Can I get an “Amen” from all my mama friends out there? I know I try to show Kenny presents as I buy them here and there…but let’s be honest…he couldn’t name more than 2 gifts the kids are getting this year. But I ain’t mad at him. He’s on what we like to call a “need to know basis” up in here during the holidays. Makenna even asked me the other day, “Mom, does daddy know what I got for Christmas?” When I said, “Well…kinda…” She was like, “Oh…is that why he said he couldn’t tell me?” I laughed out loud and said, “Probably.”
I also liked this one…but didn’t want to cuss in my main pic. Shocked, right? Lol…I have some standards people.
So I hope this post finds everyone with a drink in hand, waiting patiently for all of the Christmas magic to begin tomorrow. For many of you, you may have already started holiday shenanigans with family, but we don’t do anything official until Christmas Eve. Which we’re hosting, so I’ve been cleaning here and there for the past few days, making dips and dishes, making sure all the normal “kid stuff” that sits around the house finds a new home for the next 48 hours, dusting in places I typically don’t dust, and… getting my lashes lifted and tinted. Wait…what?? Yep, lash lift and tint. I didn’t even know that was a thing until one of the admin assistants at work came in with her’s done. I was stunned!
I always envy the look of fake lashes when I see women on social media, but would never want to pay the money and have to maintain something like that. Not to mention, my lashes would probably fall out or something crazy. So when I heard you could basically “perm” your lashes and dye them? And it would last almost 8 weeks? Count me in!! See the before and after pics below. I am so impressed. It’s a little weird right now because my lashes are so long that to have them curled this much they touch the top of my eye, but I’m hoping they drop a bit after a few days.
I can’t get them wet for 48 hours so we’ll see how hard that is, but all in all, I’m a happy customer. It can be a little pricey to get it done, so I’m really hoping I can soak every bit out of the 8 weeks. They say it all depends on how long your lash “growth cycle” is. I have no idea how long that is, so I guess I’ll find out.
So back to Christmas… One of my favorite parts of Christmas, especially now that my kids don’t “believe” anymore, is the tradition we’ve started for opening gifts. Now that the kids know I’m the one putting this show on, I don’t have to be as secretive about everything and it has been pretty fun coming up with ways for them to find their gifts in the morning. Why go through all the trouble? It can be pretty depressing to watch kids storm through 6-7 presents in 3 minutes when you know how much money and effort was put into the purchasing and wrapping…so why not elongate the process a little so I can at least sip on a cup of coffee and enjoy the moment? Right?
This year I’ve decided to use small puzzles. For the past 2 years, even one year as Santa, I used clues and hid gifts (scavenger hunt style) in certain spots around the house for kids to find before they could open. This year, the kids will come down to a box with instructions inside, no presents. They will need to put together a small, 24 piece, puzzle that I wrote a clue on the back of. The clue will lead them to a location in the house where a couple of presents will be hiding, along with their next puzzle. I bought a bundle of 3 holiday puzzles from Amazon, but you could easily use puzzles you already have or go to the Dollar Store.
After they have solved each puzzle and brought the gifts into the living room, they can begin opening presents. And another added detail, I also number each of the gifts so they are opened in a particular order. Why, you ask? Well, this helps to accomplish 2 goals. 1: I control which gifts get opened first so that smaller gifts can lead up to larger gifts. 2: This doesn’t really apply to this year, but in years past, I purchased matching gifts for the kids so I wanted to make sure they opened them at the same time. By numbering them, I was assure one wouldn’t open a gift before the other and ruin a surprise.
After about 30 minutes the entire process is over and we make breakfast. Months of planning, spending, shopping, wrapping, etc…all to be summed up with a 30 minute session of present opening. Sounds about right…but the kids are just so darn happy so it’s all worth it in the end.
Below are my December outfits. I just purged a few bags worth of clothes for my MIL to take to a second hand shop. Gotta clean out the closet for new pieces, right? After all, it is Christmas. I’m sure I’ll get a gift card or 2 that will tempt me to shop for a few new things and it makes me feel better about myself when there is new found “space” in my closet.
If you noticed in about half the pics I am wearing my glasses…I somehow acquired pink eye a couple of weeks ago. Seriously? Isn’t that something that 3 year olds get? No idea how that happened and no one else in my home contracted it. I wiped down every surface in my office and washed every piece of fabric that my face may have touched when I got home. And that even meant hand washing my comforter because it doesn’t fit in our washer. What a pain in the arse!
Being on winter break really hasn’t kicked in for me quite yet so I’m still waiting for that ever so wonderful feeling to come over me. Probably because break started so close to the holiday because I feel like I’ve been doing things around the house ever since Saturday morning. But once Christmas is over…no school until January 6th. This will be the first time in a very long while that I don’t go back to work on Jan. 2nd and I couldn’t be happier about that! What I’m not looking forward to is all of the “un-decorating” that takes place after the holidays. I’ve really enjoyed the warm and cozy vibe our decorations created this year.
That’s about all I got for now people. But before I go…I’ll just drop some Valentine deals from Jane for you to take a peek at. VALENTINE’S DAY??? Yep. Valentine’s Day stuff is even at Kroger right now. I mean…come on people! It’s like we don’t even have a fighting change to keep up with these damn holidays anymore. LOL. But since so many of the items are personalized, it is nice to check them out so you have plenty of time to get them.
And don’t forget to get yourself a little somethin’ this holiday season! So many women just buy, buy, buy for everyone else, but forget they need some nice things too!
And last, but not least…I posted the below message on my IG stories the other day, but man…does it speak to me. I have to remind myself of this at least 5 times a week when I’m at work. It’s a hard, but very true, message that hits very close to home. It applies to so many different things…how we deal with stress…how we process information…how we react to certain situations…how we work through problems we come across…how we interpret other people’s emotions…etc. I constantly have to pause and tell myself that just because I feel/react/think/etc a certain way…doesn’t mean everyone else does too. I have found myself feeling frustrated and impatient with people because they aren’t on the same page as I am…well? My first problem was assuming they are processing the way I was so I have to pause and realize this more often to avoid from feeling frustrated with others. I’m just now processing this type of thing at 40. But I guess it’s better than never processing it at all.
Good night, friends. I hope everyone’s holiday is full of merriment and joy. Take time to relax and enjoy family and friends, while also eating and drinking to your heart’s content!
