I honestly have no idea. . .

A few posts have drifted through my mind in the last month.  Month.  How has it been a whole month since I last wrote?  Sigh.

We got beat in that second week of football playoffs and basketball has hit full force.  I'm not sure if I'm just old, or tired, or cranky, or all three. . . but I'm not handling basketball season as well as I expected.  It's busier than it's ever been (with five playing) and some weeks we've had as many as nine games.  I love watching my troops play (I do!), but I'm much less tolerant than I imagined of the officials, opposing fans, and just the schedule in general.  Yikes.

Maybe all of that wouldn't be so bad, if I were more on top of things at home.  But I'm not.  We finally got the Christmas cards ready to mail (after they sat on the desk for 5 days) last night.  The gifts aren't all bought.  Not even close.  The baking list is still just a list.  And we are hoping to take a quick trip to our favorite Christmas spot this weekend with the grandparents.

I don't have to mention (do I?) all that needs to be done?

Along with games tonight and tomorrow night.

Mostly, I just feel like crawling back into bed.  And I find myself evaluating what really matters and what are we REALLY spending our time on (yes, too many Hallmark Christmas movies, I'm sure!), and what we might need to let go.

We had TWO snow days, recently - loved having my troops home - got absolutely nothing done - but on the first day out of school we loaded the troops up in Daughter's (#2) and Grandmother's 4 wheel drive cars and went to see the new Disney movie, Frozen.

Loved it.

I keep thinking about "Let it Go."



Let the excessiveness of Christmas go.

Let the tons of gifts go (we're doing ONE for each of the troops).

Let the ideas of a perfectly cleaned home and perfectly wrapped gifts and perfectly prepared goodies and perfectly EARLY Christmas cards and perfectly hand-made thoughtful teacher gifts for 38. . .

GO.

Let the expectations of my troops - asking them to quit being kids who are learning, and thinking they should be grown, fully understanding, mature adults (even when I'm not). . .

GO.

Let those expectations of how everyone should behave (including myself!), how things should look, what should get done. . .

GO.

It's not physically possible to accomplish it all.  It's not.

And letting it go (I'm working on it, at least!), leaves room for other things.  A minute on my blog with a second cup of coffee while the list sits.

Decorating the house for Christmas (even minimally).

Running the Turkey Trot with my Coach on Thanksgiving morn.

Spending Thanksgiving with the Coach's HUGE family.

Celebrating Son's (#1) EIGHTEENTH birthday and Daughter's (#5) TWELFTH.  Yikes.

Gathering lots of eggs!

Completing countless projects for school, with the bigs taking finals this week.

Enjoying Christmas parties with sweet friends.

Going on mission field trips with my girls - preforming the nativity at nursing homes, delivering gifts, singing at the mall.

A wedding of two of the coach's former students.

Sleepovers (even on school nights - gasp!) for my girls.

Friends of the bigs - coming and going - coming and going.  With brownies and muffins always here to share.

Afternoon coffee dates with my Coach on snow days and Sundays, when the weekends are full.

A matinee of "A Christmas Carol".  Lovely.

Visiting sweet friends in the hospital and welcoming new babies.

Making gifts for "Faith Friends" and "Secret Sisters" and countless trips to Hobby Lobby with my girls.

Celebrating our 19th anniversary with the younger kids' Christmas Program at school and watching my biggest big boy play the role of Rabbi Simeon.  I didn't even cry.

And you know what?  Just the day to day cooking, cleaning, baking, washing, folding, ironing.  It's a blessing, too.  Each of my troops fills my heart.  I love them so dearly.  Even with all of the mess.

Times up for now.  Washer repairman coming this morning, bundt cake to make for Christmas Eve and put in the freezer, and Son's (#4) basketball game, along with dinner, homework, and Christmas parties GALORE, tomorrow.

If I don't get it done before next Tuesday. . . and what are the chances??  Let me go ahead and say. . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS Dear Ones.

May your hearts be filled with the knowledge of our Savior and the PEACE He brings to our souls.

~Mrs. Troop