Holiday rants and raves

[katelou]

Please share with us your awesome gifts/happy moments, and feel free to vent about how you want to strangle your ILs/husband/whoever.

[rungirlrun]

Rant: My parents are visiting, and they're great in so many ways. But my mom is so milk happy. My H and I went out to dinner last night so my parents babysat. I fed E at 5:30. He was distracted but did eat a bit. Then at bedtime an hour later, my mom fed him 5oz I left and decided he was still hungry so he got 3 more oz. 8 ounces an hour after a feeding! I would die if she was a regular caregiver - I could never keep up pumping-wise. And the sad thing is he still woke up 3 hours later looking for food.

Rave: I've gotten so much kid-free time with them here. H and I did go out a couple times, but just getting to sit on the couch alone while someone else played with my kids has been so nice!

[cabbagecabbage]

I'm done wrapping!!!!

[sarcaztic10]

I am awake and on my second cup of coffee. I have to start prepping things today for dinner tomorrow.

Everything that is going to be wrapped is wrapped, mostly because I ran out of wrapping paper!

[prvc678]

I ran around like a crazy person yesterday doing some cooking and cleaning and general prep for the holidays. I was really hoping for a good night's sleep last night but no dice. My night was a series of short naps. I'm up drinking coffee and reading my Ferber book. Exciting morning here.

Looking forward to good food, family members keeping my children occupied, and of course, wine! Merry Christmas everyone!

[jenn83]

I'm irrationally upset about not being with any of my family this Christmas. (Hormones are going crazy - on progesterone to start periods short story). We were supposed to go up to visit my grandparents and surprise them but since HK got sick we decided it wasn't the best idea for her or them. We would usually do a short trip to my step mom's family but her and my Dad got divorced this year. We would still go but since we cancelled on the other not sure how I feel about going to that one on a whim.

Now with that last minute change I need to figure out what to do about tomorrow to make it special for the 3 of us. Bleh....

[cabbagecabbage]

I decided to skip a big Christmas dinner and do appetizers instead. It's just three people who eat food and DD just wants mac and cheese and sugar anyway. I'm so glad. I have spinach dip and hot artichoke dip prepped. Tomorrow I just have to cook some shrimp, heat up some stuff and open pita chips. This is going to be awesome!

Tonight is DH's side at his grandparents house. Grandpa is probably dying this year and he's miserable and so weak, so it sort of sucks. We love them though and I hope it's a fun celebration and not a sad night.

[sarcaztic10]

This just in: H has a man cold so he is in a foul mood and thinks his world is ending. I have no sympathy because I am about 4 days ahead of him on this and caring for a baby who is 7 days in after working an almost 50 hour week. I know what he is feeling and it's not great but he needs to suck it up and not have such a shitty attitude.

[melody330]

Not sure if this is a rant or rave, but B just cut two teeth at once. He's been miserable the past few days/nights. Hopefully he feels better now!

[cabbagecabbage]

Dec 24, 2016 10:58:44 GMT -5 melody330 said:

Not sure if this is a rant or rave, but B just cut two teeth at once. He's been miserable the past few days/nights. Hopefully he feels better now!

I'm sure he will. Congrats, he's a big boy!

[Ray]

My rave: this is my ridiculously happy baby this a.m.

[sarcaztic10]

Santa baby!!!

[katelou]

My 4 yo really has no idea what she wants for Christmas. A few months ago, I took her to the bathroom in a store and the bathroom was located in the toy department. The first 4 toys she laid eyes on, she told me she wanted for Christmas, and kept chanting that list over and over. One of the toys was a baby drum and cymbal- like the kind that has buttons and lights upI'm sure she doesn't even remember that actual toy, and only remembers this because she repeated it so many times. So she puts drum and cymbal on her list.

MIL becomes enamored with this idea and buys her this ridiculous professional-looking child size drum set with like 4 drums and cymbals. It is not allowed at my house.

Keep in mind MIL's house already has a pool, a dedicated custom-built child-height playroom under the grand staircase (seriously, I can't make this up) and a boatload of toys. And we are invited over there like 5x a year.

Sigh. Santa's and mom and dad's gifts to her are super boring in comparison.

[littlesthobo]

Wow katelou! I definitely would not want drums and cymbals at my house! Your MIL sounds over the top.

I asked DS1 what he wanted Santa to bring, twice he's said "a wolf". Now I'm thinking I should have got him a wolf stuffed animal.

Both L and my dog have peed on the floor here at my ILs. Whoops.

[melody330]

Just got the boys to bed! We were late getting home because we went to my ILs for dinner and presents. We got there at 3:45 and they had already started to sit down to eat. .....without us. They are so strange. Oh well.

This made my heart so full tonight. The boys left cookies for Santa under the tree.


Poof

[rungirlrun]

You know what sucks? When you put a ton of thought/effort into a gift and the recipient just says oh thanks with little enthusiasm. Ok next year I will make much less of an effort.

But on a positive note, I loved how into Christmas DS1 got this year in every aspect. Obviously he loved his presents, but he also loved handing out everyone else's and helping them open them. He had a blast and has been smiling all morning.

[sarcaztic10]

We told MIL to get DS a big boy bed set that was green and blue like his room. What did she get? She got him a red, white, and blue quilt with stars on it... no sheets no pillowcase. She got S some really cute winter clothes that are fleecy and have ears on the hood. They are 9 month size... so S will fit into them basically at the beginning of Summer. She got us luggage even though we told her not to and that we don't go anywhere. *sigh* at least they are not here so we don't have to pretend to be happy.

MIL and SIL expect thank you cards from us and L so we will have to get on those soon.

I never understand why we have to write them thank you notes for our gifts but they never write ones to us for the gifts we give them? But if we don't do it MIL throws a big fit about it.

[littlesthobo]

Merry Christmas! My family arrives in less than an hour and I'm desperately trying to get both boys down for a nap so I can shower. DH is washing the floors. Turkey is in the oven, potatoes in the crockpot. I cannot wait to start in on appetizers and beer.

[melody330]

sarcaztic10 wtf to thank you cards. For Christmas presents that you opened in front of them?

[sarcaztic10]

Dec 25, 2016 13:42:22 GMT -5 melody330 said:

sarcaztic10 wtf to thank you cards. For Christmas presents that you opened in front of them?

We aren't with them this year but even if we were we would be expected to write out a thank you card. MIL has expected this of H for his entire childhood and now expects it of the grandkids too.

I guess I was raised wrong to think that a simple thank you call/hug in person was enough?

[rungirlrun]

I was raised to write a thank you note regardless of who was there when I opened the present. However, it's a 2-way street. We write thank you notes but also receive them from my side of the family. H's family just says it in person or calls/texts if not in person. I think either way is fine as long as it's consistent both ways.

[mcktymck]

Rant: this might make me sound like a brat/ungrateful, but for the past couple Christmases my mom and grandma have been giving me Spode Christmas dishes and servingware. I'm sure one day I'll appreciate it more when I use all of it, but for now I'm watching my younger sister open new shoes, clothes and makeup while I'm getting small bowls shaped like Christmas trees. Yep, I'm a brat haha.
Rave: This little munchkin

[katelou]

Dec 25, 2016 15:04:50 GMT -5 sarcaztic10 said:

Dec 25, 2016 13:42:22 GMT -5 melody330 said:

sarcaztic10 wtf to thank you cards. For Christmas presents that you opened in front of them?

We aren't with them this year but even if we were we would be expected to write out a thank you card. MIL has expected this of H for his entire childhood and now expects it of the grandkids too.

I guess I was raised wrong to think that a simple thank you call/hug in person was enough?

Omg my H's family was like that too. MIL, FIL, SIL, and my husband all has to write thank you letters to each other. When we got married, I was like NOPE. I think they've stopped, or at least H has. They are a weirdly formal family.

I find it totally strange to write a formal TY note to a close family member for Christmas. If I wasn't with my parents for Christmas, I'd just call them and thank them.

I hope you are not stuck doing that forever, ugh.

[katelou]

You guys, we got an obscene amount of toys. The worst offenders this year were my aunt, cousin, and brother's GF. But really no one was innocent. We got my 4 yo about 6 things from Santa- something that goes with her dollhouse, a board game, a raincoat, new shoes, a Chapstick gift set, and a Frozen soap set. She actually threw a fit that it wasn't enough. I am livid but it's not her fault, it's everyone else's. Getting obscene amounts of stuff is all she knows.

I begged people not to get baby toys, and not only did they not listen, they ended up getting expensive baby toys that are duplicates of what we already have! We now own two wood activity cubes and three push walkers. No gift receipts either.

The excess stuff creates a lot of negative emotions for me- guilt (that I have too much stuff and other children are getting nothing, that this is so freaking wasteful), frustration (wtf are we supposed to do with it all?), anger (why doesnt everyone listen to me and stop, because they are turning my big kid into a spoiled brat).

The baby stuff is all getting donated or re-gifted. I am going to have to figure out how to put my foot down next year

[katelou]

Dec 25, 2016 19:24:40 GMT -5 mcktymck said:

Rant: this might make me sound like a brat/ungrateful, but for the past couple Christmases my mom and grandma have been giving me Spode Christmas dishes and servingware. I'm sure one day I'll appreciate it more when I use all of it, but for now I'm watching my younger sister open new shoes, clothes and makeup while I'm getting small bowls shaped like Christmas trees. Yep, I'm a brat haha.
Rave: This little munchkin

I would feel the same way! I have zero desire to own Christmas dinnerware but love new clothes. I hope you can figure out how to drop some hints before they start doing that every year.

[sarcaztic10]

katelou I have no doubt that I will be stuck writing thank you notes to them for a very long time. I just find it so strange that we have to write them thanking them for the gifts they gave us but why don't they thank us?? If I am going to the trouble to write this note why aren't you doing the same?

Also, MIL was on a roll for a couple years getting me gifts I actually wanted and then I don't know what happened... last year it was silverware and this year it's luggage. I just don't know what changed.

I spend a lot of time trying to figure them out around the holidays.

[willow]

Dec 25, 2016 12:59:18 GMT -5 sarcaztic10 said:

We told MIL to get DS a big boy bed set that was green and blue like his room. What did she get? She got him a red, white, and blue quilt with stars on it... no sheets no pillowcase. She got S some really cute winter clothes that are fleecy and have ears on the hood. They are 9 month size... so S will fit into them basically at the beginning of Summer. She got us luggage even though we told her not to and that we don't go anywhere. *sigh* at least they are not here so we don't have to pretend to be happy.

MIL and SIL expect thank you cards from us and L so we will have to get on those soon.

I never understand why we have to write them thank you notes for our gifts but they never write ones to us for the gifts we give them? But if we don't do it MIL throws a big fit about it.

lol I was so excited to get winter clothes in size 12 month for L because he'll likely be too tall for 9 mo in a few weeks. 😰

[Ray]

OMG mcktymck. So much cute

[Ray]

I feel bad for my mom. She was super excited about these night light things she bought our older two, they opened them, took them out of the bag, and then just kept emptying the bag looking at other stuff. I tried to be like "wow those are really cool eh?" And they were like "yep."

She just seemed so disappointed that they weren't as enthusiastic about them as she thought they'd be.

[jewelsofthenile]

Can someone come oganize the toys in my house. We have a split level and there are toys everywhere literally every room but our bedroom