One BiG Mistake! ....(Or More...!!)

I made a big mistake this year.  Huge really..  I don't even know how it got to this point.... Are you ready to hear it..?

I... Volunteered ... to bake Christmas cookies/candies for the entire family this year.  I actually signed up for it....

Some of you non-moms or especially moms to new babies are questioning why this was a big mistake??? Please let me explain...

Time:  What mom of a 2 year old and newborn has enough time to bake a large assortment of cookies/goodies?? I don't even have time to take a shower on my own!
Money: Do you have any idea how much these ingredients end up costing?  I have been shopping deals plus coupons for cookie/goodie supplies since September. I bet my total cost is ranking up near or even over $100! Thats WITH double coupons and sales.. Granted not everything comes in sales/coupons, but much of it did.
Mess:  Let me back up a bit; my house is a two bedroom condo, apartment style living. apx 1000 sq. ft.  While I LOVED my house when we bought it back in 2005 (at the highest price possible..) We were planning on living here for 2 or 3 years until we were ready to have kids. Then we were going to move.  Hah! I *wish* we could move.  While I *LOVE* my kitchen because of its updated style, it is about 8x8.
So as if I didn't have a large enough problem with space having a family of three in our tiny condo - I now have a family of four in a tiny condo.  There is never two rooms clean at the same time. It is impossible.
SO back to the Mess:  Why would one who has an issue with keeping a house clean, plus has two very young children want to start such a HUGE project?? I can't imagine.
Inconvenience:  All of my cookie batters and such are being mixed with a hand mixer that is missing a beater!!! My son managed to lose a beater about the time he started crawling and pulling things out of our drawers. I have been looking for it ever since.  I have asked my husbands family for a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas (and I will be the happiest girl on the planet on Christmas morning if that is under my tree!)
And last, but most certainly not least.... 

Calories!!!!  I JUST had a Baby 7 weeks ago!! Enough said. 

This is what I am making this year:

Haystacks
Russian Tea Cakes
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chewy Surprise Cookies
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Peanut Butter Cups
Rice Krispy Wreaths
Puppy Chow

So.  As I'm writing this I realized another HuGE mistake that goes along with the messiness factor..
I VOLUNTEERED to have my husbands family over for opening gifts on Christmas morning...
and I VOLUNTEERED the party room in our condo for my extended family members Christmas party!!

Ok. So not ONLY do I make this huge mess doing cookies and such - I actually have to have a fairly clean house on Christmas Morning!  I even (volunteered) to make breakfast on Christmas morning!

Looking back, I believe all of this planning happened in the matter of one day.  Where was my brain that day? When I had my first son, I decided that Christmas pretty much did not exist for us that year (granted he was due on 12/27 and this one was due 11/1) I did all of my necessary shopping and gift buying while I was 7 months pregnant - never put up the tree or even took out any decorations in our home, because I knew I wasn't going to have time or energy to put them away.  This year we went ALL out.  Next year, I'll re-consider when planning for Christmas...

I'm bringing the relish tray next year!! :) -Merry Christmas!