"Sleigh Ride"~SheDaisy

I'm sorry it has taken me awhile to write, however, I broke my laptop :-(  On one of my bad days I set it on the floor next to my bed.  Later blankets fell on top of it and I forgot it was there on the floor, so I accidentally stepped on it and cracked the screen.  I'm working on getting a new one, so for now I'm using my TV as my computer monitor :-)

So the holiday season is officially upon our household!  Thanksgiving went pretty well.  It definitely wore me out to the point of utter exhaustion Friday.  I used to be a Black Friday shopper, however I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the crowds this year.  It was definitely a bummer, but I new that I would figure something out for getting my holiday shopping done (tips below).  I spent my Friday in bed, and Saturday was spent running errands, and then putting up our Christmas tree. 
Our Christmas tree was given to us by my in-laws.  Thank goodness we have cathedral ceilings because it wouldn't fit in a normal sized room.  I'm typically not scared to stand on chairs or ladders to decorate the top of the tree, but this year was really tough.  I couldn't look up for long periods of time and I couldn't stay on the chair either so it took my kids and I longer to decorate than usual.  Luckily I have an awning that my daughter was able to reach over to put on the angel (it was her first time).  I then used a dining room chair that had arms around it so I felt a little more secure than being on a step ladder.  
Our tree is up, and Christmas music has started and I am feeling like I'm definitely in the holiday spirit.

I came up with some tips for shopping for the next month.  These can be helpful for any type of shopping whether its in a grocery store or out for buying presents.  My husband and I went to Bass Pro Shop on Saturday and the place was crowded.  Not as much as Black Friday, but it was still pretty packed.  This gave me the idea to do this list to help out, so here goes:

1.  Shop with a friend, family, partner, etc.  Have another adult with you if you are going into a store that you know will be full of people.  Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc.  Big name places are having huge deals this season and tend to fill up on the weekends, which leads me to my second tip...
2.  Try to shop during the week in the early morning.  Most people have left for work and stores tend to be a little more empty during these times. 
3.  Now I know there are a lot of people who can't go during the week, but check your stores hours.  Most stores have extended their times for the season.  Check to see when they open on the weekends.  Early shopping hours on Saturday & Sunday are better times.
4.  Shop with your local Mom & Pop stores.  Small business could use your help this season.  They are usually less crowded as well.  Help your local farmers by buying their produce instead of fighting the grocery stores.  Go to your local farmers market to buy your holiday decorations, candles, soaps, etc.  Craft bazaars at schools and churches are in full swing as well!  You never know what you will find, and besides its outside!  Plenty of room to roam around on our rocky world without having to worry about bumping into things.  
5.  Shop online!  I know, I love to go out and find stuff while I'm out too, but this year was different.  I couldn't go out to the big deals so I stayed in my pjs and rocked out on the computer.  I had to take a lot of breaks because I was basically window shopping on each site, but it worked.  This goes for those Mom & Pop places as well!  A lot of companies are offering free shipping over a certain amount, discounts on big ticket items, and there are a ton of buy one, get ones this year.  Be sure to start this now though to give yourself ample amount of time to get your items.
6.  Check out companies like Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Thirty-One, Tasteful Treasures, etc.  Although the main company is large the sellers are your local friends and family!  They are earning money on all of their sales this season, so help them out buy buying from their individual site.  


In other awesome news, I was mentioned in the December issue of the MdDS Foundation newsletter which you can read here.  
Thanks to all of you for encouraging me to continue to write, even when I'm not feeling my best.  It was nice to be recognized in the newsletter, but most importantly, this blog is reaching more people everyday who are dealing with this syndrome or who have family or friends who are dealing with it.  It is getting the word out to doctors, therapists, loved ones, which is the goal.  Thanks again for all of the support!