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