Oh, what a
wonderful Christmas Break we had! We
squeezed in so much time with family, we celebrated Christmas and New Year’s to
the max, we played lots of games, worked on puzzles, hung out with friends, relaxed
a TON, aaaand I got the whole house in order after the holidays… well, with the
exception of the kids’ rooms and the playroom.
Those are going to take some time as they need to be cleaned out, so I
decided that could just wait until January.
Anyway, in case
you haven’t been reading blogs these last couple of weeks, you can catch our
Christmas recap here, and now it’s time to recap the second half of our break!
Monday, December 27
Monday morning, Olivia woke us up early saying she had a tummy ache, and
she spent about an hour that morning laying on the couch and watching
cartoons. After that, she was good to
go! While she and Jacob watched
cartoons, I started working on taking down the Christmas decorations. We put up so much stuff, and it takes days to
get it up. Therefore, it also takes days
to get it down, so I do it in shifts.
Monday, I got the bannisters on the stairs taken down and put away, and I
got the trees in my office and our master bedroom undecorated and put
away. I also got started on the
mountains of laundry that needed to be done.
The kids spent the rest of the morning playing with all of their new
toys, and before lunch, I sat down with Olivia to teach her how to use her new
weaving loom. I had the same set when I
was a kid, and it was one of my favorite things to do. My mom had those potholders for years and
years!
She got a little less than halfway done with her first project and then
put it to the side to take a little break, and then I made lunch.
We got the kids a basketball goal for Christmas, and after lunch, Brian
and the kids played basketball forever.
I didn’t think they were ever coming in.
Haha. That was definitely a great
gift, and based on how much they’re loving it now, I think it’s going to get a
lot of use!
While they were outside, I undecorated Jacob’s and Olivia’s trees in
their bedrooms, but I left the trees up with the lights on as promised, because
both kids wanted one more night with their trees.
After that décor was down, I decided that was enough for the day, so I
got showered and then spent a short time in my office getting some things done
while the kids played video games.
I cooked dinner and we all ate together, and then after dinner, we played
two games of Exploding Kittens, which we are all loving! It’s so much fun for the whole family!
We still had more time to kill after that, so we pulled out our newest
puzzle – a 1,000-piece Lego Mini Figure puzzle.
The kids are loving it and it’s keeping them more engaged than that last
Christmas puzzle that we did.
Once the edges were completely done, we put the puzzle away, watched an
episode of The Fresh Prince, Olivia finished her weaving loom, and then the kids went to bed. After they were all tucked in, B and I
watched that new Tom Hanks movie, Finch.
Y’all, it was so good, and I cried my eyeballs out. Tom Hanks is definitely one of the best
actors of all-time, ever.
Tuesday, December 28
Tuesday morning
was another morning of sleeping in, and then after breakfast, B and the kids
went to get fireworks for New Year’s Eve.
They had the whole place to themselves, and while they were gone, I had
the whole house to myself, which meant… time to get down the rest of the
Christmas decorations! Well, with the
exception of our main Christmas tree… we always take that down last.
I got the
entire living room put away (except for the tree), and then I got the kids’
trees down, got the house dusted, and then I also tidied up a bit. The house was still out of control from
Christmas.
By the time B
and the kids got home, it was time to eat lunch, and then after that, B and I
got all of the Christmas decorations down outside. Olivia had finished her weaving loom project
by then, and she needed help tying it off, so I got that done for her. That was always the hardest part when I was
little, and I had to watch a YouTube video as a refresher. Ha!
B and the kids
went outside to play basketball afterward, and I had to go finish up my blog
post for Wednesday. Since flu hit our
household the week before the kids got out for Christmas break, I was all kinds
of behind on blog stuff, so I did end up doing a little bit of work during the
break, but it was minimal.
I whipped the
blog post up as quickly as I could, and then I headed downstairs to make a
pineapple casserole to take to Christmas celebration #3 – Christmas at my
mother-in-law and step-father-in-law’s house.
We all got
ready while the casserole was baking, and then we headed over to their house
for dinner. Both of my sisters-in-law
and their families joined us over there, and we all split up in different rooms
to eat, so we weren’t all squeezed in the dining room. We’re all being really cautious again since
the Omicron variant has exploded here in town.
Our family of
four ate outside and we had the most beautiful weather. It was 72 degrees and partly cloudy, and we
saw the most beautiful sunset while we were out there. We really lucked out because it had been
gloomy all day and was supposed to have rained a lot.
Once everyone
was done eating, we headed inside to open presents, and the kids got lots more
stuff to add to their new pile.
We finally
headed home around 8:30, and then once the kids were in the bed, B and I
started the show The Shrink Next Door.
I love Paul Rudd and I love Will Ferrell, and that show is really good,
but my goodness, is it frustrating to watch!!!!
Wednesday, December 29
Wednesday was
Brian’s one day to work for the week, but of course, he’s still working from
home, so he didn’t have to actually go anywhere. It poured all morning long, so it was the
perfect morning to take down the Christmas tree. It took me all morning, but I made some hot
cinnamon tea to enjoy while I worked, and I shuffled my entire song library,
too.
I got the tree
down by lunch, and then after lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon
scrubbing and tidying the whole house (with the exception of the kids’ rooms
and playroom, of course).
Olivia got a
Barbie Dream House for Christmas, and that thing is MASSIVE, so I spent the
better part of the afternoon rearranging some things to get it in the
playroom. Thankfully, the kids were
finally willing to let me get rid of their old tent (I discovered they were
using it as a dumping ground… apparently, every time I asked them to tidy the
playroom, they just shoved everything in there.
Grrrr.), and that freed up a HUGE space, so we were able to move the
couch back in front of the TV (where it belongs) and slide the dream house in
right next to it. Perfection. I do not miss the tent at all!
By the time all
that was done, it was time to make another pineapple casserole for our fourth
and final round of Christmases… this time, with my father-in-law. While that baked, I showered, and B cleaned
off the porch.
All day long,
we had our eyes on the sky because it poured and poured and stormed a bit, too,
and we were supposed to be having our celebration outside on our back
porch. Eek.
Fortunately, we
lucked out, and the rain miraculously disappeared earlier than expected, and we
had a very pleasant, albeit, WARM and HUMID evening.
My
father-in-law and his friend, Karen, brought over ham and turkey, rolls, and a
few other sides and desserts, and my sisters-in-law each brought a dish, so we
had another yummy meal.
After dinner,
we opened presents again, and then we all hung out on the back porch for a
bit. Everyone left just before 8, and
then we all headed inside, and the kids played with their new toys until it was
time for bed. Jacob now has so many Lego
sets that he’s literally out of surface space in his room, so we started
brainstorming some ideas for a big Lego display.
He and I have
been discussing the possibility of getting him a couple of bookcases from Ikea
(theirs are the BEST and can be customized exactly how you need them), so I’m
hoping B and I can swing an Atlanta Ikea trip soon to grab them while the kids
are at school.
After they went
to bed, B and I watched two more episodes of The Shrink Next Door before
we called it a night, too.
Thursday, December 30
Thursday morning, we slept in again, had some breakfast, and then we
hopped in the car in our PJs to drive B’s SUV down the street to be dropped off
for service.
When we got back home, we stayed in PJs all morning. I helped Olivia with her new Bling craft kit,
and I helped her get her Barbie Dream House all set up. There is a spot for everything – clothes,
handbags, shoes, etc., and she was thrilled to get everything organized and its
spot.
We had friends coming over Thursday afternoon, so the kids and I tidied
up the playroom as best we could (mostly by shoving everything to one side),
but we wanted to have a clear space for their friends to play. I knew there was no point in cleaning out and
organizing just yet when friends were coming over. Haha.
After that was done, Brian and Olivia played a round of Clue (her new
favorite game), Jacob put together another Lego set, and I sat down with my
planner to give it some much-needed TLC.
I had to make sure I hadn’t dropped the ball on anything since I hadn’t
looked at it much the last couple of weeks.
Christmas break is truly a wonderful vacay, and it’s one of the rare times
during the year when I don’t do much planning or make lists or stick to any
kind of schedule or anything.
By the time that was done, it was time for lunch, and then I headed up to
get showered. My friend, Jeannine,
dropped her boys off shortly after lunch so she and her husband could go look
at some houses for sale, and our kiddos were THRILLED to see them.
Shortly after they arrived, my friend Khristina arrived with her son, and
he joined all the kids in the playroom.
While they played, we all hung out and chatted and watched football, and
eventually, Jeannine and James joined us after their house-hunting.
They all left mid-afternoon, and no less than five minutes after they hit
the road, a huge storm blew through, dropping quarter-sized hail all over. It sounded crazy loud as it was hitting our
house and I thought for sure we were going to have some damage, but thankfully,
we didn’t.
I was worried sick about all of our friends who had just left, but
thankfully, they all made it home safely.
They did have to pull over for a bit and wait it out, though.
After the storm, I headed up to my office to squeeze in 30 minutes of
work, because yet again, I didn’t yet have a blog post ready for the next
day. I was just flying by the seat of my
pants all Christmas break. Ha!
We had to go pick up Brian’s car from the service department after that,
and then I made dinner… or rather I heated up some leftover spaghetti my mom
had given us that we had frozen. The
BEST.
After dinner, we watched Encanto, and we all loved it, and then it
was time for two more episodes of The Shrink Next Door once the kids
were in bed.
Friday, December 31
Friday morning,
we watched ESPN College GameDay and lounged on the couch pretty much all
morning. I finally cleaned out both of
my inboxes and responded to loads of emails that had piled up, so at least I
was somewhat productive in all of my laziness.
;o)
After that was
over, I played a game of Clue with the kids – my first time to ever play Clue –
can y’all believe that? And I whooped
them both. Haha.
While we did
that, B ran to our Walmart Neighborhood Market to grab a few things for the
evening, and then the kids and I decorated for New Year’s Eve.
When he got
home, we had a quick lunch, and then I headed to my office to do a couple of
things. While I was posting something on
Instagram, I saw the super sad news that Betty White had passed away and it was
just such a bummer to see… not the way I wanted to end 2021.
The kids played
more basketball in the afternoon because we finally had a day where it wasn’t
pouring down rain… it was very dreary, though.
As a matter of fact, we hardly saw the sun the entire two weeks of
Christmas break. So crazy.
While they
played, I got ready and then I headed downstairs to join B on the couch to
watch the Alabama/Cincinnati playoff game.
While we watched, Olivia and I got our nails New Year’s Eve ready. :o)
By the time my
nails had dried, it was time to start prepping for our NYE get-together. We had my parents and my father-in-law and
his friend over. My parents arrived at
6, and we ate aaaallll the appetizers and drank all the winter white
cosmos. My Momma had made pigs in a
blanket with Little Smokies and crescent rolls, her famous taco dip, and a
variety of cookies. And I had made
turkey and cheese biscuit sliders, and B had made his guac. It was all so delicious!
By the time we
finished stuffing our faces, it was time to watch the Georgia/Michigan playoff
game. We (Georgia) came out of the gate
looking awesome, and by halftime, we were up 27-3. My FIL and his friend arrived at halftime,
and we got our very own halftime show started – fireworks in the back yard! Our neighbors were all out doing them, too,
so as usual, we had quite a show, although, it wasn’t as spectacular as in
years past.
Once everything
was blown up, we headed back inside to watch the second half of the game, and I got out the dessert board for everyone to snack on. Georgia ended up winning 34-11 which means… WE’RE HEADING TO THE NATTY!! Hopefully we’ll actually beat Bama this
time? Sigh.
After our win,
my FIL and his friend left, but my parents decided to stick around until
midnight. We prepped all of the
champagne as well as the kids’ sparkling grape juice, and then at midnight we
had a champagne toast. Just after our
toast, my brother and sister-in-law called all of us and my littlest brother on
Facetime, and we chatted with them for a bit.
More neighbors
started fireworks just after midnight, so we stepped out on the front porch to
watch, and then my parents left around 12:30 AM. Jacob wasn’t ready to go to bed, but Olivia
was almost out on the couch, so I got her into bed, and we let Jacob ring in
the new year one more time with the Central Time Zone before making him get into
bed just after 1 AM. B and I followed
suit shortly after.
It was such a
fun evening, and the Georgia win was the icing on the cake! I’m excited (and also a little wary… because
who isn’t?) to see what 2022 is going to bring!
Saturday, January 1
Saturday
morning, we all slept in… I didn’t get out of bed until 9:15, and when I got
up, Jacob was the only one up. He’d been
up since 8. That kid is forever an early
riser… apparently, even when he’s up until 1 AM. I headed downstairs to work on dishes since
we’d left some dirty ones in the kitchen, and I finally had to go wake Olivia
just before 10. I thought about letting
her sleep, but we knew that wouldn’t be good for bedtime Saturday night, so I
figured it wouldn’t be wise to let her sleep forever.
After
breakfast, B and I sat down to watch ESPN College GameDay again, since it was
on for the second day in a row, and then around 11:15, I finally got my lazy
booty off the couch and got in my first workout of 2022 (and my first workout
all week – ha!).
After my
workout, I got some laundry started, and then it was time to make lunch. We had leftovers from our NYE celebration to
keep it simple, and then after lunch, we all headed outside to play
basketball. B taught the kids how to
play “HORSE,” so we played two rounds of that together. Olivia and I were the first two out both
times. Haha.
B and the kids
stayed outside for a round of “PIG” (a shorter game of HORSE in case you were
wondering – LOL) and I headed inside to get ready for the day. After that, I spent two full hours in my
office working and working because I was soooo behind on blog stuff, and it
felt good to get some stuff done.
The kids got
showered and played video games when they came in, and then we all headed to my
parents’ house for our traditional New Year’s Day dinner at 5. My Momma cooked the very best meal – pork chops,
rice, black eyed peas, turnip greens, and blueberry muffins – our traditional
New Year’s Day meal for good luck in the new year!
After dinner,
we hung around for a bit, and my brother stopped by, and then we headed home a
little after seven because the kids were exhausted from being up so late the
night before. When we got home, we let
the kids watch one episode of Fresh Prince, and then they got in the bed
before 8:30.
After they went
to bed, B and I finished The Shrink Next Door, and it was really
good. It’s a mini-series, so it’s not a
long commitment, and I definitely recommend it.
Sunday, January 2
Sunday morning,
we watched church virtually and tried the Pillsbury hot cocoa rolls (cinnamon
rolls but hot cocoa flavored) and then I pulled out my planner to plan the week
ahead since school started the next day.
Jacob had some
reading to do for school and he also had to study for a social studies test
makeup (he’d missed it when he had the flu), and Olivia read for a bit,
too. My MIL and step-FIL bought her the
entire My Weird School set for Christmas, and she picked up book #1 to start.
Once all of the
school stuff was out of the way, Olivia and I worked on her new puff paint
sticker craft, and she loved it. I took down the New Year's Eve decor, we had
lunch, did some housekeeping for the week ahead, and then B and the kids played
basketball while I got in a workout.
It was gloomy
all day again, and more rain moved in just as they were finishing up, so the
rest of the day was spent inside – B watched football, I worked in my office,
and the kids played video games.
We had hardly
any food in the house since the following day was grocery shopping day, so we
grabbed takeout from Chipotle for dinner, and then we worked on our puzzle, played Exploding Kittens, and got to bed early to start the
new week on the right foot. And that was
the end of our Christmas break!
Happy Tuesday,
y’all!
