
Well, it's that time of year where it seems like a blur from Thanksgiving to New Year's with my birthday and Christmas somewhere in between. It's easy to get stressed out this time of year with travel and social obligations and spending time with extended family. Oh, and don't forget buying and wrapping gifts and preparing big meals and cleaning house and hosting parties. I'll be honest with you, though, although I am usually very busy this time of year as everyone else is, I find myself less stressed than I was in years past.
I think part of it is that I've relaxed my expectations. I don't expect the holidays to be perfect and I don't expect myself have a spotless house, home-made baked goods and just the right gifts for everyone. I think I've also done a better job in the last few years of balancing having a relaxing holiday with our families' expectations. There were several years that we traveled from Colorado to Kansas and Ohio for Christmas just so we wouldn't disappoint anyone. Now we keep our travel plans more simple and we're not afraid to insist occasionally that we stay home and family travels to visit us.
I think one of the most helpful things in reducing holiday stress, though, is trying to see the holidays through my son's eyes. His expectations of what it takes to have a happy holiday are simple and he takes such delight in even the smallest things that it's easy to catch his enthusiasm. And it's helped me to realize that the holidays aren't made better by going overboard, but are best enjoyed by just spending time together and appreciating the season for what it represents.

As a result of cutbacks at work, I have every other Friday off unpaid. And although it has been an adjustment to the reduction in salary that came with it, having the extra time off has definitely been a plus. I thought my Fridays off would be a great chance to spend some time with my son and get some things done around the house, and they have. But surprisingly, many of them filled up with visits from friends and family and other activities that sometimes still leave me wondering on Sunday night, "where did my weekend go?" Some weekends have been filled up with errands and cleaning, which leaves me grumpy. Some weekends have been filled up with fun activities, which leaves me stressed the rest of the week because I'm trying to fit in laundry and groceries and errands after work. With a little planning and organization, though, I think I've figured out a few ways to help maximize my weekends:
Weekends (or any time off from work) are very important for any family. It's the time to reconnect and recharge our batteries, as well as accomplish necessary tasks to make the work week go more smoothly. And even though the weekends never seem long enough, even if they are 3 days, with a little planning and balance, I can maximize my time off and make the most of it.

The holiday season has hit the stores full force and it's time to start thinking about my budget for gift giving. It's not exactly a fun exercise; I always end up wishing I could spend and give more this time of year. But I've learned the hard way from past experience that if we don't come up with a budget for what we can afford to spend, we'll regret it in January. Here are a few things we typically do when coming up with our holiday budget:
The first few times we did a holiday budget, my husband was resistant. Like most of us, he enjoys buying nice things for friends and family to show how much he appreciates them and felt restricted working within a budget. But after a few years of us overspending, he saw the benefit of budgeting in advance. Now he helps me set the budget and stick to it; it definitely makes January more enjoyable for both of us.
Marla
My name is Marla, and I'm a working mom with a wonderful husband and a very active toddler. With my hectic schedule, it seems like I always put... Read More |
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