Being a parent around Christmas time is a tough spot to be in. We often find ourselves asking how much is too much? Where is the balance? Part of wanting to be a good parent is wanting to teach our kids to be thankful for all they get, but also wanting to see their faces light up at a possible mountain of presents that could await them Christmas day. In my home, I grew up on the poor spectrum and so did my husband. We did not get everything we wanted, or anything handed to us, and we grew up knowing what it meant to struggle. This is something we never wanted for our children. Because of that reason, we have worked hard to become financially comfortable on our own and can afford a big Christmas for our children, which turns us into a different kind of bad parents. We give too much.

When you post pictures on your social media for friends and family to peak into your holiday, I know for us, Its a way to still connect with those we love who are far away. We are a military family, who can't always go home for the holidays. For others, it is an extreme competition or a way to say look how much I can do. While some kids are getting iPads from Santa, other kids can only get new socks.This year, in my home, we are incredibly lucky.

My husband and I both work 60 + hours a week, to be able to afford a large Christmas for our three munchkins. Every little bit I have managed to squirrel away during the year has led to all the memories we will be making in the weeks to come. Yet, I can still feel disapproving eyes. The same eyes that judged us for the years before when we could only afford a sock filled Christmas for our kids, that are now judging for the Christmas we've worked hard to provide this year. So are we spoiled or blessed? How much is too much?

This time a year is about giving, loving one another. We also will be donating clothes and toys to those less fortunate than us, we will be doing toys for tots and visiting a senior home for Christmas. My kids do not get a silver spoon in their mouths, they may get a lot but we also teach them to give a lot.

I hope in the years to come my children will carry on traditions and things we teach them so our spirit live on with them through these times of year. I hope they can remember in year 2016 when mom surprised them to a trip to the "North pole" for a night and took them to the Washington state Ice Caverns. I hope they remember waking up to a mountain of presents Christmas Day and feel how much we love them and pay attention to their wants and desires, after a year of being told to wait to buy anything and to be patient. To many people that will see our pictures and feel like we are breeding entitled children with out living a year in our shoes to see the work and love that went into this holiday for our kids, I hope you have a wonderful blessed Christmas.