by Hope
There are no words a parent wants to hear more than “best #### ever.” It just feels good to get something right.
There was a unanimous and record breaking agreement amongst all five of my kids this past week…”Best Christmas Ever!” And I’m excited to say, that started before the presents. It started with Christmas Eve. Score one for this mama!
We had a Dips-mas Christmas Eve this year instead of our typical, traditional meal. Dips of all kind, chips, veggies and fruit along with a charcuterie board/box from a local small business. It was amazing. The kids loved it. I loved it. And Gymnast has already said that’s what he wants to do for his birthday.
After food, we played games. For the last several years, we have done plastic wrap ball. (I just grabbed a tutorial from YouTube for those that don’t know what it is.) And my dad has financed it. But this year, I thought there were just too many of us with all 5 kids here. (This is the first Christmas we’ve been together in several years between History Buff staying in VA, Sea Cadet being in Americorp and Gymnast being at his dad’s and of course, Beauty being new.)
So we tried some new games and they were a hit! I purchased $20 worth of $1 scratch offs and had a little bit of cash ($1s, $5s, $20s x 2 and $50 x 1) for prizes. We played:
- Toilet paper and wine glass – I modified it a bit. We used plastic wine glasses from Dollar General and water because I knew there would be spills.
- Rolling ball into cups – We used Dollar General plastic cups and a set of bouncy balls. Each cup had a prize in it.
The games were fast moving, engaging and a lot of fun. We took a lot of video but Princess hasn’t compiled it yet to share. We had lots of spills, balls everywhere and everyone was moving around and laughing. It was also a good reminder that the lottery is not a money making tool. $20 spent on scratch offs and I think in all we won about $7. But it was good fun!
We had Chinese food Christmas Day, a tradition we’ve started since moving to Georgia. Then we took turns opening presents. Beauty stated how it was her first real Christmas and she felt like a kid. (My family is so great; they embrace every new addition I add as if they have been here all along.) The twins chimed in on how they remembered how so much was different when they moved in with us 10 years ago – first home cooked meals, first birthday party and more.
And then everyone headed their own way…first birthday/Christmas in 16 years that I had any time to myself, it was new and a little weird but good.
- The twins headed back to their apartment to put together a desk and legos that they received.
- Beauty went to her families for a little while.
- Princess and Gymnast went to see their dad who drove down to spend a few hours with them. (First Christmas they have seen them in 8 or so years.) The original plan was for them to go up and see him, but Princess couldn’t get off work so he came here.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
