36 | N OV E M B E R
8 – 15 | 2013
W W W. S A N TA B A R B A R A S E N T I N E L .CO M
You Have Your Hands Full
Even the schoolwork is piling up… we’ve officially entered the holiday crunch.
by Mara Peters Former editor for the fashion/lifestyle section of the New York
Post, Mara moved to London and worked as a contributing editor for the Daily Mail’s You Magazine, freelancing for Look Magazine, NY Post and the Style Magazine for The Sunday Times. To remain sane during diaper years she writes a mommy blog, You Have Your Hands Full – www.handsfullsb.com.
‘Tis the Season
H
ave you heard the pop of the starting gun? Can you feel the race in full swing? Halloween is over. Now it’s a full sprint to Christmas. Parentteacher conferences, minimum days, Thanksgiving and then winter break. The line-up is a little overwhelming, and to be honest, I’m feeling a little exhausted just thinking about it. The euphoria of putting the kids back in school is long gone. The schedule has become brutal, and all of us are petering out. Even some of my kids’ teachers have been hoping to fast forward the rest of fall. “Mom, can you sign my science fair entry?” Olivia asked me the other day. Science fair? Panic sets in. That isn’t supposed to be squeezed into the packed fall schedule, is it? She sensed my building anxiety. “It’s after break. They just want us to start thinking about it.” And that’s when I know the ship has hit some rocky waters. One more wave and
we may all go overboard.
Bah Humbug
“I just scheduled our family Christmas card photo,” another parent told me while we volunteered at the class Halloween party together a couple weeks back. “I have been combing through Pinterest looking for ideas. I really want something different, more creative this year. What are you going to do?” she asked me. Ummm. I think maybe I’ll point, shoot, pray and print. “So, the day after Thanksgiving, you guys are coming to L.A., right?” My brother-in-law called me to wish me happy birthday and inevitably started talking about holiday plans. I had attempted to keep things simple by hosting Thanksgiving at our house. (I flirted briefly with the Thanksgivukkah route as the first night of Hanukkah is also Thanksgiving, but the turkey menorah project was too much.)
But half of the family will be in L.A. So instead of holding my ground, I waffled. My dream of staying home for four glorious days has turned into a nightmare. We now will share dinner with ten people at our house, then pile into the car the next day, face the holiday traffic and do it again with twenty. At least it will keep me out of the Black Friday mania. “What are we doing for the boys’ birthday?” I got an email from my sisterin-law who lives back east. She is always a planner. Every year I get the email right after trick or treating about the boys’ December birthday. She wants to coordinate their gifts. Then Jackson starts in. He is dying to have a beach party with every person he considers remotely to be his friend. “Mom, I have to invite all these guys,” he told me with an alarmingly deeper voice. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and they’re all sick.” “It might rain, Jax. Not sure a beach party is the right route,” I tell him, puzzled at why he wants a bunch of infected kids at his party. (Kidding, “sick” is good… I think.)
“Then maybe I’ll just have a campout in the backyard.” Lovely. I can picture it now: Ten elevenyear-old boys hanging in our little house trying to roast hotdogs in our fireplace while it’s pouring outside. I’ll do my best to get them not to knock over the Christmas tree. Finally, I start seeing the commercials with hot chocolate, Santa and pure joy, and wonder why I am so damned Scrooged. Over the years, the holidays have beaten me down. Alpha hates the materialism, encouraging me to not buy in. But then, like clockwork, when his grandmother calls to wish us “Merry Christmas,” he mouths, “What did we get her?” I have learned. And I am becoming more of a planner, systematically tackling my holiday to-dos with the precision of an Army Ranger taking down an al-Qaeda operative. We have just under two months to squeeze it all in. I want to wish all you parents out there good luck. And may the one with the most endurance win. The thing is, though, I’m not sure there is ever a winner until December 26.
Peters’ Pick
P
arent-Teacher conferences are coming up in mid-November. If you find that your child may need some extra help, look no further than the California Learning Center. I know enough to know that it’s full quality people who make something happen. Wendi Ostroff, the owner of the center, is one of the highest caliber teachers I have known to date. With her experience of 25 years teaching, she can contribute in a significant way to your child’s development. She offers classes in college prep, foreign languages and private tutoring, as well as help with homework. California Learning Center: 805-5631579; www.clcsb.com.
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