Took the boys shopping for their dad today

Actually we went shopping for the boys for shoes. The nearby factory outlet shoe store is having a sale, guess most people don't buy shoes for Christmas gifts because the store was kind of empty.

There wasn't anything I was interested in (maybe I'm just so shopped out?) but we went to a different nearby store and the boys found something they claimed "DAD HAS TO HAVE"

So, yeah, I caved. We bought it. It's wrapped and under the tree and they are quite pleased with themselves. I really believe Dad has 3 or 4 of them, but they swear he doesn't. Whatever. I'm sure a man can use another one.

I wish it would just get here and be done. I'm tired of being done over and over because I buy just one more thing for someone, you know? Next year I'm waiting until Christmas Eve so I quit with all the extra shopping I do.

Holidaze in all its glory

This morning I woke up, got dressed and turned to my ever-faithful dishwasher to pull out my favorite coffee mug only to find...

BLINKING LE LE LE

Oh, dear gawd in heaven, no.

My inlaws are here in 4 days.

We have 3 children who like to eat off clean dishes.

So, I do what every in-denial-housewife does when presented with a non-working piece of much-needed machinery. I hope it's wrong.

And I re-start the dishwasher.

It drains, and runs for 15 min. I think, yeah! buddy!, it was just messing w/me!

And then it dies again, and dings it's little ding for 5 min.

Beckoning me....pleading with me that even though it's only 6 months old...it's been abused by this house. Run many days twice a day.
Slammed.
Overloaded.
Taken for granted.

So, I do what every in-denial housewife does when presented with a twice-dead dishwasher 4 days before her in-laws are due to show up and expect to eat.

I call the place I bought it from and leave the most woeful message ever heard on their service.

"Please, you don't understand what my MIL is like, you must come and fix this now!"

And the man who listened to the message took pity on me...
and they came.
and they diagnosed.
and they said "you need parts!"

So, moral of the story...
stay in denial.

Finished today (shopping for Xmas that is!)

And I'm so relieved.

We have 3 boxes of teacher gifts to take in tomorrow, and I need to mail my niece's gift cards tomorrow and I'm through!

Oh, and Bruno carelessly mentions to me today that he has to bring in a potluck dish on Thursday, and for some reason I was completely reminded of Kristen telling me she needed 32 cupcakes the next morning about 16 years ago.

Wow...at least it brought a smile to my face. I'm going to experiment with making up a crock-pot full of breakfast burrito fixings...think it might work?

2007 Polar Express

Okay, what family braves 10" of unplowed snowy roads to ride a train for 20 min, drink mediocre hot chocolate, eat sugar cookies, sing Christmas Carols much too loud and then listen to a book they know by heart to wave hello to Santa and get a bell?

Us.

The weekend in Preview

Expected snowfall this weekend:

Between 12-24"

Everyone's freaking out. I don't understand. This is winter where we live? This is what we get, this is what's supposed to happen. Why are people freaking out? Face it folks, we chose to live where it's freaking cold and snows alot. Get over it or move south.

So, here's what's on tap. Last night we had the "girls" over for dinner and gave them their gifts. We only have two aides this year, so it was small & quiet. Lasagne. Store bought, passable, okay, but not great.

This morning is hockey, hippotherapy and that's really it.

Tomorrow however, is busier. Much.

In the morning, Darby will go with one of us to make gingerbread houses. Then the boys have Jr. Jazzercise from 11-1, with a performance of all they've learned for us at the end. Then we have a potluck dinner before we get on the Polar Express at 5. My camera is sure to get a workout at this pace.

Monday I have a job interview. I have seriously mixed feelings about this, but I promised Bruno I would go with an open mind, so I will try. Hopefully, they will hate me.

Monday night we have a potluck in Cory's class, a get-to-know-the-other-parents kind of thing. I wish it wasn't the week before Christmas *sigh* but we'll manage. Cory's very excited for it!

Okay, better go comb someone's hair, maybe even my own!

If you lose weight, but then gain some back

Due to coming off of meds, and then lose what you gained from quitting the meds, do you get to count the extra?



I was down 35 pounds and then came off my blood pressure meds, which caused me to gain 5 pounds (one of the pills was a water pill, so doh, yeah, I gained that water weight back). This took my net loss to 30 pounds. I've since worked off nearly all of those 5 pounds I gained from the meds, making my total loss 40 pounds but my net loss 35 pounds.



So, how much weight have I lost?

Oh, and I never got to go out and finish the driveway. It started to rain freezing rain and then I had to leave and by the time I got home I only had time to wrap gifts before the kids got home, so I skipped the drive.

So what if everyone thinks we're slobs, huh?

Wet snow is heavy

I admit it, I like to see my driveway perfectly cleared off.

Some sort of cleaning issue I have, I guess. If there's snow on the driveway, then the inside of the house isn't clean. Blah blah blah. Weird, untrue, insane even maybe, but I can't help thinking when you have a snow covered driveway that you look like lazy people.

So, we got 2" last night. And it's warm this morning, like nearly 40 or so (just checked accuweather to be sure before I posted this), so after the busses left, I went and grabbed the ergonomic snow shovel my sweet husband bought me this year.

F.O.R.G.E.T I.T.

Crap, it's heavy. Seriously heavy snow. I mean like my arms and back are killing me and all I did was the walk and maybe 10' of the drive. F.O.R.G.E.T I.T. We are slobs, people. I am not shoveling that. Too bad. I know it's going to be down to like 8 degrees tonight, and it's going to freeze over and be hell, but it's too damn heavy. If I finished the entire drive, I'd never have the energy to go to Jazzercise, and that just would not work for me at all.

So, go on, drive by my house, see the snow covered drive and assume we're slobs. For the record, we kind of are anyway, so it's liberating to think I'm portraying myself more true, huh?

Yeah, liberating. A snow covered drive is liberating, right?



How many people that read this realize I'll go back out and finish it or I'll never go to sleep tonight????

Is it that time already?

Bruno said he thinks it's time we start thinking about a new van for me.

Ranked in order of least favorite first:

Shopping for a new car

Dental appt.

GYN annual visit

Cleaning toilets

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but seriously, I hate shopping for a new car. I only have 55k miles on my van, it's paid for, it works well, why are we talking about a new one?

Is it a deep need to resist change? Is that my problem? Or do I just hate oily car salesmen? Alright, I admit it. I think test drives are like that eye test you do. Which is better, A or B? Well, I have no idea by the time I get to B. Is A better? Hmmm, I liked the color better, the interior was nicer, but the ride? No idea. And you never test drive a car on a snow covered hill like the one I live on, so how do you really know how well it will do in the winter anyway? What I REALLY need is to test drive with all the kids in their seats to see how well you can feel being kicked for an hour's long drive from the backseat. If the driver's seat can withstand the stength and endurance of a 6 year old athlete, then maybe we have a winner.

All I really want in a new van is the side windows to roll up and down, and the stow & go seats. Taking the seats out of my van isn't hard, but those suckers are heavy, and trying to do it while 3 kids are running in and out of your legs is dangerous. And the only reason I want the side windows to roll up and down is I'm sick of hearing "why can't you roll down my window mom???"

Now, if they made a mini van with that sound shield thing like they have in limo's, I wouldn't hesitate.

The 2007 Gingerbread house creation

As you can see, the whole family had a blast. Darby too! It was such a great night. James couldn't understand why he couldn't eat it all right then and there, but we saved out some gingerbread men for dessert that night, so he was okay. I think he ate more frosting than we put on the house!

It was a really great night!