Why I Look Tired Today

I'm sorry. The kids have not done anything cute, destructive or annoying. I've come to terms with the following:

• Isaac does not like anything I make for dinner
• Ethan will spend twice as long hiding his dirty clothes under his dresser and behind his bed as he would just putting them in the laundry basket
• Jonah's paint project will somehow end up face down on the carpet while his flubber will stain all the white grout on the kitchen counters bluish-green

None of these things surprise me anymore, and I don't feel inspired to write about them. I also don't feel inspired to clean the house, but that's a different post altogether. Well, I guess it could be the post, but it's not going to be.

Instead, I will post about what kept me awake as I lay in bed last night.

• I have to write the Christmas newsletter. It's not the actual writing that is causing me grief, it's the family photo. The thought of getting our family somewhat presentable and then snapping a picture of all of us boggles my mind. I can't possibly see how it could be done. I have nothing against putting individual shots of each of us in the letter, but I just don't have a decent picture of myself. Actually, there are literally 2 pictures to choose from and one was taken last year. No one ever takes a picture of mom. Sigh.
• That brings up the second thing that kept me awake. I know some would say, "why not just put a picture of your kids in the Christmas letter?" Well, I'll tell you why, after I apologize to all the people I will probably offend by saying this. (Sorry) I get a little bugged when I receive a Christmas letter from an old friend I haven't seen for like 15 years and it only includes a picture of their kids, who I've never met in person. I really, really want to see YOU. I like YOU! You are my friend and while your kids are very cute and I do want to see what they look like, I also want to see YOU. So, that is why I insist on including my picture in our Christmas newsletter.
• Next thing keeping me awake: Money. The credit card bill is going to be high and the spending isn't over. Even though I want it to be and I feel like feeding my family powdered milk for the rest of the month just to save money. And I think I just might have put in $20 instead of $10 when I went out for dessert with some friends the other night because I can't find the extra $10. And it's making me sick even though it's $10 and I should just let it go.
• I offered to set a table for this Thursday's Christmas Enrichment meeting because I have a lovely set of Spode's Christmas Tree patterned dishes I received from my grandma Atwood. However, I didn't realize that I would also have to set the table with silverware for 8 and a centerpiece. The silverware isn't that big of a deal, but I don't know if I have service for 8. A few pieces met their demise in the garbage disposal. The real issue is the centerpiece. Some would call me creative, but honestly, I don't think I have the attention to detail for a centerpiece. I feel a google search coming on. Of course the more I think about the lack of silverware and the need for a centerpiece, the more the size of my credit card bill creeps into my mind and I find it hard to move onto the next thing keeping me awake which is...
• I need to turn 7 yards of flannel into 3 pairs of pajama bottoms.
• I shouldn't have spent so much time reading today, but since I can't go to sleep, I wish I would have gone to the library to pick up that book that just came in. Then I could just get up and read until I fall asleep.

I think that is all the things that kept me awake last night. So, what will I do today to ensure these same things don't keep me awake tonight? I'll go to the library and pick up my books. Denial works so much better between 8am and 10pm, doesn't it?