How to stay SUPER and SANE during the Holiday Crazies!

Was that just a Christmas commercial on the radio?  Did I miss something? Are we ALREADY starting the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season?  I just got the last of the Christmas decorations down a couple of weeks ago!  And when am I going to have time to do all those crafty things I pinned on my “Things for my Winter Wonderland Christmas 2013” board on Pinterest? The sparkly balls, the glittery streamers, the santa-hat strawberries, the snowman cupcakes, the 5-tierd gingerbread house.  I pinned them so we could do stuff as a family this season! Then there’s the shopping, the baking, the gift wrapping, the parties!  I’M NOT SUPERWOMAN!!

 

Let’s not underestimate ourselves.  We can do this.  In fact, the world needs us to keep it together.  So, how do we stay super AND sane during the holidays when there is SO MUCH going on, all without letting the craftiness and perfection of so many others add to our personal insanity? 

 

I did some research with some of my girlfriends and this is what we decided.  It turns out that SUPER and SANE, although very independent of each other, in order to get through the season, you need to have both lists in order to “keep it together.”

 

So here we go:  The Top 5 Things A Girl With A Cape does to stay SUPER & SANE this holiday season:

 

STAYING SUPER (for your family’s sake):

1. Take out your calendar and PLAN.  The holiday season seems to speed by faster than the summertime for teachers!  When you plan, it gets done.  Plan a trip to the city to window-shop, to ice skate, to see the city from the Willis Tower.  Many towns offer Family Holiday Celebrations that are free.  New Lenox has one on Sunday, Dec 8th (and A Girl With A Cape will be there!) Check your newspapers and definitely OAKLEES GUIDE for tons of things to do this season.  BUT, you have to schedule it.  A little family time creates a LOT of memories.  Let your kids in on this too.  A sense of ownership is important for kids finding their role in the family.

2. Plan a baking day/night with the kids.  Include items that you can freeze for those upcoming Holiday parties.  Make a list, get all the stuff you need at once (this will help keep you sane), and then turn on the Christmas music, and spend a whole day cooking and taking pics.  What a great tradition to start AND you can get all your baked goods ready to go for all your Holiday parties.  BOOM!  More accomplished, less time! (and if you can get Peapod to deliver it you won't even have an extra chore)

3. With so many parties this time of year, it’s ok to pick and choose.  What else can you do?  You can’t help that everyone wants to see you and your gorgeous family, right?! Give yourself some grace and ask yourself, “Will it stress me out more to decline or accept the invitation?”  Pick the parties that work for you, and know that although you are superhero, you can’t be everywhere all the time, and that’s ok. 

4. Pick a night of the week and have a family dinner.  Even if it’s PB& J cut into circles to make a snowman, at least you are all sitting together and talking about your day.  HUGE impact.  HUGE!

5. Wear your cape.  Ok, really it’s a super-cute scarf, but you know it’s your superhero cape in disguise!  It’s your reminder that 'GIRL!! You are doing it!  You are surviving everyday in this hustle-bustle season!  You go girl!'

 

Now, on to staying sane…which will allow for us to be super.

 

STAYING SANE (for OUR sake…which really is for our family’s sake.  This is probably the more important list):

1. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS!  YOU are amazing and the more you compare yourself to what others are doing or getting done for the holidays, the more you are robbing yourself of precious minutes.  Accept your fabulous self so you can enjoy the season & look forward to family time.

2. This is good to know: Not everyone is on Pinterest.  And many of those who are, are dreamers just like you and me who have lots of boards, and lots of really cool pins, but no end product.  And the few who do, well good for them.  Be happy for them, knowing that in a few short weeks this will all be over, and people will be thankful they got to see you and your wonderful family, and no one will even remember that you were the “boxed-brownie” guest.

3. Breathe and calm down.  Give yourself grace and know that there are only so many hours during the day.  Make sure to take one of them for you.  Or at least 15 minutes for you to regroup, refresh, and keep going.

4. Have an end of the day reflection and a to-do list for the next day.  Remind yourself of all the good you did during the day, EVEN if your top thing was that you got the lunches right for the kids, praise yourself for it.  That doesn’t always happen for me! 

5. ALWAYS, always keep an emergency bottle of wine in the fridge.  It’s good to have on hand for that unexpected guest…who just might end up being you.

 

Staying SUPER & SANE during the holidays is a little bit easier and doable if you just remember these 3 things:  Plan.  Breath.  Give yourself grace.

The season rushes by because we all feel like crazy people. You’re not alone.  So, plan on this year being different.  A few key, planned-out family moments are what will be the best memories 15 years from now…not what dessert you brought (or didn’t bring) to the Christmas Party. 

See?  You’ve got this.  You’ve totally got this.

 

Happiest of Holidays!

Love, A Girl With A Cape