STRESS!

I love Christmas and I love all the wonderful fun memories that we get to make with our children and all the fun traditions.

With Christmas comes some stress also. Stress of lots of things to do. When I get stressed I get forgetful. I absolutely hate this part of me. I hate forgetting things because to me it is absolutely embarrassing that I forgot.

Because this month has been full of stress and being sick and lots of stuff not working out the way it was suppose to there were a lot of things I forgot. Here is a small list of important things I can remember that I have forgotten this month.

1)A friend moved and left the country - I wanted to go by and say goodbye and let her know she would be missed. Instead I forgot and didn't remember until a week after she had moved. I was so sad.

2)A friend had her baby and I was suppose to take her dinner. My children got sick the same week and I totally forgot and didn't remember until today. Which is so sad. I have to call and say sorry. I feel so irresponsible.

3)Another friends husband became deathly ill and was in the hospital. I'm so "la-di-da!" all the time that I didn't notice at church or pick up that something was wrong. I finally read her blog page and realized all the stress she had been through, but I read it after he was home from the hospital. I felt so stupid that I don't even know how to bring it up or say I'm sorry.

4)I have had weeks go by where I have forgotten to call my mom all together and left her in worry that I was mad at her.

5)I have forgotten EVERY family members birthday who's birthday was in the month of December. For example at the beginning of this month I called Brian's brother Dono to verify when his wife Jackie's Birthday was. He told me December 11. I then promptly forgot to get a gift ordered and mailed and I forgot to even call on her Birthday, I totally forgot about it until like December 20th. My family is loaded with December birthdays... I have many I forgot stories for this month.

6) I've been sick with something similar to Laryngitis this week. I've been down and miserable on the couch. I've had Brooke throwing up and Brianna sick also. Not a fun week but I did my best to finish up Christmas shopping. I had to turn to online shopping because actually leaving the house to do my christmas shopping was not going to happen. One of my gifts for Brian was going to be putting to gether a picture collage of him and the girls and the fun activities they did this year. I ordered the pictures online and I just needed to pick them up at Kruidvat. I had the picture frame and everything. Did I remember to pick up the photo's from the store? Nope. Did I have that gift to give to Brian? Nope!

7)I forgot to mail out Christmas cards. Nothing to friends or family.

8)I had friends email me and ask for our address so they could mail us Christmas cards and I forgot to reply to the emails.

9)I have a friend from Spain and she goes back to Spain with her family every vacation. They have a Hamster. She always ask if I can care for the hamster while they are away. I am always happy to do it as it makes my children happy and we are not going anywhere anyways. Well as they were getting ready to leave to go to the airport and were coming by to drop Stuart the hamster off at my house. Was I at home? Nope, I forgot she was coming over. Marta couldn't get a hold of me at all and was forced to leave Stuart at her house and a key with the neighbors in hopes that I would return to get the hamster. When I called the Neighbor they were disappointed because their children wanted to care for the hamster for a day or 2. So I agreed to wait until Monday to pick up the Hamster. Monday evening when I was suppose to go get it. I forgot. They called me late that night and wondered if I was going to care for this hamster at all.

10)The Wednesday before school let out it was busy as usual. first I drop Kaitlyn off at gymnastics class and then I take Brianna to K3 dance class and then I have to go back and pick Kaitlyn up from gymnastics class and then get Brianna from Dance class and then we all go together to Kaitlyn's Basketball class. All after school activities seem to be scheduled on Wednesday. So as normal I did the routine. Dropped Kaitlyn off and then Biked with Brianna over to her dance class. She was biking really slow and I kept encouraging her to go fast because we needed to hurry or she would be late for class. Nothing can really speed up Brianna. I was trying to put a little speed into her anyways. We got to dance class a little late and I needed to hurry to the store to get food for dinner before I picked up Kaitlyn from class. I had Brianna park her bike outside and told her to run in to class as fast as she could and I took off. I was hurrying to do my other errands when my coat pocket begins to ring. I forgot I even had my cell phone in there. I answered it and it was someone from the dance school. Talking 100% in dutch of course letting me know there was no dance class and I needed to come back and get Brianna. I had forgotten that the last week they weren't going to have dance class. I had 10 minutes until Kaitlyn was out of gymnastics and I had to go back and get Brianna and the Bike ride back wasn't going to be fast. I went ahead and road my bike to meet Kaitlyn and told her to wait there until I got back and that I was going to be really late. That way she could finish class and change her cloths. I gave her a kiss and left. I road as fast as I could back and got Brianna, who had been in tears thinking that she had road her bike so slow to class that she missed it all together. My poor Brianna. We then road back and met Kaitlyn and headed off to basketball class. We dropped Kaitlyn off at Basketball and I took Brianna and Brooke with me to attempt to do our grocery shopping for dinner that didn't get done before. Somewhere in the store Brooke put down her sippy cup that she had been drinking her milk out of. I forgot she had one till we left and so we rushed back in to look for it. We searched each isle. I wouldn't have been so deligent but I only have 2 left she has lost all the other ones. We couldn't find it anywhere. I gave up and we had to leave and go get Kaitlyn but of course we were late again and my poor girl was waiting for us out in the cold with no jacket because I forgot I had it with me.

11)Some dear friends have dropped by with Christmas gifts and Christmas cards this year. I can't remember if I have sent them thank cards for them. I have some memory of doing some but I can't remember to who. So if you brought something by. Thank you.

12)I told friends I would send them information by email and I forgot to do it.

I know there is a much longer list of things I have forgotten but I have already forgotten that I have forgotten them. I hate that I get so forgetful.

So what is the point of this post. The point it to say I'm sorry to all of you who may have been forgotten in one way or another. I am sorry that my brain short-circuits. Please know you mean the world to me and as soon as I get my brain back and functioning, I hope to be a much better friend to you.

I really do hope you are having a very Happy Holidays! (Now I will post about the more enjoyable things that occur at Christmas).