UO Thursday!

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

Let's get it going, mamas.

texasmama15 · December 2014

I don't mind when people I know touch my belly without asking. Now random strangers, thank goodness this has not happened yet, I don't think so. Uh-Uh. :-q I wonder if this has to do with "touch" being my love language and me already being a touchy feely person?

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

I couldn't care less whether or not we see SO's family on holidays, and he feels the same. I just can't put energy into developing a relationship with inlaws who are so dismissive of us.

staccajaye · December 2014

marybeth080710 said:
I think "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" for Christmas for a kid sounds grim as hell. Maybe I'm overly materialistic, but I love to see a bunch of presents under the tree and watch my son open everything he asked Santa for.

We do emphasize the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving, but I think four small gifts (one of them clothes, for fucks sake!) sounds awful.

I've never heard that before.... I agree that sounds shitty!!!

FreddyisReady · December 2014

We probably won't even buy our kid bday or Xmas gifts for the first couple years. I don't see a reason to, with family getting gifts and the kid being too young to understand.

DH and I don't exchange gifts either. I find the whole thing exhausting and unsatisfying.

I would rather focus on spending time with family: watching movies, curled up under a quilt, eating good food, visiting extended family.

DawnLilly · December 2014

My first pregnancy, and this one, I have never once worried about the way I sleep. I think it's silly to do so. At 8 months pregnant last time (I don't remember sleeping month 9 at all anyways) I would wake up on my back or fully on my stomach. It was always my belief that my body will not allow me to stay in a position too long that would do either baby or I any harm. If I wake up on my stomach or back I don't freak because I'm sure I rolled into that position not too long ago and now my body has woken me up because it's telling me to move.

lala5507 · December 2014

I hate that Band Aid Christmas song..."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." I guess the message is good but the words are so, so stupid to me. I want to poke my eyes out with a fork when it comes on the radio.

EntropicEpona · December 2014

lala5507 said:

I hate that Band Aid Christmas song..."And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas..." I guess the message is good but the words are so, so stupid to me. I want to poke my eyes out with a fork when it comes on the radio.

Yeah, and how about Bono wailing "Thank God it's them, instead of yooooou."

FFS.

Pintobean39 · December 2014

marybeth080710 said:
I think "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" for Christmas for a kid sounds grim as hell. Maybe I'm overly materialistic, but I love to see a bunch of presents under the tree and watch my son open everything he asked Santa for.

We do emphasize the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving, but I think four small gifts (one of them clothes, for fucks sake!) sounds awful.

I'm with a lot of others, I've never heard of this. My kids don't get things throughout the year. If they need new shoes of course I buy them but Christmas is when they get a majority of their stuff.

RachiCakes · December 2014

deziniki said:
@texasmama15 I 100% agree. I think for me it's more "my body is NOT public property and free to touch."

As to the want, need, wear, read for presents, I think most people who want to use that don't just get 4 presents. I would want to throw in games and a movie because games and movies are big for us.

Also, no one ever says they have to be small presents, the want could be a $300 game console. That is NOT small. And I would be surprised if you told me you never wanted a special pair of boots, a coat, a dress, something. I am not talking about buying them plain socks or underwear.

The idea of this way f buying gifts is so LO isn't lost in a pile of gifts. My dad would buy me 15 or so things as a kid and what happened? I ended up loving 4 things and the rest got shoved in a closet, forgotten until my birthday. People don't need that many things at once. It's about family time and if you want, Jesus. It is NOT about going bankrupt or a status symbol of how much your kids got.

Average book =$7-$25
clothing item = $20- ???
Needed item? New bed? Bicycle? This can go literally anywhere.
Want? Again can go anywhere,

They could still be getting a high dollar amount of stuff but it might be better quality and they will be able to savor it all.

I've never thought "something you need" is a gift. As a parent, it's my job to buy my kid what they need. That includes clothes and books in my opinion. If I am financially able then I'll give my kids they gifts they want. It doesn't mean I go over board in quantity or cost.
I hate this 4 gift strategy too - ba humbug [-(

RachiCakes · December 2014

For my own UO - I hate blue Christmas lights! They aren't Christmassy looking to me and I'd much rather see a house in all white lights...looks magical.
Also, LED lights look too harsh and don't give off that essential soft glowy look Christmas lights should.

Edit bc I can't spell good :P

Pintobean39 · December 2014

So with this 4 gift thing what happens if the 1 want gift is an xbox? What about all the games, extra controllers, memory cards, or the many other things that go with it?

DawnLilly · December 2014

We do the four gift thing.

Need: DS is getting a whole new bed set for his big boy bed.

Want: He's getting the entire Paw Patrol set. 5 pups and their vehicles.

Read: Little Blue Truck book set

Wear: New jeans, shirt, socks, underwear and Christmas pajamas.

It is only four gifts wrapped though.

RachiCakes · December 2014

DawnLilly said:
We do the four gift thing.

Need: DS is getting a whole new bed set for his big boy bed.

Want: He's getting the entire Paw Patrol set. 5 pups and their vehicles.

Read: Little Blue Truck book set

Wear: New jeans, shirt, socks, underwear and Christmas pajamas.

It is only four gifts wrapped though.

I'd consider that one gift (the paw patrol stuff).

RachiCakes · December 2014

Guess the kid will have to wait until next year for a controller @Pintobean39‌

VeganOnTuesdays · December 2014

UO: I hate Christmas music... I always have. I have noticed though that now that I am pregnant (and picturing the fun of Christmas with a kid) I haven't wanted to jump off a bridge when it comes on now. Baby steps.

Pintobean39 · December 2014

Starbuck128 said:
Cold water has no place in a shower. Hot water only.

Then you should never take a shower after my 15yr old is done with his 1hr long shower.

DawnLilly · December 2014

RachiCakes said:

DawnLilly said:
We do the four gift thing.

Need: DS is getting a whole new bed set for his big boy bed.

Want: He's getting the entire Paw Patrol set. 5 pups and their vehicles.

Read: Little Blue Truck book set

Wear: New jeans, shirt, socks, underwear and Christmas pajamas.

It is only four gifts wrapped though.
I'd consider that one gift (the paw patrol stuff).

I do too because what's one without all of them? But,they are purchased separately and were about $15 a piece. I took them out of the boxes already and wrapped them all together as a set. I hate dinking around with store wrapping Christmas morning. I suppose I could have wrapped them separately but the way I did it makes it look like they are together and "Ready for action".

MichelleKirkpatrick · December 2014

I can't stand Taylor Swift. I think she's a beautiful girl with great fashion sense, but there's just something about her that annoys the shit out of me.

itsmevkb · December 2014

Oh man, some of my kids aren't even getting 4 gifts this Christmas. They have so much stuff that honestly they can't even come up with a list of 4 things they really want.

However, I find the notion of sticking to some kind of set up plan, like this four gift thing to be a little "see, I'm a better parent than you" bragging type thing. I get not wanting to spoil your kids or making the holiday more about giving than getting or what not, but then just do that, do you really need some published plan?

My unpopular opinion is that I think giving gift cards is generally lazy gift giving. Although I don't mind receiving them so go figure.

RachiCakes · December 2014

Cbrandt1 said:

SaltyH2O said:

Wait for it.....

We aren't doing Santa.

Well, that's not exactly true. We aren't "anti Santa" in that we still talk about him and that his story is a wonderful tradition that teaches us about kindness and generosity and magic at Christmas, but we aren't going whole-hog on pretending it's a 100% real thing. We'll still do the fun traditional stuff in the spirit of Christmas like put out cookies & milk, have some gifts from the fat man under the tree, and what not, but we'll focus more on Christmas being a celebration of the birth of Christ, especially now that DS is out of the baby stage and starting to "get it" more.

Cue reactions in 3...2....

Right there with ya Salty!

I definitely think your hearts in the right place Salty! If it's still fun then who cares?
Just make sure he knows not to ruin it for other kids!

kac22 · December 2014

marybeth080710 said:
I think "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" for Christmas for a kid sounds grim as hell. Maybe I'm overly materialistic, but I love to see a bunch of presents under the tree and watch my son open everything he asked Santa for.

We do emphasize the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving, but I think four small gifts (one of them clothes, for fucks sake!) sounds awful.

We do this but we don't mean it only has to be 4 gifts. Just for every "want" there must also be a need, wear, and read to help even things out and get the "want, want, want" mentality out of their heads.

itsmevkb · December 2014

shmeell25 said:

I have never heard the Africa band aid song though.

WHAT?????

I think people's thoughts on this song may differ considering their age (or if they were even born) when the song came out. I was 13 at the time and it was just such a big thing that all these singers got together to raise money and awareness for starving people in Ethiopia. Also, that MTV was still in it's infancy, and music videos were THE thing, I think that helped to make this a really big movement and song.

I can get on board with hating We Are the World though.

RachiCakes · December 2014

AlwaysLastZZ said:
I don't like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I also don't like toasted Poptarts.

I only like Reese's PB eggs at Easter...something about the chocolate to PB ratio is just ideal in egg form

I can't comment on the poptart opinion

LimaD · December 2014

@SaltyH20 - that is something I've really been struggling to figure out with DD! I do feel like Christmas becomes more about Santa than Christ's birth, especially to a child. I don't want to "rob" her of the fun and excitement of believing in Santa, but also am not sure I want to tell her it's true, it's true, it's true, ok yeah it's not true. I figure we may have one more year to make up our minds! But if we do decide to tell our kids the truth about Santa right off the bat, we'll still do fun traditional Santa-related things but without them believing there's a jolly fat guy watching their behavior all year to either reward them with presents or punish them with coal.

LimaD · December 2014

AlwaysLastZZ said:

I don't like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I also don't like toasted Poptarts.

This makes me a little sad.

During pregnancy is the only time I can't stand Reese's PB Cups, which is also sad. I can't stand the "fake" peanut butter stuff. but at least it's just temporary for me

DawnLilly · December 2014

Continuation of the four gifts because why not.

I do it to help me keep my wild spending under control otherwise he'd have Toys R Us in our living room. I buy him new paints, play dough, or other art projects every time I go shopping. He has 8 grandparents/great-grandparents and a great great grandma. As well as 5 aunts and uncles and a few great aunts and uncles that buy for him. I was very happy when one grandma offered to buy swimming lessons as a Christmas present. The child is going to get plenty though. He's not deprived by only receiving four gifts from dad and I.

nurserachel22 · December 2014

Away from Christmas posts... I hate chocolate candy, but I like chocolate chip cookies!! And I still don't like wine.

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

I basically only want books for Christmas most years... Go ahead and skip anything else that I want/need, and in my experience my family buys me the WORST clothes.

lgsdesigner · December 2014

Since we seem to be on a Christmas roll in this week's UO, here's mine:
I love wrapping gifts. Not only do I love wrapping then, I decorate them all Martha Stewart-like with big silk bows, add on fake pieces of holly and decorative berries, and add on small bags of candy or a large sparkly candy cane. I get down right artistic with it!

Of course...people just rip open their gifts to shreds, but it's worth it to me.

FreddyisReady · December 2014

We will not be doing Santa either. We are atheists and don't want to encourage belief in fictional beings.

And that means no cookies/milk, no gifts from Santa. We will treat him as the fictional character he is: read books, watch movies about him, and maybe do pictures. Unsure of the pictures, because mall Santas are kinda creepy.

Wow, I feel like I sound like a Xmas grinch. We love Xmas though and always cherish this month.

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

lgsdesigner said:
Since we seem to be on a Christmas roll in this week's UO, here's mine:
I love wrapping gifts. Not only do I love wrapping then, I decorate them all Martha Stewart-like with big silk bows, add on fake pieces of holly and decorative berries, and add on small bags of candy or a large sparkly candy cane. I get down right artistic with it!

Of course...people just rip open their gifts to shreds, but it's worth it to me.

I'm the same! My sister and I try to out-wrap each other each year. It's a funny contrast to my dad, who wraps everything in brown butcher paper with twine.

mp03jp · December 2014

I was going to do the 4 gifts as category ideas for the kids' wish lists for the grandparents. Then I realized DH's one crazy grandma would get the list. She tends to go overboard and gets really pushy with her beliefs and I don't want her pushing my kids.

my OU. I hate when people say if you give your kids everything they want they will be spoiled entitled brats. No you have to teach them to appreciate everything you give them. I feel like "entitled" is just a hot word right now and it's being used to shame and place blame on things people just don't like for themselves.

chicagomomab · December 2014

Not sure if this is unpopular or not, but I don't really like getting presents. Not to say that I'm not appreciative but I just never like coming up with a list of things that I want for myself. I don't like the attention and I would much prefer buying everyone else things. I love giving gifts, I just feel so awkward getting them.

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

I'm 27 and I still put out milk and cookies for Santa if I'm at my folks' house, mostly because I know that Dad feeds them to Mom and I think that's adorable.

MichelleKirkpatrick · December 2014

deziniki said:

@Lgsdesigner I am the same way! People have called me a Christmas Elf.

Exactly this. Yay pretty presents!!! My husband always says I should start a gift wrapping business I love it so much.

lgsdesigner · December 2014

deziniki said:
@Lgsdesigner I am the same way! People have called me a Christmas Elf.

@deziniki‌ - Ha! "Christmas Elf". Love it! I have been titled as the "Martha Stewart of Christmas", but they all look forward to it!

lgsdesigner · December 2014

tinalovescauliflower said:
I'm 27 and I still put out milk and cookies for Santa if I'm at my folks' house, mostly because I know that Dad feeds them to Mom and I think that's adorable.

This is cute!!

tinalovescauliflower · December 2014

SaltyH2O said:
Soooo....@lgdesigner, @tinalovescauliflower, @thecoloursyouhave, @deziniki.....

Which one of y'all is dropping by my house to make some of that wrapping magic happen for Christmas this year? Pretty please?

I have actually thought about doing a wrapping service! And I enjoy it so much I would probably just charge like a dollar a gift plus the materials fee.

I can give you pointers from afar!

MichelleKirkpatrick · December 2014

SaltyH2O said:

Soooo....@lgdesigner, @tinalovescauliflower, @thecoloursyouhave, @deziniki.....

Which one of y'all is dropping by my house to make some of that wrapping magic happen for Christmas this year? Pretty please?

Haha! If you're in the DFW Texas area I'll be your elf! I'm so crazy about it I'm lugging my Silhouette Cameo, and basically my whole wrapping station 4 hours home to DFW, where we will be spending the holiday, just so I can finish PROPERLY wrapping the rest of the Christmas gifts I had delivered to MIL's house. I'm lucky DH thinks it's "cute" and not "CRAZY"!

lgsdesigner · December 2014

SaltyH2O said:
Soooo....@lgdesigner, @tinalovescauliflower, @thecoloursyouhave, @deziniki.....

Which one of y'all is dropping by my house to make some of that wrapping magic happen for Christmas this year? Pretty please?

@SaltyH2O‌ - I've done if for my grandmother and a few friends. If you lived in Ohio, I would be glad to!
***All I ask is you bring me whatever my latest craving is for the day. Right now...it's French fries!

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