Christmas is over and I'm ready to take down the decorations.

Christmas is over and I'm ready to take down the decorations. I'm not sure exactly what happened. I was really looking forward to my parents' visit. I hadn't seen them since last May.  But my mom has been, well, a bitch since they got here last Sunday.

Then on Christmas Eve, she just kept picking at me and picking at me until I finally snapped.  First she wanted to help me fold clothes.  I know, sounds great!  How could I complain about that?  But I'm trying to bake for Christmas Eve and have a fun pizza making dinner with the kids.  It's our family tradition.

Frankly, I think THAT was more important than folding a few clothes.  It's not like we were running around naked with nothing to wear!  So I finally give in to save the peace and we go upstairs to fold.  She sits on the bed and folds like 4 items and just sat there while I did the rest!  When I finished folding, she says "well I wasn't much help, was I?" Still trying to keep the peace and not falling for her bait, I told her she kept me company.

So we go back downstairs to finish getting dinner ready.  I also had to finish wrapping some presents.  She said she would help me wrap.  I told her it wasn't a problem because I had to do it after the kids went to bed.  So at 9pm, I decide to try to get the kids to bed.  I tell her I'm going to give Annie a bath and then lay down with her to get her to sleep.  My mom asks about putting the toys that are already wrapped under the tree.  I told her not before the kids are asleep and that i'd be back down to do it later.  She got all attitudy, asking again when we were going to wrap and put them all under the tree.  I repeated, not until the kids go to bed!  Remember, 3 of them still believe in Santa so they CAN'T see the presents yet!  Anyway, she continues to pick at me and pick at me and then says she has a schedule she would like to keep!  WTF?  I finally lost it and yelled.  I told her too bad, Annie has to have a bath and the kids WILL be asleep before I put presents under the tree!

I know holidays can be stressful, but if you would just relax and go with the flow, maybe you'll actually have some FUN!  Now there's an idea.

Today I'm supposed to go shopping with her.  I swear she'd better not try to pick fights with me!  I can only take so much verbal abuse.  I won't let it build up into a rage, but I will stick up for myself!  I'm very disappointed with how she is treating me and my children.