Sunday, December 13, 2015

Everything I Need to Know How to Have a Great Christmas I Learned from Star Wars

It’s almost here – the big day I’ve been carefully preparing for month – the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Also Christmas.

And they kind of go to together, too.

Let me explain.

We’ve been binge watching the Star War in chronological order which has given me deep insight into Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader.

Before watching the Star Wars in chronological order, it was easy to see Darth Vader as a one-dimensional character with evil at his center. 

But it’s more complicated than that.

He was scared to lose Padme like he lost his mother that he allowed himself to get swept up in his fear and anger, leading him to the Dark Side, just as Yoda had warned.
Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Star Wars Christmas post
  
I feel so sad when I see Anakin as a little boy, knowing that he will eventually let his fear destroy him.

That’s when it hits me – No one is born Darth Vader. 







What a great thing to keep in mind with the holidays so close, right? 

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Star Wars Christmas Post


Even those who hurt us the most.  It’s easy to put them in a box marking them as evil and mean.  But of course, it’s always more complicated than that.

Fear can settle in and change people forever.  In attempt to protect their broken hearts and wounded souls, they hold on so tightly to the things they want to protect that they end up destroy them.  I have seen people destroy the very thing they mean to save, just like Anakin almost kills Padme – the very person he swore to save.

When I boil down every holiday disaster, it all comes down to fear. 


Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Star Wars Christmas post




Fear of change.  Fear of vulnerability.  Fear of letting go.

My fear is disappointing others, but when I let that fear rule, I can get swept up in the anger and suffering, either my own or someone else’s.  Personal boundaries are something I always struggle with, especially around the holidays, but that’s the very thing that keeps me from being seduced by the Dark Side, just like Obi Wan told Anakin.

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Star Wars Christmas post



But that guilt of saying no or not chasing someone down in an attempt to save them from the Dark Side can be like woah. 





“You’re going down a path I cannot follow.”

But personal boundaries save lives.  If Padme stayed and Obi want tried to convince Anakin to be a Jedi, they’d both be dead, and there would be no Luke Skywalker.

Oh, Luke.  Another one that had to honor his inner voice.  He wanted to leave his life as a farmer to join the Rebels, but Uncle Owen’s fear of losing him kept him home.  The Galaxy would have lost a great gift if Luke followed his fear instead of honoring his instincts.

Fear is a liar.  Fear wouldn’t have kept Luke safe and fear of disappointing Uncle Owen wouldn’t have kept Luke happy.

Fear will never keep anyone safe and happy – it only ends up in hate and suffering. 

Even Christmas cannot be saved by fear.

So instead, let the Force be with you during this holiday season.


via GIPHY


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Since I am committing more time to writing my book, my blog might not be as active.

I have a newsletter that I send out 1-2 times a month.  You can sign up here.



You can always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  I would love to connect with you there, too!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Christmas Roundup 2015



I am declaring that I have unofficially completed Christmas shopping two full weeks before Christmas.  (I will officially declare it when all the gift are wrapped, though). 

I have been pretty busy with that so even though I have a new Christmas blog post coming soon (which I am super excited about and will be sharing it in my newsletter first along with an update on my book – here’s the link to sign up), here is a round up of my blog posts from Christmases past.


If you are looking for any last minute homemade gift ideas (which sounds like an oxymoron to me), here are some ideas that are pretty easy.

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup diy craft



Here’s the time that I was super stressed out because The Toy I Must Buy was sold out right after Halloween.  Ridiculous, right?

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup diy craft




One of my favoriteChristmas memories was when we took the kids to A Christmas Storyhouse in Cleveland.  It was one of the best weekend getaway we ever had.

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup A Christmas Story House

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup A Christmas Story House



Or the time I admitted to “never say never” when it comes to the Elf on the Shelf (which I still kind of regret buying).

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup Elf on the Shelf



There was that time when the Christmas grind seemed almost too much to bear. I wrote about how I use this quote for It’s a Wonderful Life to get me through.

Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup It's a Wonderful Life inspirational quote



And the time that I included some more inspirational quotes because I really needed to find my center.  I will be reviewing this post again before Christmas Eve because sometimes the holidays can be like woah.


Erin Janda Rawlings Mommy on the Spot Christmas 2015 roundup 4 Agreements inspirational quote


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Since I am committing more time to writing my book, my blog might not be as active.

I have a newsletter that I send out 1-2 times a month.  You can sign up here.



You can always find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  I would love to connect with you there, too!



Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Thanksgiving Eve

When I was a junior high teacher, Thanksgiving Eve was one of my most favorite days of the entire year.  We had been working for months without a break and had just finished conferences, which coincidently were my least favorite days of the year.

I would lay on the couch all day in my jammies, order pizza, and watch movies - like the childless, 20-something year old that I was who had no comprehension of just how sacred this luxury was.

Today was the opposite of that day.  The kids were home from school, and I baked all day.  Looks pretty amazing, right?!

mommy on the spot erin janda rawlings thanksgiving eve pies



What this photo does not show was me running to Kroger twice in my jammies: once to get RumChata for Friday morning and nacho chips for tonight’s dinner.  The other time was to buy two pie plates since they mysteriously went missing.  They did not have any in stock on the day before Thanksgiving. Surprisingly. I was, however, able to scavenge some from my parents.

It also does not show that the pies were all done at different times making us late for a play date.

Nor does it show the failed double batch of cookie dough due to miscalculating the amount of butter.

Regardless, the finished products look pretty impressive (and I can attest that the cookies are delicious).

Tomorrow, I will make the coconut cream pies – my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dessert.

Why coconut cream pie and chocolate chip cookies?  Last year, I wrote a piece for Huffington Post explaining the significance of these special desserts.


So I won’t cooking a turkey this year  (or celebrating my two years of working through my raw poultry fear), and I didn’t have time to do any art therapy.  But I still worked that dessert jam and can’t wait to celebrate tomorrow!


Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!