Being "Just" a Mommy at Christmas

Usually at this time I would be frantically grading papers, filing them, and entering grades into the computer because the end of the second quarter would be approaching. This is the first year EVER I have not been doing this as a mom. I would be drowning in papers hauling them back and forth, frantically working on comments and coding report cards. I would be....stressed, very stressed.

I am so at peace and appreciating being at home this holiday season and planning my son's upcoming Christmas Party. I am volunteering to drive middle schoolers to a field trip to see The Hobbit this week. THIS is what I wanted to be doing.

For my son's Christmas party I have arranged a brunch with Chick Fil A chicken minis, am making a crock pot of hot chocolate, and parents have signed up to bring much more brunch items. We are making two Christmas ornaments because the parents have requested and told me they love homemade ornaments made each year!

Here are the ornaments I chose and got materials for today at my favorite store-Micheals! I love Micheals because they give a 20% teacher discount!

So I was strolling Micheal's today while my kids were at school.

When we got home they had popcorn while doing their homework and we turned on the old Santa's Coming to Town, Drummer Boy, and Mr. Magoo's Christmas movies. This is when today I just paused and thought, how very very lucky my children are and they will never know just how much because this is their norm.

So then I laid out the felt and started cutting out all the parts for the kids to put together at the party to get a jump on the ornaments.

It was at this point that the blog started forming in my mind because my daughter and son were getting very interested in what I was doing when my daughter took this pic with my phone. At this point I realized that this is NOT my norm. That's when the old memory of grading papers and all the other tasks I would usually be doing this time of year entered my mind. I was SO content sitting while my kids were working on homework and the Christmas movie was going, and I was cutting felt mice bodies, ears, noses, and hot gluing googley eyes making a model mouse for the class. So. Very. Content.

So of course after I made my mouse my kids wanted to help so here are our testers!

I am telling you, if I had taught all day today...this would not have happened! I would not be planning W's party, be in attendance even, or spending time today making ornaments together. They will be grown in a blink of an eye, and I want to make ornaments together while they still WANT to!

So all in all today was the perfect day to be "just" a mommy! I have really loved this Christmas season the very best of all! I have had time to make things!

I wrapped presents today in an empty house before picking up the kids! I had my eye brows threaded! Painful but so precise! I am enjoying it all.

W is on his 3rd round of doing the same assignment. And he's not crying! Why? Because this has become our norm.

Third times a charm... If it's not his best he has to redo. Would I have the patience to stick with this if I was home from working after a long day? Probably not or the time. So I am so so grateful!

I can't wait til next year to be "just" a mommy at Christmas! This is why I wanted this so much.