To Panic or Not To Panic?

So as many of you are aware I was away all last week. When I left, every piece of laundry was done, including each and every towel. Every dish and piece of silverware was washed and put away. Every room was cleaned and vacuumed. Every i was dotted and every T was crossed. I think you get the point. I even had snapped a photo I liked of mini and had it put into a card I liked online and ordered it and picked the cards up an hour later before I left so I could take them with me and address them and mail them while away. Yes, I was organized and I was prepared for the trip.

You know what they say about the best laid plans right? That's right. None of it mattered. Nothing went as planned last week. I never even got my cards out of my bag. After a few unplanned set backs last week, my Dad started to get better so I came home on Saturday night. I have to give props to my husband and my daughter, the house was almost spotless, and the laundry was even done!

GASP!

GASP!

They really did a lot around the house while I was gone and for that I was very grateful. I needed to come home and be with my family and let a ton of emotions out and just relax and decompress. That is exactly what I did. Hell, I don't even remember one minute of Sunday afternoon, I'm pretty sure I slept that afternoon away on the couch. It was really what I needed and it felt great.

Enter Monday morning. I woke up sat on the couch and realized it was December. The month that the big holiday falls in.

Christmas.

Christmas.

OH.MY.GOD.

Then panic set in. Christmas and I have only bought one gift!!!! I haven't addressed my cards or mailed them yet!! I haven't shopped for one baking ingredient yet!! I haven't put together my day after Christmas party menu yet!! OH.MY.GOD. As I was putting together my grocery list for later that morning, a thousand thoughts were running through my head. I need to do this....I need to do that....I need to run here.....I need to run there.....Oh and yeah I almost forgot, we are away at a swim meet out of state for THREE DAYS this weekend, AND I am going back out of state when I return to help out my parents again. HHHHHHHHHHELP!!!!!

Late on Monday night I decided, I can't do everything and I have to just let things go. Priorities come first and that's family. I just need to do what I can do and so be it. Tuesday was a new day and I was okay with my decision to let some things go. I was checking my lists, crossing items off I decided were not that important.

Then came Tuesday night when I arrived home from the pool and took a look at that list again. How can I let things go for Christmas? Christmas is made of tradition. I can't let our traditions go. I just can't do it.

Panic.

Panic.

Panic.

Guess what? It's back. Panic. I'm in full on panic mode once again, I have made lists on top of lists. I need to get it all done. I can't let any tradition go. I am in a race for the finish line. There is no quitting, no dropping out of this race. I need to finish and finish on time. So say a prayer for NO bad weather, because I can't even let snow or ice stop me.

I'm off.....wish me luck!!