Christmas Vacation: Week 2

As I sit here Sunday night, I feel anxious about jumping back into our routine tomorrow morning. After two weeks of being off school and having plenty of lazy mornings for everyone I think re-entry is going to be rough. This week was pretty relaxing, even with three days of work included in it. 

I had to work on Monday, but the kids didn't have to be anywhere so it was nice to just get up and get myself ready instead of having to try and get all of us out the door. The workday was a bit stressful simply because it was our last day of 2013 and we had things that needed to get done. This was my first year in this job doing all the year-end tasks and I've been stressed out for the last few weeks with making sure everything gets done right. Doing something for the first time is always tricky and I hope next year will be better. Monday night was a fairly typical night and I tried to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time. 

Tuesday morning we started out with homemade waffles in my new waffle maker. They weren't quite as tasty as I had hoped since the egg whites wouldn't whip (I was trying to use my immersion blender and I think that either the blender wasn't totally clean or the container I was using was too shallow for two egg whites). The waffles were still fairly crispy and the kids thought they were great. The rest of Tuesday could have gone a little better than it did. I thought we could quickly clean up rooms and then go run some errands, but the cleaning didn't happen very quickly and by the time we were done it was lunch time. So we ate lunch instead and were then going to run errands after, but P. Bibby quickly became cranky and resistant and we changed plans again so she could have a "nap" (which lately just means quiet time in her room). S. Boogie invited a friend over to play and I spent some time reading a book; it wasn't a totally wasted afternoon, but I was feeling discombobulated from changing plans and feeling anxious about my party that I had planned for that night. Later in the afternoon S-Boogie's friend went home and I got the kids ready to go over to Mr. Fob's house for the night; we did make one quick stop at a store on the way there, and after I dropped them off I went to the library to grab a few movies. 

I got home with enough time to make some bean dip and quickly clean the house before my New Year's Party was supposed to start. Some friends had messaged me on Facebook to let me know that they couldn't come, but I was still thinking a few people might show up. I hung out on the couch reading my book until 9:00 (two hours after the start time). No one came. So, at that point I turned off most of the lights and went downstairs to watch a movie. I have mixed feelings about the failed party; at some point during the day I changed my mind and realized that I actually wouldn't mind being alone and didn't really want to have a party after all. But, it still feels kind of sad when you're trying to hang out with people and no one can come. I have some good friends that are married and have kids and are great to spend time with in that way, but I've been trying to make a few more single friends that I can hang out with in a different way. So far results are mixed; there are many reasons for this and I might talk about them some time in a different blog post. Really, at this point in my life, I'd rather just be married again and have someone to hang out with all the time, but I have no idea if that will ever happen.

I slept in a bit on Wednesday and then got up and exercised. After spending an hour aimlessly internet-ing I decided to do some New Year housecleaning. I took down and put away all the Christmas decorations and then spent two hours cleaning out the storage room downstairs. I also spent some time cleaning the rest of the house and working on stuff for Primary. It was a quiet day and a good way to start the new year. 

Thursday I just went to work, ran errands, and went to bed. Friday was also a day for going to work--mostly spent cleaning my office and other tasks to get ready for the new year. That evening the kids were back, and shortly after I got home my sister-in-law and nephew came by to visit. It was mostly a fun time for all of us, though I feel bad that things ended abruptly and grumpily when all three of my kids suddenly reached their limit for the day and collapsed into exhaustion and bickering. Yesterday morning we woke up feeling rested and had a very nice day. In the morning we ran some of the errands that we had rescheduled for Tuesday, including a trip to the pet store for a few new fish to restock our aquarium. Then we spent the rest of the day at home; I spent more time finishing up Primary stuff (there is a lot to do at the beginning of the year), Little Dude invited over a friend to play, and S-Boogie did some art and knitting projects. This morning we went back to 9 o'clock church, and surprisingly everyone got up and dressed in time to get there early so I could put signs on all the classroom doors for Primary (and all the kids the helped with that--I love having bigger kids). P.Bibby started Sunbeams today and was thrilled with her new class; I'm just happy to get church done in the morning and to have more time with the kids in the afternoon. 

I guess I am ready to jump back in to 2014. It's going to be a busy year and I wasn't sure about setting too many big goals besides not getting fired from job and not flunking out of school. But, then I was thinking about it and decided to set some little goals each month. This month I'm working on decluttering my house. I've been here for 4 years and the closets and other areas are getting pretty crammed full of stuff. I still have two weeks before classes start, so I've got time to work on it. I'm not sure yet what my other monthly goals will be, but I'll decide that when I get there. 

I also set one other big goal: I want to go to Hawaii for Christmas this year. I've actually had the idea in my head for about month now. Then my sister-in-law just went on a big trip and spent lots of time updating Facebook with her exploits. It's been a few years since I've been and the kids are all getting old enough to travel well and actually have fun and appreciate the trip. Christmas is the most expensive week of the year to go, but it's one of the best times for me to miss work and I won't be in school that week. I've spent a lot time worrying about spending the money because there are so many better things I could do with it (like new carpet, for instance). Friday night I talked with my sister-in-law and she helped me figure out that a trip could be possible and that it would be a good idea. Last night I called my sister to see if she wants to go, and it would be a reasonable goal for her too so she is on board. It's nearly a year away--I've got some savings already, and if I just save $10 a week that would be another $500 by the end of the year. I can do that, and I'm excited to do it. Now when I don't feel like exercising I can just picture my belly falling out of my swimsuit, and when I'm tempted to waste money I can imagine myself sunbathing in Kailua instead. I think 2014 is going to be a great year, and even if it's not I'm still going to end it on the beach.