Where Are You Christmas?

It all started on Christmas Eve, December 24th... I got up for work like any normal day, so it didn't really sink in til after I got home around 1pm. My dad was kinda silly and decided to save his shopping for the day before Christmas. Once he got home from work, we headed to the mall and did his last-minute shopping. Compared to other years, it went pretty quick and he was able to find exactly what he was looking for. So, we headed back home to do the wrapping. My mom didn't come home from work in a good mood, but that's nothing new. Dad got lots of wrapping done for her, so that seemed to cheer her up a little bit. Then it was time for church. It was a little weird since my sister and her husband weren't able to make it this year, but still all went well. It was good for them to be able to spend more time with his family, since there are multiple days with our relatives through-out the holiday season. After church, we all met up at my parents house for some yummy gingerbread dessert. Then it was time to dream of sugar plums...

Christmas day suprisingly went well too. Those of you who haven't known me for awhile know that this is a first for several years. I'm betting it's because no one was coming over yesterday. In other words, there was nothing to get ready for or clean the house for. We weren't rushed through opening presents or anything. It was very relaxing. We spent the afternoon playing Uno. We spent almost 2 hours playing the same hand! It was insane! It was a lot of fun though. Anyways, now we have my dad's relatives coming over for Christmas tonight and my mom's relatives coming over tomorrow. Now is when the real fun begins **sarcasm** Wish me luck everyone, I'm going to need it. My mom has been flipping out all day to the point of my depression returning. Once again I say, I hate Christmas. After going through this year after year, I dont think I will every like Christmas again. And I have my wonderful, pessimistic, border-line insane mom to thank for that.

Break Time

It has been a pretty relaxing few days, even though the weekend started out on a sad note. First off, I actually had 3 days off last week!! Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday were spent scrapbooking and cleaning in my pjs. It was pretty awesome to not have to worry about going anywhere or getting dressed for a couple days. It was relaxing time that I was greatly in need of. However later on Thursday, I had to say good-bye to a good friend of mine for about a year and a half. He decided to enlist in the air force, and he heads down to basics in a couple days. We met for lunch to catch up and say good-bye. It was good to see him and lunch was yummy, but I'll miss him over the next 18 months. Hopefully all goes well for him, which I'm sure it will. :)



Friday was another not-too-happy day, or so it started out. I had to be up early and head to the cities for some Christmas shopping. What I planned to get was no longer in stock, so I had to find a plan B. I'm still hoping that this plan B works out, so let's hope it all works out. Then I was off to school for a mock exam of boards in January. I decided to go in completely blind and unprepared just to see how much I would remember from my internship and classes and everything. I guess I didn't better than I thought I would on the mock exam, but I didn't do that great, or so I thought. Supposedly, anything above 65% is awesome on the mock exam. I averaged 68%, so I guess I did really well! After the exam, I met up with some school friends at IHOP (where else??) for dinner. It was great to catch up and see them again, even if the weather sucked. It too me almost 2 hours to get home! And usually it only takes an hour and a half or so. But I did make it home eventually.

The rest of the weekend has been spent working and decorating. Although, I took a break from the decoration last night to go to "Wonder of Nativities" last night with my mom. It was a free holiday activity that was worth checking out. There were over 200 figurine nativities from all over the world. It was really neat to see how countries all over the world create a nativity. Some were handmade, while others were crystal statues. It was so cool, and definately will become a new holiday tradition.

Temper Tantrums

Is anyone out there living with a mom who is going through menopause but in denial? I am, and it sucks. Just about every day she decides to flip out over something little and generally meaningless, and I'm getting so tired of it. Tonight it happened yet again. It all started, like it usually starts, with something my dad said jokingly. Being the crazy person she is, my mom took it seriously and threw a fit, stomping off down the hallway and slamming doors. About 5-10 mins later, she returns and starts complaining about the previous topic, my dad tells her to calm down, and she replies with an annoyed "FINE" and claims she won't talk anymore. A few mins later, she returns and the same thing happens all over again. This continues all night long until everyone goes to bed, and it's sooo annoying!!! If she is going to drop the topic, then just drop it! I don't understand why she can't follow through and just let it go. Flipping out and complaining about it doesn't do any good. It's not like anything can be done come 9pm anyways, so what's the point? All it does is stress out her and everyone around her. It just increases tension and makes everyone even more annoyed than to begin with. I was so happy earlier because I finally had a day off today, and then she decides to throw a little tantrum like a 4yr old, causing my dad and I to go to bed feeling frustrated, resulting in very little sleep. It's not good for anyone, yet she still can get it through her stupid little head.

So I ask all of your bloggers out there, does anyone else have this going on? My mom is over 50, and is clearly in the beginning stages of menopause. But she is in denial. When she has her mood swings, she claims she is as happy as can be and doesn't even realize what is going on. How do I get her to understand what is happening? How do I get her to calm down over the little things? How do I keep the depression away from the household? How do I keep myself sane during her outbreaks? I don't know how much more of this I can take. I have survived more than enough years of her outbreaks, and each one pushes me more and more closer to the edge. So if anyone out there has any advice, I would love to hear it!