Working at Fun!

I am always suprised at how much work it is just to have fun... Allow me to backtrack:

 

Today, I put away my fall things, undecorated my fall tree and packed away my pumpkins, pilgrims and leaves. For those of you who are judging me right now, judge away! I judge myself. I have never decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving but this year, I was literally left with no option. I usually decorate my house the weekend after Thanksgiving but this year, my weekend is booked with work. When the week resumes, I begin Christmas play practice, so that leaves Monday to get my house done.

Mike went hunting tonight so I decided to get a jump on things and decorate my kids tree. I took them to eat at the restaurant of their choice, Purple Cow!, then to Wal Mart to get the cranberries, then home. I decided to combine their tree this year. Usually, each of them get their own but space in their room is limited so, like everything I have had to do in their room, I had to find a way to combine a girl/boy tree.

 

The sheets on her bed are pink and the sheets on his bed are orange. So, I decided to put pink, orange and white lights on their tree. I already had pink from her tree last year and I had orange lights on the fall tree. Instead of buying new orange lights, I just took the ones off the fall tree. In order to do that, I had to undecorate the fall tree. One thing led to another and before I kenw it, beautiful fall decor was packed away for another year.

 

Ok, back to my opening statement: I am always surpised at how much work it is just to have fun! Tonight, I wanted to have fun with my kids. So, we drove all the way in town just to eat chicken and fries at the Purple Cow, then 30 minutes back, went into Wal Mart, got ornament hangers, candy canes and cranberries. We got home, I unloaded the bags then hauled in their tree from the shed. Put on the lights then got out the box of the kids ornaments and let them start hanging. They did a spectacular job! I popped pop corn on my stove top then sat down on the floor of their room and strung the popcorn/cranberries garland. I had never done that before. I must say, it is not as easy as one might think.

We changed into our Christmas PJ's, put in Frosty and continued the decorating. The kids began to eat the majority of the popcorn and I threw in the towel with only 2 strands of garland.

 

We picked up, brushed teeth, did medicines, said prayers then went to bed. It was a very fun night with my kids but it was a lot of work. Once the kids were in bed, I dusted off my table, swept and mopped the dinning room floor, did the dished and wiped of all the counter tops. EVERYTHING good in life, takes work. A clean house, takes work... Good kids who I enjoy to be with, takes work... a good marriage, takes work...my home being decorated for the seasons, takes work...Everything takes work.

 

Now just because these things take work doesn't mean I have to do them. I can have a dirty house, not enjoy my kids, not make any memories with them while they are young, not decorate my home for the season, but what kind of life is that? It's not. That is called existance. Just going through the motions of day to day life... That is not a life. Dad preached a wonderful sermon this past Sunday on working to make the holiday's fun.

 

So, as I gear up for ALL that next week brings me, I sit in the recliner, with a massager on my back, letting my feet rest, praying that the Lord give me the continued strength I need. But mostly, I pray for creativity. That every season in my home is more wonderful than the last. And that every "Date night with Mommy," is the awesome!

 

You may think it's not worth it to go all out for Christmas, I know what we are celebrating. For my children's sake and for my gratefullness sake, I will work hard to have alot of fun this Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  I pray that you do the same...