I gave my dad homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas because I’m a kind and loving daughter.
And because I’m amazing and can do All of the Things at Christmas time!
And maybe a teeny tiny bit because I let my kids eat the cinnamon rolls I gave my dad for Father’s Day.
All of them.
As in, I let my kids eat every single cinnamon roll I gave my dad for Father’s Day, and my dad didn’t get any.
In my defense, though, my dad’s been to my house and has watched the cloud of locusts descend, like, hundreds of times, so he should know to eat things quickly before they’re consumed by the insatiable swarms.
Still, my dad’s been extra pathetic for the past 6 months about the rolls, so, in a fit of Christmas weakness, I became a cinnamon roll enabler.
Also, I lied when I said I can do All of the Things at Christmas time.
I lied and lied and lied, and I was a lying liar who lies.
Because I can’t do All of the Things at Christmas time.
Or All of the Things any of the time.
I can’t do even do Most of the Things most of the time.
I can do SOME of the Things some of the time, though!
Except when I quit and lay down underneath my table and do None of the Things. So I do None of the Things some of the time, too.
Unless feeling guilty for not doing Any of the Things counts as a thing. In that case, I rarely do None of the Things, but I often do One of the Things, and I do that thing really well.
We found out yesterday that we’ve got a kid having surgery this Friday. He needs his eardrums repaired and his tonsils removed, and it’s Winter Break so WHEEEEEE! Off we go! But I was struck by the fact that the Things I’ve Done for Christmas at this point will have to be Enough of the Things. Because I can’t do Any More of the Things. I just… can’t.
I wrote my friend Mary Beth last night after I found out about the surgery. Mary Beth’s a mama who Has Mama Experience, like me, and I thought she might Get It, so I wrote about the day, and I wrote about the stress, and I confessed that this week may slay me, but then I said, “You know what’s nice about being a more experienced mama, Mary Beth? Knowing that there’s truly VERY little my kids need to have a happy Christmas. Main ingredients: sporadically attentive parents, one gift they really love, too much sugar, mass chaos, Baby Jesus and full stockings. Beyond that? Meh. Who cares?”
And then Mary Beth wrote back and said,
Kids are good.
All you really have to do to raise them well is:
1.) Everything
and
2.) Just breathe, and time will carry you across.
And I thought YES! And THAT’S IT, EXACTLY. Because we humans raising other humans must do everything – we must – but we also learn, eventually, to just breathe and that time will carry us across. Both/And. Both Everything and Just Breathing.
As soon as I finished Mary Beth’s email, I went to my less-than-pristine bathroom where I saw the message my eldest wrote on my mirror in my very best lip liner last Mother’s Day. Yes, before the Great Father’s Day Cinnamon Roll Caper. And yes, 7 months ago, in which time I haven’t cleaned my mirror.
Abby wrote, “Happy Mother’s Day! I love you.”
Which seems like a Very Important Reminder this Christmas week. As we rush and fret and do All of the Things. Or Some of the Things. Or One of the Things. Or Just Breathe.
It’s enough, friends.
It is.
Whether the Things get done or don’t.
It’s enough.
So, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Father’s Day and everything in between. Here’s wishing you breath and air and life and time,
Beth
……….
Today is Day 9 of 7+ Giveaways!
(Day 8 is still accepting entries: click here.)
I invited the 5 Kids Blog advertisers (see the column to your right) to join me for 7 (and more!) days of giveaways. CHECK BACK for a NEW GIVEAWAY EVERY DAY.
Today, our friend Jenni of Little Miss Pea, a company that specializes in unique gifts that are handmade with careful attention to detail and that little extra touch, is giving away a cape and crown set in the color of the winner’s choice.
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This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Malinda, the Little Miss Pea cape and crown winner!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this blog post by 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Thursday, December 26th. One entry per person, please. A winner will be selected using a random number generator and posted on Friday.
This giveaway is open to international participants. International shipping provided by me.
Note: The 5 Kids Blog advertisers provided no additional compensation for these giveaways. Jenni of Little Miss Pea is paying for the cost of the giveaway and U.S. shipping. She paid me for her ad only, and this just seemed like a fun way to work together for your benefit. OK? OK.
42 responses to “Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Mother’s Day (and Day 9 of 7+ Giveaways)”
Merry Christmas!
This is only my daughter’s second Christmas and I have scaled back every year. There is only so much that can be done. Do what is important to you and leave the rest!
Also, that cape set is adorable.
Yeah, I had a List Of Things to do this week, too, and then every. single. one. of my children woke up Monday morning with a horrible cold.
Fever, aches, chills, sneezing, coughing, mucous, mess, and then suddenly, as they were just falling asleep for some (BADLY NEEDED) naps, I realized what this meant: my husband and I would be horribly sick, starting Christmas Eve.
With the tree still naked, and none of the presents wrapped, and none of the snacks for my extended family made, and no plan for Christmas Eve or Day food even though everything would be closed so we couldn’t wimp out like we normally would when we’re all sick.
So, Just Breathe is the order of the day around these parts.
You always know how to say it best, Beth! Merry Christmas from one 5-kid brood mama to another!
I always have a List of Things, and one of the Big Lessons of parenting over the years, for me, is how to only do Some of the Things, and be Okay with it!
That cape looks amazing! I’d love one for my toddler-boy! 🙂
Lovely!
All of the Things! Except when you don’t have the time or the money for any of the things. And then some of the things? Thank you for voicing exactly what was in my head. All this being said, the first gift opened was the empty box, which became a car/space ship/police car/plane within a matter of seconds. It’s intended to fill the wish for a make-a-ship/mega-ship (you translate 4-year-old speak & we’ll figure out what it really is), but it quickly became All the Things.
Merry Christmas to you as well!
Oooooohhh!! I would love to win a cape! Plus a crown? Bonus!!!
Malinda! You’re our Little Miss Pea cape and crown set winner. Congrats! An email will arrive for you shortly.
xoxo,
Beth
Yea! Thank you for reminding me that it’s okay to have days where breathing is enough. Love you girl. Bless you and your family this very special Christmas.
Merry CHristmas! Bravo for breathing! And for letting/helping others breathe! Bravo, mama-friend!
Yay for doing some of the things! What you get done is enough. Truth. Merry Christmas!
I’m not entering (since I already WON, woo-hoo!), but I wanted to say I love this.
Also, with my kids joining our family at ages 6 & 8 last year, they don’t have expectations built in for the holidays, which makes it easier to just breathe. Which is good, because the holidays still call up some big emotions for them. If I had to be a calming presence AND do all the crap my mom did for me when I was a kid at Christmas, there would not be much room for breathing. There would definitely be more yelling and crying too.
Examples: : they didn’t get a return letter from Santa this year, we didn’t get milk and cookies out for the big guy before my little one went to bed, we didn’t go caroling or read “The Night Before Christmas” tonight, or make bunches of cookies. And it doesn’t matter. We’re having a good time, and tomorrow will be even better.
Merry Christmas!
I am really glad I am not the only one who can sometimes only do one of the things. Thankyou for making temporarily giving up ok. So often it is both frowned on and criticized. You and all of this comunity that you have is both amazing and life saveing for me. Thankyou.
I did “everything” this Christmas but I think I forgot to breathe. Will try again tomorrow. Merry Christmas!
Whatever it is, it is enough. Right now it has to be enough to care for myself emotionally (my little girl is at her dad’s house for the third Xmas in a row)
Also, I want to win 🙂
all the blessings to one of my writing/parenting inspirations.
(also, in my world, “fits ages 2 to 6” also means “fits ages almost 35.” just saying…)
Merry Christmas!
I can’t think of a better day to celebrate Mothers Day and Fathers Day than Christmas! After all, the story is all about a Holy Family and their very real, ver scary struggles in this world. I am quite sure Mary & Joseph had to learn to breathe too. Thanks for keeping it real!
Thanks for being real. Very encouraging for all Moms who cant do it all.
Jan
Merry Christmas/Happy Mothers Day to you! I loved Mary Beths response – breathing is definitely the first, most important sanity saving step.
And really, as long as you can still SEE yourself in the mirror, I think you’re fine 🙂
Thank you for sharing your stories with us through the year. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
When I first saw this picture, I thought you had on a Christmas sweater with red writing on it. Mother’s Day sweater/mirror is much better. I had great intentions of giving my co-workers cards and writing kind, thankful things in them before we left for Christmas break. Nope, didn’t happen. So, I am taking comfort in doing some of the things, some of the time.
Merry Christmas to you as well!
<3 Mary Beth's response made me tear up. I often don't know how I will make it though to tomorrow. But like she said
Just breath and time will carry you across! Thank you xoxo