Christmas on Ice

One of my small parenting regrets is that I didn't keep a diary recapping each Christmas and birthday and year in general across the teen's life. I think it would've made for a nice memento of her childhood...

This year, I find myself looking at all the handmade ornaments on the tree and getting teary-eyed with nostalgia for a time when neither of us had this much health stuff hanging over our heads. She's in a lot of pain right now. Something with her muscles flared with PT this week and won't let her go. It's a low point in our year of trying to carve a path to better for her.

Nothing helps. We have no home remedy or over-the-counter option that does anything. This is when I become unsettled and loop back around to 'we've missed something, this can't be right.' But for now, there is nothing to do but endure and hope her body sorts itself out.

We are largely ready for the holidays and fortunate to be able to hunker down while this storm does its best to turn the world into an ice carving. Hubby is off until next year and hoping to finish our primary bathroom upstairs...which would be heaven. 

I am working, trying to wrap up a special project and mostly enjoying it. Also baking. So. Much. Baking. And cleaning everything from top to bottom. And wrapping gifts. And, and, and. This time of year, there is always something else to do. 

Teen is mostly resting and frustrated BUT got all As in her college courses. She emerged victorious from her first college classes. She stayed on top of her work flow without prompting. Prepared for tests and finals on her own. Lots of kick ass executive function skills and independence. 

Currently it's -4 F with a -30 windchill and 12" of snow courtesy of winter storm Elliot. Not the worst we've seen in our area, although I think the windchill is the lowest in my lifetime? Maybe? It's down there, though.

We spent the days leading up to the storm mulching and insulating our fruit and nut trees and bushes. Since this is their first winter, they are especially vulnerable. Ergo, we made a lot of 'sweaters' for them out of straw and burlap and plastic containers. Hopefully they pull through.

It felt good to be out in the garden--to lift and haul things and dig and hopefully contribute to our food supply next year. My knee is still a flaming asshole and I had some issues with feeling like I was going to pass out, but I wasn't panting as much as before and I want to say I went longer before things got weird.

As for Christmas itself, the goal was to keep it simple. To not buy a million gifts and shop the post holiday sales instead. Aside from the babies in the broader extended family (who get aaaaall the things), I was fairly faithful to that goal, but hubby always gets a little gift happy and has been ordering up a storm. Oh, and buying things at estate auctions. And running out to stores. 

He accidentally killed my poinsettias and felt so bad, he's been a little obsessed about replacing them. I came downstairs today to find fancy Christmas floral arrangements all over the dining room. In the middle of a blizzard, mind you. Hubby under the influence of Christmas is something lol.

We have our Christmas Day project all set. Building an engine. That'll be the teen and hubby more so than everyone, but that's okay. (I'll be busy making gingerbread--we're drowning in so much food right  now, I've spaced out some of the baking.) 

I've always tried to have a project or activity for Christmas Day. In part, because I had an intense kid who didn't like being at loose ends--I've been mercilessly trained to keep her busy lol. And in part, because it's fun and keeps us from all retreating into our screens.  

We learned Christmas Carols on recorders one year (which was fun, but yes, I did forget how painfully shrill they are), made no-sew blankets, decorated cardboard castles one year and pirate boats the next, did puzzles, solved mysteries, had scavenger hunts, DIY ugly Christmas sweater contests, worked our way through different classic movies, did our own version of robot wars.

This year, an engine. Maybe it will take us somewhere better...