Wow…we survived Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with friends or family…or both! What are your traditions? Our traditions got a little mixed up this year. For the past few years I have hosted at our house. I feel like sometimes it’s actually easier. Both families here. No traveling for us. Everyone pitches in with food and cleaning up. It’s great! And equally, for the past few years we’ve had my brother spend the night (he’s Santa’s helper, actually) and my family would come up in the morning for breakfast. This year I made a French Toast Casserole that you make the night before. DELISH! You can find the recipe here.
This year we switched things up. We had Christmas Eve dinner at my parents after the children’s service at church. We opened their gifts and had a great time! The kids, however, didn’t get to bed until about 9:00. They slept in until 8:00, though! Then, breakfast here, with lots of fun time outside. The weather was perfect on Christmas morning! I’m really regretting not getting a picture of my dad riding Mason’s bike around the neighborhood. I really dropped the ball on that one.
In the afternoon, we went to my in-laws for Christmas dinner. Not before Emma had a meltdown. I actually can’t remember what it was about. I try to block those things out. Some food helped her calm down (things can get out.of.control. when her blood sugar drops). We headed to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, the kids played outside some more, and we ate dinner. After dinner, more gifts. And we came pretty close to another meltdown about her new helmet for horse back riding. It’s difficult with her because she gets so excited about her gifts, and if the size is not right, or we have to exchange and she’s not able to play with her gift, sh!t can hit the fan. I don’t know how to control situations like that. What she can comprehend is limited. And so while it looks like another temper tantrum thrown by a spoiled brat, rather it’s Emma not understanding the situation, and not being able to appropriately control her emotions (for a seven year old). When she’s at home, she can go up to her room, remove herself from highly stimulating situations, and give herself the time she needs to calm back down. It’s not always easy when you’re not at home.
This break hasn’t been the dream-like break I was hoping for. It’s been pretty challenging. And therefore I fear the wrath that summer break will bring. Eeeek!!
I do have pictures. And they are still on my camera. My bad.
Well, for one of my kids, anyway. This has proven to be the challenge with 2 kids in different schools. Their breaks are not the same. Not even Christmas break! I’ve put a positive spin on this…quality time with EACH kid, right? Sure! So idyllic and perfect. Why shouldn’t that happen? Well,Emma started first. Today was her first day off. We went to the gym to work out with Brandon at Premier Fitness Systems. She likes working out with me, and it’s pretty cute to watch. We came home, and she went right up to her room and…wait for it…got into her pajamas. Oh, and also trashed her room (I’m using the word “trashed” lightly). It was fine. We had a few hours to chill at home, and the girl wanted her space. I got a bunch of chores done that had run over from Sunday when no one was home all. day. long. Oops.
Well, 2:30 rolls around and I start talking to Emma about cleaning her room up and getting changed back into her clothes. It’s gymnastics day, you see. First go ’round she wouldn’t have any of it. I tried again. No luck. It came to a huge melt-down on her part…and tempers all around. Not fun. Not how I envisioned our first day of break. But Brett reminded me: it was her first day of break. We broke the routine of school. She was already thrown for a loop. It just ended the day on more of a sour note. I’m hoping the rest of the week runs smoothly. Tomorrow we have plans to see Chipwrecked with her BFF from school. Wednesday will bring us lunch with Daddy! And Thursday will give her special time with Oma. I’m hoping she’ll mellow out, or I’ll be wishing January 3rd to come quickly!
I’m not the only one who has this issue…I just know it! This wasn’t the first, of course, and definitely won’t be the last. And while it was pretty intense, it wasn’t the worst. Can I get an “Amen”?
I would absolutely LOVE to be a part of something like this some day. Back in high school, I was very involved with my high school choir. Think Glee but no cool costume changes, more classical songs, and absolutely no dancing for me (sadly I have no rhythm). Anyway, during the year, we would sing at local nursing homes, holiday events, and parks to raise money for our choir tour. So I’m used to I was used to singing in public places. Could I do this now? Yes. It would take some cajones on my part, though.
Wow, we had a great Christmas, did you? We are lucky (and I do mean that) in that both my husband’s family and my family both live here…about 10 minutes away from each other! So it does make it nice to not travel during the holidays. Of course it can make for busy days…going from one family to the other. Now that our kids are out of infancy and toddler-hood, it’s a lot easier to move about with them, too. Fortunately, this year, we were able to all spend Christmas day together…all 20 of us…at my in-law’s house. It was a nice day.
The one issue that we have time and time again is Emma’s over-stimulation. I don’t know if we think it will just go away, or that she’ll start getting used to crowds, but our daughter gets over-stimulated so easily. She doesn’t act out or have temper tantrums, fortunately. She becomes very clingy to Brett or me, not wanting to talk to anyone, meet anyone, or interact. It takes her awhile to warm up. Her cousins (ages 13, 10, and can almost always help the situation. But if it’s too much, usually a quiet room with a book or video will help her decompress.
She’s been like this since birth…always sensitive to “busy situations”. And we’ve all dealt. But still…I keep thinking she’ll get used to it and it will disappear. On the positive side, she recognizes when she gets over-stimulated and will go into a back room by herself with a book. And she’s cool with us not being there with her. In fact, she prefers it.
I know that there are many kids without special needs that get over-stimulated quickly. Do you have a child like this? What do you do to help the situation?
*I will post Christmas pictures…I just haven’t even uploaded them to the computer! Sunday is all about putting away the Christmas decorations until next year!
Emma on the Polar Express...a little over-stimulated!
(Pre-post post-edit: I’m easily distractible in this post. I’m not sure why. Sorry.)
Today Emma and I went to see Ballet Arizona’s Nutcracker performance. It makes me miss my ballet days…just a little! Namely, I wish I could have a ballerina’s body and dance in pretty tutus. Anyway. So it was a wonderful performance today…6th row (thanks, Libby!) and pretty close to center stage! The music was great and this ballet held Emma’s attention for the FULL 2 hours. Seriously.
Now, anyone who has a child with any behavioral/medical issues (or a “typical” child who’s 5 and under, really), might be a bit nervous to take them to such a performance. Or they might be a bit nervous to take them out in any public situation. Let’s just be honest! And I was the same way for the longest time. If there was any chance of a meltdown and then eyes on us during/after the ordeal, I pretty much avoided it. Who would subject themselves to that kind of experience? Not me!
I’m trying to think of when I started venturing out. I think maybe it was just this summer. Mason had just turned 3 and Emma was 5 1/2 (you know the 1/2 can make it or break it, right?). I attempted some movies in the theater. I went to the first showing of the day, and got there SUPER early to scope out our seats. The kids had their own popcorn and drink, and if need be we could bolt and run. The first time or two Emma got pretty antsy. And there was at least one movie that was scary (Astro Boy….won’t see that again). Mason got antsy too…only in a 3-year-old-boy kind of antsy. But we kept going. And we never had to leave a theater early (thank God!). We stuck it out. I think they’ve probably been to the theater about 5 times since the start of the summer! In fact, on Wednesday I will take them to see The Frog And The Princess (or is it The Princess And The Frog? you know what I mean).
Okay so my point is that it’s a trial and error thing. You have to get them out there to experience these things. And you need to let them know up front what your expectations are of them. I’m not saying it will work the first time. I’m saying practice makes perfect (or somewhere close to that). It’s like traveling. I have friends who are nervous about taking their kids on trips. Well, just do it! They need to experience that stuff! Our kids are awesome on 7 hour car trips, or 4 hour flights back east. They’ve got it!
Again, back to the beginning. The Nutcracker was awesome! I highly recommend it! The costumes were beautiful, as was the stage and backdrops.
can almost always help the situation. But if it’s too much, usually a quiet room with a book or video will help her decompress.
