I have always operated well under pressure.
Scratch that. I have always operated well under the pressure of a writing deadline.
In school, I always had every intention of starting my papers early, but it never quite worked out that way. I still remember the time I wrote over 350 pages total for the end of a semester at WSU and managed to do it all over the course of about 2 weeks. Obviously since that was almost 10 years ago and I haven’t forgotten it. It was quite traumatic.
Yet, here I sit. At the computer on Christmas Eve, writing the first annual “Kneipp Family Christmas Newsletter/Yearly Family Update”.
It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. In fact, I have been pondering and wondering in my mind for several weeks what I should write.
Do I want to try and make it a humorous look at the failures and foibles of our family?
Do I want to have some sort of catchy hook? Like the year LP wrote a Christmas letter in the form of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”? Maybe a poem?
Do I want to put out a traditional, chronological “Brag Fest” in which I wax eloquent on how beautiful and gifted all of our kids are? And how wonderful Mitch and I are too? I mean, it would be true and everything, but is it something people would enjoy reading?
And then it hit me.
Sometime in the late evening last night, as I was trying to get to sleep, it came to me. Like a gift from the “A Christmas Story” movie Gods:
I will write a THEME! A good, old fashioned Elementary School classic writing assignment. I may have hated them during my days at Walt Disney Elementary School, but I think it will fit the bill.
Please take a moment, grab a warm drink, settle in and prepare to be dazzled.
“What I Learned Since Last Christmas”
By
Veronica D. Kneipp
Since last Christmas, December 25, 2007, I have learned many things.
I have learned that no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse.
My pregnancy with Tanner taught me this. I threw up every day from August 5th, 2007 until March 7th, 2008. Many times I thought to myself, “I have never been this sick in my life. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I might die. No, seriously, I am seeing the white light.”
Then on March 7th, Tanner shot into this world after an 8-hour drug-free labor.
I have learned that children are resilient.
The pregnancy was hard on Lexi and Tucker too. I was out of commission for so long that I grew concerned that they would develop resentment towards me and the new baby. They didn’t.
Just hours after giving birth, Lexi came to the hospital to meet her new baby brother. In a moment of complete honestly and sincerity that only a 5 year-old can muster she looked at me and exclaimed: “Mama! Now that you aren’t sick anymore you can cook us good food!!”
Good to know that I was missed.
I have learned that we can all be doing more towards living a “green” lifestyle.
Little things do add up. Diligent recycling, changing out your light bulbs, conserving fuel, using reusable shopping bags, etc.
What didn’t add up for me was our garden. Little did I know that you have to plant more than a 4’ x 8’ plot of vegetables to be able to feed a family of 5 for any length of time whatsoever.
I learned that Mitch and I are bad a** lip syncers.
For evidence of this fact, our videos can be seen both on this blog and on YouTube. Just search “mvkneipp”.
I learned that you never know who is reading what you put out on the Internet.
What I haven’t learned is how to get people to subscribe to my blog so that they know when I have updated. Oh well – there’s always next year.
I learned that although it’s nice to wish for a “White Christmas”, you better be careful what you wish for!
Last, but not least, I learned how truly blessed we are.
We have great kids, a great family, wonderful neighbors and many special friends, both online and in real life.
I am grateful for all of the lessons that I learned this year, and I look forward to what the next year brings!
To all of you and yours,
Scratch that. I have always operated well under the pressure of a writing deadline.
In school, I always had every intention of starting my papers early, but it never quite worked out that way. I still remember the time I wrote over 350 pages total for the end of a semester at WSU and managed to do it all over the course of about 2 weeks. Obviously since that was almost 10 years ago and I haven’t forgotten it. It was quite traumatic.
Yet, here I sit. At the computer on Christmas Eve, writing the first annual “Kneipp Family Christmas Newsletter/Yearly Family Update”.
It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. In fact, I have been pondering and wondering in my mind for several weeks what I should write.
Do I want to try and make it a humorous look at the failures and foibles of our family?
Do I want to have some sort of catchy hook? Like the year LP wrote a Christmas letter in the form of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”? Maybe a poem?
Do I want to put out a traditional, chronological “Brag Fest” in which I wax eloquent on how beautiful and gifted all of our kids are? And how wonderful Mitch and I are too? I mean, it would be true and everything, but is it something people would enjoy reading?
And then it hit me.
Sometime in the late evening last night, as I was trying to get to sleep, it came to me. Like a gift from the “A Christmas Story” movie Gods:
I will write a THEME! A good, old fashioned Elementary School classic writing assignment. I may have hated them during my days at Walt Disney Elementary School, but I think it will fit the bill.
Please take a moment, grab a warm drink, settle in and prepare to be dazzled.
“What I Learned Since Last Christmas”
By
Veronica D. Kneipp
Since last Christmas, December 25, 2007, I have learned many things.
I have learned that no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse.
My pregnancy with Tanner taught me this. I threw up every day from August 5th, 2007 until March 7th, 2008. Many times I thought to myself, “I have never been this sick in my life. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I might die. No, seriously, I am seeing the white light.”
Then on March 7th, Tanner shot into this world after an 8-hour drug-free labor.
I have learned that children are resilient.
The pregnancy was hard on Lexi and Tucker too. I was out of commission for so long that I grew concerned that they would develop resentment towards me and the new baby. They didn’t.
Just hours after giving birth, Lexi came to the hospital to meet her new baby brother. In a moment of complete honestly and sincerity that only a 5 year-old can muster she looked at me and exclaimed: “Mama! Now that you aren’t sick anymore you can cook us good food!!”
Good to know that I was missed.
I have learned that we can all be doing more towards living a “green” lifestyle.
Little things do add up. Diligent recycling, changing out your light bulbs, conserving fuel, using reusable shopping bags, etc.
What didn’t add up for me was our garden. Little did I know that you have to plant more than a 4’ x 8’ plot of vegetables to be able to feed a family of 5 for any length of time whatsoever.
I learned that Mitch and I are bad a** lip syncers.
For evidence of this fact, our videos can be seen both on this blog and on YouTube. Just search “mvkneipp”.
I learned that you never know who is reading what you put out on the Internet.
What I haven’t learned is how to get people to subscribe to my blog so that they know when I have updated. Oh well – there’s always next year.
I learned that although it’s nice to wish for a “White Christmas”, you better be careful what you wish for!
Last, but not least, I learned how truly blessed we are.
We have great kids, a great family, wonderful neighbors and many special friends, both online and in real life.
I am grateful for all of the lessons that I learned this year, and I look forward to what the next year brings!
To all of you and yours,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from the
Krazy Kneipp Klan.
Whoops.
I just signed off the Christmas Newsletter from the “KKK”.
We’ll have to work on that.
Enjoy some pics from the year below:
I just signed off the Christmas Newsletter from the “KKK”.
We’ll have to work on that.
Enjoy some pics from the year below:
1 comment:
Christmas letter via your blog is an excellent idea. Enjoyed reading it and what a wonderful journal of 2008. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Joanne
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