Ramblings....

I love Christmas!! I love the smells, the traditions, the look, everything! Christmas time even has a certain taste. Not just the food, but the taste in the air. Another thing I love about Christmas time is the cards. It's refreshing to see or hear from people that I only have contact with during this season. Blogs, emails, and photo sites will someday make Christmas cards obsolete. With one click of the mouse I can find updates on most of my friends and family, but I still appreciate the Christmas card gesture. I began a draft a few days ago that will eventually turn into my Christmas card letter, and I realized something about Christmas card letters...they outline all of the good, all of the joyous, and all of the easy things that happened during the year. For most of us that equals a very small fraction of our real lives. The days are few and far between in my house where the children are dressed to perfection, incessantly pleasant, and displayed on a hearth for all to see. More often we're fighting tooth and toenail for every sock and shoe, dashing out the door, and arriving at our destination with barely enough time to swab some spit on Jack's cowlick before putting on our "christmas card smile" and saying...."We're great!" In honor of the normal days, I decided to make a "normal" post today. Today, I'm not basking in the glow of wondrous motherhood. Today I'm getting a cramp from holding James at a 45 degree angle to avoid his horrible drainage cough (his first pitiful illness). Today I've wrestled Jack to the ground 5 times to wipe the snot that is now pouring over his top lip and into his mouth. Today I've watched at least 3 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in attempts to defer another tantrum related to his probable ear infection. Today I have been on the phone with pediatrician's office twice in attempts to move the boys' appointment out of their designated naptime and into a slot that would allow me to regain even an ounce of my sanity. Today when John gets home dinner will not be cooked, the beds will not be made, and the carpet will not be vacuumed. Today Crockett is lucky to get let outside, much less receive any affection from me. Today I am a real mom...no parties, no pictures, no frills....just mom. I'm certain that my Christmas card letter this year will still follow the traditional format of braggart and bliss, but I decided to take the opportunity to shoot straight and acknowledge that without normal days like today, the unique days wouldn't feel so special. We are a real, 21st century family. This is how I felt.