Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving Stress and the Learning to Lighten Up

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday, capping it off with a really nice visit to the Boland's house for desert. We got to meet Amber's folks and they were super nice, I really enjoyed hanging out with them. And of course, Audrey and Nicholas were thrilled to be able to go over to Clara's, they can never get enough of her.

I got a little stressed and I'm ashamed to admit it, but after supper, we were running late and I overreacted as usual and took the kids over while Ruth was getting ready. The funny thing is, while I was stressing, I was also able to remind myself that it was no big deal and that my stress was completely unfounded, but I still went for it. When we got there, the Bolands weren't even eating desert, yet, they were just hanging out and chilling, so no big deal. I apologized to Ruth and we worked out the situation, but it was my bad. Have to work harder on that.

In that vein of thought, I am making a greater conscious effort to lighten up, especially with the kids. It ain't easy trying to address your hair triggers, but at the very least I am aware of them when they happen and I'm consciously trying to combat them. That is always the first step, so stay tuned for more.

Our Thanksgiving meal went well, though the time was all thrown off, we ended up eating at 3:00, which is way too early for us, and personally I don't think we enjoyed the meal as much. I.e., we just weren't as hungry. If not for our plans to hang with the Bolands, we would have eaten much later, but that's not a complaint.

Audrey, BTW, made some wonderful Thanksgiving decorations for the table, she's so cute, she did such a wonderful job. She is really amazing. AND, we can take a pic and use it for homeschooling. Can't miss these opportunities.

Today is the big shopping day, and we'll try to avoid it as much as possible, though Nicholas does need some gloves, and Audrey needs a raincoat, not to mention a fleece. I also need to hit the store and the video store, so if they retailers are still open, which I'm guessing they are, I'll try to stop by. It would be nice to avoid the crowds.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

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