1. Everything I can think of that I “want” for Christmas is actually for our children. I want a canvas print of Hudson for his big boy room and a big boy bed for him. Those are just the things we need right now. Life is so different than it used to be! I’m sure if I wasn’t pregnant I could come up with a long list of clothes and shoes that I’d want.
2. TC and I are pretty excited about the Gamecocks and the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I’m mostly excited about a couple of days away from Columbia, but he’s obviously excited about the football part.
3. If it wouldn’t be completely offensive and gross, I could write an entire post around the yucky things about pregnancy. The spontaneous gagging, the heartburn, the, um, gas. But I’m going to spare y’all.
4. You will never hear me say, “Happy Holidays.” I celebrate Christmas so I say “Merry Christmas.” I can’t apologize for offending someone because I am a Christian and Christmas is about Jesus. (The only exception is when I know a friend celebrates Hanukkah and I specifically say Happy Hanukkah.)
5. Thanks for all the encouragement yesterday with my post. I know we all get busy this time of year and I’m fortunate that I happen to love every single thing I’m trying to get done. It’s about celebrating Jesus, celebrating tradition, and family togetherness.
6. Hudson is saying “ho ho ho” on a regular basis now. He is also identifying body parts that shouldn’t be identified in public. We’re going to have to work on our “private words” and “public words.”
7. We still don’t have a name for baby #2. I’d like to check him out one more time at our 20 week appointment. I’d also like to confirm that his boy parts weren’t actually the umbilical cord, which I’ve heard of happening twice in the last two weeks!
8. Some of you have asked, but the Chinese gender calculator thing I posted was correct for this baby, too. Not saying it’s science, okay? I’m just saying it’s a coincidence that it worked for both of my kids.
9. My sweet husband won’t tell me what he wants for Christmas. Every other year I’ve done a great job of coming up with something he never knew he always wanted. This year… zilch. Got any suggestions? We no longer have a “Gamecock room” in our house, so sports memorabilia ideas should be kept to a minimum.
10. Did y’all know that the adorable Kristen Chenoweth plays Ms. Noodle on Elmo’s World?
11. The new Southern Living has these delicious looking, alcohol free, frozen peppermint frappes. Perfect for the prego in your life. I need to make them with the red velvet brownies asap.
12. We have an artificial tree, but I love the smell of Christmas trees. So this year I picked up the Thymes “Frasier Fir” reed diffuser and my house smells glorious.
13. Does anyone do anything super fun and original for Christmas Eve? I’d love to hear your ideas!
You always get your SL magazine before me. I need to have a talk with them. haha.
we always go to Christmas Eve services and then have chili and tamales for dinner! can’t think of a better way to celebrate 🙂
My husband is the absolute hardest person to shop for. He literally wants NOTHING (except for vacations, a luxury we can’t afford right now), and on top of that is extremely frugal, so almost any gift you come up with to give him, even if it is something he remotely likes, he’d still rather have just kept the cash in the bank. While we have just skipped exchanging presents for the last three years, we decided to do presents this year to bring a little more Christmas to the bland hotel room where we’ll wake up in Nowhere, Texas Christmas morning.
ANYWAY, for the guy who has almost everything he wants, I am giving him professional teeth whitening from the dentist! At our last cleaning, he said he wanted to whiten his teeth, and it’s not a piece of junk to sit around in our house. It’s surprisingly affordable, too. Maybe TC would like that?
As a child, my family would load up in the car and drive around looking at all the Christmas lights in town. Once my child (and hopefully children one day) gets old enough, I would like to do the same thing. However, I think maybe I could take it up a notch and have us all dress in Christmas pjs while driving around town looking at the lights.
Mmm those frappes! This Christmas Eve, we are going to do a pasta bar with different shaped homemade pasta and homemade sauces. Making the pastas will definitely be a project for my mother and me, but it is worth it!
Oooooh, I need to make one of those frappes! Perfect! Also, I love the title of this post. I am always happy to find “Christmas Vacation” kindred spirits. Hands down– it’s my favorite Christmas movie!
I think guys are so hard to shop for. My current approach when I have someone who is hard to shop for is to try to find affordable “experiences” like movie theater tickets, hockey tickets, a gift certificate to a restaurant,…plus, then you can spend time together. Win-win! 🙂
I almost always buy my dad books. He reads a lot of non-fiction. I would recommend The Bullpen Gospels (funny, touching story about a minor league baseball player) and The Right Stuff (about the start of the U.S. space program).
P.S. Thanks for the link to the desserts – chocolate & peppermint is my favorite combination!
Love your post title! One of my favorite movies.
Yea I know all about the gross side effects of pregnancy! I didn’t expect some of it! I think you should do the post anyway and if people are grossed out, they don’t have to read it! 😛
I can’t think of anything I want for Christmas either! My b-day is 2 days before, and I don’t need anything! All I really want is a healthy baby in June!
#4 – Amen, sister!
#5 – Loved your post from yesterday. Can totally relate.
#6 – Made me LOL! I have a friend that has taught her 3 year old the proper names for his private parts, instead of giving them a cute name like most parents. But to hear a 3 year old say it in public – totally embarrasses me!! LOL
#11 – YUM!! I want to try that – even though I’m not preggers. 🙂
We usually make homemade cider & chili on Christmas Eve (what a combo – huh!? ha!), watch Christmas movies, we’ll read the Christmas story to Amelia that evening & then we have an 11:30pm Christmas Eve service that we attend – it last 30 mins and we come home at midnight! Nothing too original. 🙂
Merry Christmas, girl!
AMEN to number 4!
My hubs is a HUGE GC fan. (actually played there) I went to a local sign shop and had a custom cornhole set made for him. It has Gamecocks logo and words on top and his name, #, and years along the sides. It’s made of sign material, so it will last forever. If TC likes tailgating or entertaining the guys, he may like this.
Another idea: While in ATlanta, take him to Fogo De Chao. It’s a man’s FEAST! My hubs LOVES it.
I definitely agree with #4!
I would love to hear your “not so fun” pregnancy list! I have too much to add to it too. haha pregnancy just makes your body crazy is what I’ve learned. just crazy!
as a kid we use to have christmas eve with my mom’s side of the family and their tradition was to play poker all night long, and us kids would sneak up to the table and the adults would slip us some of their winnings. not your normal tradition but it sure sounds funny to me now.
As a Christian myself, I know we are all imperfect, but I have a hard time seeing how you speak of Christ in one sentence, and then in the next, you throw off a lot of attitude, show intolerance for your husband, complain about life, overspend on things that you end up selling on your blog, are overly obsessed with your weight, criticize and judge people at every turn – and you turn the simplest of tasks into daunting endeavors. Life truly isn’t as hard as you portray it. You seem so discontent while trying to come across as appreciative for everything you have in your life. You don’t even seem very enthused with your current pregnancy {perhaps it’s because you wanted a girl? I had horrible sickness during my pregnancies too but I still felt incredibly blessed and excited to be having a baby}. This is your blog and you can vent about anything and everything that you want to – just know that your “voice” is reflecting your ungrateful mindset time and time again.
What the heck is that diffuser thing? You need some Scentsy in your life! 😉 I really think you should do a post on all the crazy things that your body does while pregnant. It would be entertaining!
Fun post!
I can’t wait to hear the name you pick. Boy names are hard! I’m all for not telling people the name until you meet the little guy 🙂
We do Christmas eve with my Mom, Dad, and Grandma every year at my Mom & Dad’s house. We do a traditional Danish Christmas Dinner — My family is Danish. 🙂 — this dinner includes Roast duck, with stuffing in the bird, potatoes, gravy, lingonberries, and red cabbage.
Then for dessert we have rice pudding. A single almond is hidden in the pudding and whoever finds the almond will have good luck for the coming year, and the lucky finder of this almond is entitled to a small gift. 🙂 We also have a small traditional after-dinner port-like drink called Yule Gløgg. I love it.
Then we open all of our presents on Christmas eve. I felt so lucky as a kid because I got all presents on Christmas eve and most kids wait until the AM. “Santa” always brought me a couple presents that I opended in the AM.
We do Church on Christmas morning instead of Christmas eve.
So there you have, our Danish Christmas Eve traditions. 🙂
@Jillian. You are judging her for judging? Really? I have just never understood why people read blogs if all they are going to do is tear that person down. Leave the girl alone! I’m assuming your mom didn’t tell you this, but my mom did, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. The point of blogs is fun! Have fun with it! I read this blog because it is fun and I enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, move along.
Who! Jillian, I’m not sure that we’re reading the same blog! None of those things you listed are anything that I’ve picked up on. Perhaps you’re unhappy with your own life and feel the need to bring others down. And claiming that you’re a Christian in one sentence, and in the next, judging someone so harshly, someone that you truly know nothing about, well, that doesn’t seem like a very Christian thing to do.
Jillian –Speaking of being judgmental and intolerant, have you taken a good look at yourself in the mirror lately?
Jillian…Who are you to judge her?? I don’t think we are reading the same blog because I have NEVER seen any of these things that you are talking about. It’s above and beyond that you even suggest that she is unhappy with her pregnancy. If you don’t like what you are reading why are you even here?
Oh I love me a Christmas Vacation Quote!
Since we spend Christmas in Waco, we usually spend Christmas Eve going to the candlelight service and then at a party (involving Texas smoked brisket – yummmmm) back at my grandparents house. My grandfather is getting up there in age and has had some health setbacks this year, so we are axing the party. I’ve suggested we eat our brisket in front of White Christmas or Holiday Inn… and I think that’s about to become our new tradition!
Erin — Ignore Jillian! I don’t know what blog she’s reading. I’m a Christian too, and I think you are an inspiration in terms of keeping Christ at the center of your heart and showing gratitude day by day! I really love your blog. I’m soon to become a SAHM myself, and I often think of you as a model of how to be a loving Christian wife who has a lot going on but knows what’s important.
Jillian — I have no doubt you’re a Christian, but like you said, we’re all deeply imperfect. Matthew 7:5 says it best!
First off…Oh, Jillian. Get a grip!
Erin–You are sweet and just who God made you to be. Ignore any ugliness (see above!) that comes toward you because it’s unjustified. And just wait til Hudson goes from simply saying the names of private parts in public to full sentences about the human anatomy. When my oldest son was three he apparently thought everyone should know “Daddy and Nolan have a penis and mommy has a ‘gina.” Yep…the embarrassment continues!
This Jillian character has an OFF view of who you are. People crack me up that think they KNOW you because they read your blog. Your blog is on a glimpse of your thoughts and life! You are an amazing woman, wife, mother and Christian. And for fellow Christian to judge what you write and your “voice” (what?) is well…quite JUDGEY!
I love you and this was a fantastic post. Thanks for laying it out there how tough it is being a stay at home mom sometimes. It’s not all peachy all the time!
Here’s my favorite Christmas Eve tradition: Every year for as long as I can remember, the “elves” leave a wrapped gift under our bed pillows on Christmas Eve. New pajamas! Then my parents take a photo of me and my brother and my sister (and my husband now, too) in our new PJs on Christmas morning. I’m definitely planning to continue this tradition with my own children some day!
P.S. Jillian isn’t worth your time or worry.
Seriously Jillian!! Are you sure you read the same blog I do….because she is not at all like what you are describing. Go somewhere else with your nonsense, please!
A. The title of this post made me REALLY happy.
B. I’m cracking up that Hudson is identifiying body parts that he shouldn’t. I know it’s probably not all that funny to you, but, it cracks me up. Such a typical little boy!! Ha.
C. I have NO idea what to get my husband for Christmas either. Yikes!
Merry Christmas!
My family celebrates the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. It is an italian tradition. You are supposed to eat as least 7 types of fish. It is so much fun. My mom and I spend most of the day preparing the food and enjoying time together. Since we eat a number of courses the meal is spread out for a couple hours. It is great family time together.
We (our family, my parents and Jill) go to the Christmas Eve service at our church, then we go to my parents house and eat sandwiches and our favorite dips and watch Christmas Vacation. It seems really wrong to go straight from church to watching CV but we love the movie and have been doing this for years. We eat sandwiches because the next few days are full of big meals with family and extended family. 🙂
I do not say Happy Holidays either. It drives me crazy!!
I LOVE traditions! Every year as a kid on Christmas Eve we would go to the candlelight service (7:30pm) and then come home and the siblings would give eachother gifts. Then my mom would give us all 3 presents..the first: Christmas PJs! The second: each one of us (4 kids) collected a Christmas decoration. Mine was an angel, so every year I would get a different angel. The third: we would all get a new ornament for when we grew up and had our own tree. Now that I have moved away and have a family of my own, I have all of the ornaments my parents gave me as a kid on our tree…and all of the angels around the house for decoration. I am starting this tradition with my own daughter this year for her first Christmas, and am passing along the Angel to my little angel 🙂
Ps-….I am so sorry for the ignorant comment from Jillian. A true Christian does not judge…and a true Christian is also a human being who has hard days every once in awhile…especially as a pregnant woman who is a SAHM!!! I completely disagree with everything she said, and am so happy to see a REAL mommy share her stories of how she really feels on her blog. Kudos to you!
I always end up getting my husband really practical things that he’s hinted at needing/wanting but would never buy for himself. For example: For his birthday I got him slippers. He never said outright he wanted slippers, but a few weeks ago he mentioned that one of his slippers was missing and his feet were cold. It really is a big problem that, as adults, if we want something we buy it for ourselves.
Is there anything he needs/wants for his office? Or anything really practical? Or even something sentimental that you could have made? (like a wall calendar for his office with pictures of your family? that is something I would want if I spent alot of time in the office and probably miss my family alot :))
I always get my husband at least one toy-gadget. Something to tinker with. With clothes, he acts like a six yr. old boy. We live in Fl. I’m from New England. We always have my homemade chowder and lobster in some way. It always feels special and it’s easy. One gift to open at night then we sneak around, stuffing each other’s stockings. Pay no attention to these crabby, unhappy people like Jillian.
I am going to email you a Christmas present idea that I made for KT for Father’s Day a few years ago. I first saw it in Southern Living magazine. It’s something you could easily put somewhere in your home other than a “sports” room– but it is sports related. I have the Frasier Fir Candle burning this month and LOVE it so much! Most amazing Christmas candle ever. We went through a little “play with our private parts” period with Carson when he was first figuring it out. I would DIE when he’d reach down for it… oh goodness, BOYS! 🙂
I totally want a “real life” post about pregnancy stuff that no one ever tells you. I don’t want to be surprised when the time comes!
We always go out for Chinese good for Christmas eve dinner…it is a tradition I remember back from when I was a small child and I have kept it up with my own family.
http://justthe3ofus-melissachrismaddie.blogspot.com/
oops…I meant to put my website in the appropriate spot. so sorry
Peppermint frappes and brownies…yummy!
I always say “Merry Christmas”, too. I firmly believe in that because I’m Christian!
On Christmas Eve we usually have a big family dinner at my parents house, after dinner my three youngest cousins perform the story of Jesus’s birth. We all dress in silly costumes and we have all been baby Jesus at least once, my aunt Betsy the most since she is a Christmas baby. Last year Hudson was baby Jesus! My husband, Mack, and I then drive 30 minutes to his parents house and go to the 11 o’clock service, his father is the music director and it is his best service of the year. We then spend the night at my in-laws.
This year we are staying in Florida for Christmas, it will be the first time we have not been home for Christmas ever! My parents are coming Christmas day but we are trying to figure out new traditions for our little family.
God Bless!
We have a 3 year old (named Hudson…great name:), and a one year old boy and I think we are going to start having a birthday party for Jesus on Xmas Eve. I heard of others doing that and thought it was a great idea to keep the meaning of Xmas which is a challenge these days!
On Christmas Eve the whole family and I are at my parents’ house where we have crackers and chips and dips, meats and cheeses, and desserts. Finger foods mostly! We all fill our plates, pop some champagne, make a toast to Jesus, and sit down to watch HOURS of ‘A Christmas Story’. I look forward to it every year because it’s so exciting!
Merry Christmas to you, your hubby, and boys!
Thanks for the recipe! My family is coming to visit this weekend and I think they will make the perfect addition to our meal plan!
I think buying for men is hard and naming boys are hard too. My Sam is 4 and I am still not sure what I want to name him. Ha ha! I am thinking about getting my husband one of those outdoor fire pit things. Admittedly that would be for the family as much as for him. But it is the best I can come up with! My husband is especially hard because he is not a technology or gadget guy.
I get you on the Merry Christmas thing. We are the same way! However I am not offended by Happy Holidays because I see it less about not saying Christmas but encompassing Hannakah and the New Year.
Just my 2 cents and that is about all it is worth!!
And not I did not know Kristen Chenowith was Mr. Noodle. Thanks for that little piece of trivia!
Erin – As one of my best friends and someone I know very well I was shocked to read the criticism posted yesterday. Obviously this was a random post from someone who doesn’t know you at all. First of all, I just want to say how strong of a woman you are and how important your faith is to your family. As hundreds of people read your blog on a daily basis it would be easy just to touch on the day to day trivial happenings in life. However, you do not shy away from posting about your Christianity and beliefs in fear of criticism. Please don’t let this be a deterrent – you have found a wonderful tool to reach many people and you let them into your life. Life isn’t perfect and it shouldn’t be – people who only write about the positive things are not speaking the truth. My heart was saddened to see this coming from another proposed believer…
I just wanted to remind you of a few things as you head into the weekend.
-Living as a Christian is not a “simple” or “easy” life. People who pretend everything is perfect is just pretending, almost like living a lie. We were never promised a life without discomfort, hardships, or pain – these things are expected. In fact, everyday is a test and some days are harder than others; it is how we handle these tests that matter and I think you have found a very good way to deal with your frustrations and not keep them bottled inside to dwell upon.
-we were taught to use words of encouragement and lift other people’s spirits; not to put others down and to pray not only for our friends, but our foes.
I miss you friend, and wish that we were living closer so we can go through our pregnancy discomforts together.
Oh, I want one of those peppermint frappes now!
And the chinese gender calculator was totally right for my first baby… I’m a believer 🙂
The Chinese calendar was wrong for me! =( Which I’m fine with, but now I won’t trust it for the next (?) one!
Names are hard. It took us forever with Baby Girl’s and I still wasn’t convinced until I saw her that is was the right one. I love all of your choices so I’m sure whatever you come up with is going to be adorable and absolutely perfect.
And amen. It’s Merry Christmas. Hubs works with people and anytime they tell him “Happy Holidays” he gives them a big smile and says “Merry CHRISTmas!”. Love it.
Ignore the haters. Let them keep right on hating. It’s their problem, not yours. I love you girl!!
I am pretty excited about the Peach bowl myself! M and some of the other coaches take the senior football players to the Peach Bowl every year and I get to go as a chaperone. As an SEC girl I’ll be cheering for the Gamecocks (even if I am a Vol).
I say Merry Christmas as well. Living in the Bible Belt it isn’t really that big of a deal around here. BFF’s fiance is Jewish but he is pretty okay with getting Christmas cards. His only thing is if you send him a Chanukah card it needs to be spelled correctly. I do try to make sure to get them a holiday card instead anyway.
Growing up.. when I lived in Hartsville….. After we left our Christmas Eve service, there is a SONIC across the street….. Every year we would go to Sonic ( FANCY RIGHT!!!!) and order , my Dad would always give the roller girl/guy a $100.00 tip…. The look on their faces was priceless!!!! Some pepole would want to give him a hug others were just lost for what to say!
I always enjoy giving to people that may not have as much as we do….. WE all need to remember what Christmas is about- not the gifts, or the trees etc.! It is about Christ, being thankful for how lucky we are and giving back to those that are in need…. even if they are on skates!
Our family now gives to SCOA each year…. two years ago my Dad was told he had colon cancer( stage 3) and SCOA is where he got his chemo each week…. The people there gave us something we could never give him-TIME- time to spend with his family, friends and the new addition on the way ( I did not even know I was prego)…. God works in crazy ways!!! I told my husband the day my Dad was given the news and how serious it was that WE ARE HAVING A BABY TODAY- he/she will know him!!!! ( God had already planted that seed and I was already prego.) I never dreamed of my wedding day etc… that was never a big deal to me, but I had always dreamed of what it would be like to see my Daddy holding my child….. and I was going to make sure it happened!!! My poor husband- I was a hot mess!!!
I will always make sure the new addition, now 17 months- Emma Bays- knows who and why we give to SCOA… because they gave us TIME with PAPA!!!
Merry CHRISTmas!
So to everyone that might not like me saying Merry Christmas!!!! Well- Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( get over it!)
OH MY- I just read what Jillian said……………………. are you kidding me!!!!! How rude are you…… before you judge someone maybe you should meet them in person!!!!!!!!!!! Erin is a wonderful person with a wonderful heart!
You need to start you own Blog called… HATE………….. Get over yourself honey!
Those look delicious! Last Christmas I was preggers and this year I’m breastfeeding and I keep seeing yummy holiday drinks that I can’t have! I’ll have to make these instead!
The red velvet brownies are a must!! Drop what you are doing now and go make them!! ha!! I made them at Thanksgiving and they were a favorite!! Love reading your blog and following you on twitter. I hate it when someone says Happy Holidays to me. I almost want to tell them to say Merry Christmas to me, but just smile and say Merry Christmas!! Jesus truly is the reason for this season.
BTW, Love Christmas Vacation. That’s a family tradition, to watch it as many times as possible during the Christmas season!!
I love the Frasier Fir so much!!
I’m awful at picking Brent gifts 🙁 I feel like it’s always just clothes…
We need videos of Hudson and his “ho ho hos” 🙂
Jillian – Identifying yourself as a Christian before nailing Erin on just about every aspect of her life does not absolve you of responsibility for your harsh words and skewed judgement of her. No Christian would do that to another. Let me tell you something else a Christian wouldn’t do – tell a pregnant woman she doesn’t seem excited about her pregnancy. That is deeply cruel, and completely beyond decency. You owe her an apology immediately, and you need to ask your God to forgive you for your narrowmindedness, your cruel manner, and your general unhappiness with whatever the heck makes you unhappy.
To Erin – The rainbow of friends this blog has brought you attracts a little rain sometimes, too. You know who you are and how you live your life, and for whom you live it. That’s all you need to know. Your blog has a beautiful tone to it, and I enjoy, as another has said, the glimpse of your life you choose to share with us.
Holy moly, those frapps look delicious!
Merry CHRISTmas!! 🙂
I clicked through to read the comments to see what folks were suggesting for Christmas Eve traditions… that’s a great question! I’m trying to figure out Christmas Eve & Christmas traditions because I have a feeling it will often be just us (not extended family).
I love the new PJ’s on Christmas Eve idea! We often go see a movie on Christmas day. I’ve thought about ‘gifting’ a puzzle and putting it together as a family. Obviously our 4 mo old won’t join in on that fun this year. I’ve also thought about inviting friends over Christmas evening for movies of games that are also in town with no families visiting. Make popcorn and hot chocolate!
FYI – I’m Jilian with 1 ‘L’ – please don’t confuse me with Jillian 🙂 🙂 🙂 Agree with others if you don’t enjoy a blog (or don’t agree with the blogger) you should just stop reading it!
Our Christmas Eve…. not sure if this is considered fun and random but….. we have 5 families are are really close to in our neighborhood. After everyone who does Christmas Eve services, we go to someone’s house and eat breakfast for dinner. All the kids are in their pjs ready for Santa to come. Just a time for us as friends to spend the evening together and be thankful for having each other in our lives.
We don’t do anything out of the ordinary, but one of our traditions is that we open one present Christmas Eve and it is always Christmas pajamas that we can put on that night! It is always fun to have cute pjs to wear that morning while opening Christmas presents!