preparing for the Christmas season...

Oops, I wrote "holidays" first, then realized I don't want to get all politically correct here. Anyway, life is busy. The Christmas season can be so crazy busy it's hard to enjoy. But hey, why do today what you can put off for tomorrow?

Kidding. But. Yesterday, I picked Suzanne, my 11 year old, up from school early, surprising her. She is my my number twelve child, 8th daughter, the fourth in our 5-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years. She shares a room and a personality with Kathryn, 14, the #2 in the five-in-a-row. She is just too cool for school, mostly. But when it is just her and I, we have a great time. She talks, she listens, she is great fun. It was totally a great idea to pick her up from school. We went to Sears and got her a new coat, and some boots to put away for Christmas. We went to Aldi to get milk and yogurt and some Christmas candy, including two more of the chocolate-a-day advent calendars. Oh, how they can't wait to start those!! Then we went to Wegmans and got a fresh turkey discounted, which I will make today yum, bread (I don't like Aldi's bread), pears, carrots, green peppers, and lots of other stuff we couldn't live without. Then to Marshall's, where I got a few other gifts, for Benjamin and Joseph. Then to the dollar store where we found strawberry whipped cream for their coffees and cocoa, Fiber One bars for snacks at school, and candy for stockings.

Home...and hurry hurry hurry, there is activity club at church, they had to leave by 6:00! I thought I had more time than I did, and got into my work out clothes, but ha. There simply wasn't enough time, so dinner was served. London broil with Jamaican seasoning and gravy, roasted potatoes, and green beans. Thank you Mirielle for putting this in the oven for me while I shopped!

Everyone went out the door, I didn't have to drive this week (Thanks to Abigail and Aaron)...but the dinner mess: blah. Pans and plates and cups and silverware...finally done. Paul also had a meeting, so the house was quiet. I exercised half-heartedly, I mean, I had just eaten dinner. I should have just served it and not eaten it, but at that time I didn't know yet that I didn't have to drive. Anyway...my point is this: after all that busy day, I was alone...I could have wrapped presents. I could have put the lights in the windows. I could have sorted through the decorations or hung the stockings. But I didn't. I vegged in my chair, looked at reviews for some places in the Dominican Republic, read some weight-loss blogs, then read some of my book.

Poor me, sitting there with my feet up. I am just not a young chicken anymore. Christmas or not, I just can't do another thing sometimes.

Today, I have to pick up Jonathan from school and take him to the dentist. He has to have some fillings done. The dentist was rather short with me when he saw Jon for the first time, in the spring, right after Jon turned 8. He had somehow slipped through the cracks, I usually start the kids out when they are four or five. oops. The dentist did not think it was one bit funny because Jon had some issues with his teeth. oops. Things that could have been caught earlier. ouch. But. None of my other kids have had cavities like this. I partly think it is because Jonathan was born ten months after Robert was born, well...stillborn. I give Jon his daily vitamin, and make sure he drinks his milk, but I wonder. And I feel guilty. So don't be surprised if we stop and buy him a new Nerf gun after the dentist appointment:)

Anyway...I don't like how it is so busy all of the time. So I am going to try to have that downtime with the kids when I can. I hate being stressed out, having so much on my mind.

And, now I shall go put that 25 pound turkey into the oven. Our Thanksgiving turkey was only 21, and we ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, and didn't even have enough left for a turkey gravy meal. So...yum.