the after holiday funk.

anyone else suffer from the after holiday funk? the weird place between frustration and contentment?

i'm SO there.

i'm ready to get back to a normal routine----and a CLEAN house. this past month has been FULL. full of deadlines, extra work hours, lots of activity, kids on sugar highs, kids with illness, and lots of chaos.

but it's also been a month of contentment---until the last few days. now i'm in the after holiday funk.

there's so many goings on building up to Christmas and then in the blink of an eye it is over. i liken it to the feeling that a bride feels after her wedding. all that time planning, months---sometimes a year or more, and in just a short ceremony it's all over. it's quite a letdown, don'tcha think?

i really tried my hardest this year to not get bent out of shape about not doing all the "stuff"....the advent calendar, the unwrapping and reading a book every night before bed, the gingerbread house.......and all the other traditions. Christmas came and went just the same without all the extras. and it was OKAY. the kids didn't even notice. just another reminder of how i put too much pressure on myself to make everything perfect---and memorable---and it really doesn't do anything except expend unneccesary energy.

it was a lovely Christmas at our place. one of the most stress-free ones i remember having in a long time. the feeling of contentment was a strong one. i'm quite happy with the place i'm at in life right now. thankful for friends and family and health. as doug says.....every year...."this was the BEST Christmas EVER." 'tis true. they just keep getting gooder and gooder better and better.

i will admit though that i'm a bit frustrated with the quality of my Christmas photos, but, trying to be content just the same. 20 years from now it won't matter so much that they are grainy and out of focus, and there are harsh shadows right? (just nod your head, yes.)

christmas eve, just prior to leaving for grandma's it was becoming more and more obvious that emma wouldn't be a part of the festivities. a quick check and my maternal instinct was right. her fever had spiked again to 104.9.

so she stayed behind with doug and got pizza and a movie while ashlyn and I went to grandma's. such a slower pace when you don't have 2 to chase after. i actually had time to sit and put my feet up and just soak in the glow of the tree and take comfort in the sameness of all that was around me. i love going to grandma's.

ashlyn was way beyond hyper.....can you tell? literally bouncing.off.the.walls. teetering on the side of abnoxious, really. waiting until 6pm to go to grandma's wasn't easy. i suppose i should be thankful she wasn't in meltdown mode. it was so weird to see her plastered with a goofy smile on her face the whole night since lately she's been miserable and mopey with her belly pain.

spidergirl was still up when we got home so she got to open her gifts and was enamored with an electronic toy 4x4 truck who's back end shakes. i didn't get a picture of it yet.

readying for santa. every year ashlyn puts herself in charge of treats for santa and his reindeer. she never needs a reminder and always takes it upon herself to get it together.

complete with carrots, celery, cheerios cereal, oyster crackers, ritz crackers, peanuts and a cheese stick. with apple juice to wash it all down. the girls had a little battle over apple juice versus milk. emma just doesn't believe that santa likes juice. anywho. she left a note too....

"from ashlyn and emma. we hope for a marry christmas. we love you alot. you a favorit santa clas. we love you. shar the food with your rain deer from ashlyn\emma/tania/doug love us. see you in a cupul munts."

santa thoroughly enjoyed the treats and returned the paper he didn't use. he also really appreciated getting juice for a change since he gets milk at every house.

i unwrapped most of my gift laying on the couch looped up on painkillers. i had some sort of relapse with the bulging discs in my back that morning and pretty much could barely move or sit. laying down i was nearly painfree, though.

got me some track lighting for my studio. yahoooooooie! and dad already installed them for me. it's blinding bright in there now compared to the light i was used to working with---which were 4ft florescent shop lights.

the gift ashlyn was most excited about. a box of 64 crayola crayons with a sharpener. art supplies win every time.


oh, and she got her cookbook and chef hat! my cousin bought her the cookbook. a little funny....when she opened it, she was so excited and then her excitement grew as she thumbed through it and then hollered "Oh, COOOOOLLLL!. i can make TOAST!" the crowd roared with laughter. it was hysterical.


emma.......she was most excited over this.....


it took her all of 2.2 seconds to change into it. and then proceeded to wear it for the next three days in a row while at home, only taking it off to bathe.


the most hated gift. the rainbow hat. it's was a gift to emma in a box with some spiderman gloves and spiderman skivvys. "hmph. i don't like rainbow hats, i only like spiderman hats." as the hat goes flying across the room showing her disgust. how do you not laugh at that!? you've all had those moments when you need to discipline and teach a lesson, but you're fighting the urge to bust a gut laughing, right? yeah, this was one of those times.


it's also the first year since she was born that santa didn't bring ashlyn a new baby. and again, she didn't even notice. then again, she didn't ask santa for a new baby either. it's her comfort blanket, so to speak. she takes this baby everywhere. from room to room, even in the car. but she never takes it into school or into a grocery store or restaurant. when she's overwhelmed or tired, she grabs for it and tickles her nose with the yarn while she sucks her thumb. i always wonder when she'll put her on the shelf and not pick her up again.


by Christmas morning, emma was fever-free and practically a different child. not sure why it took so long for the meds to kick in and have her back to feeling normal. anywho. we spent the afternoon at dad's and for some reason, i don't have any of those pictures uploaded to my photobucket account yet. and i'm blogging from work. so i'll have to share those another time.

after dad's we were back home to clean up the aftermath, play games, watch movies and put together the racetrack that emma got.