Aloha Friday #11 (Christmas Shopping)

Play along at An Island Life for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question this week…..

Are you finished with your Christmas Shopping?

I have not been in a shopping mood this year. I am normally done by now but I just wont get myself out there to finish. I keep making excuses for myself. Some of my excuses are…

- I hate crowds and standing in lines…. This year this hasn’t really been an issue I just keep saying it is.

- I just can’t go with the kids… OK this is me just being lazy. I hate loading kids in and out of the car seats from store to store; really my kids are good when shopping so again this is my poor excuse.

- I will go on my lunch hour, lunch time comes and I decide it is to cold outside so I am not going.

- I don’t know what to get anyone… hello.. I have a nice list of items.

I could go on and on with my excuses. They are sad really… and I have 6 shopping days left. I think this year I have been dragging my feet on everything. I still have not mailed my Christmas Cards, I haven’t wrapped a single gift and I am only about half way through my shopping. Ugh....

The Best Christmas Movies & Specials of All Time

Ok so the title is my opinion but still that is how I feel. This year I have really been enjoying watching the various Christmas specials on TV. I decided to make this weeks Thursday Thirteen my top Thirteen favorite Christmas movies & specials of all time.

First we have animated children’s classics. Most of these are ones that I grew up watching as a child myself. I can remember how excited I would get watching them every year on TV. I love that they are still around today and I hope they are timeless classics that are around for another 100 years for many more generations to enjoy.

1. Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer (1964)
This is one that warms my heart every year. I love watching Rudolf with my kids and they seem to really enjoy it also.

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Charlie Brown is one of my all time favorite cartoon characters. I love the little Christmas tree, the speech given about the true meaning of Christmas. I am so happy that Charlie Brown is still on because so much has been taken away from the real meaning of Christmas. Our kids need more of this. Maybe if we all had more faith our world would not be in the disarray that it is in.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Who doesn’t love the Grinch and all the Who’s down in Whoville.

4. Frosty the Snow Man (1969)

5. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Watched this one on ABC Family Tuesday night. It isn’t one that runs on the main stream but it is still a great one. It is a great way to tell the Christmas Carol story to the kids.

6. Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town
I love how it tells the tail of how Santa came to be.

7. Polar Express with Tom Hanks (2005)
I will never forget the first time I watched this with my son. He was 3 years old and loved trains. The funny part is he didn’t want to watch it but sat in our bedroom on our bed and every time I looked back he is looking into the living room watching it.

8. The Santa Clause (1994)
Tim Allen makes a wonderful Santa in this movie. My 5 year old has watched this about 4 times this year. It has been on TV a lot. He was reciting lines from it the other day when it was on.

9. Home Alone (1990) with Macaulay Culkin
Not a traditional Christmas movie but who doesn’t love watching Macaulay Culkin standing in front of the mirror singing the Christmas song and dolling himself up. Such a cutie!!!

Now the grown ups have to have their favorites also. It can’t be all about the kids all the time. So here are some of the best grown up Christmas classics.

10. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
I put this one on my list for my husband. He watches it every year and I have only ever watched bits and pieces. I know it is supposed to be great but I somehow miss the entire thing every year.

11. A Christmas Story (1983)
I think I have seen this movie every year for the last 15 years or more. I love this one. The boy and his beebe gun, his father and the sexy leg lamp. Oh how this one just makes me laugh.

12. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) with Chevy Chase
The best Christmas movie ever. All of Chevy’s National Lampoons movies are great but this one is by far the best. We have this on DVD so we sit down and watch this one every year.

13. Scrooged (1988)
Bill Murray made this a great movie. I watched this many times when I was younger but I haven’t seen it in a really long time. Maybe I will catch it on Cable this holiday season, if not I may need to rent it. I loved the song that was sung at the very end and I can’t remember it either or who sang it.

So this is my list of must see Christmas movies and specials. What specials do you and your family love to watch this time of year?

A little about me....

I was visiting Jennifers blog Crazy, Magic, Sometimes Hectic, Beautiful Life and she did this great meme. It was fun so I decided I wanted to play along also. Plus it's a great way for me to share a little more about me with you. That and I am drawing blanks on blog content these days. I have a few things but I need to find the time to write them out.

LAYER 1: Tell us your…

* Name: Nina (sorry my nick name and that’s all your getting)
* Birthday (month, day): October 15th
* Birthplace: Ohio
* Current location: Ohio
* Eye color: Blue
* Hair color: Dark Brown with some darn grey stragglers.
* Height: 5’2”
* Righty or lefty: Righty
* Zodiac sign: Libra

LAYER 2: What’s…

* Your heritage: No clue…
* The shoes you wore today: Snow boots, it was supposed to snow and we got nothing.
* Your weakness: Chocolate, I just can’t resist it.
* Your fears: My children disappearing
* Your perfect pizza: Hawaiian
* Goals you’d like to achieve: Changes my husbands mind about God and to raise my boys to be good Christians.
* Your first waking thoughts: Turn that alarm off, it’s going to wake the baby
* Your best physical feature: Eyes, they are bright blue and I have great full eye lashes. No mascara required!!!
* Your most missed memory: Playing with the kids on my city block as a child. Some of the best friends I probably ever had in my life came from that block. I miss the lazy summers playing baseball in the empty parking lot.

LAYER 3: Do you…

* Smoke: Never…
* Cuss: Really try not to but I drop a few here and their when I am mad.
* Sing: Yes… but only with the radio
* Do you think you’ve been in love: For sure… my husband first and my children forever
* Did you go to college: Yes, I graduated with a bachelors in Business
* Liked high school: No… some of the lowest points in my life came from that time.
* Want to get/stay married: Staying married is a goal.
* Believe in yourself: I didn’t use to but today I would say yes.
* Think you’re attractive: I have my moments when I put some effort into it with make-up and I fix my hair.
* Think you’re a health freak: Yes, I am all about eating right. I drive my family crazy. I am not a 5 a day girl but more like 8 or 9 a day when it comes to fruits and veggies.
* Get along with your parent(s): Yes
* Like thunderstorms: No they scare me to death.
* Play an instrument: Nope

LAYER 4: In the past month have you…

* Drank alcohol: First time in 2 years at a party. It was a really good glass of wine.
* Smoked: Never, as a child I fought with my dad who smoked to get him to quit so I never even considered it.
* Done a drug: Nope
* Made out: I am pretty sure I have in the past month. Hubby would probably say its been forever.
* Gone on a date: Yep… the party I drank at.
* Gone to the mall: Of course it is Christmas time.
* Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Nope but I have had a lot of other cookies.
* Been on stage: No
* Been dumped: No
* Gone skating: No
* Gone skinny dipping: No
* Stolen Anything: No

LAYER 5: Have you ever…

* Played a game that required removal of clothing: No
* Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes once on a business trip. I barely remember anything about it but my coworkers had lots of fun at my expense. My first and last experience with tequila shots.
* Been caught “doing something”: Nope
* Been called a tease: Nope
* Gotten beaten up: Almost but got myself out of it. Being a teenager sucked!!!
* Shoplifted: Nope

LAYER 6:

* Age you did get/hope to be married: I was 25 and got married on a Carnival Cruise in St. Thomas.
* Numbers and names of children (either you have or want): 2 boys, Luke and Thomas (Sorry these are oldest nick name and youngest middle name) I hate common names so to protect them I don’t use real names.
* Describe your dream mate: My husband and I are so opposite of each other that we are very compatible. Things I would like from a dream mate, he would cook, clean, gives me flowers, and is on time. My husband has none of these qualities.
* How do you want to die: A Christian with stong full faith that there is a better life after this one.
* What did you want to be when you grow up: I always wanted to be a school teacher when I was a kid. I teach Sunday school and don’t enjoy it because my kids don’t listen so it is probably a good thing I didn’t follow this path.
* What country would you most like to visit: Australia, my friend goes every year and it sounds like a neat place.

LAYER 7: Now tell…

* Name a drug you’ve taken illegally: None…
* Name a person you could trust with my life: My husband and my friend Vicki
* Name a favorite CD that you own: Carrie Underwood Carnival Ride
* Number of piercings: 2 but they might be grown shut. I haven’t worn earrings in a long time
* Number of tattoos: None… I hate needles so I will never have a tattoo.
* Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: I have no clue… I know of marriage announcements, birth announcements and a work event.
* Name a past experience that you regret: Buying my crappy old, fixer-up farm house. I love my cheap mortgage but hate the house. If I could do it over I would have avoided the fixer-upper.

Calling out his Father….

Luke and I made brownies the other day. After we made them we had the following conversation.

Luke: Mommy can we hide the brownies from daddy?
Me: Why do you want to hide them from daddy?
Luke: They are so yummy, he will eat one and then another and another until they are all gone. We won’t get very many because he is a big pig.

Hehehe…. The kid has his father pegged perfectly. My husband will eat cake and brownies for breakfast, lunch and dinner until they are gone. Leaving little for anyone else.

Aloha Friday #10

Play along at An Island Life for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question this week…..

What Christmas stories do you read to your children?



Yesterday I spent an hour in the liberary looking for some great Christmas stories to read. Found a few but nothing really jumped out at me. I am looking for some recommendations and I am really looking for a good story to read on the birth of Jesus. I can always read the story from my bible but I would like to be able to have some great pictures for the boys to enjoy in a story.