What I wish for...

My kids have been talking about what they want for Christmas for months now. The other day I was asked for some paper so they could write these things down so no one would forget. I love how they seem to think that the simple act of writing these wished-for items down on paper will make them materialize in our house for them on Christmas morning. A standard 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper was insufficient. They wanted BIG paper. Two-foot by three-foot big.

While they were writing, I started reflecting on my own wishes. Here's the list I came up with:

1. Comfort and Joy for my son...

Big G just got braces on, and he is miserable. 

Not so much in this picture because this is before. 

The misery level was like a race horse charging out of the gate from the moment the bell sounded...

in this case, from the moment they cranked his lips open with the scary mouth thing :(

 First, they painted his teeth blue...

 and after they painted them blue, they washed it all off.

Then they started putting the brackets on...

This was the part that took the longest, I guess because they need to position them just so.

 Once the brackets were in place, they added the wire...

which is held on my these super cool, teeny tiny rubber bands...you can pick the color.

Big G chose a sedate and unobtrusive grey.

His eyes are not smiling.

Now his whole face is not smiling :(

The whole procedure took about 2.5 hours. And the situation went rapidly downhill. He doesn't care about how they look...for him, it is all about the comfort and the food. He has spent the last 48 hours crying and wimpering and just being super super sad that he is not able to eat any of his favorite foods...except ice cream...but he can't very well eat that for every meal...I mean, it would melt in his lunchbox. 

So that is my first Christmas wish... for my son to be comfortable and happy.

2. O, Christmas Tree...

A real one this year...

not like last year.

I want one like we had in 2006...

but that was a different house and a lifetime ago.

3. All is calm... all is bright...

I want to feel solid and secure. I want to always be able to remember that sunshine (or starlight) is just around the corner...even when things don't seem that way. I know that exercise helps immensely with this...as does a healthful nutrition plan. And let's not forget therapy. I keep plugging away at this. I want to be an optimist...

4.  Some figgy pudding...

I get so tired of not being able to eat gluten. I wish for the ability to safely eat regular food!

okay...enough Christmas carol openers...

5.  A solid right hip that never hurts...okay... let's broaden that... a body that doesn't hurt. This would include no more migraines. Yes, migraines...that would be you. You are not welcome around here. Go away.

6.  A house that works for our family. This house is like one big room. You can hear everything and anything, everywhere and anywhere. There is no separation of space. I liked this at first, but now it just doesn't work...for any of us.

7.  A procrastination antidote and punctuality serum. Do I really need to explain this, other than to say I am one of those people everyone seems to hate in that I am always running about 5 minutes late? Always. Even if I leave my house more than an hour before I am told I need to, I will invariably get stuck behind a 20-minute train and a jack-knifed tractor-trailer rig on the interstate that slows traffic down to a crawl...rendering me 5 minutes late! It isn't that I don't care, so don't give me that line about how it is such a sign of disrespect and selfishness. 

8.  Perfect, uncorrected vision, both close and far. I want to not need glasses or contacts to see. I want to wake up in the morning and see the world clearly from the moment I open my eyes. I want to see my child's splinter easily so that I can remove it quickly. I want to enjoy my children's artwork when they jam it up into my face instead of freaking out at what I cannot see so darn close!

9.  This...

source

I want the one that comes with the 5,000-sq.ft. house on an acre of land...in my area.

And that house that comes with the dog would also come with a staff to take care of said house and grounds and help out with the dog when I required assistance.

10. And this...

source

Luckily, they added 2 rear seats to this model, so the dog can ride around with me :)

This is by no means a finite list! 

What's on your wish list?

And I decided to link this list up with Stasha, my favorite NorthWest Mommy :) for this week's...

and yes, I know it's Thursday... see #7.