Holiday Season Hangover

Ok, so you see the word hangover and I know you're thinking it has something to do with the wonderful world of spirits, right???

By definition, the word hangover means:  a popular term for a group of disagreeable physical effects, including nausea, thirst, fatigue, headache, and irritability, resulting from the heavy consumption of alcohol and/or certain drugs.

I recently experienced these symptoms...but not from drinking (I know, you're surprised...)... more from the time period of Weekend before Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas.  Yes, folks, on December 26 I threw myself on the couch and declared myself unfit to parent for the day.  I was also unable to move due to headache, body aches, fatigue and a highly irritable attitude.  My children were ordered to seek Daddy on this day so that Mommy could begin the recuperation of the Holidays.

Having 4 children always makes for a certain level of chaos.  Having 4 children, a baking business that gets busy during the holidays, extra dance rehearsals due to Nutcracker, winter concerts, babysitting/library job, hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve AND Christmas, being sick, etc tend to make the chaos soar through the roof.  Actually, this year, I think it may have been blown up and into space...but that's just my opinion.  It was too much for me (mind and body) to handle.  Here it is January 16 and I think I might have fully recuperated.

Why, you might ask, did we plan all that we did.  I sometimes ask myself that very same question...all the time.  Let me explain a bit...

Nutcracker - We have done the Nutcracker for the past 5 years.  It has become a bit of a tradition around here.  Like last year, DJ, Kyra and myself were involved.  Unlike last year, Kyra was also roped into doing an additional dance that was on top of the Nutcracker rehearsals.  A dance number that performed at the mall as well as part of the pre-show of the Nutcracker.  This also included 1-2 additional rehearsals each week.  She will not be doing that again next year.  It was great and she looked fabulous and had a new experience of dancing in the mall...but it is just not for us.

My Baking - This is my dream.  And as such, my baking does not get started until after the babies go to bed, dinner is cleaned up and my kitchen is spotless.  Because that is when I can get it done, I generally don't start this until about 9:00pm.  Which also pushes my bedtime way past midnight for a few nights during the holidays.  Someone mentioned to me that maybe I should take a break from this... I don't know how I feel about that.  I am really starting to make something of my 'talents' and attract more business... It is a slow and steady pace that I'm going at and is only hectic around these already hectic holidays.  The rest of the year is much more manageable.. So, I will not be giving this up. 

Thanksgiving - I wanted to order Chinese food and veg with my family on that day.  But, alas, the in-laws had no where else to go and wound up at our house.  I was told 'Don't go through too much trouble'.  But, I also know that the traditional meal was expected and it doesn't matter how many people you are making it for, it is always a lot of work.  Sure, I could've just ordered up that Chinese food and made them eat it as well...right???  Thank goodness for hubby as this momma wound up in bed for a bit trying to get rid of a migraine.. totally walked out after doing the dishes and made hubby entertain his parents..

Christmas Eve - again, I did not want to host this night either.  However, it somehow wound up at our house anyway.  This is the Hubby Family gathering.  Way back when, this always used to be at my MIL's house.  In the past couple years, the boys (hubby and his brothers) have decided that it can't really be there as MIL really can't be cleaning and prepping and cleaning up as much as she used to.  No one else was willing to do it this year and so it wound up here.  Even though everyone chipped in with food - there is still the cleaning (cleaned out the playroom to avoid certain toys getting broken), baking the frozen appetizers that were brought, cleaning up the mess and washing the dishes when they all left, etc... you know how it goes.  And of course, there's all of the presents that still needed to be wrapped b/c we always leave it to the end... oh, and throw in there a useless hubby moment b/c he wound up feeling gross and couldn't help out with those presents that still needed wrapping.. 

Christmas Day - this holiday was always planned and I had no problems with it.. It's just a little hard to wake up early (or earlier than usual) after being up super late wrapping presents:)  This year, Christmas was the final nail in my coffin though .. another day of prepping, cleaning, etc.  At least there were extra hands on this day to help with it all... 

Day after Christmas = Mommy staring glossy eyed at the TV with no idea what's going on around her (think Goldie Hawn in that movie Overboard...lol...)

New Year's Eve is our 'family' holiday.  We buy junk food appetizers, chips/dip, shrimp and sometimes a lobster and eat all night long.  We also play games and just hang out with each other.  So, this holiday doesn't really get hectic.  

And so, this brings us to the middle of January... DJ turned 10 two days ago and I almost didn't get cupcakes/snacks into school for him.  His 'birthday' party was just finalized 3 days ago and is just family (half of them can't make it) and I'm trying to throw in a Movie Night with him and a friend..last minute of course.  This is where that Mommy guilt creeps in on you but you figure it out and move on, right??

Going forward - I love writing.  I love sharing my stories with you all and hearing your feedback.  I am still going to write... my goal is to have an entry once a week.  I have so many ideas about entries for this year!!  

I hope you are all having a great day and New Year so far..

'Tis the Season...

Wow... less then 2 weeks and it's Christmas.  How in the world did that happen so fast??  

I gotta say, I'm not one of those 'Go all out' Christmas People.  I kinda fly by the seat of my pants and get things done at the last minute.  This year seems to be even more crazy busy then in the past.  And crazy stressful too.  I mean, who isn't stressed during this time of year??  You've got holiday parties, holiday concerts, dance (for us, it's Nutcracker time), shopping, yadda yadda yadda.  

My most stressful thing is shopping...and how am I going to get it all done as well as get everything I need for everyone on my list at a reasonable price... and than figure out how to get my own kids something.  Hubby usually gets the shaft in terms of presents b/c I just don't have it to give... I know, I know- planning is key, right??  But when I am on a week to week budget based on what my take-home pay is, these holiday extras can be a royal pain in the ass.  I know, it's also about what you give and not what you get.  I get that.  It just gets frustrating and challenging to try and explain to your kids why so and so at school got the IT gift of the year from Santa but they didn't.  Why would Santa not give the same to all the kids??  

Sidebar- which also brings me to the Freakin’ Toothfairy.  Shouldn’t there be some kind of guidelines for doling out cash for teeth??  We give out $5 for the first tooth and $1 for each additional tooth.  My kids come home telling me that someone in their class got $20 for a tooth (and it wasn’t the first one).  Limits, people, Limits!!  DJ doesn’t even bother leaving his teeth anymore b/c I also make them write a note to the Toothfairy and he doesn’t think a buck is enough to write a letter…

Now, back to Christmas Season… so, I’m stressed, tired and a little bit crazy.  Oh, ok, a lot crazy but you already knew that.  I just feel like there is NO time to get anything accomplished these days:(

Oh, and don't forget those Holiday Cards..you know, the ones you've been getting since December 1st??  How in the world do people get those cards made and in the mail so early??  Mine are usual sent the day before Christmas (if we're all lucky) and turn into Happy New Year cards:)  If you're lucky, that is..  maybe you'll get them sometime in January as a Just Because card??  Or maybe the picture will be taken, and the cards will be printed but they will never get stuffed and addressed and mailed??  We'll see how this year goes.. lol

And, yes, that other thing called 'Teacher Gifts'.  The mom handling this lovely thing at Max's preschool is asking for $20 from each parent... Are they serious??  I think I was the only one who had a problem with that amount...am I wrong here??  I never was one to go in on the 'group' gift b/c I liked to personalize it, you know??  20 bucks is just ridiculous!! Especially when you do have 2 other teachers to think about...what are they going to want when Franny makes it to pre-school??

Luckily... all of our Saturday rehearsals were cancelled so we can ALL go and get a tree!! Whoo Hoo...

I just can't wait to spend some time together as as family during their break from school (remind me I said this while I'm complaining that they are home...ok??) and perhaps reconnect with each other.

On a positive note, we do have Christmas lights on our house this year (we've been in this house for 8.5 years and this is a first for us).  On a negative note, one of the extension chords used in keeping them lit has broken off in the outlet:(  

Hope you can enjoy your holiday season a little less stressful then over here!!

Random things you may overhear (if you were a fly on our wall)

OK... took a break.. life got hectic and I kept passing out on the couch at night... so, here's to Not Passing Out tonight before Writing:)

And here are some random things you might here if you were a fly on our walls (and car doors..)

'Franny, get the pencil out of the orange slices..'

'Please put your clothes back on... Now... PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON'

'Go upstairs and get me all of your dirty clothes'   now, repeat this about 10 times and you might actually accumulate everything from the closet, under the bed, in the middle of the floor, under the desk, shoved behind the crib...

'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'   that eventually turns into 'Everyone STOP TALKING, Please, just STOP SPEAKING to each other!!'

'I will miss you when you go to work on Saturday'  (as said about 100x every day until Saturday and then it turns into 'I missed you so much while you were at work today'  until Sunday, when it changes back to the first statement)

'Max, stop crying/whining/screaming or you can sit in time out to do it'  (said several times a day... trying to ignore his crying/screaming/whining is really hard... he's really good at it)

'Please walk on your feet from the door to the table, with your backpack.  Do not fall over, do handstands, trip over non-existent things, stop drop and roll, etc while doing it.'

'oh, no, don't climb up there...'

'Get your hands out of your Butt'

'Ah, Franny...don't pee on the floor'  (I swear, I'm going to start putting newspaper down on the floor soon)

'Sit down'  (this is said to Franny who likes to stand on chairs and to DJ who can't seem to sit in a chair while eating dinner and/or do homework)

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'

'mom... Mom.. MOm... MOM... '

'He's looking at me... she's touching me.. stop singing.. you're being annoying.. yadda yadda yadda'

'I didn't do it, Not me, I don't know'

What would we hear on your walls??  Care to share:)

Hope you're having a fabulous day!!