It's that time of the year again, Christmas, quickly followed by New Year. Are you a busy mum struggling to find something to feel thankful for, in the midst of what can be one of the most busiest times of the year for our group?
Well I've got a few things (well 7) on my "Thank you Lord" list you might well identify with.
1.Opportunity to sleep in.
Now if you have a brand new baby or toddler, you can probably skip this one, but if you've got primary or secondary school kids you will appreciate this. Schools out, so less requirement for waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get yourself and the kids ready for the day. Even if its 30 minutes or an 1 hour more, absolutely every little helps. So avoid the urge (if you can) to get up as per usual and get a headstart on the day. Enjoy sleepy time.
2.No morning prep for school routine.
I have only 2 kids, but every morning I feel like having a meltdown like Kermit the frog. You'd think that though we have been practising this same "get ready for school" routine for years and years that they should know it like the back of their hand right? So wrong. I still have to assume my military officer persona every morning in order to get them out the door on time.
"Get up already, we've got to leave in 30 minutes". "Get in the shower". "Have you packed your homework book?" "If you knew you had to hand this in today, why didn't you finish the homework yesterday?" "Why have you got no clean socks?" "Give him back his pen and just eat your breakfast!!"
Sheesh, just thinking about this gives me a headache. I will definitely not miss this for the next 2 weeks.
3. No "Oh Lord, what am I going to wear?"
If you're not the perfect mum (seriously who is?), and are also a DIY (Do It Yourself) mum who was up all night helping your child put the finishing touches on their school project (which they only told you about the night before), amongst a heap of other things you had to sort out....., chances are you didn't sort out what to wear to work. But hey, kids are on holiday, you're on holiday too, so none of those early morning worries for a while. You can hang out in PJs all day, or be as kooky and fly as you want to. Yay!
4. No horrible journey to get to and from work
There are 3 stages to this: the getting out the door to go to work, the journey itself, and the journey back. All have different stresses, all are just as horrible. On any given day you could be faced with almost losing a lung because you were running to catch your train having already missed one train, with your first meeting starting in 45 mins (the journey will take you 55 minutes). Or how about road rage, because it seems like every driver on the road suddenly forgot how to drive properly. They don't seem to care that you're late, and all this is mixed in with a traffic jam due to an accident, adding another 30 minutes to your already frantic journey. Or, you've had a crazy day, survived and dodged near fights from pushing, and shoving to squeeze on to a jam packed train, had your toes stepped on, only to have the train delayed for some unidentified fault like leaves on the track. Aaargh!
Now I've made you remember the possible scenarios, please enjoy not thinking about or living through the joys of this for a little while.
5. No chauffeur chores for kids 101 activities
A few years back I stupidly thought the older my kids would get the more independent they would be and less they would need me. I don't know how that made sense in my head, but I was sooooo wrong. Right now it is activity after activity after activity. Keyboard, swimming, dance class, football, lessons, birthday parties, it goes on and on. With each one requiring expert planning to co-ordinate them all, guess who is the chauffeur - yours truly! I love my kids being active, trying their hand out and developing their skills in different disciplines, but I'm also so glad for a little break from running across the country trying to get them from A to B in record time.
6. No school homework
Kids get so much homework these days! It's crazy, or am I alone in thinking this? For most of the homework you can't just leave them to it either, especially when it's a project. So you end up getting stuck in with them. I think mums need a certificate from the school too at the end of each year for the time and effort we put in for our kids homework. Some of this stuff isn't easy either (and you thought your school days were over and you'd seen the back of things like algebra, measuring acute angles, similies and onomatopeia - think again). So yes I'm saying "thank you Lord" for a little break from that too.
7. You made it through the year
Will throw this one in here because I thought 6 was a weird number to end on, and 7 feels kinda perfect. Christmas time being so close to the end of the year, for most people is usually the time for reflection on how the year went. We're usually hard on ourselves (and sometimes rightly so) on what we weren't able to achieve, but I'm sure if you think back there's also lots to be thankful for. Heck, you made it this far in the year through challenges, difficulties and setbacks, and somehow you're still standing. Plus, with all the time you saved (except for the extra sleeping in time you allowed yourself), you have a bit more time to finish getting ready for Christmas (last minute gift shopping, food shopping, tidying up the house for the umpteenth time due to kids being in all day). Thank you Lord.
Wishing you a very beautiful merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope 2017 is one you can look back on with some positivity for progress made and key lessons learned. May 2018 bring with it the promise, hope and realised dreams we'll be working hard to achieve.
that’s the best part, being able to eat what you like and do nothing, best part of the year
Yes you’re right. Until we get to January and start worrying and obsessing about how much weight we gained from eating so much ?. Best wishes to you for the season.