Christmas Season 2012

December was a complete blur.  I don’t really know what can be done to simplify and slow down the craziness.  It feels like it’s unstoppable.  I don’t think it’s just because I have 5 kids.  I am sure that magnifies the madness but even people with two kids are stressed to the max.  I don’t think it helped with Dan and my birthdays thrown in the mix either.  I felt like all I did was dole out money for gifts and parties and such.  It’s the biggest challenge to not resent the whole month on the calendar.  I really made an effort to but aside my “Grinch” feelings and to enjoy the season of songs, plays, dances and parties. 

Annie had a two-day championship at UNF and was swimming in 9 events.  We were very excited about it but it did take up a Saturday and Sunday in the busiest time of year.  She swam her heart out Saturday and swam late into the night.  On Sunday, she woke up saying she didn’t feel good.  I told her she could rest and skip the meet and she got quite vocal and proclaimed, “I AM SWIMMING!”  In retrospect, I should have stepped up as a parent and forced her to rest even though she had a great day of swimming and cut time on all her events.  However, when she woke up with a fever on Monday morning, I thought she had pushed herself too hard after all.  I took her to the doctor assuming her sinus infection was back which it was but had a terrible surprise when she tested positive for the Flu.  The doctor prescribed Tamiflu for all 7 of us and what a depressing moment it was to find out that the medication was about $50 a piece.  I had a moment of decision at the pharmacy, chance the flu in our large family or suck it up….I opted for prevention.  I have to say within two days Annie was on the mend and the rest of us stayed well so props for Tamiflu!

The kid’s had a school play and after 2 days free of fever, I let Annie be in the play.  Again, I probably should have resisted her begging and told her no.  After a couple songs, we noticed Annie swaying funny.  We had been focused on Ed’s cute little song and didn’t clue in until Annie’s teacher was rushing on stage to catch her from passing out.  Thankfully, there were several paramedics in the audience who all rushed to help and to make sure she was OK.  I don’t know if she locked her knees, or if she was still sick or if it was just the fact that her shepherd headdress was cutting circulation off to her brain.  I was just grateful that she was not seriously sick.  

What was really freaking me out was that Ms. Vicki picked her to be Mary in the church play.  I told Vicki after she passed out that we needed to replace her and she was calm and said she could sit down and would be fine.  On top of Annie’s drama, Ms. Vicki had picked Eddie to be the Christmas star.  I was freaking out.  He isn’t my most compliant child and I would rather him stay a donkey as he was in the school play!  Thankfully, the church play went really smooth, Annie didn’t pass out and Eddie only threw up a Miami U at the end of the play and didn’t knock down the set or anything!  I sighed a HUGE sigh of relief when that was over.

Christmas finally arrived despite the Mayans saying the world would end on December 21. Somehow all the mass amount of gifts got wrapped and all the children seemed satisfied and happy. I did however find Christmas cards I forgot to mail under my truck seat.  I felt like I wanted to sleep for a week or more.  I am most thankful that despite sickness everywhere, people hacking up lungs, I managed to come through the holidays still healthy.  I am truly grateful for all my many blessings, all my children and the chaos and love that they each bring to my life.  I am still pondering how to better manage the Christmas season and the only way I can see, is to leave the country for a month.  If I go missing next year after Thanksgiving, don’t be worried.  I’ll be back in January! Happy New Year!