No longer a Silent strike

I couldn't take it any longer.  I couldn't look around my house.  The mess is getting to me.  I think I was even beginning to drive my father insane with it.  He was in the know and I shared it all with him.  The few ups and many downs.  Today my father came to down to my house and looked around.  Then he told the children, "Your house is a trash pit.  Do you even realize it?"  They looked at him with blank stares.  "Your mother has gone on strike.  She is done cleaning up after you and doing Your chores."
The children, specifically the oldest, were angry.  They told him they didn't know what their chores are.  That they didn't leave any mess.  He told them to look around.  And that they are lucky to have me as a mom, because he would do much more than go on a silent strike.
So how did it come to this point?

My Mommy Strike

Today is the morning of the fourth day of my Mommy Strike.  I'm pretty sure nobody but me knows I'm on strike.  Not even my husband, because I have not told him yet.  I'm actually debating as to whether or not to let him in on it.  Since as I look around he has helped create some of the mess.  At this point in my strike I am having a really hard time looking around my house.  It is begging me to clean up.

Here is how the days have been so far.

Blessed Yule

We had a wonderful Yule celebration this year.  The kids were slightly disappointed that we celebrated on Saturday instead of Friday.  But my husband and I didn't have the time available to take off from work.  And truly the most important part is that we celebrated the solstice together as a family.

I'm not perfect

Recently I've been having a lot of frustrated/angry feelings toward my stepdaughter's mom.  After a very long and very upsetting mental health issue with my stepdaughter (that is still on going), my husband and I agreed to give primary residence back to her mom.  One of the  biggest factors was the doctor's felt Duckling needed to be home schooled.  Both my husband and I work, so that wasn't an option in our house.  Off she went back to live with her mom and be home schooled.
Here's a little history to help with understanding the situation.  Last year, Duckling went to a school that was independent study.  She had an advisor to help keep her on track.  At this school you also need alot of parent involvement, to make sure your child is doing their work. 

Birthday for the 12 year-old boy

A couple weekends ago we had a sleep over birthday party for our 12 year-old son.  And by birthday party I really mean is half a dozen 12 year old boys running around my house shooting each other with Nerf guns and being just generally wild.

Rewind to the beginning of the day.  Which I spent as the crazy mom following my boys around getting them to clean up the last bit of toys and stuff so the house would be clean for the party. 

Letter to Santa

Santa does not come to our house.  I decided when I had my first child I didn't want to do Santa, because as a single mom not knowing how much money I would have for gifts.  I didn't want the stress.  My mother was horrified by my decision and decided to do Santa for my daughter and then the rest of my kids after they were born.  Our family does gifts on Yule and the kids get gifts from Santa and Grandma on Christmas.  This has actually worked out really well.  The kids get to have the magic of Santa and I get to be more relaxed.