last minute crunch with your bunch

We must be the only school district around with school that goes until Wednesday. But you won't hear me complaining since I can get the last minute chores done before the whole family descends upon my house. But if your kids are out from school and you're wondering how to get everything done with your Bunch, fear not as we have an annual tradition of providing you a few quick tips to survive the last few days before Christmas.

If you're needing to get out and about this week to get last-minute gifts, send packages or plan your holiday menu, going with your two toddlers could make it a bit tricky. So here are a few suggestions to get you through:  

1) Get a sitter (even if it's for one kid)! Beg a neighbor to trade off on babysitting favors for one morning and high tail it around town like a mad woman. Make sure you have a list and group your errands for the most efficiency. If you can't arrange a babysitting swap, bring a mother's helper along with you ($5 an hour or so). She can at least trail behind you with the kids and feed them snacks while you shimmy through Target at light speed. But try to unload at least one kid with someone else. We promise this will make life easier!

2) Splurge on a fun coffee drink. My choice is always a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha. For $3 or so, if that will put me in the right frame of mine to deal with the rush and my Bunch whining about this and that, I say it's worth it.

3) Fa la la la from place to place. Yes, add a little caroling to your car to help lighten the mood (both theirs and yours).

4) Bribe them with lunch. Chick fil A is our preferred Christmas rush treat. We never go there and they love the idea of something fun for them when we're done.

5) Or if all else fails, wait until evening and collect a few other Baby Bunching moms and make a girl's night out of Christmas chaos then get drinks afterwards.

Best of luck getting it all done this week!

Comments

[Kate]

Yum! A coffee splurge is how I get through most days! Another option as a last resort: If all else fails in my family, it's completely acceptable to purchase a gift online (even if it won't arrive on time) place a picture of that gift in a box, wrap it, and put that under the tree (as long as the gift will arrive before New Years'). That way you can prioritize the errands that you absolutely have to do in person this week. I know it's going to be rough in the midwest where we're being hit with so much snow we won't get much of anywhere, bunchers and non-bunchers alike. Happy holidays and thanks for your posts!