Hellobee Boards

I am exhausted and burnt out by shopping. I feel like we buy so many gifts for different people and I am terrible at shopping before Thanksgiving. We're also down to a single income this year because I left my job, so the money we're spending is stressing me the f out. We FINALLY finished today.

I thought my kids were too young (3 and 7m) for Christmas excitement to affect their sleep. But we still have 3 days left and they've been up at 5 every morning for a week already!

My kids have been SO bratty and defiant and entitled lately. I’m like, I am doing so much crap to give you a merry Christmas and you are just fighting me at every turn! Just. Stop. Plus we are going down to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in 4 years so that’s extra stressful, and now one of my sisters is being all dramatic and crazy and I’m dreading dealing with her.

And our kids kindle fires are just really slow and now user friendly, at least to an iPhone user, so I’m annoyed about that as I load them up with stuff to entertain the kids on the 5 hour drive. I look forward to telling my sister who has never allowed her 2 year old a minute of screentime how I bought my 3 year old her own kindle fire for her birthday.

Mostly if my kids would stop fighting over every little thing and just listen half the time we’d all be in a much better mood.

My oldest isn't feeling well. It seems like he's always sick around the holidays. We were supposed to go to a party today, but I'm stuck at home with my son while my husband gets to go. It's his extended family at the party, so it makes sense for him to go, but it's still not fun being the one left behind.

Yessss. I was coming here to post something similar. I'm just really freaking exhausted. We are at my parents, so there's been no daycare for DD for a week now. My parents are older, my sister has a brand new baby, and DH is too laid back to care, so I have been responsible for all the holiday merrymaking and keeping up traditions. I just want to sit on the couch and read a book, but I still have more cookies to make and presents to wrap.

Also, my older one is being a jerk face, especially to her little baby brother. As I’m wrapping her presents, all I really want to do is donate all of them.

We are hosting my OOT parents and woke up with a cold. Not the end of the world, but my plans for cooking/cleaning today have been interrupted because I feel like crap.

And my mom just called and she’s sick too so they’re delaying coming. We had some fun plans for the next couple of days before Christmas that I was looking forward too. Plus I’m just excited to see them so it stinks are plans are changing

Not pissed but super bummed, my son has the flu :-(. So instead of hosting Christmas Eve and visiting with lots of family we haven’t seen in a while on Christmas Day we are stuck in our house just our family and hoping the other two kids don’t catch it!

@annem1990: I’ve had a bad cold for a week and it really put a big damper on my Christmas spirit and plans. But at least I’m on the mend now so I’m hopeful I’ll be better by Christmas. So much emergen-C, elderberry, and tea with echinacea.

@HappyBaker: I’m sorry- that really sucks! I hope he recovers quickly but I know it won’t be in time for the Christmas you had planned.

@wrkbrk: that would actually totally put me over the edge! Ahhh!

And re: Christmas stomach bugs, a friend of mine had a holiday party last night and had to shut it down early because everyone started booting. It literally sounds like a bad Christmas movie! What a nightmare.

@PurplePeony: Me, too. Unfortunately, DH and I are both essential. My leave is getting cancelled and I don't have daycare. I'll be taking my kids into the office. Luckily I already warned my supervisor that might happen.

Thankfully, we have enough savings for awhile.

I overspent for Christmas and we owe $6800 on a pool renovation in January and I thought we would have enough money to pay in full in cash but now I'm not sure (we already paid a 7K deposit for the reno this month).

@pachamama: um. First of all.... this post is awesome. Exactly what I needed to find when I hopped on Hellobee!! So much is pissing me off, but mainly my husband. We’re hosting 9 members of his family and 2 members of my family (my parents) on Christmas Day. There’s still SO MUCH to do to get ready for it. Yet, he keeps whining and complaining that he doesn’t get to spend much time with his brother, who’s here from another state. We have a 9mo and a 3yo. I certainly don’t have time to go out drinking or to movies or whatever, why shoud he?! He acts like I’m being naggy or unfair. Maybe I am. But, I don’t even care. It makes me feel like he’s not prioritizing me and our girls. He isn’t contributing to making Christmas magical. He’s just a downer. I’m really tired of it. I’m presently upstairs with baby girl and plan to stay here for the night. I can find my own joy and not be around someone who sucks it dry. Harsh, I know. But true.

Anyway, Merry Christmas! 🤣

@CatchAFallingStar: I’m not saying my DH totally drops the ball when his brothers visit, but he totally reverts back to like teenage self. Like I’ll be making dinner and the girls are hanging off me and he’s playing video games with his brother. Normally if I need to make dinner I’ll put on a show for the kids but he’s using theninly tv in the house to play his dumb video game. And then I feel like a nag making them both stop and entertain the kids. He’s learning though which I very much appreciate. It’s really frustrating!

@bhbee: You are my rock star. Packing for one kid, and juggling one car seat and all the other stuff one kid needs at the airport, is bad enough. I'm like "how is that even possible with three..." Half my suitcase is diapers - I know, I could buy them there, but I am NOT going to Wal-Mart (only place to buy them where we're going) the day before Christmas, lol....

Speaking of which, packing and laundry, ugh. Combined with the fact - as has been the case more than half the time lately - DH passed out while I was putting DS to bed. Not that it really matters, he wouldn't know what to pack anyways since he doesn't deal with managing LO's stuff on a daily basis and would have put it off until the last frantic minute before our flight. But I'm sleep deprived and it is just another tick on lack of household balance....

I have been so busy I didn't even know there was another shut down, what bs... that absolutely sucks.

I'm probably going to regret writing this, but it has been weighing on me heavily:
The true meaning of the season is giving, right? Well, I always give with no expectation to receive but this year is ridiculous AND downright hurtful.
I spent over $5000 on extended family (outside of DH, DD, & DD), friends (example: gifts for my bestie, her DH, and 4 gifts each for her kids who are my God children), my DD's 2 best friends, coworkers (at the University), clients (those I train part-time), teachers and service workers, etc. DH was chafed over it ... understandably so. My upset lies in the lack of consideration and respect (or perhaps, manners) of others. My husband and I have received ONE card (Half Christmas/half thank you), gift cards from my dad (with a quick thanks for his and my stepmom's gifts) and a gift of coffee from my sister (atleast it was thoughtful and tasty). [*** Follow along because I'm certain there are people who are going to think this is about money or gift exchange ... it isn't. TRUST ME, it isn't. ***] I am not looking for gifts in return for me. I'm looking for people to be considerate and cognizant of the time and energy it takes to pick out a "perfect gift," wrap it, and (for most of my family and friends) ship them out! (You all do it, I'm certain you can empathize and sympathize.) I always either call or write a thank you. Sometimes, I will send a small token in appreciation of a nice, thoughtful gift received. On holidays, I always try to purchase for the children in our family and send thoughtful gifts or cards (at minimum) to everyone else. It is all about CONSIDERATION and giving from the heart.
My frustration is that: I have had people not call to say they have received their gifts, no verbal or written thanks for large gifts, and no gifts sent for my children in response. The last one burns my rear. My own mother hasn't even taken the time to send out gifts to her ONLY two grandchildren. We sent her and my stepfather a lavish gift, made her favorite cookies, bought their favorite champagne, AND the kid's made special gifts for THEM. She couldn't be bothered!
THEN, my bf (whose income combined with her husband's trumps DHs and mine) sent DD a small box of beads and DS a couple small cars she got on sale at Walmart (for which she bragged about), and while the kids may not know the significance of being thought of enough for gifts that show one put time and effort into the purchase (money is not my point here although DH is upset I spent so much on unappreciative people), I do. She COULD have put some thought into her GOD CHILDREN's gifts ... or even acknowledged we sent gifts to her family. It hurts. Hell, my own Nana didn't even call to say she received her gift card OR her D&H gift basket. I had to track everything .... and I called the g.c. company to find that she already used 1/2 the amount on it!!! I am, absolutely, losing my faith in people. I'm not a sensitive person but THIS holiday season has me very upset.

My DH likes computers and playing around with computer parts on his down time. He has a week off work next week and comes home and starts opening all the parts and computers open (basically clutter all over the place). When he’s in this computer upgrading mode he also is fixated on that and spends all day glued to that area. I asked him to at least wait until after Christmas bc we have family visiting and presents to wrap and meals to prepare and 3 kids in crazy mode and stupid memories to be made and he gets frustrated at me for not mentioning it earlier. Erm...Christmas is the same freakin date every year. What do you think happens before? Like common sense!?!

My damn job is always at its busiest this time of year and I’m struggling with balancing family life and work. I just want to tell my clients to leave me the eff alone so I can enjoy time with my family. On Christmas Eve I had a work conference call scheduled for midafternoon. Ugh ugh ugh.

We leave tomorrow at 6am to fly to my mom's (me, husband, 7mo, 3 yo). First time flying with both kids. It is literally taking me 2 whole days to pack, I have like 5 lists, it is super overwhelming and stressful. I have been feeling very resentful lately about all the mental load/responsibility I carry in our family, and I know I have been snappy with my husband. I just keep thinking about literally EVERYTHING, "if I don't plan it or do it, it won't get done." Like he could never pack for the kids and it's infuriating. But, like, now is not the time for me to pick a fight with him about this.

and I can't find time to pack because of the kids - my 3yo has been sick for 3 WEEKS with a bad cold and he is literally tantruming and screaming nonstop and I'm about to jump out of my skin. And my 7mo is up all night every night and I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of (broken) sleep a night in weeks and weeks and I can't remember the last time I slept until 6am. The exhaustion is just breaking me. And now travel on top of that. Yay.

If I could sleep for 9 hours I would feel better. But that isn't going to happen anytime soon. When we're at my mom's for Christmas, she will probably "heroically volunteer" to watch the kids one night so we can go out. This means that WE put the kids to bed (so we're not leaving till 7:30 at the earliest), she watches the kids on the baby monitor but if one of them makes a peep we have to rush home, and she goes to bed early so we have to be home by like 9pm or so.

UGGGH. Ok, not sure if venting made me feel better, but maybe a little!