Christmas Has Come And Gone

Christmas has come and gone.  It's December 29th and my tree and all the decorations are still displayed and will be until after the new year.  It seems a lot of people rush to take it all down but I like to enjoy it just a little bit longer.

Our Christmas was very laid back and enjoyable.  We exchanged gifts with my parents last Saturday before they headed to New York to visit family.  My mother-in-law came on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts and enjoy a ham dinner with us.  She also joined us for Christmas Eve service at our church and the night ended with the kids eager to get to bed.  Both of my kids still believe in Santa and they were excited to wake up on Christmas morning to see their new legos from Santa and many other wrapped gifts from us.  We tore into the gifts and spent the day playing with the new toys.  I purchased one of those big tool boxes for my husband, something I've been wanting to get for him for a long time.  It seems I always have trouble getting into the Christmas spirit until it's actually Christmas and then I don't want it to end.  That evening we went to my father-in-law's house for dinner and gift exchange.  The rest of the week has been relaxing.  The kids have been playing with their new toys.  A few days ago my dad called and said he wanted the kids to spend a few nights with them.  This gave me a chance to clean the house, relax and enjoy a nice Olive Garden dinner with my husband last night.  I also enjoyed sleeping in and having an uninterrupted morning of sipping coffee and getting things done.  I do miss them though and can't wait to see them later.  They love spending time with the grandparents and those will be memories they can hold onto forever.

Now we prepare to soon ring in another new year.  I feel like we just welcomed 2018 and now comes 2019.  Time FLIES!   I'm not sure what the new year will bring but I will be taking it one day at a time.  I decided my 2019 mantra will be "Less Is More."  We have a house filled with so much clutter.  Toys, clothes, stuff ... everywhere.  We hardly have the space for it and a messy house gives me such anxiety.  We have so much stuff and don't use most of it so why hold onto it?  So, I will be going through each room of the house and purging as much as possible.  Yesterday I started on my daughter's bedroom and it took three trash bags to make it look so much better.  That girl likes holding onto a lot of junk.  My little hoarder.  No more.

So, if you're reading this I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, or Hanukkah if that's what you celebrate, and I hope that 2019 is an amazing year filled with blessings!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my home to yours!

Holiday Season, Birthday, Ballet, and Seasonal Depression

It's that time of year again - the temperature is dropping and the air is colder.  Christmas music is playing on the radio, we've decorated the house, and finishing up on the gift shopping. 

We recently purchased that electric fireplace television stand and it's been a great addition to the house.  I always enjoy the comfort of being warm. 

My son celebrated his 11th birthday last month and it makes me wonder why time has to go by so fast.  He has accomplished so much already in just 11 years and I couldn't be more prouder.  Being in the cub scouts has given him the opportunity to experience many things and is helping him to grow to be the man he will one day become.  I just hope the years ahead don't fly by as fast as these last 11 years did, but it will, so I'm embracing every moment.  Every year we ask the kids what they would like to do for their birthday, either a party or go somewhere fun.  This year he picked dinner at a buffet and bowling.  It was a fun, family day.  Tomorrow we watch as he performs with the other 5th and 6th graders in band in the school's Christmas band and chorus concert.  Our boy does well in everything he tries. 

My daughter has been busy with dance classes.  Not only is she taking her three classes each week but she's been spending extra time rehearsing for two different shows for Christmas.  Last week she joined Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker as a snowflake.  Moscow Ballet offers a great program where they travel the country and allow young dancers to audition and dance with them on stage.  This was a thrilling time for our little dancer.  She had so much fun.  She was able to take the day off from school while she rehearsed and hung out with her dance friends.  Then in the evening was the performance and it was great.  Watching as our daughter was on stage with professional dancers who come from different parts of the world, how cool is that?  She talks about being a professional dancer so this gave her just a glimpse of what that will be like.  These photos, except for the last one, are from Moscow Ballet. 

Her next Christmas show is this Saturday.  Then, hopefully, things will slightly slow down. 

I actually do not mind when things get busy.  When life is busy my body is moving and my mind is occupied.  That's what I need, especially through the winter months.  This is the time of year when I can feel myself fall into depression.  Depression is something that is a constant battle for me but the colder season brings it on much worse.  I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and all I can think about is wanting more sleep -- but I get up.  It might take a little more time and energy but I do get up.  I go through the motions of getting my kids ready for school, doing the housework, sometimes volunteering in my daughter's classroom, working in the cafeteria, grocery shop, more housecleaning, playing with the kids, taking them to wherever they need to go, etc., but getting through all of that, as much as I enjoy it, is often a struggle to get me motivated to do so.  It requires a lot of pushing but I get there.  I have to.  This morning I kept thinking of how I didn't want to go into school to volunteer but when I went in and hung out with the kids it made me feel so much better and I enjoyed how much they made me laugh.  It's the same when I work in the cafeteria.  Those kids really help cheer me up and it's three hours where I get to be out of the house.  I joke around a lot with my coworkers and I've learned that joking around, even if they are stupid jokes, is what helps me to cover up any negative thoughts that may try to pop into my head.  People often say that we need to take life one day at a time but with someone suffering depression the only thing that works is taking it one moment at a time.  I push through the day the best I can but by the end of the night after the kids have been tucked in I feel physically and emotionally done, I felt that way last night.  When I tell people I do not like the winter it seems to be something they can't understand.  There is a thing called Season Depression or Winter Blues.  It's a battle that takes strength to fight it.