Parents, Take A Deep Breath. It's Coming...

One down, three to go.

With Halloween officially behind us, it's time to set the focus to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The holidays can go two ways for me. North or south. I usually fly easy into Thanksgiving, but crash like a drunken sailor by Mid-December. Then, drag my tired ass through Christmas and give what I've got left to New Year's Eve. Think: If I get dressed up for NYE it's a friggin undertaking.

Until Monday morning, I'm going to pause for the cause; my sanity. I'm going to loosely think of a holiday game plan. I'm going to try to get my head around the trials and triumphs of last year's holiday season and try to find a way to make the ride smoother.

More to the point, find a way to not over-extend myself.

The Mantra: I will not lose my shit this holiday season.

The Plan: When possible, avoid doing shit I hate and replace it with stuff I like doing.

I'm going to take a page out of Bad Moms Christmas Movie, and try to 'take back Christmas!' I'm going to try to find a way to love the holidays without killing myself in the process. I'm going to think of things I want to do, and make the boys go along. Actually, see something I want to see!

But for now, I'm going to take a deep breath and a few days to relax and enjoy the calm before the turkey storm!  I hope you will do the same. Parents, it's time to take control of the Holiday madness before it takes control of us!