Christmas Countdown

Countdown Clocks

Is all your shopping done? Mine is not, I feel like I'm scrambling more this year than ever before. I was warned, I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to believe it. Having two kids seriously slows you down. Things that should only take 30 minutes end up taking hours. Yesterday we left MDO pickup at 1:30 to start a set of errands. We deposited a check at the bank, that one's easy, you just drive thru. (I wish I could do EVERYTHING drive thru) Then we hit the library, I did the drive-thru to return some books, but then we went in to find more. That took about an hour. Cam & Maggie had to spend ample time playing on the new carpets and with the new toys they just added to the kids area. Finally we headed to Wal-Mart, to pick up our Christmas cards and a few items to round out dinner. Oh, and as a distraction a happy meal for Cameron as I walked through.
So, if I didn't have kids, I would have run by the bank, dropped off the books at the library, taken about 10 minutes to pick up some for myself, run into Wally World to get the few things I needed and then be back home by 2:30. Nope, with kids life is so different, we weren't home until 4P. Just in time to defrost some chicken and start prepping for dinner, since that also takes quite a bit of time with two little helpers.
Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, they are a great addition to our family. However, they can seriously slow me down. Until you have them, you have no idea what that means. A bathroom break with a young child can end up taking 30 minutes because there might be a blowout and that requires cleaning of child, changing of clothes, and making sure they were really finished. I know other moms are laughing at this saying "Yep, know what you mean", and those that haven't had kids yet are saying "Great now I dont' want kids." The rewarding parts are while you are doing a diaper change, your baby looks at you and says "Momma!" Or you are the only one that can make things right for your kids when they are hurting. Or you get a just because kiss. The rewarding parts are as important a part of life as the slowing down. I guess it's good that the kids slow me down some days, I can enjoy their antics and entertainment more those days.
So if I get asked again if I'm ready for Christmas, have I completed all of my shopping, I'm just going to have to respond with "I have kids, so the answer is no!"