Last night, Thing 2 came into my room and said with all the sarcasm I've taught her, "Well...that was a pret-ty exciting St. Patrick's Day." (To catch you up: She wore a green shirt. I got sick and almost passed out in Buffalo Wild Wings.)
Me: I know. Whatever, I'm not a big St. Patrick's Day kind of a person.
T2: Some of my friends posted pictures on Instagram of how their parents put green streamers all over their kitchen and covered their table in shamrocks.
Me: Oh. That's downright adorable. I saw a picture on Facebook of a friend who dyed her white dog green.
T2 (words saying one thing, lit-up eyes saying another): Green? That's ridiculous! It's gonna take forever to grow out!
Me: I'm sorry I'm so lame.
T2: Nono. That's okay. I'm getting used to it.
Okay, she didn't say that last part. But I'm sure she was thinking it.
You guys, I've totally gotten lame.
It happens to the best of us.
From the time my kids were toddlers, I've turned every freakin' holiday into Christmas morning. I hang hearts from the ceiling and scatter glittery heart confetti on the tables in February, dye more eggs than we'll ever use (even the raw ones) in April, paint American flags on cheeks and tie red, white & blue ribbons in ponytails in July, cut out construction paper pumpkins and witches and cover everything I can with cottony spider webbing in October and make "Thankful Trees" &/or color "Thankful Turkeys" in November.
But I'm gonna be honest.
I've gotten kind of sick of it, and as the years go on I find that I do less and less.
Now, to be clear, I need to go on record saying that I've never made a big deal out of St. Patrick's Day. I'm not sure why because I think I actually have a small bit of Irish in my heritage, I'm a big fan of rainbows and to know me is to know how obsessed I am with the color green. But even when my girls were small and would wonder aloud why the magical leprechaun who trashed their friends' houses and left gold coins everywhere the night of the 16th never came to our house, I didn't cave. Hell, I had two little "leprechauns" messing up enough shit in my house on a daily basis, no need for magical ones to add to it. So a green shirt and maybe a funny bobbly shamrock antennae headband from the dollar spot at Target and my kids were good to go on the 17th.
But Thing 2's somewhat dejected comment left me thinking.
I'm kind of exhausted of holidays.
Doesn't it seem like they're getting closer together?
Maybe it's because my kids are older and I've got so many under my belt by now, but I'm kind of craving a holiday where I don't have to decorate and buy candy and make a giant freakin' deal out of it. As I'm sure you know (and if you are a husband will admit), the pressure to make every little holiday magical and memorable lies squarely on the mama's shoulders, and this mama is getting a little burned out. Social media only fuels it. I blame Pinterest. Now we have to actually see all the crap that I'd totally have done and made with my kids 10 years ago but that now makes me just want to watch somebody else do while sitting on the couch sipping a glass of wine.
And Easter is next weekend, you say?
Crap. Better go dig out the tubs and set out the bunnies and plastic eggs and baskets with pink cellophane grass that I'll find in cat vomit and catbox poop for the next two weeks.
I'm just glad I don't have green chalk footprints all over my wood floors to clean up before then.
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Hey! There's still two days to enter to win one of the copies of my book + the martini recipes! BUT you have to follow the rules! Many have entered, but only a handful have actually shared the book &/or link on Facebook and Pinterest (I'm checking...of course I'm checking!) so your odds are pretty damn great as of right now! Remember, you have to leave me a message on the YMFT Facebook page telling me what you did! Not a fan of the page? Then become one! Gooood Luck!
I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don't give a rat's ass about the other ones (from a decorating-retail standpoint, kiddies - don't condemn me to hell because I didn't include Easter). St. Pat's? Meh. I'm an Ozark Hillbilly to the core. Fortunately, my kids have reached the point where they're okay with my holiday ennui as long as I toss a couple of bags of candy their way each time. Or ARE they...?
ReplyDeleteExactly. They SEEM fine with it until they're in therapy one day complaining about how everyone else's mom dyed the dog green.
DeleteWe do little things for minor holidays, and don't go crazy for the big ones. I'm pretty lazy, and I would rather spend my money on things other than craft materials and holiday specific decorations. Not to say we don't ever do holiday crafts or mark the occasion somehow. For St Patrick's Day, I served Lucky Charms with green milk, and the kids lost their damn minds. Ah, the joy of low expectations!
ReplyDeleteDammit. Lucky Charms. Duh.
DeleteI know I always put too much effort into this stuff when my kids were little... Weaning them of holiday expectations is awful... I'm budgeting for therapy for them.
ReplyDeleteEntered the giveaway!
I think we all put too much effort into everything when they're little and then there's nowhere to go but downhill.
DeleteSaw the post on Facebook! Thanks!! :)
Michelle: Is there any way to purchase your book on your site for my Nook?
ReplyDeleteI am one of those annoying people who can't get enough of the holidays. St. Pat's is one of my faves because after the huge parade in town, my parents come to make us corned beef and cabbage and babysit our kids and their cousins while the hubs and I get to go back downtown with friends and siblings and listen to bands and drink green beer. See...the holidays are starting to look better now, aren't they? :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids, but the only holiday I decorate for every year is Christmas. Some years I do Halloween, and some St. Paddy's day, but the other ones, I'm tired.
ReplyDelete