Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Holidays are tough!

I have tons of pictures from both our wonderful visit to family for Thanksgiving and then the month-long preparation and celebration of Christmas. In my head I have several funny posts and several thoughtful posts. Instead of actually writing them, I just keep coming up with excuses. You see, the holidays are tough.

Oh I know, the holidays are tough on everyone, especially Moms. We try and make the magic for everyone, stretch a dollar until it squeals like a scalded monkey, decorate and wrap and cook and sing until we want to scream, and fall into bed each night feeling inadequate and like a failure. (Or wait, is that just me???) I am determined to create memories and traditions that my kids will remember for a lifetime. I carry on some traditions that I loved as a child and have created a few new ones as well.

Right now my house is a disaster. Toys all over the floors, legos covering the kitchen table, tinsel stuck to everything and enough colored sugar and sprinkles scattered on the floors to qualify us as a sugar-hazard. Did the kids have a great Christmas? Oh yeah!!!! Was it everything I dreamed for them? Heck no. I am so stressed by the mess around me that I fail to see how happy my little ones are. I see chaos and cleaning, they see a table covered with the creations we built together as a family then played with for days. Do they see the dirty floor? No, they see the remnants of decorating cookies then eating them until their mouths were brightly colored and their tummies full of sweets. Do they notice the pile of laundry calling for my attention? No, they only remember wearing their jammies all day while we played and laughed and ate our fill of yummie holiday cooking.

So why am I so stressed? Sigh. Because I am a failure at relaxing and enjoying the here and now. I know I will miss these times in the future, so how do I learn to enjoy them now? Someone please come kick me in the arse!!!!!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Consider yourself kicked! Now take some time for you. Have you ever tried yoga?? Hugs.

Sandra

Diana said...

This mama has had to learn to let go of a lot...including many things I once loved. I decorate less and less every year, I cook less and less every year, and our main goal is to get to a point where we can ENJOY the holidays rather than dread them. If that means we scale them back to next to nothing, so be it

Reba said...

I am finding that I am with Diana. We didn't decorate as much this year. In fact, our tree was up for a couple weeks with only lights. We finally found a day to get some ornaments on. (I have already taken it down...ready for "normal") We kept some traditions (our visit to the lit up square) and this year adjusted others (baking and decorating cookies...we made Santa brownies instead). We did start the new tradition with the Elf on the Shelf...the kids loved it and it required little time. Anyway, I am learning too to sometimes just let go. Glad the kids had a good holiday. :) Oh, when we have time I want to share about a certain little girl who is making BIG changes in attitude!