Musings on Christmas Vacation

Kevin has only today and tomorrow off and then he goes back to work.  We will be having a couple of young ladies over tomorrow (friends of Lydia and Naomi) and then we buckle back down on school again.  Winter is often a good time to get a lot of school done, because we're not as distracted by outside activities.  In winter, mostly I just want to stay home :-).

We have had a really nice vacation!  It has gone better than usual.

To be honest, this time of year, while thrilling, is also tiring.  3 birthdays plus Christmas is a lot of excitement, and sometimes excitement is hard on me and the littles.  That, and I freely admit to being someone who thrives on schedules.  Being out of routine is hard for me.  Having Kevin home is great but also requires some adjustments since (sadly) we don't have him around all that much during the week when he is working.

So past years, I felt unsettled off and on throughout Christmas break. This year, I rarely felt that way.  I think that Lexapro (my anti anxiety/anti depressant) is a major reason.  I tell you, I never knew normal people didn't deal with the kind of anxiety I've coped with most of my life.  Now I'm a big believer in the "puzzle" view of emotional/mental issues.  That is to say that I believe problems like mine are best solved through working the issues from different angles.  Medication wasn't the only answer for me.  20 yearsa ago, my anxiety was far more severe, and I have improved tremendously through prayer and emotional healing.  I'm glad I was able to manage life quite well without Lexapro when I was getting pregnant every 18 months or so, because I preferred to avoid meds while pregnant if possible.

But yes, Lexapro has helped.  I am way more mellow.

Another interesting facet to this vacation is that Kevin didn't tackle any major projects. There are always things to do around here. In fact, we have a new counter top for the boy's bathroom upstairs that has been sitting in our garage for months.  Ordinarily, Christmas break is the perfect time for Kevin (who is incredibly handy) to tackle such projects. Unfortunately, Kevin injured his right wrist 3 months ago and it has not been improving.  This break was a good time for him to take it really easily, and that meant that he didn't do any major projects. He also visited a specialist last week, who gave him a cortisone shot. We hope that he'll improve rapidly.