Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Random Thoughts

I was just thinking how things change. When I was a kid it was such a treat to go to McDonalds. Usually it was too expensive for us to get Happy Meals so we just had to go with a burger. I thought how when I had kids I'd have enough money to buy them Happy Meals. My kids got plenty of Happy Meals growing up- probably too many. Now they love it when I actually take the time to cook. It is a treat for them if I take time to prepare a meal and we stay at home and eat it together. I guess it is one of those "be careful what you wish for things".

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!!

I'm finding that I'm moving very slowly today. No, I'm not hung over. I really didn't drink much at all last night. I've found over the past few years that I don't really need alcohol to give me an excuse to be uninhibited. I also don't really need the horrible hung over feeling the next day. I'm moving slowly I think because I am afraid that once I get going with my chores I will be off and running and will not slow down for quite a while. It will be full steam ahead into the new year.

Christmas was great! I think I am finally learning to manage my expectations better and am okay with change. Don't get me wrong, I still miss the days when my kids were up bright and early and would race each other down the stairs to see what Santa had brought. But, things have changed. This year on Christmas Eve my kids and I negotiated wake up times for the following day. I really wanted to be up at 5 so I could spend some quality time with them before heading off to see my nephew and nieces. They made it pretty clear that wasn't happening and settled for the still ungodly hour of 7.

At 6:45 I had already been up and had drank half a pot of coffee. I couldn't wait anymore so I knocked on their doors. Instead of the patter of little feet stumbling out of bed in their new pajamas, I was greeted by the moans of disgruntled teenagers. I waited 5 minutes before knocking again this time adding, "come see what Santa brought!" I could hear the eye rolling through their closed doors and through the covers that were likely pulled over their heads. I finally threatened to leave them and go in search of children that actually wanted presents when they managed to make it downstairs.

It isn't that my children are ungrateful, they just really enjoy their sleep, they always have. My kids have always slept very deeply and been near impossible to wake up. While I've always regarded sleep as a necessary evil, my kids bask in it.

Once up my kids enjoyed opening their presents. Santa brought the family Rock Band and a blender and we spent a wonderfully long weekend making smoothies and jamming out in our family room. I managed to make it out to see the little kids on Christmas Day and got to enjoy a little time playing Barbies with the girls and listening to my nephew play Jingle Bells on his new guitar. My sister and her husband looked tired by 8:30 am as they sat in their living room scattered with wrapping paper, dolls of various sizes, and horses in pastel colors.I had forgotten how exhausting Christmas is when you have little ones and had only remembered the excitement. One day they'll look back and miss those days.