Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Party's Over...

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It won't be long and we'll be saying, "I can't believe it's Christmas already!" Funny how it always sneaks up on us. And comes faster and faster every year.

We started our Christmas festivities on Christmas Eve Eve for my family's gathering. The kids got lots of stuff. Some really good stuff and some J-U-N-K. But don't tell anyone I said that. I wish I knew what to do with not one, but TWO dog puppets that bark to the tune of "Doggy in the Window" and "B-I-N-G-O" and "Its a Small World". However, in the same gift bags with those treasures was two bags of "The Original" Gummy Bears. YUMMY! Too bad the kids like them too. Almost everything else was something we asked for or something that I had pre-approved.

My favorite moment was when I gave a "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" DVD to my sister and wrapped it up from "Hermie". No one knew who Hermie was. Do you?

I'll give you a hint. He wanted to be a dentist. Maybe I should have wrapped it up from Dr. Hermie, DMD. Do you think that would have made it a little bit more obvious?

Our family Christmas on Christmas morning was all for the kids. My 4 year old woke up at 7 and hubs was not going to be home for about an hour, so I told him to get in bed with me and go back to sleep. He laid there for about 30 seconds and said, "I'm going to play on the computer." 30 seconds after that, he came running in telling me that there were presents under the Christmas Tree! He said, "And some of them aren't even wrapped!" I managed to hold him off until everyone was awake and home. Much fun was had by all. Mostly the kids.

Our next Christmas was at my MIL's. Her parents and my SIL and her family were all there. I don't understand how they open their Christmas presents. It's a big melee. They just give out presents as fast as they can and everybody digs into them. You don't get to see what anyone gets and you don't get a chance to take any photos, because you are so busy opening up all of the presents that you have to open. It's a speed race with no winner. There are always tons of gifts wrapped. This year, my MIL seemed unhappy for some reason. She seemed to be sitting and sulking for much of the day after opening her gifts. Maybe she didn't like the kitchen faucet. Or the GPS that we got for her. Or maybe it was my imagination. I don't think anyone else noticed. I might be paranoid. After all, she is my mother in law.

And finally, we had Christmas a couple of days later at my FIL's. That was the best Christmas present for me, because they kept my two little ones for a couple of days. In fact, they are still there as I write. YAY!

Silent night takes on a whole new meaning.

Yesterday, after getting up at 10am, (yes TEN O'CLOCK in the morning!) we went to "breakfast" at IHOP where we laughed at all of the people with their children and wondered if that is what we look like when we are out with ours. Then we went to Target and immediately went to the children's clothing and the toys. Everything we bought was for the kids. What were we thinking? And last night was the grand dinner out at a swanky Italian place here where I enjoyed myself beyond imagination. Just to eat dinner out without having to say, "Get out from under the table!" Ahh. Just savoring every delicious bite. Mmmmm.

We will get them back tomorrow. Today I am cleaning and throwing things out that would never get thrown out if they were here.

Thank Heaven for Grandparents!

So how was Christmas for you?

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Not so bad

Well, I got out early yesterday morning and I got to Old Navy in time to get a $20 gift card. YAY! That means that I got a pair of jeans for ME! I also bought most everything there for people who were difficult to buy for. AND I spent LESS than $100! Everything was on sale and they had some really cute stuff in there.

Then I went to pick up the kids' pictures from Sears and to Target for the kids' stuff. I spent more at Target than I wanted to. Oh well. Then, later, I went to Freds. (Freds is one of those stores that my grandmother used to call a "5 and dime".) Anyway, they had some really good stuff for my 2 year old and it was cheap.

Maybe the strangest gift we are giving is a kitchen sink faucet to my MIL and my FIL and his wife. I got a new one a couple of years ago and I figured that they need one too.

So we only have one thing to pick up today. And then we're done.

How about you? What are you giving? Getting?

Friday, December 21, 2007

The Goose is Getting Fat

Remember that song, "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please to put a penny in the old man's hat"? Well, the code for

youbetterhurryupandfinishshoppingandwrappingforChristmas

is "The Goose is Getting Fat". The kids don't know what it means and it makes me laugh. If I didn't laugh, I would cry.

I have done very little to no shopping and I haven't wrapped a single thing. I have never waited until the very last minute before and it is making me just a little bit crazy. But you see, I can't go when the kids are with me because they want one of everything and I can't buy them gifts when they are with me, so I have to wait until I can either find a sitter or my husband is home, which will be tomorrow and that is the Saturday before Christmas on Tuesday. (Can you sense my desperation?) Which I would imagine will be a hair raising experience.

So, wish me luck. Hopefully there will be many sales and much peace and goodwill toward men. and me.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I'm still here, sort of.

Where has the time gone?

I cant' believe that I haven't posted ANYTHING in over a month. Well, it isn't because I have been decorating for Christmas, or Christmas shopping or anything like that. (I have done some of that, but that isn't what takes up all of my blogging time.)

Well, you see, I have discovered Google Reader. Thanks, Comfy Denim, for that. (By the way, I tried to go with Bloglines, but I never received the confirmation email from them and so I could never access the site. What is that about?)

Now, it is so much easier to read all of the blogs I love. In fact, it is so much easier to read them that I find myself reading all of the blogs which leaves me little or no time to write anything. In comparison to all of the wonderful writers out there, it seems that anything I would have to say pales in comparison.

So, thanks ComfyDenim. She periodically checks in on me and leaves me a comment just to let me know that there is still someone out there.

Yes, I'm still here. Hopefully, I'll think of something to write about. At least more frequently than once a month.