Friday, December 12, 2008

Ashley's not very busy, calm before the storm day...

Today was my last moment of peace before the real craziness begins. I have spent the last week and a half looking for clothes for Christmas cards and endless decorating. So far today I have:

napped! you would too if you were up til 3, up again at 6:45 to get your kids ready for school, and then were left with a quiet house and a warm bed calling your name. I will not tell how long I napped...

then, while indulging in a Lean Cuisine and a cold Coke Zero, I spent 2 hours doing Christmas cards. All I need to do now is slip a family picture into each one and Voila!

made cookies. I only ate one teeny little one. They're not too fancy, just a little festive. Chocolate Chip with red and green swirly icing. Seriously, it was all I could muster. I am saving my creativity for my first ever gingerbread house! I am excited!

I made a Christmas list for me! In case Jon decides to indulge me this year. He always gets me gifts, let's just say I know why the term "it's the thought that counts" was invented.

chores: laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, bed making, and air freshener spraying. All to give off the effect that I slaved all day. When in reality I "spruced" and "fluffed"!

Now, it's 3:00 and Hayden is here enjoying my cookies. Tonight Chloe and Hunter have hair appointments at the fancy salon, they are too high maintenance for Cool Cuts... Basically after this I have about 10 days to get pictures made, shop, volunteer at school parties, bake, eat, sleep, breath and be Super-Mom. Every year I spend so much time decorating and stressing over Christmas clothes and school parties that I end up shopping when it's crazy-nutty out there. Not sure why I punish myself this way? I still haven't learned my lesson I guess? I was talking to a lady the other day (yes, a perfect stranger.) She was mentioning that she had 3 kids and never seemed to have a moment's peace. And, I agree. Back when the kids were younger I felt like I would never catch up until they were older and that I was doomed to be forever stressed. Little did I know that the stress and craziness don't get better. You get more busy and more overwhelmed. Being a mom to older kids is infinitely harder, in my opinion. Ask any mom of older kiddos, it's just a different kind of busy. Back when they were younger there were days at a time when I wouldn't leave the house. Forget cute clothes and makeup. My days consisted of laundry, meal prep, baths, endless breast feeding, snot wiping, toy pick-up, fight referee, nurse, etc. Fast forward several years into the future and a day like today is something I thoroughly enjoy. It makes all the teenage drama, taxi driving, school projects, 2 kids smack dab in the middle of puberty (add in all of the above except breastfeeding) etc. etc. almost bearable. Ok, so I am done jabbering. I need to change out of my pj's and brush my teeth... and get busy on Christmas plans- again.


today's after school snack that will be long gone before dessert

5 comments:

Candy Babina said...

Ashley you crack me up! I LOVE reading your blogs.....you make my day!! You can definately make lemonade out of lemons. Hang in there....it only gets worse...just kidding (not)!

Lois Brown said...

Loved your post. Your right teenagers are harder...or at least when they were younger we had more control over what they did and didnt' do! Your cookies look awesome! They get easier again at about 20!

Krista said...

Shhh!! Jon sees this, doesn't he? You scrubbed and cleaned that house, not just fluffed!! He doesn't need to know that. I run around fluffing right before Travis gets home every day. Ü

Ashley said...

Hey Candy!! I am so glad you are reading AND laughing. I bet your kids never stress you out...!

Ashley said...

Krista- I only do the real cleaning on Saturdays. I am an expert fluffer. I start at 5:30 each day, gives me one hour til the Mr comes home...