I bet everyone was thinking I would forget to write this post, but no, I hadn't. I think I was just waiting for the right time to write it. Tonight seems like the perfect night. I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself that Peter gave Ben Red Lobster and Guitar Hero 5 for his birthday and all I have for him is a cd and maybe some $5 pizza from Little Caesars. Then, Justin called me and reminded me how many times Ben asked for that cd and how much he loves the time that I give him. He's right. Even though I feel bad that I can't give him everything he asks for, I give him things that he will remember for the rest of his life. He'll remember Mom's Wow board where I post his hard work. He'll remember our movie nights and how mom tucked him in every night.

So, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I'm going to focus on the good things in my life and one ...or half a dozen of those wonderful people in my life. As a lot of you know, I'm not working a full time job right now and it was looking as if Christmas was going to be impossible this past year. I posted something here to my blog and I asked on my favorite yahoogroup how much money I could get if I sold my Pazzles. I was willing to give it up if it meant giving my boys a good Christmas.

Well, I didn't have to sell it. Six different people/groups stepped up and prevented that. I was totally blown away by their generosity and the love that they shared with us in a year where I know that money was tight for so many people. People can be totally amazing if you only give them a chance. Even now, almost a month later, I'm totally in awe of these people.

So, to Klo who sent not just my boys, but me as well gift cards, thank you. We decided, as a family, to add them to our Wii fund. We've been saving for a long time and your addition was exciting for us.

To Corinna, who along with her husband, sent the boys books and movies, thank you.

To Jim, who bought our family a gift package to the "local" theatre, thank you! We went to see Alvin & The Chimpunks, the Squeakuel right after Christmas and loved it. The gift card covered everything for all of us to go.

To Justin, who sent us some money to buy special gifts, thank you.

And last, but certainly not least, to Valerie, a woman who I have never met for the incredible gift of money that you sent to us. I have never been so incredibly touched by a stranger. She somehow came across this blog and based just on what she read here, she sent us an incredible gift.

I know I just said last, but I do want to extend one more thank you out there. To the people who donate to Toy for Tots or to the Salvation Army toy drive, I want to thank all of you. We were one of the families that benefited from that this year.

Like I said, the generosity of people amazes me and humbles me. I've worked at teaching my children the joy that can come from giving to others. They don't see a Salvation Army red bucket without asking me for change because in their words, "they help people who need help." Little did they know that those people were us this year. I've heard it said "when your hand is open to give, it is also open to receive" and it seems that is exactly what happened.

With the holidays fast approaching, I've been thinking a lot about how we're going to be doing things. The boys and I have some holiday traditions that we do every year, but this year, I'm going to start another one. Every year, we all get things for Christmas, even if it's just a little something because money is tight. I was reading earlier that 1 in 50 children (in the USA) this year are homeless. How scary is that? With unemployment so high and parents just unable to pay the mortgage anymore, more and more families are turning to shelters. Where we live, there isn't a homeless shelter, but there are plenty of organizations like Salvation Army and Goodwill. So, let me tell you about our new tradition and then I'll share with you some ideas on how you can be a Christmas Angel to a needy child or family.

This year, I'm going to be taking a decorated cardboard box with us to the family Christmas party. It's going to be our donation box. I'm going to ask that every family member donate 1-2 items to the box. For the kids, this will most likely be old toys, games or books. For the adults, it could be just about anything. These items will then be donated to a local charity. I want my children to learn that even when times are tough, they are often tougher for someone else and we should always be willing to lend a hand where we can.

Now, for those of you who do live near a shelter, I'm going to encourage you to consider one of these ideas:

1. Donate comfort items, such as stuffed toys or soft blankets. These could turn into items that the children could keep for themselves.

2. Go in together with another family and host a pizza party/game night at a local shelter. This could be just for the kids or for everyone staying there.

3. Buy new school supplies and donate them to be handed out at the shelter. Can you imagine what it must be like to not be able to buy your child the new backpack that they need for school?

I know that it might seem as if I'm throwing these ideas out early, but let's face it, people need year long, not just at the holidays. Plus, if you start setting aside a little money or time now to help make someone's life better, it won't be nearly as tough when Christmas does roll around!

Ok, I confess that I totally bombed on my own challenges this past week! Granted, I did make a small dent in my kitchen, but the rest fell by the wayside as I handled finals and crafting like a mad woman to get stuff made for Christmas. I'm still not done with that, but I'm a heck of a lot closer.

So, for this week...catch up on any challenges that you might not have gotten to. If you're all caught up....

Charity Challenge : Help your kids (and yourself) go through old things and then either freecycle them out to a needy family or find a charity to donate them to. Make room for the new and bless someone else with the old.

Christmas challenge: Finish wrapping up those gifts. Get them under the tree so you can sit back and relax for the holidays.

I have to warn all of you that I'll be going out of town on Friday and may/may not have any access while I'm gone. If I don't, Happy Holidays to all of you and I will see you right after the New Year.