The Aftermath of Christmas

Phew, we made it through our "Christmas Marathon!"  The presents are unwrapped and somewhat put away, the pile of laundry is depleting, and the majority of the cookies have been consumed.  I must say waking up in our own home on Christmas morning may have been the best gift.  It was wonderful to spend the morning with our kiddos and watching them open their gifts.  I love the age that they're at, because they open a gift and then want to look at it or play with it.  We took our time and though we didn't spoil our kids rotten with mountains of gifts, they were thrilled with what they received and I haven't heard any complaining about what they didn't get.  Wonderful!  Needless to say, they have been busy playing with their new loot.

My husband and I considered this our "trial year" for establishing how we'll handle the holidays now that we're at home.  We learned a few lessons along the way and have decided that next year we need to get home earlier from our parties, set our cookies out before we go to our Christmas Eve gathering, and perhaps do church on Christmas Eve.  All-in-all it was a success.  Everyone is tired, but hopefully we'll get back to a normal routine over the next few days.  I am praying that we avoid the illnesses that we were exposed to, because I'd rather not spend the next week sick or nursing sick kiddos.  If there is one thing I could go without during the holidays is the sharing of nasty germs!

We did have a few mishaps along the way.  The worst:  The Princess wanted some Zsu Zsu Pets after seeing another child receive them at a birthday party.  I found them on clearance (for a deep discount!) at Kohls and we gave them to her.  While unpacking them, there is a sticker on the bottom that states "Keep away from hair."  I told her that she needed to keep them on the floor and away from her hair, but what do you know?  A few minutes before we were heading out to my in-laws on Christmas she is screaming and crying.  I knew what had happened before I saw her.  The Zsu Zsu Pet was stuck in her hair...extremely stuck.  After spending ten minutes trying to free the dang thing from her hair, I gave up and cut it out.  Nothing like an impromptu haircut on Christmas Day.  Luckily it wasn't much and her hair is so long you can't tell.  I hope the lesson was learned, but I fear that I will be cutting another Zsu Zsu Pet out of her hair someday soon!

Now it is time to switch gears and think about the future.  I am not big into resolutions, but rather goal-making for the New Year.  I have been giving a lot of thought to this and hope to have everything put together over the next few days.  The state of the economy is making me a little nervous, so finding ways to cut some costs will definitely be included in these goals!