Christmas Is Making Us Crazy!

Posted on December 15, 2014 by The Dose of Reality

Christmas is making us crazy over here y’all! Raise your hand if the holiday season is weighing you down…and we don’t just mean because of all the yummy Christmas cookies you have been making thanks to Pinterest!

It seems like there is just so much stuff to do at this time of year. Between the gift buying and the house decorating, we start out broke and tired. When you throw in school holiday parties and dance recitals, we feel ourselves going over the edge into crazytown. Forget throwing an unexpected illness into the mix, because that is just a recipe for why mommy rocks in the corner crying all day!

So, we had grand plans of blog work all week and part of next week, where we would then treat ourselves to blog holiday break…check out of social media and really just focus on time with our families. We all know how relaxing long school breaks are for moms, right?

But then, well, life happened. And we discovered that if we actually planned to sleep on Christmas Eve and not find ourselves combing the aisles of the local Walgreen’s for Christmas gifts for the whole family (really, though, who can’t use a new comb and some Jujubes), we needed to actually use our very limited remaining free time wisely.

So if you need us, we are knee deep in the dollar bin at Target grabbing all remaining batteries and rolls of tape. Once we finish there, we will be heading over to Justice to relive our 80’s youth and attempt to find our preteen girls a few sweaters in any shade other than day-glo green. Good luck on that front, are we right?!

In the meantime, since we know everyone currently reading this has a to-do list a mile long, we are just going to share a few of our favorite holiday posts from the past couple years in one spot. Read them at your leisure (HA!) or when you need a break from all the holiday visitors (more likely!). We are all in this together. And boy does it take a village, especially during the holidays!

That Time I Accidentally Told My Kids Santa Is A Jackass

A real lesson in making sure you have your story BEFORE your kids question you!

Dear Santa, Please Make My Kids Smile On Command Just Once

Kids really just know how to put the cheer in holiday cheer, don’t they?!

The Worst Christmas Display You Will Ever See

Try explaining that choice of Christmas decorating every day on the way to school!

So, there you have it, folks. Our version of a Christmas season wrap-up. Now, everyone, back to your regularly, scheduled programming, i.e. teacher gifts, grocery shopping trips, and figuring out where you hid that gift you bought last April when it was dirt cheap and your couldn’t pass up the savings!

Happy Holidays Dose Peeps!

We will see you all back here on January, 5th, 2015 right after we send our children back to school and pour ourselves the first cup of actually hot coffee we will have had in 2.5 weeks!

Making The Cut: When Christmas Is Painful

Posted on December 10, 2014 by The Dose of Reality

It is no secret that my mother died a few years ago. I have written about it a few times here, including when I shared about the difficulty of the first holiday season without her. As anyone who has experienced loss can tell you, it is often the most unexpected moments that hit you the hardest.

I can honestly say that even three years later, the process of doing holiday cards is one of the times I miss my mom the most. It is one of the times that I can genuinely hear her voice raving about my choice of cards and my children in their photos.

I am beyond honored that The Huffington Post is sharing a post that I wrote about what it feels like when Christmas is painful. When you have to make the cut in the Christmas card list that you wish you did not have to make.

When Christmas Is Painful

We are closing comments here today in hopes that you will share your thoughts over at HuffPo instead. It would mean the world to me, and I can promise you that somewhere my mother will be sharing them all beaming with pride.

Operation Christmas Child

Posted on November 17, 2014 by The Dose of Reality

As mothers, we feel especially called to teaching our children about philanthropy and giving back. We consider our children very fortunate to have more than they need and certainly plenty of what they want.

When we were presented with the opportunity to participate in a campaign to raise awareness for Operation Christmas Child, there was no question we were saying yes. Since 1993 over 100 million children worldwide have received boxes thanks to this amazing organization. We have actually packed boxes in both of our families for many years, so our kids were ready to dive right in and help to do their part!

OCCBlog2 We decided to use shoebox sized plastic bins instead of actual shoeboxes for the gifts, because they last longer. Once we’d found the perfect size, we got to work filling them up. Each of our children painstakingly picked the items for the child in their age group. (Painstaking is the perfect word here. What we thought would be a 30 minute shopping trip because we already had an extensive list of items ready, turned into a 1 ½ hour shopping extravaganza. Never have you seen children debate the merits of different toothpastes or pencils like our crew. They were intense! You could see their pride as they found the perfect toothbrush or the coziest pair of socks.)

Once we finished shopping and felt certain that nothing good had been left out we let the kids pack their own bins. They were so excited and really had fun admiring their choices!

We talked a lot while we were watching them prepare their boxes about what we were doing and why we were doing it. We talked a lot about the children who would be receiving their gifts and how they might feel when they opened them. It seemed important to really point out the appreciation a child might have for owning a flashlight or wearing a shiny new watch. We decided which small toys might be their favorite and the many uses of a brand new tennis ball. All the kids really seemed to “get” the fact that what they were doing was truly going to make a difference in the life of a child. A child who is just like them.

From our youngest to our oldest, we saw the joy that giving can bring. We saw the pride they felt when there bin was full to the brim. We saw that they truly understand the mission of Operation Christmas Child and why they were lucky to be involved. As mothers, we felt grateful to have been able to share this moment with our children.