The Most Busiest Time of the Year

Just when I thought I was out, the Toys R Us ad appears and pulls me back in.

If you have multiple children of sentient age, you understand the issue of balance in this gift-giving season. They know exactly how many gifts each has gotten and will claim "unfair" if those numbers differ. Quantity rather than quality is the issue. Doesn't matter what totally awesome toy they recieve, they will whine if their sibling gets more. So I've been running around with my list trying to make sure things are even without going into extreme debt. Of course, the days I have done this have been rainy and cold. Nothing like freeway driving in a icy rain storm with wind advisories, but my children are so worth it. Oops, better not roll my eyes too much or they might get stuck.

Anyway, yesterday was my crowning glory and, I think, the end of my shopping for the kids. Now I need to finish shopping for my husband. This is where I get irritated. I get coupons for Bed Bath and Beyond for 20% off of one item. Okay, there are three items I wanted so I have to keep going back to the store to get these items. Now there are other things I want there but I'm not going to waste my coupon on them. However, if the coupon extended to the entire purchase, I would spend a lot more. Heck, even 15%. So I will be making my third trip to BB&B today. And only buying one item.

I enjoy so much of the holiday season but too much of it is spent running. Yesterday I was carting Girl Scouts around in the rain to do Christmas caroling and while the girls had fun it was hectic. I've got teacher gifts to buy still and cookies to bake. Mind you, I love making cookies, but not when it is hurried.

But I'm taking a time out this evening. My hubby and I scored some free tickets to see "Australia." My folks are taking the kids and hubby and I get an evening to ourselves, a small break in the chaos of the next week. I'm not that interested in the movie, but the thought of down time without the bustle of everything else seems like Nirvana to me.

Have you found this season to be stressful? What do you do to relax?


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There's No Place Like Home

I'm back home and it feels...okay.

I know, as badly as I wanted to come home, it has been very difficult to get back into the swing of things. It feels like a new home, everything is so different. They aren't done hence I haven't posted any pictures yet. Its more than I hoped for, but the work of moving back into the house has been exhausting. I still have people here everyday. We've gone ahead and decided to work on the exterior as well. There are a few cabinet pieces missing and my book case around my fireplace isn't done. But it is livable.

As you can see, I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit. I haven't put up my decorations yet. We tend to wait until two weeks before Christmas. Also, we aren't sure where our decorations are. My attic was completely re-arranged, so heaven only knows where my stuff is. I did buy a new Christmas village from Kohl's. The contractor built in a pot shelf in my family room and I'm going to put it there.

My car got broken into the other day. It was a smash and grab. They smashed my driver's side door and ransacked my center console and glove box. The only thing they took was the dock for my iPod that I plugged into the cigarette lighter. Oddly enough, there was a wad of cash sitting there and they didn't take it. Apparently they were looking for my iPod. As it pretty much stays with me at all times, their efforts were wasted. The dock was a total piece of junk. But it did end up costing me $200 for a new window and I had to wait around all day for the glass guy to come and fix it.

I haven't gotten back into writing yet. I think by next week I'll be able to dive in. Right now I have a to-do list a mile long trying to clean up after the construction. I finally went grocery shopping for the first time in months. Anyway, I hope to catch up with all of you this week.

But I Wanted The Barbie Dream House!

The wrapping paper is gone, the tons of carboard packaging went off with the recyclers today and my tree is de-decorated. Christmas is quickly disappearing from my house. After being subjected to Christmas stuff for months, I'm ready to see it go and return to normal.

The kids are still wound up and showing what ungrateful little wretches they are. Diva got a Polly Pocket Too Hip Cruise Ship. Its very cool and she loved it yesterday. But then she remembered she really wanted the Barbie Dream House. First, she rarely plays with barbies, her sister does. Second, she didn't mention it until last week and third, it is apparently on the same aisle as the Nintendo Wii in the toy store because you can't find them. Ergo, the cruise ship. She couldn't understand why the elves couldn't make one for her. I told her the elves had to make too many and she couldn't get one. She didn't buy it. Then I gave her the tried and true mom arguement saying a lot of other kids didn't get anything. Why not? Doesn't Santa bring the toys? Why would it be a problem? I didn't know what to say, so I told her the less fortunate kids asked for things to help their families rather than toys. Being a self-centered Diva, she didn't get it. The boy was a little disappointed too. He didn't get that much. But usually he gets the most expensive presents, this year was an anamoly. Thing made out pretty good. She got lots of Power Rangers stuff.

By the way, the cruise ship has already been put up because Thing got it out and wouldn't clean it up. Diva almost lost all her toys today because I made her do a major room cleaning (I helped her). The boy sulks a lot, but then, he is eleven.

How was your Christmas? Are my kids the only ones acting like brats? I do wonder if they will live until they go back to school

Christmas Presents Under the Tree

When I was a kid, I loved the moment when my mom brought out the Christmas presents and tucked them under the tree. I'd spend a week shaking and trying to guess what was in them. I found real quick I couldn't do that with my own kids. The minute the gifts are under the tree, they pulverize them. So the presents do go out until Christmas Eve after they go to bed. Drives me crazy because I've always thought of Christmas presents as part of the decoration. I'm hoping things will change by next year. Besides, my closet is bursting with stuff. I want my closet back!

So, when you were a kid, did you get one big present and then a few smaller ones? Didn't you just hate opening clothes when you were a kid? And then when you made "the face" you're mom would get mad? I don't get mad at my kids when they are disappointed with clothes. I know well-meaning relatives think its the right thing to do, but I think they need to understand that the kids aren't going to be excited by their gift. Unless it has marabou and sequins, my daughters are going to ignore it. Doesn't mean they don't like the clothes, but clothes don't move around and entertain them.

My kids always get too much stuff. Most of it isn't expensive. Heck, I bought a bunch of it on clearance during the summer. But they generally get one expensive present. My son and my youngest daughter are getting Nintendo DS Lites (my middle daughter already has one). Son wanted a Wii. Afraid life is full of disappointments. Although, I'm still going to try again this weekend. I think the flush of victory in getting one would be my reward.

My husband took this week off and is home. That's all I'm going to say about that.

I need to work on some revisions today, I don't have many. By the way, the ms I wrote is a contemporary fantasy romance which takes place in Los Angeles and the world of the fae. No, Kelly, not a historical. As much as I'd like it, my historicals aren't what are garnering interest.

Last night I got my packet of entries for the Golden Heart. I've never judged before so I'm excited. My attitude is to go in assuming the best. I don't like nitpicking on my own stuff and I don't want to do it to anyone else. I didn't enter myself, I've retired from the contest circuit until I can enter the RITA.

Party Animal

I went to a holiday party last night. It was held at a place called Joe's Garage. Not bad a place, but the party was disappointing. The food was mediocre and the band was marginal. They had gambling tables and an open bar. I thought I was looking forward to it, but once we got there, I found it dull. I didn't know anyone there, the party was held by a company hubby has done work with. They host it for their employees and the few outsiders they consider important to their business. Anyway, I don't enjoy gambling unless there is real money involved. Even if it's nickel, dime, quarter poker, I enjoy it. When it's meaningless chips, I get bored quickly. This was weird: they had a mashed potato bar. I'm not kidding. There was a chafing dish of mashed potatoes with several kinds of gravy, tiny bits of chicken, sour cream and cheese. You could scoop your potatoes into a champagne glass and top it with what you chose. Ummm....I passed. They had a carving station with roast beef, but I think it was actually pot roast. Not bad, but still. They did have cheesecake which is always a plus.

Anyway, the point of this post is my realization that they could have had all my favorite foods and I still wouldn't have enjoyed myself because I don't like socializing. How weird is that? Even friends' parties wear on my nerves. I wasn't always like this. I was a good time girl back in college, but now, I'd rather sit at home and watch t.v. or read. I don't know why I've changed so much, but there you go. How about you? Have you gotten more social as you've gotten older or less so?


One More Little Thing....

I was offered representation by an agent this morning. I've taken it calmly (YEAH, RIGHT). This was my latest ms that I just finished polishing. She read it one night, couldn't put it down until she finished it.

How Was Your Weekend?

I had one of those mixed bag weekends.

I finished my revisions on my ms. I started going through it a third time and noticed I was skipping through it and I knew what the next line was. I figured if I looked at it again, I'd start screwing it up. Sometimes in our need to polish, we polish out that which makes it unique. So I stopped. I'm pleased with it. I don't think it is my best writing because it is contemporary and I think my voice shines in historical. But what do I know?

I yelled at my kids a lot. Actually, I yelled at Diva the most. She isn't human right now. She spent the night at a friend's house on Saturday. The other two kids were so well behaved without her. She really knows how to stir things up. She's going to make a great lawyer. When she came home Sunday she was such a brat and so obnoxious, I made her stay upstairs and out of my sight. She ended up taking a nap.

I made cookie dough for Christmas cookies. Got the sugar cookie dough made without incident but when I started on the gingerbread, I discovered I had no more cinnamon. Diva has gone through a cinnamon toast phase, so I'm sure she used it up. Had to run to the store and get more. I hate interruptions of that nature.

Went appliance shopping on Saturday. I bought a new cook top, two dishwashers, a trash compactor, a warming drawer, a range hood, a microwave, a wine chiller and an outdoor set of burners. We are getting ready to remodel the kitchen so the contractor wanted the appliances planned so the cabinets could be designed around them. It was pretty fun. The stuff won't be delivered until March, but we are now committed to the remodel.

I found a missing book. I was really eager to read Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas but when I went to pull it off my shelf, it was gone. I found it yesterday in a suitcase. I guess I packed it when I went to Hawaii.

We got a Christmas tree. It's still in the box. We decided to go artificial this year. It's pre-lit so we are going to miss out on the yearly husband-wife light fight. I did get the shivers when he told the kids that next year we will have the artificial tree and a real tree. Now he decides to be Mr. Christmas.

Bah! Humbug!

Really, I'm not a Scrooge but neither am I ebullient with Christmas Spirit. I've been reading in blogs where people are complaining they don't have their usual excitement about the holidays. Life has becoming overwhelming and they aren't enjoying the season like they used to.

I'm just not Christmasy, haven't been for a long time. Not that I dislike the holiday, I just don't go all out. I do have my reasons. Nothing tragic, at least nothing tragic which affected how I feel about the holidays.

I grew up with Christmas Woman. My mother has always gone overboard with Christmas and our house was always decorated with a mountain of decorations. She hasn't changed much, she puts up two Christmas trees and does a full light show on her house. We always had Christmas cookies and candy, presents under the tree, etcetera. My mom would go on this holiday high which lasted from Thanksgiving until New Year's. Then it crashed in January.

My home life growing up was not perfect, as if any one's ever is. My dad drank and my mom suffered from bouts of crippling depression. I always felt this sense of desperation at Christmas, as if we used the holidays as a band aid for the darkness in our lives. Oh, it wasn't a dark tunnel of misery, certainly not enough to make a Lifetime movie out of. And believe me, I cleaned up on Christmas morning, being an only child and all. But I do remember feeling an edge to the holidays. And January, watch out. As is common, my mother's mood plunged. She freely admits to the winter blues. Especially in California because we often have lovely weather in December then really crummy weather in the next 3 months. Kind of negates the elation of the holidays.

When I grew up, my first jobs were in retail. There ain't nothing that can beat the holiday spirit out of a person like working retail at Christmas time. I ended up doing all my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve because I couldn't stand going into the stores. I'd had holiday overload. It was exhausting.

So now I have my own home and I have a new set of reasons. One, my kids are death on decorations. The year I got married, I bought a village at Target. I haven't set it up in years because I know what will happen. I've lost many decorations to the savages. Some more precious than others. Usually, by the end of Christmas, there are hardly any decorations on the tree anyway. Two, my kids are so wound up this time of the year as well. The two girls have their birthdays in November and my son has his birthday two days before Christmas. They are so over-excited this time of year, I try to downplay the holidays just to keep us all sane.

I think there is too much pressure this time of year to be, well, merry. If we aren't in a celebratory mood, there must be something wrong. The messages we receive this time of year make us feel obligated to be happier, more generous than usual. Sometimes, I think it is too much. Moms really get hit with it. I do almost all the shopping, the baking, the decorating, what have you. I used to put a great deal of pressure on my self trying to have a Martha Stewart-style holiday. It didn't make my happy and it didn't make anyone else happy either.

The holidays should be fun and joyful, not an obligation. So don't worry if you don't have the holiday spirit. Pick and choose what pleases you about the holidays. I listen to Christmas music (except for yesterday's list) and drink egg nog. Add some Christmas cookies and I feel pretty Christmasy. Make it simple and enjoy the people around you. That's what the holidays should be about.