Christmas 2011

Gee...it's December 29th, and I haven't written a blog about Christmas yet.

Blame Jeff.  He got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  And it has internet capabilities, so I can read all of your blogs and my e-mails and facebook, but it is kind of a pain to type on since I've never texted so basically I'm never on the regular computer to blog anymore.

Got it?

For the record, I got Jeff pajama pants and a running hat...so I LOSE in the spouse present competition this year.  (Jeff would like to point out repeatedly that he had numerous gift cards to Amazon that he had received as bonuses through work...so he didn't actually have to spend money on my delightfully fancy gift.  Whatev's.  Still makes me look bad...)

Christmas morning was hilarious and adorable and fantastic...as we expected.  We had put Andrew on the floor in Michael's room so that our early riser wouldn't discover the presents and open them before waking us up.  Andrew was thrilled to have guard duty.  Never-the-less, they came into our room at 5:15am...chatty and excited, with Michael proclaiming, "Mommy!  We were good!".   But despite their eagerness to tear into their loot, we just couldn't do that to our parents, having promised them the ability to "sleep in" until 6am.  We stalled them for FORTY-FIVE minutes in our room...ugh. 

We also tried to enforce my family tradition of each person opening their gift individually while others watch.  Jeff's family all tears into their gifts at once, which causes you to miss out on who gave them that gift and watching their face while they open it, etc.  I personally like the giving of gifts just as much as receiving...I want to watch other open.  The kids did mostly okay with it.  Michael occasionally laid down on his next present in a pout...but he mostly was excited to hand out gifts and we, of course, let the kids help us unwrap our gifts, which made them happy.  Lily was so so so excited to give her gifts to everyone.  There were many exclamations of joy, fist pumping, and jumping around in glee.  I don't remember much after I opened my Kindle.  Luckily, Jeff had hidden it in the back of the tree so it was my last gift opened.

The rest of the day was the typical Christmas afternoon.  Lots of opening impossible to open plastic and assembling teeny tiny pieces.  We had almost no toys with batteries...so YAY! However, waking up at 5:15 (after going to bed at nearly 9:00 Christmas eve) and with candy as their only sustinance...they were a mass of  misery by 2pm.  Tantrums, meltdowns, fits of rage, fits of grief... drama. 

It was lovely.  And irritating.  But mostly wonderful. 

Oh!  My Kindle is done charging.  See ya laters-

Christmas eve quotes

I told the kids this morning that tonight SANTA'S COMING!  Michael calmly stated, "Then I will find out if I get a present or coal."

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Andrew announced that tomorrow he would like to wait until after dinner to open his presents.  The rest of us can open ours in the morning, but he's going to wait.  When we asked him why he would ever want to do that, he shrugged and said, "I don't know.  I just want to change it up a bit."
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Lily keeps cleaning up for Santa.  After Michael spread his cars out on the fireplace yet again, Lily said, "How many times am I going to have to clean this up?"  Welcome to my world, Lily.

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Andrew wrote a card to his regular teacher and his Humanities (aka gifted) teacher.  We had a little fight over writing them, so I'd thrown my hands in the air and left the room.  He wrote...with no coaching from me... "Dear Mrs. L., Thank you for teaching me all I know.  You've given me the greatest gift of all, the gift of learning.  Have a Merey Christmas.  Love, Andrew."   Could this kid be any cheesier?  Also, she is going to save that card for all time, it is so funny.  What 2nd grader writes that?

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When Memere and Pepere came in our house, Michael gave them the obilitory tour...as if they have never visited before.  He showed them the box of Christmas cookies and announced, "These are our cookies.  That's all we eat...IS COOKIES!"

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My dad sleeps in around here.  You know, until 7 am.  Lily expressed some concern this morning that Pepere wouldn't wake up in time for present opening.  He'd better go to bed really early tonight.

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I know there's more.  I just am drawing a blank.  Will write more later...

WHAT?!?! It's December 22nd?!?!?

Boy-howdy.  I can't believe that Christmas is in 3 days.  This month has not gone exactly as I planned.  And once again it is a lesson in how being a procrastinator doesn't pay off.  Will it stop me from procrastinating next time.  No.  But still...lesson experienced.

We are mostly ready over here.  The floor is in need of a thorough cleaning (thank you for tracking dog dirt in, boys) and the guest bedroom (aka Lily's room) has not been overhauled yet and there is still quite a bit of wrapping to do AND I am helping with Michael's class party today AND Andrew's class party tomorrow and I have one more bells practice and the kids have Christmas Eve Nativity practice and my car is going to the shop Friday and...

Stop.

Let me tell you first about Lily's Christmas program.  It was AWESOME.  That child is a born performer.  She scowled the whole time because she was so intent on singing all the words...and she did.  I doubt I will enjoy any gift I get as much as I enjoyed watching Michael and Lily's performances.  Truly.

The kids are ready for Christmas.  Every day, Lily announces that, "Tomorrow is Christmas!" and then she quickly adds, "Not really."  Lily has also become quite devout, and kneels and prays at any nativity scene she comes across.  It makes us look like really really crazy Christians...but it is really really cute.  She got a children's Bible from her teachers for Christmas and all she wants to do is sit and read it.  Also, this is the first year she is really really excited to GIVE people gifts.  She literally gets giddy when she even thinks about giving Jeff his present...and she thought of the idea all on her own.  Wonderful.

Michael is terrified of Santa, so when the old man visits his class today I imagine it will not go well.  You also cannot go shopping with him, because even though he SEEMS like he isn't paying attention, the second he sees the recipient of the gifts you bought?  He spills the beans about what I went shopping for.  His appetite has gone downhill quickly...all he wants to eat is Christmas cookies and candy.  There are many fights throughout the day.  Michael does NOT get excited about giving people gifts.  Everytime we mention it or when we give someone a gift (like his teachers), he instantly throws a mini-tantrum because HE doesn't have a gift.  I think all those fall birthdays where his siblings got gifts and he didn't really ruined him.

Andrew is so much fun.  I can't believe that he just ACCEPTS all this Santa business, but he does.  He has not complained about having school all week (he has less days off than Jeff this year) because he just loves school so much.  He came home so excited to sing us a Christmas carol he learned at school to the tune of Jingle bells.  To give you an idea, one line is, "911, 911, Santa Claus is dead./Rudolph took a .22 and shot him in the head."  Lovely.  No wonder he loves school so much.  One more thing...sorry in advance, Linda...but it was really funny.  When he unwrapped an ornament from his grandmother he smiled and said, "This is nice, Mom, but I have a feeling when I grow up this will be a back of the tree ornament."  I smiled and told him that grandma had picked it out at the hospital because she wasn't able to get out and shop this year.  His little face melted and he said, "Oh.  That's really nice.  I'll make sure it isn't in the back...ever."

I have many more stories.  And I should write them down...because I know that remembering them someday will be WAY more important to me than how clean my kitchen floor was.

But now the children insist on being fed.  Lordy.  I guess I can't shirk that duty...

Worst Day of 2011

I'm going to go out on a limb and proclaim that yesterday was the worst day of 2011 for me.  The.  Worst.  I know this is tempting fate, since there are still 2 weeks left in 2011, but I'm putting it out there anyway. 

Thursday was great.  I had my first personal training appointment on Thursday morning.  The trainer was very nice and the workout seemed hard without making me want to kill myself.  My throat was hurting a bit, but it felt like the start of a head cold.

Jeff was home from work so that we could go to Michael's Christmas show at pre-school.  I cried like a baby, seeing my baby up there singing along.  He was Adorable, with a capital A.  And he actually sang!  Not like Lily, a.k.a. Aretha, but better than Andrew at 3...who just stood up there doing the motions with his eyes as wide as an owl.

Thursday night we had leftover chili for dinner...and I couldn't finish it because it burned my throat so bad.  Not a good sign, but I chose to ignore it because I had bells practice immediately followed by book club.  And I was not missing book club!  I'd missed my girl's night out cookie exchange last week because of damn lice...I was not missing again.  Unfortunately, by the time I got home from the cookie exchange, my throat was a throbbing burning hot poker of pain. 

I slept a whopping 3 hours that night.  Up for the day at 3 am...trying to sooth my throat with ice chips and popsicles and Advil.  I knew what this was...I just felt it a month ago. 

But this was worse...
a) There was no way Jeff was staying home or even coming home early...he'd just taken the day off and moved all his meetings to do that.  Screwed.
b) My entire body was in pain from the workout with the trainer.  Even walking was sending shooting pains up and down my thighs.  This does not couple well with the throat on fire.
c) Just like last time, I am in the middle of my period while enjoying the strep.  I get headaches...very mild, but annoying, the last few days of my period.  PLUS, it make me have to visit the bathroom a lot...which involves a squat...see b) for how painful that was.

Anyhoo...I made breakfast for everyone, got them out the door, took Lily to preschool and made it to the doctor, where I had to entertain my 3 year old for 55 minutes in the waiting room before they got us a room in the back.  Urgh.  The actual appointment was only 15 minutes?  It was clear what I had. 

Now I only had 30 minutes until it was time to pick up Lily again, so we race to the drug store and drop off my prescription, run back to the pre-school to get Lily, and drive across our little town to take Michael to speech.  Lily and I doodled in a side room while we waited for him...and I could tell I was spiking a fever.  I was shaking and freezing and sweating all at the same time.  The speech teacher looked at me like I had the plague and told me that I looked bad.  Thanks.  :)  Michael gets out of speech and we race over to the drug store to get the horse pills that they prescribe for sore throats...WTH.  My throat is swollen and tender...why do I need to swallow these bad boys? 

It's now about 1pm, and the kids and I are starving.  So once back at home, I make them lunch.  I am so feverish I can't get warm, so I keep my winter coat and hood on the whole time.  All our blankets and throws are in lice quarantine.  Michael keeps asking where we are going.  I eat some soft pears and soup and take my first pill.  Kids are eating lunch and watching a show. I am exhausted, since I've been up since 3 am.  But there's no time for a nap, because no one naps in our house and in 90 minutes I have to go to the bus stop to get B., the boy I watch.  I guess I could have cancelled on his parents...but it's not like my kids are sick, and I have to be up and taking care of them, so why not one more.

My fever breaks just before we go get B.  I trudge through the next few hours getting snacks for children and trying to clean up the house a bit.  Jeff gets home at the same exact time B.'s parents come.  We eat a quick dinner, and then it's time for Jeff to take Andrew to do his swim test at the gym.  If you do it this one night, you get 20% off the lessons.  So I entertain the 2 little ones a bit more, then turn on a show and finally...finally put them to bed.  Jeff gets home 20 minutes later...and brings me a chocolate shake.  I take a second pill and go to bed at 8.  Jeff tucks me in and points out that at least I no longer have lice.  True enough...this is better timed than it would have been last week.  ;)

This morning is better.  My throat is hurting at a 2 Motrin level rather than a 3 Motrin plus 2 Tylenol level.  My muscles are vaguely sore, but I walked down the steps without difficulty.  My headache is gone.  And I slept for 10 hours...so I feel well rested.  AND, Jeff is home today. 

So I made it through.  Now to muster then energy to bake all those Christmas cookies (supposed to be my weekend project), plan and shop for feeding my visitors next week, and clean up for them too. Oh, and wrapping and shopping for a dress for Lily (she has none?) and more wrapping and stocking stuffers shopping.   On second thought, I need another nap first.

Ouchy bells

There are two new developments that I've been enjoying in my life...which have nothing to do with children.  I KNOW, right?

First, I have joined the Christmas bell choir at church.  We only practice once a week, but it reminds me just how much I miss playing music in a group.  It makes me want to dust off my clarinet and treck 30 minutes to the nearest community band each week.  Except...probably not.  I'll just enjoy bells.

Second, we've joined the local gym.  Calling it a gym is super short selling it.  First of all, it costs A LOT.  More than I am comfortable with.  But we looked at lots of different options, and this one works best...if we use the crap out of it.  So now Michael is signed up for a gym class, Lily is taking a musical theatre dance class, Andrew will soon be in swim lessons (cost extra anyway), and I am doing their circuit weight training and running the treadmill (not yet, but soon?).  Tuesday I dropped Michael off at school, then took Lily to the KidsClub at the gym and did my circuit.  Lily did a snowflake craft and played with playdoh while I was gone...not just watching tv or whatever.  I could barely move after my workout.  Then I felt better.  The next morning I felt like the tin man in Oz...moving so stiffly and painfully.  Today I have a personal trainer appointment (you get 2 for joining...I am scared.)

I'm worried about going to bells tonight after going to the gym this morning, however.  My arms may not be able to life the bells off the table.  These hobbies may be incompatible.

A clarification

Apparently my last post made it sound like I am teaching my son that his aunt chose to have one child just so she could have gadgets.

Not my intention...and not how I think the conversation actually went...just how it sounded on here?  I of course know lots of people who have multiple kids with much cooler stuff than we have.  And I know there are people with zero kids who do not have the gadgets...

Tuesday night's conversation happened to be specifically about electronic gadgets.  Sometimes he asks why our house isn't as big as his friends or why we don't get to go to Disney.  This time, when addressing why certain people have better technology, nicer houses, better gadgets than us, Andrew specifically asked, "Why does Aunt Kate have an iPad and a Nook and Guitar Hero and everything cool?" 

And we talked about her decision to work and have only one child.  And we talked a little bit about cost of living.  And we mostly talked about how no one can have it all, and Jeff and I have made choices about how we spend our money.  And someday he will have to make choices as well.  And that for the rest of his life there will always be someone with cooler stuff than him.

Just to clarify...because I am NOT teaching my son that you have to choose between a big family and gadgets.  I don't think there is anything wrong with treating yourself and your family to fun gadgets.  It's all cool, man!  That's why they sell them...because it is amazing technology for people to enjoy!  Perhaps I should have really stressed that the key to him having gadgets and cool electronics someday is to NOT marry someone who is as cheap and stingy as his mother ;P

Sorry, Kate!  I really think it just came out wrong on the blog!  Andrew loves you!

Santa wishes

We aren't huge Santa people over here.  We like him, don't get me wrong.  But we don't push it too hard.  There's no threatening that he's watching, forced photos on his lap, or deep discussions about how he gets down the chimney.  Andrew has never gotten much into it, and the others have kind of followed suit.

We do write him a letter each year and put it in the mailbox at Santa's place in the mall.  That's usually as close as we get to the old man.  This year Michael and I were at the empty mall on a Wednesday morning and Michael was spying on Santa from upstairs.  Santa was deep in a conversation with one of his elves when he looked up, waved at Michael, and winked.  Best. Santa. Ever.

Anyway, Jeff was taking the older two Christmas shopping with him last weekend, and we decided we'd better get that letter written and delivered.  I wrote it, to save time.

Michael has been very consistent with what he wants Santa to bring him.  Every time you ask him he says, "I want a big fat train with no face."  Alrighty then.

Lily is also very consistent.  She has wanted some LEGO princess castle that she saw in a catalog last fall.  Except that Mommy couldn't find it anywhere and was worried that Santa might not bring it if it was not age appropriate.  A bit of internet searching later, we discovered she meant Playmobile instead...and so we had the correct name to write on the letter.

Andrew went blank.  It is hardest for him, since he just had a birthday 2 weeks ago.  I kept reminding him that he had a pretty nice life if he couldn't think of a single thing to ask Santa for.  He finally came up with the Wild Cats movie by Disney Nature.  

The letter was mailed off and all is well with the world. 

Until Andrew thought of something better he wanted Santa to bring him.  He shyly asked me last night if he could send another letter to Santa because he changed his mind about what he wanted.  Which led to another installment of our conversation series, "Why do other people have better things than us."  Sorry, Andrew, but Santa is NOT bringing you an iPod or an iPad for Christmas.  And Aunt Kate has all the cool things because she has an only child and works full time.  Would you like to trade Lily and Michael in and go to before and after care at school and daycare on holidays just to have an electronic gadget? 

Thankfully he said no.  I could have really backed myself into a corner on that hypothetical ;)

Coming up for air

Do you know how much TIME it takes to battle lice? 

Urgh.

Between the washing of sheets and laundry every day, the folding the laundry each day, the combing through Lily's hair 2-3 times a day (45-60 minutes EACH), the combing through my hair 2-3 times a day (30-40 minutes EACH), disinfecting the combs, brushes, etc., spraying down surfaces, sending new found stuffed toys on vacation in a bag in the garage...PLUS everyone still feels fine so I have to make meals for them and such.

Lordy. 

We are coming out on the other side, though.  Sunday we did a 2nd chemical treatment on Lily and me and we treated all the boys just to be on the safe side.  Yesterday was the first day Lily hair combed out completely clean.  I've been clean for 3 days or so.

Now it's time to get back.  Take back those 4-5 hours a day and use them for more fun things like baking cookies and cleaning the mounds of toys.

Oh, and blogging.  Must write down some of the cute things the kiddos have been doing.  And talk about joining the gym!  And more devious things my youngest has been up to.  Etc.  But not in the same post as lice.  So, later.

Heebeejeebees

Lily has had an itchy head for about 5 days.  Really itchy.  I checked her head for sticky nits, but only found dandruff.  Because, you know, I don't actually KNOW what nits look like.

Yesterday we were sitting next to each other and I literally saw a bug climbing in her hair.  I grabbed it and went to Master Google and...

As Scooby Doo would say...Ruh-Row.

I spent the next 3 hours alternating between washing a load of laundry and yanking lice out of Lily's hair.  I think I figured out what nits look like...but maybe not?  How am I a qualified de-louser?  How is a little suburban girl like me supposed to be able to buy a tiny box at the drug store and then competently kill parasites without some level of instruction or pictures or anything?  They literally don't even have a picture of what nits or head lice look like in that box.  WTH?  On-line they have pictures taken with an electron microscope.  Very helpful, since I happen to keep one of those under my kitchen sink.

So I don't know?   Is she good?  The box says she's good after one application...but the lice were still crawling around a few hours later in her hair.  Does that mean I failed?  I think I'm keeping her home from school just because I'm too horrified that I might have done it wrong and will continue to infect the school.

The worst is...she had a play date yesterday.  For the first time with this little girl.  At the little girl's house.  Lily was scratching her head at one point, and I even had a conversation with the woman about how I'd checked her head, but all I could see was dandruff and was it okay to use Head and Shoulders on a 5 year old.  Calling their house last night was...well...mortifying.  The grandmother was watching the kids since both parents were at work.  She sounded so disgusted and horrified and really really upset.  I just kept saying I'm sorry I'm sorry.  As if I did it on purpose.  As if I am a trained louse inspector and should have known that Lily had lice.

So grossed out.

After I had shampooed Lily's hair and was drying her off, she said, "Mommy, I can feel them crawling on my back and down my legs."  I replied, "No, Lily.  Head lice stay on your head.  What you have are the heebeejeebees.  When your mind tricks you into thinking they are everywhere.  I have them too."

Fast forward 4 hours.  I had put in the 100th load of laundry and finally asked Jeff to check me.  I'd checked the boys and Jeff and their short haired heads don't even have anywhere for lice to hide.  No worries.  I was certain I was okay because I only started getting itchy when I first saw that bug.

30 seconds later...Jeff pulls one out of my hair.  I jump up and run to the shower.  While waiting for the water to warm up (we were out of hot water...I wonder if it was the 100 loads of hot washing I'd done?), I raked through my hair in the bathroom mirror.  Not only did I find another louse...I found 2 gray hairs. 

COULD THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?  I mean, really universe?  On the day I am infected with parasites you have to remind me that I'm getting old.  REALLY?

Jeff had to do the combing and looking for lice.  I am not confident that he did a good job.  I mean...he also is not a trained parasite remover/spotter...but he has the added disadvantage of not having much hair.  So he literally didn't know how to separate different sections of my hair to look.  He was just kind of moving the hair around.  So I'll have the heebeejeebees until sometime next week AND I'll be compulsively checking my head whenever I pass a mirror.  Which means there could be some kind of lice party happening on the back of my head and I'd never know it.

Looks like we'll be at home today.  Maybe I'll introduce a new game.  Instead of playing neighbor, perhaps we'll play chimpanzee friends instead.  Nit-picking, anyone?

A good cook

Have I ever told you that my mother is an incredible cook?  Really really wonderful.  Growing up, we were exposed to so many different homemade dishes that I didn't appreciate at all.  Mom was always trying new things and executing them beautifully.  Again...I turned my nose up and stuck my tongue out.  And baking!  She makes pavlova and lace cookies and homemade banana cake, homemade German chocolate icing...and on and on.  If I could have one eating related wish, it would be to go back in time and taste all the things my mother cooked for us...and just enjoy the cuisine she worked so hard to create rather than dismiss it.

I wasn't much interested in cooking as a kid.  At least that I remember.  I don't think I really liked food very well at all...just desserts.  So when I started cooking out of necessity...it was a bit of a disaster.

Some stories are now family legend...

Like when I called my mom in tears because the Tuna Helper called for tuna in spring water...and it didn't tell me how much spring water to add.

Or when I called her frantic from college because the recipe called for cooked chicken...how do I cook chicken before I put it in the casserole?

Flattened brownies, collapsing cakes, unrolled cabbage rolls, etc etc etc.

So it is part of my shtick to make fun of my cooking skills.  I am a self-deprecating humorist anyway, so this was just a natural avenue to follow.  It's just funny to sell myself as a horrible, miserable cook.  My poor family, blah blah blah.

But a few years ago, some things began changing.  Like, my mom started asking me for recipes of things I'd cooked for her.  Or my mom would call me for help with how to cook something I'd made before.  I started trying new recipes just because I was craving something...and it actually turned out good the first time.  It was fun to have people over and cook for them, because they seem to enjoy my creations and it wasn't stressful to cook.

-shock-

Last night, I went to a birthday party for a 35-ish neighbor (I watch her son).  It was at this little cooking school in our town.  The chef used to be the head chef of some swanky $200/plate restaurant in Philly...but he lives in our town and so opened this little school.  We learned how to make a swanky appetizer (towers of shrimp, greens, etc), a fancy little chicken roll on potato fritters with cranberry gravy and leeks (first time I'd ever made a chicken mousse...), and some kind of crepe for dessert.

These were complicated dishes.  And the chef is very French...and very difficult to understand.  And one of the other party guests was late, so for a while I was assembling 2 dishes.  Yet it was fun.

And out of 12 people in attendance, the chef picked my shrimp salad tower as, "Perfect.  Ook at zeeese one.  Is Perfect!"

Then the chicken dish...which was equally complicated...rolling chicken breasts, etc.  Again, the chef picks mine out of 12 and chooses it as the best.  He even complemented my technique with a few things...and he was not very complimentary.

The crepes...well, I've never been as good at the dessert/baking stuff.  I was NOT picked as an example or complimented on my technique ;)

But as I breezed through the demonstration and then glowed in the praises of Chef Jean Pierre, I realized that I AM a good cook.  I am a competent cook.  I have techniques and skills and confidence in the kitchen.

So no more jokes about my cooking.  I'll accept that it is something I'm actually kind of good at.

At least I'll always have my running skills to make fun of ;)

Ohio area bloggers

Just a quick note for all you bloggers/friends in the Ohio area.  We are going to be in Ohio A LOT in the months of June/July...so do you think we could organize a little Ohio/KY/PA blogger playgroup/get together thingy?

I'm thinking July 8th-12th would work best for me.

Discuss.