i was just diag in jan/feb and it took me days to rake the yard. hubby kept saying i'll finish but i loove to work outside and i 'd start for 10 mins rest for 10 mins work for 10 then stop for day. it took a week or 2 but it got done. and yesI HATE THIS MG!!!!

Shar, I have recommended that book too! It's such an amazing thing that this man could reason so much of this out on his own. It really makes you understand how we work against ourselves (especially early on).

I believe what many of you are going through is the denial stage. When you get to acceptance, you'll find that your priorities shift, although I STILL push myself too hard sometimes (like today?).

You have to learn that it's not just the one time thing that'll get you, too. The cumulative effect is what really does you in. One of my docs put it too me this way - I have to take at least every other weekend off (doing nothing but lazy butting it) while working, because if I don't next thing you know you have strung three weeks of physical activity together with no real rest period.

I tend to crash hard at the holidays, cuz that's my favorite time of year and I don't want to miss anything. My birthday is 6 days before Christmas, so I usually have Thanksgiving, then it's rush to do Xmas baking and shopping, then my company Xmas party, then my birthday, then Xmas then New Years! If my birthday were in the summer at least I could get ONE weekend with nothing going there.

My hubby tries to convince me to give giftcards every year, but I love all the wrapped gifts of different sizes and colors! And I love surprises - both getting and giving. That's one time of year I just haven't figured out how to pace myself! This year I'm going to try really, really hard though, because I really don't want to go through this anymore - 14 years of it off and on has been plenty, thank you very much!

Anyway, try to "do as I say, not as I do" (mamma hen again, Erin). If you have something you really want to do, plan ahead to rest up the day before (to store the muscle juice) and the day after (to rebuild the muscle juice). NOTHING, short of helping a family member who is worse off, is worth the crash - certainly not a clean floor. I used to be Mrs. Clean, but I have learned to live with some of the dust bunnies.

I am setting a one-room-at-a-time schedule for myself. I let my hubby do the regular stuff like vacuuming, but I take on the cobwebs, clear the counters completely, etc. It's not as clean as when I did this all the time, but it'll have to do! I am sick of not being able to enjoy 3/4 of my life because I over did for 1/4. You'll all get here too, but hopefully you won't have to go through as many of the downs as I have before you learn to "accept" your new limitations.

Do go online and read the book Shar mentioned. It's a free easy read, and I found it very helpful and insightful. My hope for all of you is that you can learn your limitations (stretching them a little as you find you can) and have a good life not quite so full of the ups and downs - level energy is MUCH better. It's natural to look back at "the good ole days" and pine for them, but things are as they are and the important thing is to make the BEST of this now.

Nuff mamma-ing! Love to all.

i also love xmas espec the gifts so i do buy the gift cards but put them in some thing inexpensive and gender easy. like silly socks for younger girls,some dreaded underwear[who can't use new undies] inexpensive apron or teeshirt that i iron something on personal side or a magazine with a subscription to it that way i don't have to rack my brain and body over a big gift i also get frames for lots of gifts cheap and something personal like beach or vacation ones with pics from our summer vacation where all my kids,mom,some of siblings i do like to open presents so i like to see others open also i also have started shopping online alot more for a bigger selection every year i say i'll start early but i always wait till after thanksgiving sorry for rambling on but I LOVE XMAS!!!!! as for cookies 5-6 of the girls in my family make 1 dozen per person and bring dough to bake another doz per person it goes very fast and then we each end up with lots of cookies with minimal effort/[we label bags of cookies to amke it easier and tell each other the 2 types we are bringing so no duplicates its also a fun relaxing afternoon i hope when the older ones are gone our kids will stay connected and share this tradition it's only 6 months and 1 week away so start shopping!!!!

Xmas, what a great idea, with your gift cards ! Thank you ! I am a xmas lover also !
Mary

Wonderful ideas, Xmas. We do a 4 generation baking thing with my Mom, me, my daughter and granddaughter. My Mom says it's the main reason she lets us drag her up here to stay with us for 2 weeks! We get really crazy - tossing eggs to each other instead of handing them, etc. - all the while to Xmas music and egg nog. I like the other tradition idea too, though - once we teach my daughter in law how to cook/bake that my work!

When we have had to do cash or gift cards I have made a game of it by sending them all on individual treasure hunts. I type up rhymes to send them from one place to then next until they get to the cash, or put gradually larger bills in each place. It's gotten to where they all enjoy that more than the gifts! Not just my g-daughter, but my grown kids as well.
I have resorted to online shopping, but have had a couple of snafu's with that - got the wrong watch for my husband, didn't get one of the gifts I'd ordered - ever, things like that so between the two, I think I like the cash better for the things I can't go buy.

Anyone else have any really cool ideas?

I LOVE XMAS