One of my lovely Insta Business Besties (that’s code for someone you met on Instagram that you ‘click’ with and you have a lot in common and the rest is history), well… she asked me to write a blog about my lead up to Christmas. Seems she (just like me) was stressed out with work, appointments, kids and the silly season aswell. So without further adieu I present to you Kazza’s Lead Up To Christmas AKA – The Shit Show!
Like most people or working parents, or maybe not even working parents – like most people Christmas is stressful. God knows why! Do we cause this on ourselves, is it society? Is it the government? (joking) I used to think life wasn’t stressful. In fact, I used to think that if you are stressed out in life – you caused that problem for yourself. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault you are stressed, you caused it! All of it! What a fucken idiot!!! Clearly that point in my life I didn’t work for myself, was busy or have kids that made me stressed or have a husband that makes me lose my mind sometimes and I had absolutely no bills or financial pressure. At all! Safe to say, my outlook and my understanding of stress (and life) has 100% changed.
My husband – J, is pretty helpful around the house. USUALLY. He isn’t that handy but let’s just say he knows what he can and can’t do – even with tutorials from YouTube. So when he said he has 3 weeks holidays – I did what most wives do, I wrote a list. I called it a Wish List, speaking from experience it works well. J’s last day of work was Thursday 18th December – which worked out perfectly because I was still trying to make up for lost income from when Billy was in hospital so I had a few days left of work.
Before I go on – I must confess – at this point in my life. I am exhausted. I’m fed up with pretty much everything and nearly everyone. I’m tired. I am SO emotional. I don’t know why I was so emotional I put it down to being exhausted and lack of sleep. Being in hospital with Billy and away from home for 5 days was obviously a major point of why I was feeling the way I was.
Let me define ‘emotional’ . You know that feeling you get when you know something shouldn’t make you cry but you cry anyway. I cried in Fred Clause, (a corny Christmas movie). Now I cry in a lot of movies – actually I cry in nearly every movie I watch. The night before we watched Home Alone and I ALWAYS cry at the end when Kevin’s mum turns around and Kevin runs into her arms and then Kevin waves out the window to the Old Man Neighbour when he’s hugging his granddaughter and walks in his house with his son. That gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME. But I didn’t cry that time. I cried in the bit of Fred Clause when Vince Vaughn got all the elves dancing. Yes, that bit! WTF is wrong with me? Why cry then Kazza? “I don’t knooooow”. A few days later I cried watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, I can’t remember the exact details – but an old lady won $50,000 dollars and her granddaughter was there giving her a hug at the end! Stupid little things like that – and before you even THINK it! NO, I am not pregnant and YES I am SURE. I am not pregnant. Absolutely NOT! I checked.
So with all this exhaustion and my husband finishing work 4 days earlier than I did – I was a little pissed off that he got to do ‘nothing’, which he said that’s exactly what he would be doing. NOTHING! This is when my exhaustion went to anger. It went there pretty fast mind you. When leaving for work on a Friday morning – I asked him if he could put the washing on – nothing to drastic, he says to me ‘Babe, this is my first day off in ages, I’m going to do nothing’ Oh righto then. *insert up yours emoji here* I get in my car, slightly rev my engine up the driveway and go to work. I didn’t hear from J all day. Funny that (helps that for half the day I was out of phone reception, but that’s not the point) J is also lucky that I have a friend that has her own office. She was doing some paperwork that afternoon and no appointments so I hung out with her and helped her do a couple of things. I didn’t come home until about 5pm. I’m never home at 5pm and when I got home – dinner was made and the washing was put on, hung out and taken in! J did not say a word about what he will and won’t be doing on his holidays since that day.
Marriage – isn’t it grand?
I finished work the day before Christmas Eve – I have no idea how I did it – it was like I was in a trance. By that time the Christmas stress was well and truly settled in. I did cram a lot into a week though. Two hospital appointments for myself *sigh* I have something stuck in my body, which is a bit full on (a blog entry about that will be coming up in January) Hopefully it will spread some awareness about woman’s health. Last minute Christmas gift shopping, a trip to Bunnings and Officeworks. Those 2 shops are like a vortex – I can NEVER leave with what I came in for. I made it a priority to workout with my Personal Trainer. On training night I was feeling so unmotivated and thought about not going, but I got out of making dinner and knew it had to be done, so I went. I figured I have a few days to sit and rest.
When you have kids – no one ever mentions the teenage years. It’s always baby, toddler then school and how cute your kids are when they are in those stages of their lives. Which is true, they are cute years. Everyone jokes about WHEN your kids will be teenagers. No one actually offers or says any ‘advice’ about having teenagers. Because the people that do offer advice about teenagers, are still in the ‘cute kid’ stage of their lives. People laugh and say ‘oh, my kids won’t do that when they are teenagers’ WRONG. They probaly will and they will do it twice, just to be sure! We were all teenagers once, half the shit teens do these days is worse than what we did – drugs are more common to find and get, social media and access to the wifi is every parents NIGHTMARE (teenager or not), drinking is more acceptable (apparently), Snap Chat and TikTok become obsessive – refer to wifi is every parents nightmare and the list goes on and on.
However, in saying those thing – having teenagers can be very handy! Having teenagers that work is even more handy. Both my teens have apprenticeships – one a plumber and the other commercial cookery (chef) J and myself think it’s important to have a trade, so they have something to fall back on – even if they don’t use their trade once they are qualified at least they have it and because they work and earn their own money – they saved me at least $200 and that, my friends is the silver lining! They bought me a present, their Dad, their little brother and each other presents! All with their own money. It worked out perfectly! Seems having teenagers are somewhat useful and this is now the new normal for Christmas and birthdays. Welcome to adulthood Children.
If you are a fan of my blog entries, you would know from the last entry that I do a Christmas Eve Late Lunch/Kids-Eat-Us-Out-Of-House-And-Home Dinner. It was pretty good, the eldest had a work trial in the morning and I was very surprised Mr 16 was at home for the day. By mid-afternoon the table was set to go. Lollies, chicken, turkey, dinner rolls, chips, dip, ham, pasta salad, cheesecake, chocolate. The works. The boys loved it. They came in and out of their rooms and sat together and then went on their way, then half an hour later they would do the same again. Christmas Day, we went to my Brother In Laws, it was great and the Queensland weather was perfect! Boxing Day was THE best – the teens weren’t home (not that that was the best, but it was 2 less people to worry about and nagging me) Mr 9 was playing his new PS4 game for most of the day. I think we all went to bed at 10pm because we lost track of time. Days like those are the best aren’t they? That means holiday mode is well and truly turned on!
I have officially finished working for 2020, my last day was yesterday and it was the worst. Well, maybe not THE worst, but close to it. I clean holiday rentals to help my friend out in the busy periods . It’s good money but please not. If you are ever staying in a holiday rental, leave a beer or a box or chocolates in the fridge – the cleaners will be most grateful, especially on a hot day. Sometimes we don’t get paid enough to clean up mess that the holiday maker should of done themselves, as in that little PDS that you sign when you collect the keys. Just be kind! The cleaners will love you for it!
We are off camping in a few days – that shall be fun. We haven’t gone camping in about 1.5 years. You would think the world is ending with the amount of crap, I mean ‘all useful and much needed equipment’ J has packed. I am sure he has packed everything that is required, but he has a tendency to ‘overpack and overreact’ when it comes to things like this. Camping should not be hard – this is what I tell him. Keep things minimum. I’m more worried about not having enough food to feed the children. Could you imagine going away for 5 days and not having enough food to feed your family? Seriously, my worst nightmare. Ever! I mean I would be able to go without food, but I would cut off my arm and leg if it meant my kids could eat and not whinge and bitch about being hungry.
Then, by the time we get back from camping it will be a new year (thank GOD), then book lists and back to school stuff will happen and another year will fly past. Hopefully 2021 will be MUCH better than 2020 – goodness knows lots of people are happy to see the end of 2020. Pretty sure the last and first thing I am going to do this year and next year is pick up teenagers from their NYE parties. Or give them money for an Uber to get home. That sounds much more sensible doesn’t it?
Thanks for sticking around in 2020 – I’ve had fun!
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