The best gift

  So being a single mama isn't easy.  It is especially hard around the holidays when time is split between mom and dad and I can't hog my girl to myself.  But, at least Mike and I get along and everything goes pretty smoothly.  It may sound selfish, but I miss getting a gift from your significant other because those gifts are often things that you would never buy for yourself.  And really, although I don't need anything, I still miss those fun gifts to open.  Well, leave it to my girl to show me that her gifts are the only ones that matter.

  We have always told her that we fill up her stocking and not Santa.  Not sure why, it just worked out that way and makes things much easier here.  So Alyson periodically would feel the outside of her stocking to see if I had been filling it up.  And boy was she excited to find I was!  Well I don't know, a few days later while she was at her dad's, I noticed this note on my stocking.

Can you read the note?  Is that not precious or what?  I LOVE that she did this and didn't say a thing about it.  And of course I then noticed that the stocking was bulging with goodies.  And I am thinking, what the???  I waited until Christmas Day to open things up.  Alyson was so excited for me to open this.  Wait until you see what was inside.

I knew she thought this out carefully, I mean she never gives up her glitter glue.  She had just gotten those paint brushes, and she knew I could use them.  The dry erase markers were of course for my classroom.  And those crafty scissors that I gave her?  Right back to mom!  I can't tell you how special these things were to me.  Everything was "new" to her and she had it in her big heart to give it to me for Christmas.  I LOVE that!  She is so thoughtful and sensitive and knows just how to make a momma  realize that all I needed was these thoughtful gifts from her to remember the reason for the season. I am so lucky to have her.  

And to show you, Alyson did a great job picking something out for me.

3 charms to go on my Brighton bracelet.  The one heart says, I love you, there is an art palette with colors on the back side.  And then the globe, "because you're a teacher mom."  Sigh, I love her.  I must come back and read this every time she is driving me bananas.

I hope to get into a schedule soon.  Going back to work is not easy.  But now that for the first time, in like 5 years?  I am Design Team free!  Can you hear me exhaling??  I love and miss it at the same time. But it is something I needed to do so that I could be the mom I want to be.  But, that has not stopped me from being scrappy.  So be back soon!!

Michelle