Christmas Crazy 2015: The Total

To say that Christmas Crazy drop-off day is one of my favorite days of the year is no exaggeration. It's the sort of thing that I wish I could share with everyone because ... oof. There's something magical about playing the complicated game of Tetris that leads to this mountain of happiness.

Then somehow fitting all of that happiness into a few cars is overwhelming and wonderful and all of that. And then it gets even more overwhelming and wonderful and all of that when we show up at Center for Victims and unload it all.

One of these years I will remember to have someone video what it looks like to unload boxes and boxes of toys, in part because hearing the comments from the staff at Center for Victims is THE BEST. "That hockey set is perfect for the twins."

Twin 6 year-old boys who look nothing alike and who are always headed in opposite directions will get to throw some purpose behind their nonstop energy.

"We never know what to do for the bigger kids, but then you show up with things like this."

NINE Kindle Fires, three cell phones, a chromebook, headphones, iPod Shuffles, and some Best Buy gift cards. The staff will figure out who is the best fit for what and at the end of it all, there will be a bunch of very happy kids.

There's a little something for everyone sitting at Center for Victims, just waiting for Christmas.

SO many smiles are coming. They'll be added to my smile because you, Internet, are full of fabulousness for allowing me the privilege of delivering all of these toys.

Thank you to each and every person who helped make this mountain of happiness possible.

An extra thank you to a few people who went above and beyond this year.

Ben, yes THAT Ben, did his thing again. He's about a foot taller than he was when he showed up with a giant pile of toys last year, which means he's got about a foot more of space for that fantastic heart of his.

Emilie was a huge help as she busted butt to help me deliver (plus she showed up with coffee in hand so she is my favorite person ever). Thanks so much, Emilie.

Melinda has repeatedly managed to somehow quietly pull together groups of people to help with Christmas Crazy. It's been an invisible sort of help that she's done, but it has had a HUGE impact.

There were also a few companies that did amazing things. Orb Factory and their giant delivery of craft kits are going to make so many kids happy. Mountaineer Keystone collected for Center for Victims and did an AMAZING job. There was also Mecka Fitness and Crossfit Mt Lebananon with a little bit of magic.

Thanks to all of those people and thanks to YOU (seriously, every single person who sent a toy or money, who tweeted or shared a post, you all made such a huge difference), this year's total came in at ...

Wait for it ...

Wait for it ...

Yep, I'm still stalling. I mean, c'mon, I'm mathing on a Saturday night ...

$10,622.89

Seriously.

GOOD JOB, Y'ALL!

Look What You've Done Now, Internet

 

She Knows How to Get Her Way

Some weeks you wake up on Monday, cringe, and then finally mutter, "I got this." It's the start of an extra-challenging week, the week when ALL of the things are happening, so you know that the other side comes complete with a sense of accomplishment.

You just have to get there.

These sorts of week aren't the kinds of weeks that you wish away. Rather, they're the kinds of weeks that slip through your fingers like sand, leaving you grasping at every second and wishing for more. Because SO many things to do.

This has been one of those weeks. I've wished for 20 more hours in each day, which was really just enough extra time for me to stay afloat. Those extra hours didn't quite work out, though. Quite the opposite. While it was a week when I had a ton of stuff that needed to be done, Mila picked this week to be sick.

Just a cold, really. Nothing major.

Juuuuuust enough to make her miserable.

Miss Mila has been coughing her way to consciousness every hour all night long. Since the kid super hates to be awake at night, she's been demanding that others share in her misery. For the record, by "others" I mean ME because the husband is also sick. He's sick with a severe Man Cold.

Interpret that how you will.

I'm too tired to figure out how I interpret it.

So basically I'm saying this week has been full, wonderful, packed, busy, great, so busy, chaotic, and hard. And Mila has been functioning at 50%, which has made her extra needy. But! The end is in sight! There's just a few more major tasks standing between me and a nice little window of nothing!

As I sit here trying to trudge through a few of those last tasks, Mila is awake.

Very awake.

WIDE WIDE WIDE AWAKE. And feeling better? Apparently? I assume that must be the case because she's yelling "HELLO!" as she jumps up and down on the couch. At 11:15pm.

I'm too tired to tell her to stop jumping on the couch. It's just so many words. And so much  effort.

Which, it now occurs to me that perhaps Mila was faking sick. She really just wanted wear me out so that she could get away with absolutely anything for a while.

It's working.