Adventures of Two Sisters, One Brother, and a Mom: Mountain Adventures And Santa's Stress!!! Christmas 2008

It has been a really long time sine I last posted. Getting ready for Christmas has been very hectic this year. More hectic and stressful than in years past. I'm not sure why--maybe Christmas came too soon this year, maybe having 3 kids has really taken it's toll on me, maybe I am simply trying to juggle too much now...kids, work, and dating again. Maybe it is just too much for me to handle. Maybe I need to simplify some things. I think that I must simplify my life-- otherwise, I am surely heading for a nervous breakdown. I came pretty close to it yesterday... but more about that later.

Last Sunday the kids and I went up to Bryson City to ride The Polar Express!!! For the third year, we met my friend Erika and her kids for our annual train ride. This year, we stayed in a larger cabin. It was really nice... the children loved it-- 4 big screen TVs, a pool table, air hockey, and foos ball. Erika and I loved it too-- the kitchen was really nice and the place was very spacious. The weather, however, was not the best-- although the weekend was sunny, it was extremely cold!!! We about froze to death waiting for the train! We stayed two nights in the mountains. Monday night we made s'mores over the fire pit-- the kids had a great time playing with each other. Especially D and Erika's son, K. They had a lot of fun-- male bonding. We drove home Tuesday-- the day before Christmas Eve.

Foolishly, I had agreed to work at a hospital on Christmas Eve. It was only a half day, but I still could have used the time to get ready-- I didn't even start wrapping presents until Christmas Eve night. The kids came with me to work. That went pretty smoothly because this hospital actually has a playroom full of toys. The owners recently rebuilt the building after a fire and were thoughtful enough to include this space for the staff to use when they need to bring their children to work. After work, we went to the grocery to buy food for Christmas dinner... another mistake--the store was packed and I ended up not cooking dinner after all.

The night of Christmas Eve, Sheila and her kids came over to help me wrap presents. That was the third mistake-- I was extremely stressed about getting things ready, so it wasn't the most festive time. The kids were extremely hyper and excited-- they always get that way with house guests, so getting them to sleep was quite a challenge.

"Santa" ended up staying up until 5:00 am! trying to put together all of the gifts... not fun. But, the kids really enjoyed their presents and had a wonderful Christmas morning, so it was worth it. I, of course, was a complete zombie all day-- I never could get a nap in. The whole day was basically a blur for me... Big A told me that this was "the best Christmas ever!!!" I, however, was exhausted, lonely, and depressed the entire day-- Merry Christmas to me!! Definitely one of my worst Christmases ever. But the kids didn't know that, they really had a fun day-- especially because I was so exhausted that they got to destroy the house and I just sat watching...

Fortunately, I have now gotten sleep, and I have a new attitude on life. Lately things have really gotten out of control for me... I've been overwhelmed. But now is the time to simplify and get things back in control. A new year is about to begin. I need to set my priorities-- my biggest priority is my children's happiness. The last few months have been really stressful-- trying to balance my personal life, work, and my kids has really taken it's toll on me. It is time for a change.. I can't change my work situation or my kid situation (of course I don't want to change that), but I can change other stressors in my life. I simply don't have time to do it all. So I won't.

Below are some photos from our week....
On The Train To The "North Pole"