We are all spoiled.

Well here I am, the day after Christmas and facing the after math of the controlled chaos that was yesterday.  It was fabulous which makes the looks of my house a bit more bearable.  My house looks like Santa’s workshop threw up toys and goodies all over the place and my kitchen looks like I had a 20 person party last night (the most people that was in my house yesterday was 7).  I will get to the clean up here in a bit but first my blog post and more playing with all the new toys with the kids.  The housework will just have to wait.

I am happy to report that our holidays went smoothy, were wonderful, filled with much love, happiness, smiles, laughter, food and wine.  I couldn’t have asked for anything better except that I wish my sister wouldn’t have had to work yesterday but at least she was here half of the day.  We even had our White Christmas!  The day started with the panic of my 5 year old coming into our bedroom at 5am saying she didn’t feel good.  Great I thought, she is going to be sick all day.  Between you and me I think she was fine and just wanted to get up to see if Santa had came, thank goodness she curled up in bed with us and went back to sleep until my son came in just before 7.  Now it’s show time.  I had to wake my daughter up and her response was “it’s too early to open presents”.  WHAT!  You have been staring at presents for 2 weeks now and asking everyday when you get to open them and now that it’s “the time” it’s too early??  Silly girl, get your hiney out of bed and lets Do This!  They sat around the presents looking, analyzing, and planning their attack.  W was beside himself to see his Xbox 360 w/ Kinect sitting there and the second E laid eyes on her Lalaloopsy doll she was all smiles.  After we had our coffee in hand, everyone’s brain was in working order, camera was turned on they got the “GO”.  And go they did.  The ripping the presents started and with each one they smiled.  That smile is the best thing ever and makes all the holiday stress worth it.  They made out like bandits.  My sister spoils them right along with us and puts her stuff out as Santa gifts too so the kids are just flat out rotten.  W made out with his xbox, games, arts supplies, board games, and a real bow and arrows, sea monkeys, clothes and other little things.  E made out with her mass amount of barbies and barbie furniture, pollies, Zoobles, games, clothes and other little things.  We all made out really, I was amazed when it was the adult’s turn to open their presents.  My sister had a wonderful Christmas with an array of different things, my husband made out with his pedal board and smoker among other little things.  When it was my turn to rip into mine I looked over at the mountain of gifts that had accumulated in my pile and was shocked.  I have to say I was crazily spoiled this Christmas and didn’t see it coming.  My husband got me a new lens for my camera and diamond earrings!  Now what makes the earrings such a surprise is that he doesn’t buy diamonds or ‘blood diamonds’ as he likes to call them.  This is only the 3rd time in 12 years that I have gotten diamonds from him.  The first being on our one year dating anniversary and the second being when I didn’t want to move to Georgia from Maryland with him he bought me a diamond necklace to help talk me into it I guess you could say.  I was shocked when I opened them to say the least.  They are huge!  I crack up every time I look in the mirror because I feel like I am big pimp’n with them!  haha!  My kids got me great gifts that included a snuggly blanket and very nice kitchen utensils and a few other things.  My sister spoiled me rotten with boots, a shirt, and a new purse.  Then there was the gift from her that brought tears to my eyes.  She got me a portfolio for my photographs with a hand written letter in it.   I love that girl.  We definitely were all spoiled this Christmas and everyone was uber happy!  The kids told us they had the best Christmas!

The day ended with wine and a great dinner with the family.  The dinner turned out perfect which is amazing seeing the buzz that I had come half way through the cooking time.  By that time the snow had started to fall once again, it was beautiful.  Dad and Susie had to head home right after dinner to feed the horses and get them in.  It wasn’t until they headed down the road that I got word on how bad the roads were getting.  I called them to let them know and Dad told me he had just slid sideways, I was a nervous wreck to say the least until I got the phone call that they made it home safely.  We ended our night with the kids playing the xbox until they were sweaty and pooped.

My husband was soon dead asleep on the couch, my kids were in bed and I spent the next hour and a half in the quiet having a little me time with the xbox.

It was a good day.

 

The practice of restraint during the holidays is so hard.

I am happy to report that my Christmas shopping is complete…ahhhh.  I do still have to take my son shopping to get his gift for his sister but that is easy and quick.  Yesterday I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off and got my end done and what a feeling it is, I feel like I can somewhat relax.  What I am faced with now is restraint.  The restraint to not buy anymore stuff.  I have failed at restraint already for my son, he will be receiving a big gift and I explained to him that if he gets this one gift he will not have as much as his sister.  He understands so this is great.  But I have failed.  I stood in the garage looking at the kids gifts and started to feel bad because of the number for his sister vs his.  Why do I think it needs to be even?  Kids don’t count, they don’t notice because they are too busy ripping open their presents to pay any attention to their sibling’s gifts.  Yesterday while I was out I failed miserably and bought him a couple more things.  Not big stuff but still I did it.  No More!  I will not take my happy ass anywhere where there is a chance to buy anything but food, except when I take him shopping but that is it.  Krogers and Publix are the only places I will allow myself to go by myself for the next 10 days.  I can do this!  Every year I think I have done so good at not going over board with the gifts and then comes Christmas Eve when its time to drag everything out, I stand there and look at all the crap I bought.  Way to go Jamie, you have now officially went over board yet again.  With the way things look out in the garage I think I did better this year, still probably too much but better.  Baby steps, right?  I have such a shopping problem at this time of the year.  I love to buy things for people, I think I get a high from seeing their face when they open their gift, to see their happiness that I had a part in making.  I need therapy, a 12 step program.     My dad makes it a point to call me out every year, and this year will be worse because he will be here to witness my problem first hand for the first time.  Great, I can’t wait.  Let the shopping/money lecture begin.  Good thing is, as much as he calls me out on it he knows I get it honestly from my mom.  She was the same way, our Christmases were always great and we always received probably too much.  So shopping is in my blood, I get the failure of restraint honestly…it’s in my blood and part of my dna.  haha! Oh well…

So now I am left with the time to get everything wrapped and ready for the big day so not to be up until 2am on Christmas Eve.  That always happens too, I call in my elves, my husband and sister, and make them help.  We do have fun the 3 of us, staying up late, wrapping, making the decision to what gets left unwrapped, running back the hall way at every sound to make sure the kids are still in bed and sitting everything out so it’s just right.  Presentation is everything you know, certain things must be wrapped and others sat out to see when they walk out rubbing their eyes.  There is a lot of thought that goes into the presentation, I’m anal and a bit goofy with it, I realize this.  My sister sleeps on the couch to man the tree for the night.  She also makes it a point to make sure the kids don’t start ripping into things the minute they get up.  She is the tree police.  She tells the kids she is watching for Santa to make sure he leaves what they want.  How much longer will this work?  Heehee.  What fun it is though!  I can’t wait.  Christmas morning is priceless and so much fun.  Plus I am a kid at heart so I can’t wait to play with all the toys and games!  I still get butterflies Christmas Eve, I still don’t sleep well with anticipation of the morning, I still get tears in my eyes in the morning watching my kids and how happy they are.  There is a magic that comes on Christmas..and that magic will never be lost.

 

 

An observation or two and a Xmas song from me to you.

Image via Wikipedia

A look inside my brain and some observations.

-My Halloween Post “lets get in the mood for all things spooky” has had more hits this week than it did when I originally posted it, I think.  Why are people searching Zombie Babies during Christmas?

-Its Flipp’n cold.  Here in Nashville we are 30 degrees below normal..we are supposed to be at 50 degrees not 20!  Oh mother nature, why oh why must you freeze us?  One reason I love Tennessee is the weather, if I wanted frostbite in December I would move back to Indiana.  You’re not being very funny so stop it!

-I let way too much nonsense junk accumulate in my wallet.  Last night I changed wallets and threw away half of what was in it, old receipts (a couple from last christmas), business cards, concert tickets-one from May 2009, a car insurance card that expired in April of 2009, a gift card with zero money on it and one that had a whopping $3 on it.  But Surprise!  I found a Macy’s gift card from last christmas that I never used and it’s still good!  Oh yeah baby!

-I hate that I am so nice sometimes, especially when I tell my husband and/or my sister something and get the same response from both which was “please tell me you didn’t respond to that”.  Well I did because it would be rude not to and I find it so hard to be that person that ignores this particular thing.  My initial reaction was not to respond, I honestly wanted to flip the thing the bird, say a few choice words and move on but I didn’t…instead I said a few choice words in my head and responded.  If it was different circumstances I wouldn’t have but I did.  New years resolution maybe…To not be so damn nice all the time!

-I am in need of a night out…big time.  I need an icy cold beverage in my hand that will get in my belly.  I need to let loose for a minute, I need to tie one on, I need to feel no pain.  Not that I am feeling any pain, but once I get a couple of drinky poos down I wouldn’t feel any pain if I had some.  Wine is definitely on the menu for this weekend with my sister in law here at the house but that isn’t letting loose.  I cannot let loose with kids running around me, I need to be out at a bar with loud nonsense music playing and stupid drunk people around me, well I don’t need the drunk people because frankly they annoy me but that just comes with the territory.   Next weekend I’m out on the town, believe you me.  Maybe I will go shake my groove thang somewhere.

-I have got to go to the doctor to get my knee checked out!  I can’t even walk up a flight of stairs now without it killing me.  Not cool man, not cool.  I am in no way shape or form liking this.  I am super human..doesn’t my knee know this?  Did it not get the memo?  I don’t have the time for a body part not to be in the super human loop.

-I thought I would be able to stay home today.  Unfortunately I have realized this is not going to happen seeing that I need one thing to complete what I want to get done today here at home.  Hello public, this is me with no makeup on and a hat hiding my bed head because I refuse to get all the way dressed today, put makeup on and fix my bed head hair to run to Walmart or the like to get this one thing.  I think my “Merry Christmas Bitches” shirt would be completely appropriate for todays outing but I wore it yesterday.  

-I am waiting for my husband to spring on me the last minute company Christmas party.  This is usually the case every year, he waits to the last minute and says “oh yeah we are going to have the Christmas Party here at the house or can you plan this real quick”.  I usually have less than a week, more like 3 days.  Maybe I will get lucky this year and have more time OR someone else will take care of it or have it at their house.

-I have realized I use entirely way to much tape when I wrap presents.  I am ridiculously anal when it comes to wrapping, god forbid an edge stick up.  No wonder it takes people 5 minutes to unwrap one of my gifts.

-I am sadly slacking in the pretty wrapping department this year.  I used to sit down and make every gift absolutely beautiful with ribbon and bows.  Taking my time to curl the ribbon, place everything just right on the package so it is pretty.  This year I picked up a pack of bows and put them back down, there is hardly any ribbon on any of the gifts.  My reasoning is not really me being a slacker, I have observed the pain in the ass the ribbon can be for people to get to their gifts, especially for the kids.  All they want is to rip open the gift as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next one.  Too much ribbon entails getting the scissors out, kids don’t have time for that.     Or is it all the tape I use???  Haha!

-Billy bought me an Open X to make Christmas morning a breeze.  It is a tool designed to open the crazy plastic packaging that every company has decided to package their items in. You know the packaging…to pieces of heave duty plastic that is welded together at every seam so when you do cut the top off to rip it open there is a chance that your wrists will be slit right open.  What a mess that would be!  What is ironic about this tool is that it was packaged in the exact pain in the ass packaging it is designed to open!

 

Open X

 

I will leave you with lyrics to a Christmas song to spread the Christmas Cheer:

Mr Hankey The Christmas Poo:

We’ve all heard of Rudolph and his shiny nose, and we all know Frosty whose made out of snow.

But all of these stories seem kinda…gay, ‘coz we all know who brightens up our holiday…..

Mr. hankey the christmas poo, small and brown, he comes from you. Sit on the toilet here he comes! Squeeze and twean your festive bums. A present from down below, spreading joy with a Howdy Ho! He’s seen the love inside of you, ‘coz he’s a peice of poo! Sometimes he’s nutty, sometimes he’s corny, he can be brown or greenish-brown (Mmm Mmm!) But if you eat fibre on christmas eve, he might come to your town.

Mr. Hankey the christmas poo, he loves me, I love you. Therefore vicariously he loves you (I can make a Mr. Hankey too! phrrrft)

Cartman: Well kyle, were is he?
Kyle: Ugggghhh. He’s comin’
Stan: Come on dude push!!!
Kyle: Uggggghhh. I’m trying!!
Stan: Wait wait wait!! I can see his head!!

Kyle: Ugggghhh!!!! Here he comes!!!! (phhhft)
Mr. Hankey: Howdy ho! I’m Mr. Hankey the christmas poo! Seasons greetings to all of you, let’s sing songs and dance and play! Now before I melt away! Here’s a game I like to play. Stick me in your mouth and try to say: Howdy Ho Ho, yum yum yum, christmas time has come!!!

Sometimes he’s runny, sometimes he’s burnt, sometimes he’s practicly water!! Sometimes he hangs of the end of your ass and won’t fall in the toilet ‘coz he’s just clinging to your sphincter and he won’t drop off so you shake your ass around, try to get him to drop in the toilet and finally it doooooeeees!!!!! (cough)

On that note…I’m out

Peace.

 

 

 

I have been reminded….

On yesterday’s post a comment was left by Mr. Anthony and part of it read “Careful not to miss it all once Christmas arrives!”.   Excellent point my friend and you got me thinking.  It is so easy to get caught up in the holiday stress, the ‘to do lists’, finding that perfect gift, and running around  that you stop enjoying the holiday.  December is a great month but that can easily be lost in the holiday craziness of parties, events, shopping, wrapping, and running around like you have gone mad that you start cursing the holiday and the month itself.  I mean even going shopping, if you stop and look around what percentage of people that you are shopping with have a sour, I am going to kill someone look on their face?  That’s not very Christmasy.  I have been guilty of it but it’s usually because I have encountered someone who is a Scrooge who has now put a damper on my day.  I always try to keep a positive attitude while I am out and about, especially during the holidays, holding doors for moms with kids in tow or the elderly, I always try to smile at people I pass, say hello.  I don’t want to be that person that looks like I could break at any given christmas moment.  Why do we let ourselves do that?  Do we blame the media for all the hype, ourselves for allowing the madness to take over, or is it just holiday on top of our already too busy  lives?  I don’t know but I am slowing down right now and reassessing the holiday.  No more stressing, no more worrying.  Its the time of year to relax and enjoy each other, friends, family..to be thankful for everything that we have in our lives.  It is the time of year to stop looking at all the material things, the ‘stuff’ that doesn’t really matter.  Yes we are fortunate to have what we have, to be able to give the gifts that we do, to make our kids and family’s wish lists come true but when it comes right down to it..does that stuff really matter?  No.  I am not saying I am going to go return all the gifts that I have bought or stop shopping for the rest of the season I am just going to kick it back a notch and settle down a bit, enjoy this time with my family, be thankful for what we have and the family around us and most of all enjoy the upcoming two and a half weeks I have with the kids and the week I am going to have with my husband.  I am going to quit thinking everything has to be perfect (gifts included), let the kids help me wrap the presents without jumping all over them for putting the tape in the wrong place, I am just going to chill out a bit and relax.  I have let myself stress about the perfect gifts for everyone, wanting to get them exactly what is on their wish list..where is the element of surprise in that?  There is none.  Yes I have gifts for people that are exactly what they want but I have now reminded myself that this does not have to be the case with every single gift.  I used to be so good at giving great random gifts or making gifts that when the recipient opened it they had a huge smile on their face because it was something they weren’t expecting.  I somehow have let that go to they way side this year.  Have I let my inner Santa runaway?  Well today I am playing hide and go seek with my inner Santa and I will win and bring back the great random gifts.  One of the best gifts I have ever received was a tin box full of 365 random sayings and quotes, one to be pulled out each day, from my sister.  No she did not go out and purchase this gift, it was made by her and I still walk by it and pull a random saying out and it always puts a smile on my face and makes my day.  Gifts like that are truly the best.

So from here on out I vow to slow down, relax, chill out, and remember the true meaning of Christmas.  I will enjoy every moment I have with my family.  And the big one….I will try real hard not to start wishing school was back in after the first week they are out.