1.  Forget Elf on the Shelf.  Become rich even.  Create Elf in the Trash.  Elf in the Back of the Garbage Truck.  Elf in the Landfill.  That stupid elf has broken my kids’ hearts too many times.

Certainly remind the kids that The Elf does not really move every day.

2.  Shake the Christmas tree really, really violently then vacuum up all the loose needles just once.

Oh yes.  That will be much easier to take care of now.

3.  December never comes and goes without at least one illness.

Declare “No Christmas” for any kid who doesn’t clean up his own puke.

4.  Become an avid non-consumer proponent.

That is so cute.  It only took two old socks.  Magic marker could be used even–if you don’t have buttons.

5.  Open the top of the piano.  Stuff some towels down in there.  And the violin.  Close gently.

I don’t have a clue what is wrong with the piano.

Is your house as crazy as ours is right now?  If they could  funnel the energy of kids at Christmas,  they could get the USA off of oil, I’m sure.  The red food dye certainly raises it to a whole new level in our house.  Red food dye is regulated more tightly than sugar here.  Yep.  You read that right.  In some of my kids, that stuff is pure evil.

We are having a ball.  Is it all Zen?  Nope!  Crazy.  Mouthy.  Sick (and I did clean it up, by the way).  Busy.  Unproductively productive.  But when I feel the frustration and overwhelm, I try to use it as a way to STOP and regroup.  (I literally do just that.  When I feel that feeling–I pull up short in mid-stride.)  Something is not right.  What is it?  What can I do about it?  What can I eliminate?  What mind-set can I change and adjust to help deal with reality versus expectation?  Is there a friend I can call who can give me an attitude flip?  Just about nothing matters to me more than helping my kids become content, satisfied, and non-superficial people, and to do that, they need a role-model.  Am I modeling that?

Christmas is about nothing if it isn’t about unconditional love.  Acceptance that great things come from humbleness and simplicity.  May we all know that.  It gets me through December–heck–and the other 11 months too.

Warmest wishes to you this last week before The Big Show.

~~Terri

(PS:  Number six would be, “Expect to be interrupted every two minutes.  Plan on it.”)

(PPS:  I still know that I owe some iodine, butyrate, and blood sugar regulation posts.  They are on my mind, but I just can’t get to them like I want to yet.)