Live Reindeer Feed With Santa and Elves

          Yesterday I volunteered in Lanie's class at the end of the day for their "Christmas Party". Her teacher had a Live feed of Santa's reindeer on the big screen for the kids. We're talking real life reindeer. Not the animated stuff. The kids loved it. Every now and again a computer generated elf would pop up on the screen and the kids would laugh until they were doubled over.
          I made sure to get the website from her so that I could check in on them and show Liam. Last night I logged in so that Liam could see. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. "Santa's reindeer! WOW! Cool!". Yes it was, but that wasn't the coolest part. Not two minutes after we started watching, a real elf came on the screen and started talking to the reindeer over the fence. You can imagine how much these two kids freaked out.
          I'd say that was the coolest thing, but it wasn't. Not 5 minutes after we started watching guess to else made an appearance? Santa!! The kids were thrilled, squiling and yelling in utter delight. We watched as Santa fed the two male reindeer then proceeded to pet them and talk to them. After he checked his mailbox. Now my internet was bogging down so we weren't the best of the feed, but it looked and sounded like Santa read a letter from someone. It was awesome.

          Just when we thought he was done, he got a chair and took a book out of the mailbox and read a Christmas story to everyone. My kids enjoyed listening to Santa's story (even if my internet was slow). After Santa read the story he told everyone to be good, and for all the kids to say their prayers before bedtime. That right there folks, that had me hooked. In this day and age, religion is being taken out of just about everything, but not this Santa. Nope. He's standing up for his beliefs and I love that my kids were able to hear Santa, someone they look up too, say that he too believes in God.
          Santa will be making another appearance tonight at 6pm, and my kids are excited. You can tune in as well and share the magic of Santa and his reindeer with your little ones http://reindeercam.com I won't be taking Liam to the mall to see Santa. I'm still weary of taking into crowded places for fear that he might catch some virus and have another setback. I was sad that I didn't feel comfortable enough to do this and that he was going to miss out. This is the first year he's really seemed interested in Santa. They must have been learning about Santa as school because Liam gets all excited when someone says Santa or he sees something with Santa on it. That made me sadder. However finding Reindeer Cam has allowed us to keep the magic of Santa and his reindeer going for the kids.
 

        I had made magic reindeer food and handed it out to the kids in Lanie's class as well as a few of her friends from other classes. It's just oatmeal and glitter but it brought the kids so much joy thinking that they can leave out a treat for Santa's reindeer. After watching this feed, they were even more excited to see who they were leaving the treat out for. I am thankful that the people behind Reindeer Cam are doing what they are doing to help share the Christmas magic that so many have lost. 

Halloween Magic

What happened to that mom?

That mom who decorated every holiday no matter how big or small it was?

This year she is gone.

Hiding some place refusing to come out.

I don't have the energy this year.

I so wish I did.

I want to get past this chronic fatigue and chronic pain,

hoping that decorating will make me feel better.

Is it even possible to feel better?

Is it even possible to push past this?

I have no clue.

I wish I could bring back that mom who got overzealous about all the holidays.

That mom that no matter what decorated.

That mom who always baked for every occasion.

That mom who was just so desperate for something normal that she made it happen.

What's changed?

Yes I have fibermyalgia,

but I know I've had it for some time.

It only got worse coming up on a year ago.

I want to dig through the decoration.

I want to scale the counters to hang things from the ceiling.

I want to stand on my tippie toes on the top of the step stool to hand fake spider webs.

I want to hang black gossimer in the windows,

black paper owls on the door,

glowing eyes in random places.

I want to stand back at the edge of the yard and admire my work,

knowing that all the kids in the neighborhood will point and laugh,

and be excited about Halloween.

Halloween is my favorite holiday.

You get to dress up and become anyone you want.

You get to scare and be scared just for laughs.

And most of all,

my husband proposed to me on Halloween.

At 2am.

When he didn't even know I LOVED Halloween.

It was meant to be right?!

And even though things have been difficult since Liam was born sick,

I still love him with all my heart.

Even when at times I feel it would be easier to leave him,

I still love him.

Love isn't easy.

Your supposed to work for it,

make it work.

Because otherwise it isn't true love.

So maybe that's why I am so saddened by the fact that I haven't decorated.

In my own way,

it's me celebrating the day he realized he loved me ad couldn't loose me.

Halloween is magical.

It's when everything we don't believe or shouldn't believe in comes alive.

It's the only time of the year where the taboo is not taboo.

Princesses find their princes.

Or happiness in HUGE bags of candy.

Ghost and witches fly around from door to door saying the magical words that get them candy,

trick or treat.

Everyone can be who they want to be.

For once they can have hope and see the "magic" of this world.

It's great fun seeing all the costumes.

Watching the kids fill their bags with candy then later gorge on it.

Fun Halloween games,

bobbing for apples,

haunted hay rides,

haunted forest.

Hogwarts come to life,

whole blocks turned into pirate ships.

Halloween is about discovering the magic.

I want to rekindle old memories.

I want to show my kids that there is magic out there.

I want to see their faces light up as the house transforms from just an ordinary home,

to something greater.

So can I get my body to cooperate?

Can I work past this?

I honestly don't know.

What I do know is that I want too.

Instead of sitting here feeling sorry for myself,

I'm going to get up and at least try.

I shouldn't give up before at least trying.

My kids need to know that even if you fail,

it's ok because at least you tried.

You don't give up before the game even starts.