Am I the only one out there with an idyllic picture of Christmas in my head? I imagine a relaxing day with my family, with plenty of time to visit, eat, take pictures, and steep in my children's ever fleeting childhood, soaking in every minute. The problem: I have no staff. I am teacher, cook, and housekeeper.
Granted, we will be finished with our schooling by Thursday this week. Both of my virtual school students are doing great and will be all set to take a well deserved break. My middle schooler attends the local public school and I hope with all my heart that the teachers are kind and wrap up all assignments before the holiday so we can enjoy our trips to the library over the break and not have to do lengthy research for a newly assigned report. So I plan to set aside the teacher job for a whole week.
On the food front, I've been thinking ahead to have food prepared in advance. My all time favorite for this is an enormous pot of soup. I have made stock from my Thanksgiving turkey and will be chopping up some veggies and adding some simple meat and dumplings or noodles (haven't decided yet). This pot of soup will be so huge that it should take us through the entire weekend, including the party with my family. For that event I also plan to make this beef stew. I've made it the past couple of years and it has gotten rave reviews. Plus it's so easy! It makes me look like a rock star in the kitchen with so little effort. I highly recommend it.
But on to the gift for myself: a clean home. Somehow as I'm balancing the kids and kitchen this always gets missed. It's so easy to skip. I haven't always cared if there were clothes on the floor or a thick layer of dust on my furniture. Maybe it's because I've stepped far enough from the sleepy stupor of early motherhood, but I kind of want more order and cleanliness around the house now. I admit I'm still a bit of a novice here. I do tend to wait until the fridge has items physically stuck to the shelves before I wipe out the interior. I somehow feel as though I've "done more" if the thing is really dirty before I clean it. I'm going to be making an extra effort this week. Sure, it's probably going to be more of a new year's resolution than a Christmas gift, but I'm on my way. Surely there are other bloggers out there to guide me?
Christmas will not be ideal. And clean home or not, I'll still enjoy every minute. I hope you do, too.
Merry Christmas!
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