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November 17, 2002
Is it possible that next week is Thanksgiving? It just can’t be true. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was standing at the drug store getting my prenatal prescription filled and this young lady (well, not that young, but younger than me) asked me when I was due. I tell her in about 8 wks, she says she just found out she was pg and how in the world was she going to be able to wait that long. I commented to her that I couldn’t believe it was already Thanksgiving and that time would fly fast for her (I’m sure she’s already had her baby). Could that conversation have possibly happened an entire year ago???? It is true that the older you get the faster time flies!
I’m happy to report that both girls are well and doing fine. And I’m unhappy to report that I have been fighting a cold for almost a week. Thankfully, all the medication I’ve been taking has kept me going. There were several days I thought that if I could I would call in sick from work. But, alas my “work” still needed to be fed and bathed and my other “work” just wouldn’t let Mommy rest. That’s a Mommy’s motto… neither rain, nor sleet, nor cold in thy nose will keep me away from my duties :o). Someone has to keep the home fires burning. And that usually falls back to the Mom. So, I’ve kept myself trucking and grabbed a few naps were I could.
Well, as I mentioned Thanksgiving is next week. So, this week I’ll spend most of my time getting ready to take our big trip to Florida. We are leaving early next week and will be gone for about 6 days. My MIL is beside herself with excitement over seeing the girls. It’s been 5 months since she’s seen them and that’s the longest stretch since Macy’s been born. I feel bad that she’s missed most of Erin’s first year (but then again, so has everyone else). So, I’m looking forward to seeing her reaction to how much the girls have grown.
It sounds like my MIL is already prepared for Thanksgiving. She’s been cooking and freezing things for weeks. Usually I end up doing most of the cooking once I get down there. So, maybe I’ll get off easy this year. My SIL and her new husband are also coming down and they make a great clean up crew. So, as I see it I might actually get a Thanksgiving to relax and enjoy myself. And it will be great to have some much needed time for the girls to spend with their Daddy. So all and all we are set for a great vacation.
And then Christmas… I’ve already started getting my Christmas decorations out and I’m close to being done with my shopping. I’m determined to not have a crazy month. I’m having my playgroup Christmas party (that I cancelled last year, due to being really pg). I’m singing in the Christmas musical (that I also cancelled due to being pg last year). I’m going to relish in the season and soak it all up! We are adding some new decorations outside and really going all out. I’ve ordered the girls matching PJ’s from the Disney Store. I’ve ordered an Advent calendar for Macy to do this year (it’s a beautiful Nativity scene and on Christmas morning she can put baby Jesus in the manager). And we are going to build fires, play games, sing Christmas carols, make hot chocolate and absolutely no one is allowed to be sick!!! I just won’t have it!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a perfect Christmas. Christmas was great for me as a child, until my parents got divorced. Then I spent years waking up Christmas morning in a strange place (my Father’s house), with a plant trying to pass as a Christmas tree and nothing familiar around me. I remember one Christmas Eve I was at my Dad’s; he had gone to a party and my sisters didn’t come until morning. I sat there in his cold, uninviting living room alone. I opened all my presents that night and cried. That has to top the list as the worst Christmas ever. But, then I met my DH and my Christmas years changed forever.
I still remember our first Christmas together. As luck would have it his hometown was about 15 miles from where my Dad spent most of his Christmas’s. He and I were only dating at the time (and had only been dating about 2 months, but we had already talked about getting married). So I drove home with him. I spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning as his parent’s house and then we went to my Dad’s later that day.
I woke up Christmas morning to sight I had not seen in years. There were presents everywhere. True excitement filled the air and his parents were so generous and kind to me. They treated me like I was already a part of the family. The day was wonderful and from that moment on I was hooked! I remember the wonderful meal we had, all the presents I received, all the people that stopped by to say hello and how warm and inviting it all was. I knew from that moment on that we were spending every Christmas with his family. My family never made a big deal out of Christmas and I could never take or want to take my DH away from his family at Christmas.
Since Macy was born, Christmas has been moved to our house. We drive down there for Thanksgiving and his parents come here for Christmas. We are still establishing our own Christmas traditions and hopefully we’ve gotten the kinks worked out. I think it’s hard on his parents making that trip and they usually can’t stand the cold for more than a week (being in FL for 35 yrs has thinned their blood). So, we keep the house warm and a fire going none stop. His Mother loves to sit in the chair with her feet being toasted by a nice warm fire.
So, with all that said, what is a perfect Christmas? To be honest I can’t answer that question yet. I have an idea in head, but for some reason what I typically do falls short. I get so overwhelmed with all the cooking and cleaning. I don’t only cook the Christmas dinner; I cook meals all week for 9 people. My SIL and my BIL will be over every night for dinner I’m sure. Now that they are married I’ve turned a few of the responsibilities over to her. She’s cooking at least one meal at her house and she’s preparing half of the Christmas dinner. I always feel obligated to wait on everyone hand and foot. And as I’m typing this I’m all the sudden not feeling so excited, I’m actually getting that familiar knot in the pit of my stomach. Okay, I’ve got to think of something to do to make the week of Christmas (and New Year’s – all my family will be there that week, but that’s another entry all together!). I’m going to have to give this some thought. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!!!!
So, I wish I could answer my question of what a prefect Christmas is, but I can’t do that right now. I’m going to need to give it some more thought. Anyone care to share what they think a prefect Christmas would look like? Do you have any suggestions for how I’m going to handle a house full of people for 2 weeks? I’ve got to start planning right now; this very minute. I‘ve got to get be prepared or I’m in for a miserable 2 weeks (and actually it’s 3 weeks because my in-laws will be here the week of Christmas and then my sister and her family will be here for 2 wks after that.) Okay, I’ve got to get a game plan in place today!
Boy, this entry didn’t go in the direction I thought it would. I’m going to have to do a part II next week! Right now I need to get out my notebook and start charting a plan. I need to prepare meals to cook and freeze ahead of time and I need to plan for what I’m going to do with all those people for that long. I’ll let you guys know how it turns out and what I plan. Reality has hit me with a 2 ton brick and now I’ve got to get busy.
As for my organizing tip for the week... I'm pretty overwhelmed right now, but I'll still add my tip. You know how you're flipping through a magazine and you see all these great recipes and when you want to go back you find them you can't? Well, I keep a notebook filled with recipes that I've pulled out of magazines or copied off the internet. I keep them organized by season. So, when I run across a great recipe I just tear it out of the magazine or print it off the net and file it away for future use.
I hope everyone else is doing well and is more relaxed than I am :o)
Take care,
Lara, Macy & Erin
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