How to Manage Stress!

Quite the catchy title, but what does it really mean? How can I possibly do this...

It started with me handing the kid's Christmas lists over to Joe. I said "here, buy this and wrap it". He said "ok". Easy enough.

Then it was me telling him to stop at Old Navy on the way to his mom's house and buy 7 gift cards for our nieces. Easy enough.

Finally, it was me telling him "No tree. I don't have time to put one up, and I don't want to have to deal with it when I come back from Alaska". Not quite as easy. So, instead of the real tree we usually get (from Andrew's Boy Scout troop), a fake tree from Lowe's made its way into our garage. When I voiced my doubts about my time commitment, Joe said "you have nothing to do with the tree this year". Ok, easy enough. Still, lingering guilt resides.

Why say no tree, one might ask...

Normally, the idea of the Christmas tree is the pinnacle of the Holiday season. However, the reality is that as soon as the tree is up, and the lights are on, everyone magically disappears and mom finishes all the work.
Enough! I say, Enough!

I'm taking two classes in December. STRESS. Andrew just brought home a wrestling schedule with meets three times a week, plus some Saturday tournaments. STRESS. Jessica has soccer tournaments the next two weekends. STRESS. The weekend before I leave for Alaska I have a 10 page paper due (I do not have a topic yet) plus a friend's 40 all-day birthday party in Amador County (yes, wine tasting). STRESS.

I have become adept at self-preservation. Saying no is okay, as is scaling back decorations, commitments, and shopping.

As I get older things seem to be getting simpler. Or maybe it's that I am raising my standards as to what I expect out of the Holiday season, which is peace, quiet, and a really good book.

Anyways.

We had a great time at Disneyland for Thanksgiving. It was crowded on Wednesday, but not on Thursday and Friday. It was very warm, good thing we took shorts. Our great friends Trish and Scott went with us, making the trip much more memorable.

It's worth mentioning...I have to resize my jpeg files to upload onto Blogger, otherwise it takes forever to upload one picture. Sorry if some of the pictures seem blurry.

Walking with Bailey

There are miles of paths around South Sacramento and Elk Grove.

Stuff...

Stress has overwhelmed me lately. Exercise has helped, as well as immersing myself in schoolwork. Those of you in bloggerland might not know my dad is facing numerous health challenges. Living 3,000 miles away is not ideal in stressful times as these. I will be visiting my mom and dad from Dec. 17-Dec. 27th.

Another worry has been Andrew's friend Rhett. Rhett is going blind at the young age of 15, and until recently there was no diagnosis. At first it was thought to be MS, which is a death sentence. However, it appears to be a genetic disorder that has no cure. Meaning he is not eligible for surgery or transplantation. The next step is probably blind school. Rhett is keeping a good attitude, even though this means no sports, driving, or being a cop.

After Greg died I used to wonder why bad things happen to good people, and the bad people continue on. I still don't have an answer. Sometimes, life just sucks. I really hate the saying "I did the best I could with what I had". However, parts of it actually make sense. It is not an excuse for bad behavior or poor choices, but it can be applied to feelings we carry with us.

On a upbeat note (how can I possibly follow this depressing news with upbeat news??). Jessica and I have our tickets for the 4:50 pm showing of New Moon on Friday afternoon.

The new month begins...

Halloween: an opportunity for mayhem, choas, and candy!

Who knew fog machine liquid had a chemical that turned sticky when blowing through the air? Our front porch steps were stickified last night, and the gunk was tracked into the house by rambunctious teenagers. It wasn't noticed until this morning, otherwise I could have prevented the majority of the mess. However, the hardwood floors were sticky, as well as the kitchen floor and stairwell. Basically the whole upstairs of the house, with the exception of the master bedroom.

Of course the fog machine worked wonders, all the kids were scared! Andrew and his friend Rhett provided the monster factor, and spooky sounds emanated from the ground beneath the porch. Overall it was a successful haunting of the front porch and will be continued next year. We already have a plan to avoid the sticky floor thing.

Jessica got her hair cut today, it is so cute! It's a bit shorter overall with much shorter bangs. She's going to post some pic's on fb later so if you're her friend look for them.

The class this month, Introduction to Linguistics, is already kicking my butt! I worked for 5+ hours today and still have so much more to go this week. The chapter I left off at is particularly tricky and will require additional reading. At least next week we have a day off school (Veterans Day).

I just noticed how dark it is, then looked at the clock, and then had to take a double-look at the clock. Daylight savings time. Yeah! Of course you would never know it is Nov. 1st here. I have been wearing shorts all day.

Off to make sure the kids have finished any homework hey had this weekend, and to get some things ready for the week ahead.