Monday, December 5, 2011

Holiday Victories

The holiday season is here. Ugh…here we go again.

I’m not a Scrooge, but Christmas has certainly changed since I became a Mom. Instead of a fun filled holiday, it’s…well HARD WORK. No one ever tells you when you start a family: “Congratulations, now you are entirely in charge of Christmas!" I mean if you are anything like me, you shoulder the load of Christmas. From scheduling Christmas pictures, to baking, to addressing Christmas cards, to making sure to clear up your family’s schedule to make time to visit everyone around the holidays. Sure my husband hangs the outdoor Christmas lights, but still I have to be there to monitor that because if I left it up to him we’d have all colored lights (I’m a white light girl) and a giant blow up Herky Santa in our front yard!

I have made a promise this year to try and stay organized, stay calm, and try to enjoy the holidays a little bit more. After all, my kids are at the perfect age for Christmas. My daughter walks around warning everyone that Santa is watching, my son sounds adorable singing Away in the Manger in Sunday school, and even my 18 month old has had fun watching all the lights around our house.

So instead of writing this blog about everything I still need to accomplish this holiday season, I thought I would take some time to give myself a little pat on the back, to celebrate the things I have manage to survive so far this season!

So, allow me to present Mandi’s Top 10 holiday victories 2011:

10. I survived mailing my holiday cards on a busy Saturday afternoon with a line a mile long at the post office with H and L in tow and 70 christmas cards to stamp and mail. The fact I got out of there without L running out the automatic doors he was fascinated with, or H taking out all the Mickey Mouse Christmas envelopes was a miracle. And I managed to get out while my fellow line waiters were still giving my kids the “Oh they are SOOO cute” look instead of “Get these squealing kids out of here before I have to pop a Xanax!!!!”

9. I have remembered every night to move the Elf on the Shelf, even though one night I had to make a mad dash at 5:45 a.m. to move my daughter’s new best friend.

8. I went back to Toys R Us and fought for $20.00 back after the “Can’t be beat” “Amazing Deal” train table I found was $20.00 less the day after I bought it.

7. I managed to capture a Christmas card picture of the three kids in front of the Christmas tree with all three kids sitting, smiling, and no one blinking. And I am giving myself bonus points for the fact you can’t see the Cheese Its I bribed L with in his clutched hands.

6. I finally nabbed the “Bob Ross” Easel my budding artist daughter asked Santa for after days and days of “Out of Stock” notices. I even managed to get it 20 minutes before having to be in Court for an important hearing. I managed to walk into the Courtroom about 3.2 seconds before the judge.

5. I have completed shopping for my nieces and nephews by December 4th instead of December 24th.

4. I got L to sit on Santa’s lap without screaming.

3. I have managed to teach my kids to get just as excited about lighting the advent wreath they made at church as they are about opening their advent calendar to find their chocolate.

2. Somehow thanks to the Christmas light Gods, I managed to stretch a 150 strand of lights to miraculously end at the bottom of my garage so I didn’t have to hide extra lights in a planter or behind a rock.

1. I am still excited (instead of tired and overwhelmed) about Christmas!

Okay, so I know its still very early, but still I think in order for us Mommies to stay sane this season, we need to celebrate our little victories when we can. Buckle up Mommies, its going to be a long month.

Mandi

1 comment:

  1. Amen sista! It just gets better every year!

    ReplyDelete