I’ve been called paranoid, even a hypochondriac in the past.  Most of this criticism has come since the ability to search the internet over the last decade has become so easy, as I’m the type to look up everything as soon as it crosses my mind. Let’s be honest, as a mom it’s easy to worry about more serious illnesses when your child has a few symptoms that match up.

Just like all kids, mine can’t wait to get out of school for holiday break.  But once the holidays are over and it’s time to go back, my oldest starts to get depressed and his anxiety kicks in.  With cold weather, dark mornings & evenings, and no other breaks scheduled for 3 months, it’s easy to get the blues.

I’m busy all the time, but when the holidays are around the corner and I haven’t done a good job planning for them, I feel in total disarray.   

Now that I’m back to work full time, I’ve decided I just can’t do everything this year that I usually like to do, and it’s just not worth the level of stress I’d endure to make it all happen.

If you find the holidays add anxiety to your already hectic life, something needs to change so you can really enjoy what this season is supposed to be about.  So I propose the following ideas to you if you feel the same amount of stress right now as I do:

Just 8 days ago we had multiple 60 degree days in a row, and it felt like winter wasn’t in sight.  Today, we have snow and a wind chill of 9 degrees.  This is midwest living, and I dread this time of year.

I find it interesting that so often we hear from our parents how things are so different today than they used to be when we were young.  Sometimes I wonder how much truth there is to this idea. 

Our neighborhood is great for trick or treating.  Hundreds of kids of all ages are out running from house to house, jockeying for position to be the one to ring the doorbell.  My kids get so excited to see what they’ll get next…and then we get to the dentist’s house.

Yesterday a friend of mine was telling me about this woman who works in her office.  This woman (not my friend…the other one) is about 7 months pregnant, but every day my friend sees her outside the office window puffing away with the rest of the smokers. 

As much as my friend wants to say something to her, she can’t because it’s an “HR” no-no.  So of everyone who witnesses this woman’s behavior, I’d love to know how many feel the same as my friend but choose not to speak up.

For years I’ve been a huge morning person.  Even before having kids, I loved being able to get up earlier than most people would think about. 

For a while it was just the ability to enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and quiet and plan out my work day. But since the kids came into our lives, I now enjoy using that time to get a good workout before the usual daily distractions can ruin my chances of getting it in at all.

However, I’ve been in a lull lately and my usual 4:15am alarm is killing me (yes, I said 4:15, because that is the time I need to be up to get out the door and back from my run before hubby leaves for work). 

I’m always curious to see how other kids besides my own handle the transition and stress of going back to school.  It’s always a given for us that our oldest will not deal with it well and that his whole demeanor will be thrown off the first couple of weeks. 

So as I did my usual web surfing for any new suggestions I could find on how to help him cope with his stressors, I found not one but actually two separate articles that support the idea that children who walk to school in the morning deal with stress much better than those who bus it to school. 

With school back in session, the kids will soon come home with more colds, fevers and everything else.  Even if your kids are active in camps and other activities over the summer months, being confined to the classroom all day makes them more susceptible to germs and illness.   Here are a few tips to make every effort to keep them as healthy as possible.