The year without Christmas...almost

2015 has been kind of a rough year for me and the boys.  There have been tons of changes.  Me going back to work, no more day care for Owen.  Evan starting high school.  It seemed like it should have been an easy year.  The boys are getting older so not so much fighting right?  More helpful around the house right?

HA!!!  I don't know if it was a mix of teenage hormones and little boy mischief but the boys have been rotten to each other all year.  I can literally count on one hand the times they have played together willingly and no one ended up crying, bleeding or grounded.

I feel like I have screamed more this year than in my entire life.  I am sure a quick poll of my neighbors will confirm that they believe a banshee lives at my house.

Chore charts were implemented.  A list of items written plainly with each days tasks.  Ignored.  I literally have to say to them "do your chores" at least ten times.

Privileges revoked.  Electronics taken away.  Plans cancelled.  All freaking year.

Then the backtalk and yelling started.  I expect it from Evan.  Teenage angst, hormones and general attitude is forthcoming.  What I did NOT expect was the fresh mouth that landed on the face of my little Owen.  He has always been a character with a witty comeback but when he started mimicking his brother and acting like an all around jerk I lost my mind.

Around the beginning of October I had reached the end of my rope.  I was exhausted with the daily fights; I couldn't take yelling and bitching and being mad.  Something was going to change. I needed to get their attention.

"Christmas is cancelled"  I announced one day when the madness had reached a peak and I was ready to ship children to military school,  They both stopped sniping at each other and looked at me.  Finally I had their attention.  "What did you say" I repeated my threat and felt it becoming more and more concrete.  It was met with cries of "you cant do that' and "its not fair"  to which I replied: "I can and I will"  No tree.  No decorations.  Maybe a present or two.

Seriously people, their rooms are already overflowing with toys and games and the like and they barely play with half of it.  No one wants to take care of anything...everyone wants to argue with me ...I'm FREAKING DONE. I have zero Christmas spirit and ungrateful children.

As I spread my message of being fed up, I was met with many positive replies.  So many parents are tired of their kids acting like jerks then expecting a million things for Christmas, that you could see the wheels spinning.

Only a few people balked.  My best friend pointed out that Christmas is magical to a kid and that Owen still believes in Santa.  OK , that has been tough.  I caved and got the stupid Elf out and have been traipsing that  thing around the house; not very cleverly I might add.  We still went to Bronner's and got ornaments and had fun with our friends.  I bought a new Nativity set which is the only thing up so far. I am buying them something for Christmas but not much.

The tree was the final battle I was fighting.  More pressure from Tara in the form of passive aggressive texts that she sends in her loving way.  And finally, my boyfriend (yes people, a boyfriend) convinced me I had to put it up.  The boys haven't met him yet so he is coming over tomorrow to help me while they're gone.

I'm not looking at it as caving....I am going to make it look like the Elf did it, I was running out of ideas for that dumb thing anyway.