This past week has been a week of baking and prepping for Christmas and the parties, cookie exchanges and potlucks coming up in December. This time of year is always so busy. But to me, busy is exciting. Busy is fun. Busy means that we get to spend time celebrating with those we love. Busy, to me, is actually a really good thing. Terry and I have talked many times about the fact that we want to make sure that busy doesn't turn into stressful around this time of year...because if it does, that's what our kids will ultimately then remember of the holidays. And Christmas in this household can be nothing short of magical.
As brown sugar, sticks of butter and chocolate chips have exploded all over my counter top over the past couple of days, it has been a huge motivation for me to get my butt out and get some exercise before eating through the holidays officially begins.
And as a side note: My biggest baking tip for the holidays? Bake up your cookies, then immediately put them in the freezer once they've cooled. For me, not only am I less likely to eat them if they're in the freezer, but if you pull them out the day that you are going to serve them, they are as fresh as if you just made them that same day. I've recently learned that homemade cookies actually only have a shelf life of about 2 days before they start to harden, etc..so by sticking them right in the freezer you won't be rushed days before your guest come over and they'll be super fresh. Win/win.
Anyways, in order to offset the Christmas face-stuffing that is bound to happen very soon, I've been dragging my tired self out of bed in the morning and started back to running. Yes, with both kids tucked into our double stroller and the dog running along beside me.
And although it literally takes me longer to get everyone ready for the run than it takes me to actually get a good run in, I'm doing it. Good Lord, I'm doing it. I'm exhausted before I even get out of the door. From being up throughout the night with Carter, to making sure everyone has eaten breakfast, has a clean diaper and is wrangled into their snowsuits, we finally get out the door...only to go back into the house to get Mya's forgotten sippy cup and snacks off of the counter. And the dog of course. Geeze.
But man does it ever feel good once I get going. I love the feeling of cranking up my music and getting lost in the feeling of flying down the sidewalk. I would never call it easy...EVER...but it does feel good, and I think running is one of the best stress relievers out there for me.
Mya loves it because there's nothing better than going fast. And Carter...well, he just sleeps through the whole thing, being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the bumps and movement of the stroller. And Meika? Well she's just in dog Heaven. It's good for all of us.
Jen called me yesterday morning, just after I got home from another run, and asked me if I wanted to do a run for charity this Saturday. Yes, THIS Saturday. I only just started back to running once I got the okay from my OB to start exercising again a couple of weeks ago, so I hesitated for a moment. But then she told me that the deal with this run is that you HAVE to wear a full Santa costume while running, or you'll be disqualified.
So, DONE. I'm in. 'Cause that's just hilarious.
And really, isn't it better to say "Yes" in life more than "No"? I think so. Makes for some pretty darn good experiences and memories.
So we'll decorate our strollers all Christmas-like, pack the kids into their strollers...get our Santa suits on, and pretend that we've been training for months. Should be good times.
And something else I've been working on around here?..cute Christmas stuff. Here is one of them:
I saw this online and decided to give it a try as it looked so incredibly simple, yet so incredibly cute.
All you need is an ornament, a washer, a small key ring (found at any hardware store) and a glue gun...and you've instantly got yourself name cards for your holiday table, or tag holders for any party or event you're holding.
1) Glue the washer onto the bottom of the ornament (to keep it from rolling around).
2) Thread the key ring onto the top of the ornament, then put a dab of glue on it so that it stands upright.
3) Put a name card, label or anything else in it and you're done! In less than 5mins flat. How adorable would these be on your table at Christmas time? Love it.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
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