Happy Friday, everyone!  All of us on the Good Morning Indiana crew are so happy it’s the end of our work week.  We’re pretty tired today.  Maybe it’s because of the weather… maybe because it’s the end of our sweeps period… or maybe the depressing stories of the week drained us a bit.  In any event, we’re glad it’s Friday!!

Dan says he may start his Christmas shopping this weekend.  I’m proud of him.  Some men I know don’t start their holiday shopping until Christmas Eve.  Then again, I think my husband has started his Christmas shopping too, so perhaps that stereotype of men waiting until the last minute to shop is becoming a thing of the past.  We shall see…

Paul and Tom are participating in the Cicero Christmas parade tomorrow.  I believe it starts at 2 p.m.  I’m sure the skies will clear and travel will be smooth as Tom and Paul venture out to see their fans and wish everyone a happy holiday season.

I’ll probably start wrapping Christmas presents this weekend.  Also, one of my son’s has been invited to a birthday party Sunday.  I always have fun at the parties because it gives me a chance to talk to other moms and exchange notes and ideas on raising healthy, happy kids.

Whatever you have planned, I hope all of you have a fun and restful weekend.  We’ll see ya again Monday morning. 

During this time of year when we’re buying gifts for our loved ones, it’s a good time to give something to ourselves.  The gift of good health.  This morning, Dan did me a favor and covered all of the Good Morning America newsbreaks so I could go to the doctor for a check-up.  Thankfully, it appears everything is working the way it’s supposed to.  It’s important to remember we need to take care of ourselves… especially those of us who spend so much time taking care of others.

I can’t tell you the last time I actually got to sit down for dinner… and stay sitting down during the entire dinner.  No matter how well I try to organize things, someone will run out of milk, drop a fork or need more of something that I didn’t place on the table.  I’m so busy making sure that my kids eat a proper diet, I sometimes don’t notice what I’m putting on my plate.  And so, I think it’s a good time for all of us to pause and remember that we can’t take of the people we love if we’re sick.

As we hussle and bussle and deck the halls… don’t forget to deck out your plate with plenty of fruits and veggies.  Try to get in a little exercise and a few extra winks of sleep probably wouldn’t hurt most of us… especially those of us on Good Morning Indiana.  I plan to try some of the exercises that Erin Light features on our show.  She has some great fitness tips!

May all of you ring in the New Year with good friends, good times and good health.

I received a compliment from one of my co-workers today.  You see, yesterday at noon our Jack Rinehart covered a devastating story.  A precious, three-year-old girl was allegedly beaten to death, at the hands of her mother and the mother’s boyfriend.  Jack was supposed to be live for the story.  We were having problems with our live truck, so Jack had to do the story via telephone.  We also ran out of video, so the director came back to me on camera, while Jack was explaining this heartbreaking story.  Julie Pursley commented how she thought I handled myself well… while sitting there and listening to this sad story.  I can tell you that hearing and reporting stories about abused children never gets any easier, nor should it.  People will often ask me how I handle hearing depressing news day in and day out.  Well, I can assure you… I don’t just forget about it at the end of the newscasts.  I’ve always cared about children.  However, after I became a mom, I became especially sensitive.  I always think of my own kids and how much I hurt when they do.  I feel guilty if I don’t read a book to them everyday.  How could anyone in his or her right mind hurt a child?  I’ll never understand.  All I know is there’s a special place in Heaven for children who suffer such cruelty here on earth.

Today we ran a story about legislators in Massachusetts who are considering a law to ban spanking by parents.  It’s no doubt a controversial measure.  I venture to say that some parents give their kids a little slap on the bottom when the kids get out of hand.  Some of my co-workers give little spankings… and many of us were spanked as children.  All of us agree, however, that there’s a line between spanking and abuse.  While spanking would never be my first choice to discipline my children, does the government have a right to tell me to spare the rod?

My heart certainly breaks for every child… every person… who has been a victim of abuse.  While I don’t think you’ll ever see me cry on the set, believe me.  There are days when I’m crying on the inside and saying prayers for the families who suddenly find themselves filling our newscasts.

Do any of you have plans for tonight?  I would recommend watching RTV-6 this evening for some great programs.  We’re going to get things started with the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.  I have been watching A Charlie Brown Christmas since I was a little girl… which was many, many years ago.  It was always a tradition at my house.  It’s one I hope to continue with my kids.  My husband is a huge Peanuts fan, too.  We actually had a replica of Charlie Brown’s tree on the set this morning.  What added to the fun was when the tree started falling apart after Paul picked it up.  What else would you expect, right?  It was perfect.

Now that I have my own family, I’m hoping to carry on many of the traditions that I enjoyed when I was growing up.  There’s the decorating of the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  There are all the Christmas specials, including Charlie Brown.  And there’s also Christmas Eve Mass, which reminds us all what Christmas is really all about.

What is it about traditions that make all of us feel good inside?  Perhaps its the familiarity, perhaps it puts us in a comfort zone, and perhaps it reminds us of fun, carefree times we’ve spent with loved ones. (And the promise of more good times to come.)

During this wonderful holiday season, I hope you have time to enjoy some family traditions and maybe start some new ones.  We hope watching Good Morning Indiana is part of your morning tradition.

Happy Monday… and welcome to the holidays!  All of us at Good Morning Indiana hope you had a great holiday weekend.

Dan had a busy weekend.  He hit the road and travelled to Ohio to see his family.  He also went to his high school reunion.  I had never heard of holding a reunion on Thanksgiving weekend, but it’s pretty smart.  A lot of people are in town to visit family.  Dan had a nice time at the reunion, although it got started on a slightly strange note.  He went to find his name tag only to discover that his last name was misspelled.  How soon they forget… (Actually, the wife of one of his classmates was in charge of the name tags.  Oops.)

Tom had a busy weekend, too.  He and his wife spent more time unpacking boxes in their new place.  They also enjoyed a second Thanksgiving feast with about a hundred relatives.  He said they had tons of food… including three turkeys.  If his family loves football as much as my family, I hope they also had at least three television sets.

Paul did a little work this weekend.  He and his wife videotaped a special segment that will run on Tom and Paul’s internet show, Off the Cuff.  I can’t wait to see it… especially since it gives everyone a chance to see Mrs. P.  Much like my husband Joe, Mrs. P is often talked about but rarely seen.  Finally, we will prove that Mrs. P does exist.

My family and I had a fun weekend.  We decorated the house for Christmas.  There’s nothing quite like seeing a child’s face light up when they look up at the Christmas tree.  Sunday, we also celebrated my son’s 4th birthday.  You see… we had his party last weekend because a lot of his little friends were going to be out of town this weekend.  His actual birthday, however, was Sunday.  So, during the weekend when we give thanks for our many blessings, my husband and I gave thanks for the sweet, kind-hearted, fun-loving child who joined our family 4 years ago.