There Is a Fine Line
I love holidays and I love spending time with extended family members. The problem is there are a lot of extended family members between the FixItMommy and the Husband. So every major holiday, and some minor ones too, we have to make a critical decision.
How far can we push the Little One and get away with it? She still takes a nap every day. It’s usually at least a 90-minute nap, so it’s a good one and obviously a necessary one. But trying to fit in two family parties and a nap is virtually impossible. Thankfully we have the Christmas thing worked out pretty well. It’s a three-day celebration, but at least we don’t mess up the sleep schedule too much.
Holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving are a little more difficult to navigate. This year’s Easter celebration went like this:
8 a.m. ~ church
10 a.m. ~ back to Grandma and Grandpa’s to see what the Easter bunny left
Noon ~ party at the Husband’s parents’ house
3 p.m. ~ party at the FixItMommy’s aunt and uncle’s house
By the time we got back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, it was almost 7 p.m. Normally my girls are in bed at 7 p.m. So on Easter evening we were very late and we were operating on the no nap schedule.
The Big One has gotten better about extended days and can still recover fairly easily from them. The Little One on the other hand, has a very hard time. The problem is determining when we have crossed that very fine line between pushing the schedule just enough and pushing her too far into the land of extreme exhaustion.
Unfortunately for the FixItMommy, Easter was too much. As a result, the Little One fussed, cried and screamed for the better part of the night. It drives me crazy because I know it’s going to happen. I know that she will get over-tired and then I will be the one up all night with her, yet somehow I have not figured out how to say no to one family.
I really don’t even get the chance to enjoy most of the family time because in the back of my head, I am already dreading the sleepless night.
For those of you who have figured it out, how do you do it?
fixitmommy.com 
We make the family come to us, we host and they come to us because all of the children’s things are here and if they need to excuse themself for a nap then they can. In the past we have brought a portable crib to other family members houses and put them in another room so the child can visit for a while and then nap if needed that way we aren’t up so late at night dealing with an overtired child. Also we have cut some gatherings out some years or alternated them. You have to do what is best for your family even though there is lots of pressure from all sides I can relate to this..
I love the make them come to you concept… problem is they are in San Diego and we are not! It’s way nicer in SD than where we are! 🙂