Stressing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marilyn]

Ahhhhh!! I'm stressing!!!! Even with my spreadsheet and printing the labels quickly for my Christmas cards, I'm not finished. Between the parties, baking, working full time, working out at the gym to keep the pounds off from all the food, I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Have just bought 2 gifts so far. We're not going to my company's Christmas party. It's in another town this Saturday. We decided my career would not be affected either way, so we passed this year. Hope it was the right decision.

We finally bought the tree last night, but nothing is decorated.

Anyone else in the same boat? I think my problem is excess. Too many Christmas cards, too many fruit cakes to bake, should have bought stuff to take to the parties rather than baking, but the excess is part of the season.

I don't know, gotta put some clothes in the washer and get ready for work this morning. Y'all have a Wonderful...Stressless Day!! I'll try, too.:wavey:

[Janet]

I don't feel stressed yet...but I feel it creeping in! We've had our tree up for 2 weeks now...still not decorated, neither is the house in any way. I've only bought for my son so far....so one else. I am planning to go this weekend. So maybe at least I can get the shopping done. If know one else tells me what they want...it's a gift card.

[Lissa]

I'm not too stressed, of course you're the one doing the Xmas cards(another fyi, Marilyn is my mother) I'll do my best to keep the house clean so that'll be one thing you won't have to worry about.

My stress is getting enough money to even buy gifts! I don't know what I'm getting my significant other, I've got a clue about what to get my parents, and I've got no clue what to get my sister!!

[DianaB]

My house is semi-decorated and the rest is filled with boxes that held the decorations!!! I 'm probably about half done with my shopping. My husband and I are going to spend the night at Wichita next week and finish up my Christmas shopping. My goal right now is to get on top of my housework and keep it clean until Christmas. I'm trying hard not to feel stressed because I really don't have any thing to get stressed about YET!!!

Marilyn, as you get closer to Christmas you may have to eliminate things from your schedule to keep from getting so stressed. Maybe the Christmas cards. They can always be sent next year or, even after the holidays! Or maybe buy some goodies instead of feeling like you have to bake them. One of my easiest food items to take anywhere for the holidays is a block of cream cheese with red or green jalapeno jelly on top and serve with Ritz crackers. I keep the jelly on hand and when I'm busy it's ready in a flash. It looks Christmasy and tastes great!! Good luck, take a deep breath, and relax!!!

[Tink]

I've got all my gifts bought, but none wrapped. My cards are all sent unless I get from someone I haven't sent to yet. LOL

My tree is up with only lights on it. I have 3 small trees decorated outside and nothing else decoarated at all. My house is a mess, and I'm POOPED from working full time. I do have tomorrow and sunday off, so hope to get gifts wrapped and some cleaning done. I'm not going to do any more than I have to as far as baking or decorating. As no one else seems interested here, I've decided it's not worth doing it just for myself.

[Marilyn]

Well, things are a little better this evening. I took the Christmas cards with me to work this morning, and during lunch and stretching lunch a little, I got them finished and in the mail. This morning I did some online shopping again, during work, but oh well. I'm really good at not doing a lot of personal stuff at work, and most of our customers and manufacturers are taking off, so there is not a lot for me to do. Had one significant meeting with a customer this morning. I'm taking a little break here now and am headed for the kitchen to make the sugar cookies with sprinkles on top that my husband is so fond of.

We are all getting up around 7 tomorrow morning and attacking the decorating.

Whewwwww!! I think I'm feeling better. Lissa, thank you for helping with the house. Really, really appreciate your help.

Diana, thank you for the suggestion about the cream cheese and jalapeno jelly. I had forgotten about that one & will have to remember for future reference. There's a New Years party coming up. I have one more Christmas party on Monday evening, but we are supposed to take a desert. I think I'll just make an extra large batch of sugar cookies and take a tray of those, or just buy something.

Hope you all have a relaxing holiday. ;)

[Marilyn]

Well, got the Christmas cookies made last night. What a job, made a double batch using 8 cups of flour. Thank goodness hubby come in and helped when I was about 1/3 of the way through or I'd have dough left for this morning.

I'm the only one who got up early. One daughter got in late last night from a Christmas party. The other, 'Lissa, has to go to work at 11 a.m.

But we will get it done, somehow.

Stress level is definitely lower now.

Sincerely hope you are handling things well this year!!!

[Janet]

I'm not stressing now at all. I thought I felt the booger creeping in on me, but today I went and did all my shopping except for my hubby. He finally gave a list of 3 or 4 things he'd like to have and......yeah....they aren't expensive, since I don't have a whole lot left. I bought myself something and showed it to him telling him it's what he bought me....LOLOL it was only $4.77. Now I'll make one more trip to the stores and get his and I will be all done. My son said he will finish decorating the tree tomorrow, so I won't have to worry about that either...yeah!!!

[Tink]

I got all my gifts wrapped today. Whew!
I also got the tree decorated. I've decided not to do much if any baking. I don't have time, am not in the mood, and often it just goes to waste.

Hubby helped me do some cleaning tonight and put up the new fire/carbon monoxide detector I bought, so hopefully we won't wake up dead from either. ;)

I put out about 1/8 of the decorations we have so far. It's just no fun if you have to do it alone, and since we're having our family party at my brothers, I don't know that we'll have much for company for Christmas either.

This year Christmas just doesn't seem like it's gonna be a lot of fun. I can't get in the mood, and no one else here seems to be either.

[Marilyn]

Tink, wish there was something to say to help you get in the mood for Christmas. Doesn't it just seem like it just came to quickly this year. Because of that, it just doesn't seem like Christmas. And the weather, at least here is too warm for this time of year. I remember shopping for the holidays wearing a coat and gloves and rushing into the stores because of the cold wind. We don't have Decembers like that any more. It's like our climate changes are much more subtle. It's cooler than summer, but not like a real winter.

BTW, stress level is definitly down. The tree is up and decorated. Mantle looks good, dining table looks nice. Still need to put the garland on the stair handrail. Hubby did the outside.

Whewwww!!! Hubby's kinda acting like "ye of little faith". I just can't help it. I see all of this that needs to be done, and no one is doing anything toward the goal & I'm so busy on everything, and I begin to stress. Can't help it no matter how hard I try. I think God may have intended some of us to be that way to get others motivated to do something.;)

[Gina]

Well girls I am 98% finished with my shopping, just have to buy for Hubby and stocking stuffers for my kids. House is decorated, cards sent, gifts even wrapped. Now for baking I normally bake a lot of different cookies but this year I don't have the energy or desire to bake that much. No one helps!!! So I told my son to pick two of his favorites and towards the end of the week I will bake them.

[Marilyn]

Well, got the last of the fruit cakes baked. Finally!!! Grand total this year is 30. They range in size from 1 lb to 4.5 lbs. Made some pecan tarts and chocolate cookie kiss tarts for the last Christmas party tomorrow evening. Did some more Christmas shopping this afternoon, and even attended church services. I'm tired, but am definitely on the down hill side.

One of our daughters is planning the Christmas dinner, so I'm not stressing over that, yet. We're cooking a little extra this year because I think we are going to have at least a couple of friends over who don't have family to spend the day with.

Well, after the weekend, it's back to work tomorrow. Joy!!!

[Janet]

Everything is done here too. I still have to buy for hubby, and take the decoration boxes out of the living room. Son did decorate the tree a little more. No baking...except a cake for my son's birthday on Wednesday. He'll be 16....my baby is growing up wayyyyy to fast!!

[Marilyn]

Everything is done here too. I still have to buy for hubby, and take the decoration boxes out of the living room. Son did decorate the tree a little more. No baking...except a cake for my son's birthday on Wednesday. He'll be 16....my baby is growing up wayyyyy to fast!!

Awww, Janet, enjoy him as long as you can. He'll always be there for you, I'm sure, but they get so much more independent when they turn 18, and that's not far off for you.

[Willow]

We have everything done...all wrapped and hidden...but the kids have been misbehaving SOOOOOO bad that we have threatened to cancel Christmas and I will too! I told them yesterday that they have ONE WEEK to straighten their acts out and to clean their room each night before bed or I will send Santa straight back to the North Pole with the presents and I will make him issue me a refund for the gifts!!

And to convince them I meant business I packed away their stockings we had hung up!! They cleaned their rooms in a hurry last night and this morning they made their own beds LOLOL (they aren't great at that yet, but it is the effort that counts!)

[Marilyn]

We have everything done...all wrapped and hidden...but the kids have been misbehaving SOOOOOO bad that we have threatened to cancel Christmas and I will too! I told them yesterday that they have ONE WEEK to straighten their acts out and to clean their room each night before bed or I will send Santa straight back to the North Pole with the presents and I will make him issue me a refund for the gifts!!

And to convince them I meant business I packed away their stockings we had hung up!! They cleaned their rooms in a hurry last night and this morning they made their own beds LOLOL (they aren't great at that yet, but it is the effort that counts!)

LOL!! Willow you are soooooo mean!! I bet your kids are just too cute. Have a wonderful Christmas!!!!!!!!

[Willow]

:p LOL mean??? Yea, I felt kind of guilty, but it worked! And we have tried everything else to get them to behave. And we went all out for Christmas this year, and I want them to appreciate it! I mean, they are getting TONS of stuff!!

So far they are being picture perfect!!! They made their beds again today and made sure their toys were all put away before they went to school. I think we will put the stockings back out today.

What they DON'T know is I wouldn't really have the heart to not give them Christmas. Daddy told them if they have Christmas this year and then start in with the being bad routine again after Christmas, then next year we will skip Christmas :rolleyes: He doesn't mean it either, but what they don't know, makes US happy LOLOL

My mom didn't believe us when we told her things that the kids do, and I spose all kids do it, we just haven't figured out HOW to break them of it. Two days ago I totally swept and cleaned the boys room. Yesterday they had shredded papers into tiny little pieces and spread it all over the carpet~~ :eek: You couldn't even tell I had cleaned the room! Plus the removed the screws from the baby's crib and we have NO CLUE where they put them and they removed a few other parts of the crib and they are vital parts to putting the crib back together!! As punishment, my boys have to take turns letting their baby brother sleep in their bed with them until we get the parts to fix the crib (the baby is almost 2 and probably ready for a toddler bed anyway, but it is the principal!)

Today the room is back to normal (after I cleaned it again last night). Now our daughter had done SUPERB at keeping her room clean and making her bed and doing her best to be good until Christmas. We laughed because we heard her brothers trying to entice her to help them get some candy and she said, "No, I want my presents!" :D

Here is a pic of my kiddos...from left to right..Kody with Max, Ethan with Maddie, Austin on Katie's lap, and Gizmo (Autumn refused to get in the pic!) and yes, my boys need haircuts, we just haven't made it to the barber shop yet LOL

[Marilyn]

Awww, Willow, they are precious. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Christmas morning must have been so much fun!!!!!

[Janet]

Oh Willow!!! You must have had a great Christmas morning with those little ones!! They are just so cute..:)

Don't know if this will work for you, (we only have our one son), but we have always had a daily list of things he had to do before he could do any things else. Once they were checked off, he could go have fun.

When he was little it was only one or two things....like pick toys up off floor and brush teeth. As he got older we would add another, like dust his room, run sweeper, take his clothes to laundry room....etc. Believe me it works.

When we first started using this "chore list" he might not want to do any of it so would plop himself down in front of the TV. WRONG! If he didn't want to do his chores, all he could do was sit on the couch...no TV. After a few times of trying to show us "he" was boss, he learned "we" were....LOL He doesn't really have the list anymore, but knows what has to be done before he can watch TV, play his video games...etc., so now he just does it.