Thanksgiving always goes too fast...(UPDATED POST)

...and with 4 kids, forget it. Here I am, Monday morning already. And I'm zonked. Used to be a very relaxing 4-5 days spent with family. It's now a madhouse. Don't get me wrong, I'm still grateful for the time we have, and I had a wonderful break. But I think I'm more tired than when break started, and we didn't even go out on black Friday this year. This is just the new reality, but when you're in the grind at work waiting for the next mini-vacation, you build up a utopian picture in your mind.

So now it's a little mini-grind to get to Christmas break. 3 weeks. Not bad at all. And this year it's a lot longer break than I usually get, so the extra time should be very nice.

And so, here is the personal challenge I face this year, and every year. I have always loved the Advent season. I love the waiting, the anticipation. I love the feeling of the season. I love the music, the lights, wrapping gifts. But in recent years, it has been such a mad dash trying to get everything done that I have lost the magic a little bit. I know that things are different now and that I am giving up some of my own freedom to make the magic for the kids, but I am really going to make an effort this year to stop and take it all in whenever I can. I want it to FEEL like Christmas when Christmas gets here. And I need to start now.

That said, gotta run. Don't forget to post to the caption contest below!

UPDATE: Have decided to change the title of the blog again - don't get quite as many "You've got your hands full" comments any more...but Steph said something Saturday night which really struck me as the perfect summation of our situation. As we lamented the swift passing of another Thanksgiving break and our mixed results in attempting to balance quality time with kids and the mundane necesseties of society, she said "We don't have time for life."

That sounds rather grim, but it's not supposed to be. To us, and as the title of this blog, it simply represents the realization that, since there isn't enough of us to go around, someone or something always has to get shafted a little bit. There's no way to avoid this, so we just make every effort to make sure it's not the same thing or person all the time. Sometimes you just have to make a conscious choice to let the housework go, or phone it in at work, because it's more important to have time with your family. And sometimes you just put the kids in front of the TV more than you'd like, because you HAVE to get the work stuff done. And yes, sometimes you have to let everything else go and take time for yourself. The trick is being aware of your patterns and not feeling guilty when you have to let something slide. It's a balancing act, but it's an act of love.

Keep the captions coming, people!