The Aftermath

Whew!  What a whirlwind!

It was an interesting holiday.

There were some gifts that were a huge hit that I didn't expect to be so popular.  There were gifts that I thought would be a hit that were... meh.

With our kids, we followed the little poem "Something you want, something you need, something you wear, something you read."  Then a main gift from Santa and a stocking full of smaller goodies.

Teagan:
Want: Rapunzel from Tangled
Need: new sneakers
Wear: bathrobe
Read: set of first four Magic Treehouse books
Santa: Princess Celestia from My Little Pony
Stocking: Goldilicious (book), markers, headbands, nail polish, Scooby Doo spin brush, Little Mermaid bath scrubby.

Zach:
Want: superhero action figures (Jeff picked out 3)
Need: new sneakers
Wear: superhero undies (he has Marvel undies and this was a set of DC)
Read: 3 books with a common theme of having something to do with space (Aliens Wear Underpants, Skippyjon Jones Lost In Spice, There's No Place Like Space)
Santa: Thor action figure and foam Thor hammer, Yes Day (book), markers, Scooby Doo spin brush, bath scrubby (Spiderman).

Jeff and I decided to not do big gifts for each other this year.  The kids had each gotten him a jar candle in a scent he's been looking for.  I went with the odd and silly route and got him food storage containers (since he's been cooking more lately), a mini megaphone (so we can always hear him), and a whoopie cushion (because Jeff is funny).  I got a new nightgown from Teagan (she picked it because it has coffee and donuts on it).  Zach got me a pint of homemade strawberry jam from my favorite breakfast spot- Sunrise Cafe (locally, family owned business) and a Tervis tumbler from there as well. 

We also have a whole new pile of toys from friends and family- Barbies and superheroes and vehicles and puzzles and treats.  Today, we try to sort it out and organize and put away. 

Jeff's birthday is a week away... now the stressful buying decisions have to be made.  It's hard to buy for him.  I have some ideas but nothing that I know he wants.

But the biggest part of today is recovering from our Christmas hangover.  The past week has been filled with candy and treats and presents and family gatherings and late nights and celebrations.  While Jeff and I have tried to remain consistent in our discipline, we've also let a lot of things go because they've been operating under Grandma rules or whatever.  So today isn't necessarily a fun day.  Today is a work day.  Today, we get caught up on dishes and we throw out bags and bags and bags of trash.  Today, we do laundry and clean bathrooms and floors.  Today, we figure out if we have any toys we can donate to Goodwill.  Today, we get back to healthier food choices.

Merry Christmas Aftermath.