldn't budge on the price, she just wasn't holding us to the contract. When Chris told me that, I was so upset, I mean, I had already started packing!!! BUT.... then he tells me what she did offer to do. She offered to build us the exact same house, at the CORRECT size, for the same price we had agreed on. Now, as sweet as this gal is, I know this is just a business deal. I ain't dumb! She knew she could get what we had offered for the house (or more), even with the smaller sq footage, and still have a guaranteed sale with our new house she would build. And she was right! We agreed to the deal, because we loved the house so much. And now we would get it built to OUR specific wants, and it would be even bigger, which is great! Then what do you know, just before we signed our new contract, she had sold the original house already. I am glad for her though. She is very nice, and she builds a very nice house! Our new lot we picked out is right across the street from the first house, and she informed me that the new buyers are a small family like ours, with a 2 year old, and a small infant. And the mommy is a SAHM!! Yay for neighbors!

Which brings me to our next bit of news.... I'm pregnant!!! Yep, Will is gonna be a big brother! Yay! I am due in late Sept, so we got a long way to go!! But I am ready to get this show on the road with this house stuff so we can get settled in before baby #2 gets here! Construction should begin soon, all this snowy weather is putting a cramp in my style!!

I cannot believe that my baby boy will be TWO in a few short weeks..... man where did the time go? I know, it will be MUCH worse when he is like 15, but just these first two years have gone by so fast!

Well, here are a few pics of the original house we bought. The new one will have the same floor plan, but a little bigger and we are working on making some changes to the outside so it isn't a twin to the one across the street!! Enjoy!


The Front: We will be doing posts instead of arches, and my porch will be bigger!


Love this living room, but I think we will be doing carpet. Better for the babies!!


Dining Room: LOVE this color! And this will stay hardwood, as will the foyer.


Ah, the Kitchen! I am head over heels for these cabinets! They will be glazed with a dark chocolate, so pretty!


My custom cabinets again. I told her NO changes in the kitchen! Love it!

Homeless and Happy!

Today is the Big Closing Day!! We go to sign the papers to close on the sale of our house. Technically after 11:30, we will be homeless. Technically. We get to stay here as long as we need to til we find our next "Casa de Weaver". The hunt for a house is going slow. We were so set on building, but now we are looking at pre-existing homes again. Our builder was a BIG disappointment, so we fired him. Only he doesnt know it yet. Were trying to get a set of the floorplans from him for almost 3 weeks! He kept forgetting, then he wouldnt call, then he wouldnt show up when he was supposed to, etc. Last Wed was the final straw for me. He was supposed to bring the plans by our house betweeen 7 & 8pm after 2 1/2 weeks of phone tag and forgetting. Not only did he NOT SHOW UP, he hasn't called us since! I told Chris, if he has the nerve to call back, to tell him HE's OUT!! If just getting the plans is this difficult, I would hate to see how he is during the building process!! The only downfall is, his price he quoted us was AWESOME!! I am just praying that the Lord will send us who HE wants to build our home, or just show us a great house at a great price! We arent in a hurry, but now that we are signing the papers, I am just anxious and excited to move!! I really need to practice my patience here, I don't want to make the wrong decision and regret it later! Please pray for us as we seek God's guidance in where we need to be! Thanks for reading!

Oh, the decisions!!

We are faced with a big decision to make pretty soon: where to build. When we first put the house up for sale, we had our hearts set on Eagleville, in a little subdivision called Eagle Crest. Long story short, I had a very unpleasant experience with the listing agent for those lots. Not long after that, the lots just disappeared off the realtracs website.I assumed they all sold, or the developer went under. So, we began searching again. We found a neighborhood called Forest Ridge that is only about 5-8 minutes from where we live now. It is very secluded, large lots, and super nice houses! We decided that was where we wanted to go if possible. The only problem is the lot prices. The cheapest lot they have listed is $17,000 more than the price our builder included in our quote. Now I am sure these prices are negotiable, but I don't know about 17K!! However, if that's where God wants us, He will work it out.

So, this past Sunday, while cruising through Realtracs website, what did I stumble on? The lots from Eagle Crest are back up for sale, AND with a different listing agent!! AND, the price of the lots there are right on target with our builder's quote! Mind you we just signed the contract for the sale of our house this Wednesday, so the timing on this is awfully weird. I called the agent listed who was SO very nice and much more honest and helpful then the last one. Apparently the disappearance of the lots on the web were due to the developer finding himself a new listing agent. I guess I was not the only one with a not so nice experience! Now I am torn. I really love the small community of Eagleville. It is such a beautiful area, although it is further away. And that is where the rub comes in. My family is not thrilled with the thought of us moving so far out. Don't get me wrong. They support whatever decision we make, and have told us that we have to do what we think is best for our family. It's just that it is hard enough now to get together, and moving 15-20 minutes further away will not help this situation. Chris and I really need guidance to know what God wants us to do. Please pray for us as we strive to make the right decision in this. My friend Nicole and I went on a little road trip with the our babies yesterday to Eagleville. We drove through our potential neighborhood, and then ate at the local Mexican restaurant there, which by the way, is FABULOUS!! Here are some pics of the lots we like in Eaglecrest:




This lot is nice, but not my favorite. The land seems kinda low, so I am wondering about water issues. It is 0.81 acres.


These next few pics will be of my favorite lot. It is on a slight hill, with a creek in the back. And LOOK at the views behind it!! Beautiful! This lot is 0.93 acres.

Giving God the Glory!!

I am so blessed and most times I compain about the littlest things! God is really working on me with this. Sometimes all you need is a different perspective. Not that it will be easy to do, because complaining comes SO naturally to me, so I have a long battle ahead! I was talking to Kelly this week, and we got on the subject of complaining, and how things could be so much worse than what they are! But that was not even my AH-Ha moment! These words came out of my mouth, "Think of it this way, why in the world would God want to bless us with anything else, when all we do is complain about the blessings He already gave us?" Whoa! I have heard this so many times, and totally agreed, but something about this particular time just got me. Not at first, but after our conversation I kept thinking about what I had said. God has recently answered a HUGE prayer in our lives, and yet I was finding little things to complain about. What I mean is, we recently sold our house after 6 months of hardly anyone calling. I really tried hard not to complain about the slow process, and I may have failed a time or two, but I really tried!! In an answer to our prayers, God sent us a buyer, and the best possible scenario we could have asked for! 1)Our buyer is giving us the price we had set as our "have to have" price. 2) Our buyer is allowing us to stay in the house as long as we need to (within reason) until our new house is built! 3) The rent they are charging us is cheaper than our current house payment!!! Is that an answered prayer or what!?!?! So what do I do with it? After trying so hard not to complain about NOT selling, now I am finding little details to question, and allowing satan to creep in and give me doubts. God showed me after my conversation with Kelly, to stop trying to take the wheel, and just let Him drive! Stop griping when He just handed us what we were asking for! So here I sit, praising His Holy Name, because he loves me this much! We will be technically homeless in 2 weeks(when we close), and I am smiling about it. God is in control, even when we don't see it. Just because the pieces don't fall in place the way like, or even as fast, God see's the whole puzzle, and He knows what is best, NOT ME!! Like I said, I have a hard road or giving up my so called "control" and complaining, but right now, God has my full attention, and I hope it stays that way!! Thanks for reading, now we just wait in anticipation of what God is gonna do next!!

My Super Savings Today.....

I had an awesome week at my 3 Sunday stores today (CVS, Walgreens, and Publix). Total OOP (out of pocket): $30.30 Total Saved: $335.77. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself!! Ok, so here is the run-down: (the prices in parentheses are the normal price when not on sale)



Walgreens:

1 Almay Pure Blends Foundation (9.99)
4 Almay One Coat Mascara (31.96)
1 Almay Pure Blends Lipgloss (7.99)
1 Vick's Dayquil Capsules (6.00)
1 Bic Soleil Razor System (6.99)
1 Vick's Nyquil Liquid (6.00)
1 Bayer Contour Glucose Meter (79.99)
1 Bayer Breeze 2 Glucose Meter (79.99)
2 Hallmark 20pk tissue paper (3.98)
1 Kleenex Cottonelle 12ct Toilet Paper (6.99)
1 Breathe Right Nasal Strips (5.99)

Total Value: $245.87
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $22.42
TOTAL SAVINGS: $223.45 or 90%
Got back $17 of RR.....

CVS:

1 Children's Zyrtec (12.99)

2 Children's Benadryl Liquid (14.38)

1 Scott 8pk paper Towels (10.99)

Total Value: $38.36
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $1.92 (used 9.57 left on giftcard)
TOTAL SAVINGS: $36.44 or 95%
Got back $10 ECB...............

PUBLIX:

8 Ragu Pasta Sauce (17.52)
2 Hunts Ketchup (4.58)
2 Chatham Village Croutons (2.98)
1 Publix Old Fashioned Oats (1.59)
1 Pledge Grab-It Cloths (3.99)
2 Publix Brand baby wipes (4.98)
4 Cover Girl Lip Slicks (13.16)
5 Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough (14.45)
5 Nestle Tollhouse Morsels (12.50)
1 Scotch Packaging Tape (3.19)


Total Value: $78.94
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $5.96
TOTAL SAVINGS: $75.88 or 96%