ADHD & generally disorganised people Christmas thread

[falalalalalalalallama]

Fuck. Having utterly, predictably, run out of time to do everything I now have 2 days till we leave to go visit my family and the ILs (not back home till 2022) and I've totally lost track of who I've bought presents for, what I got and where I stashed them!

I know I need to get some more. Still need to do all the stocking fillers for the DC and haven't got anything - or any ideas - for some key family members - unless I bought something for them, hid it and forgot (very possible).

Also need to design and send a picture calendar of the DC to relatives who expect it, finish about a week's work in a day plus wash and pack all our clothes with the dryer on the blink.

But it's all doable, right?!!

How's your planning going?

Anyone fancy a ?!

I got my wrapping done today but I had to pay to send my DC to camp for the day to make it happen. I have no evenings because my seven year old needs less sleep than I do

I’m quite open about struggling with cleaning, I’m much better than I was before I had kids. My kids are teens, but any comments like that and they’d be given a job! I try to bribe them to help but they do bugger all.
I’ve bought everything, some things haven’t arrived. Dd has wrapped presents for extended family. I’ve not started on the kids wrapping, was planning to yesterday but felt terrible and had an early night. I’ve not had breakfast yet and also have an essay to write that could really do with a couple of hours attention and I’ve work to do this holiday that I’ve not looked at.

People over tomorrow afternoon (hopefully) so that will motivate me to clean the house. Dh working from home which is a bit of a pita as I feel I can’t hoover.

Christmas is exhausting.

Just spotted that the breadcrumbs I bought 2 weeks ago so I could get ahead and freeze the stuffing went off two days ago.

I’d say if the breadcrumbs look and smell okay they’re fine.
Still not done any wrapping but have mopped the kitchen floor and hoovered the lounge and folded about a quarter of the clean clothes. Tomorrow before 4 I need to mop the utility (which is where the cats eat and is super grim), mop the hall, clean the bathrooms and change ds bed which hasn’t been done in a while . We are going to start wrapping kids presents tonight. Still haven’t slept brilliant but feeling a bit better today.

Oh the breadcrumbs will be fine. They are stale anyway aren't they. You'll be rehydrating them for the stuffing and adding other flavours, so it won't make a difference.

I haven’t bought enough

That's just the twitch speaking. It will be fine. There is enough. You are enough. Breathe and relax :)

So I've wrapped! First time ever before Christmas Eve!! Bit of last minute shopping then lunch booked tomorrow - just Zizzi as it was a bit last minute.

But I need a couple of little lovely things still for dd2 (25). Dh is in charge of ds's presents and has done NOTHING! Not my problem. I've got to stop worrying about things I have absolutely no control over!!

@Mumwithbaggage fantastic work!

I have told family and dh not to buy me presents and I won't buy them back, it isn't worth the stress.
We still buy for our 2 children, that's what makes Christmas and the food and drinks.

I ask my family every year to not buy me anything, the amount of stuff I already own stresses me out. They won’t listen though!

@wonderstuff

I ask my family every year to not buy me anything, the amount of stuff I already own stresses me out. They won’t listen though!

Same here!

@wonderstuff

I ask my family every year to not buy me anything, the amount of stuff I already own stresses me out. They won’t listen though!

That's OK, you'll have enough to sell on via Facebook/ebay/car boot sales through the year. Then buy yourself to something fabulous, some people just like to give.

I’m finding today really, really hard.

There’s a lot of food prep but it’s having the family under my feet, interrupting, chatting, asking questions, looking for me to make decisions about this and that or helping but actually making more work for me. I can’t get into a flow state and the constant starting and re starting is exhausting. Every time the dc want my help with something they’re not ready when I am, and it trips up my rhythm. I can see now where my energy gets depleted or my motivation is punctured - but I can’t actually do anything about it.

In previous years I would have powered through on a wave of self loathing at my incompetence but I’m actually finding it harder now because I don’t have enough emotional fuel to push through.

It isn’t the amount of work - it’s actually quite manageable. And no one is doing anything wrong per se, just being a normal, lovely family. Maybe next year I might see if I can persuade dh to take the dc off for the morning for an activity.

How’s everyone else?

I'm lucky that I'm at my in laws, so not in charge of anything except the DC and presents. Very happy to chip in and help, doing as I'm told and not having to make any decisions, pretty much.

Still behind though, lots of presents to wrap and just remembered I need to do some WFH by the 26th, so that means today really.

My heart goes out to those doing food prep, I hate cooking, and doing a big meal for everyone with the stress of it being Christmas is my idea of hell! Good luck everyone!

Anyone got a button that pauses time by any chance?

Just finished wrapping, finally in bed. Gonna be running on empty tomorrow. FML.

I did wonder, though, while wrapping, as well as my own presents, presents from my mum to my DP, presents from my DP to everyone (including his sister and his mum) and presents from the DC to everyone, why the fuck everyone leaves dealing with the presents to me when they know I have ADHD?!

(I have bought all these presents too, after they asked me to.)

I bet good money I'll get told off for staying up late, too (by MIL most likely).

Happy Christmas Everyone. Hope the day went well.

Merry Christmas! Trust everyone survived?
I'm currently enjoying the peace of my living room as everyone else has gone to bed!!

Merry Christmas all. I finished wrapping before midnight on Christmas Eve, but then got myself super stressed about seeing my in-laws on Xmas day, they are lovely people, no idea why I got wound up, barely slept a wink, shattered all day yesterday and now have a tension headache. I have an assignment for my uni course that I must work on, but I’m sat in my PJs on mumsnet instead. I’m such a twat.

Hope everyone had some joy yesterday, we had a lovely meal with in-laws and my kids were suitably appreciative of their gifts. Dh and the kids love Christmas, I find the presents bit really awkward, but I totally get that’s my issue. Off to get dressed, take a paracetamol and crack open my laptop!