Our Christmas Card Video. Merry Christmas all!!

4th HINT observation & MS support group

Almost there!  One more trial and then I get worms!  Give me an internet *five*!  Anyway, I'm happy to report that today's MRI appointment was uneventful and only took 2 hours.  My shortest appointment yet.  The needle went in like knife to butter without a hitch too.  The only hiccup was I had to pee during the MRI so bad my eyes were turning yellow.  Yes, I went before they put me in the machine and yes, I took my meds that morning.  It didn't matter.  So after they put the contrast in they let me out to got to the bathroom.  Then, we finished the rest of the MRI.
After picking the kids up from Jenny's and feeding them supper, I went to my first MS support group meeting called "Circle of Hope" that meets once a month.  It was a small group, but everyone was very friendly and welcoming.  Confidentiality is very important so I won't go into detail about the group.  I will say, I ended up feeling like the guess speak for the evening.  I was new, so they wanted to get to know me which meant they asked and I answered their questions.  I got to talk about the HINT trial which, as most of you know, I love talking about.  And of course interpreting and homschooling came up too.  It was more uplifting than I thought it would be.  I was scared that if I met people who suffer severely with MS it would freak me out.  But, everyone was so ...normal.  It was comforting to be around people who understand what I'm going through.  I will try and make it back there next month.

Our simple Christmas

Christmas for us this year will be even more simple than last year.  Yes, we still have the same 4 foot fake tree my mother-in-law gave us years ago.  Bless you MomB, it has served us well!  We have the same old decorations and some new ones the kids made.  The kids are buying each other one gift from money they earned.  They got a few gifts from my side during Thanksgiving because we don't travel for Christmas.  Yes, it boils down to the lack of money but, it has given us an unexpected gift...peace.   Our house is tranquil.  At least where Christmas is concerned.  We make treats that we will give to the postal worker, neighbors, and the few family members that live by us.  And, of course, we will be decorating our gingerbread house.
I've read a lot of Facebook post over the past few weeks about Christmas.  People posting about the rush to buy gifts, finding great deals, getting ready for visiting family, posting pictures of their decorated trees, and the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus.  I love it all.  Some of it is very entertaining while others are insightful.  But all of it has made me thankful for our very simple Christmas.
We don't travel, there is no big meal, or relatives to worry about.  We don't do Santa Claus and our kids don't feel deprived either.  We won't get a credit card bill that will give us a heart attack, our energy bill will not be noticeably higher and we don't mail Christmas cards anymore.  We do a Christmas video/card that we send out electronically.  It has saved us a ton of money and is a lot of fun to make!.  We go to church on Christmas Eve without fear of persecution and the next morning we sleep in.  Christmas morning starts by reading the Bible and prayer, then the kids can open gifts.  We sometimes spend the majority of the day in our pajamas.  I may even turn the heat up to 70 as a special treat.  This kind of Christmas is more than most of the world will get to experience.  How in the world could I ever complain or be ungrateful.

Sam reciting the poem, "Learning to Read" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.  She memorized this in 6 days. She made a few mistakes, but still it was a long poem and I think she did pretty good!

Here are the words:
Very soon the Yankee teachers
   Came down and set up school;
But, oh! how the Rebs did hate it,—
   It was agin’ their rule.

Our masters always tried to hide
   Book learning from our eyes;
Knowledge didn't agree with slavery—
   ’Twould make us all too wise.

But some of us would try to steal
   A little from the book.
And put the words together,
   And learn by hook or crook.

I remember Uncle Caldwell,
   Who took pot liquor fat
And greased the pages of his book,
   And hid it in his hat.

And had his master ever seen
   The leaves upon his head,
He’d have thought them greasy papers,
   But nothing to be read.

And there was Mr. Turner’s Ben,
   Who heard the children spell,
And picked the words right up by heart,
   And learned to read ’em well.

Well, the Northern folks kept sending
   The Yankee teachers down;
And they stood right up and helped us,
   Though Rebs did sneer and frown.

And I longed to read my Bible,
   For precious words it said;
But when I begun to learn it,
   Folks just shook their heads,

And said there is no use trying,
   Oh! Chloe, you’re too late;
But as I was rising sixty,
   I had no time to wait.

So I got a pair of glasses,
   And straight to work I went,
And never stopped till I could read
   The hymns and Testament.

Then I got a little cabin
   A place to call my own—
And I felt independent
   As the queen upon her throne.

New tax for us. And it won't even help solve the problem.

Gazette spin:  "The city of ------- was able to keep taxes low by implementing a $10 wheel tax."
No, the douches just added a another tax instead of using act 10 to save us money.  They kowtowed to the unions and now the unions won't budge on anything.  They didn't shop for better benefit packages, or requiring teachers to pay a very minor amount toward their own benefits and pensions.  No no no, they rushed contracts through knowing the new budget bill was looming.  Real stellar group we got there.
Governor Walker is not to blame here.  This is purely the city's doing.  Other cities are prospering because they implemented Act 10 savings.  But oh no, my family has to live in one of only 3 cities that didn't.  All 3 cities are struggling big time!  We have a $8-$10 million budget deficit and this is how they plan to fix it, just add another tax.  And this tax will only generate about $2 million.  So it won't even freakin' fix the deficit problem!  And they wonder why this town if failing!  This new tax will just be another way for them to waste our hard earned money.