Ack. This morning I went on a parent information session at the local charter school. I need to decide where to send the boy to kindergarten. His school now is wonderful, it really is. But I worry about him in the traditional school setting, especially with neighborhood kids. This is montessori based.

Wonder if it'd be too weird to ask his current teacher about it?

Also, yesterday I rearranged his closet so that he can choose his clothes and dress himself. So far, the practical aspects have been great. He does it all himself (until then, he would ask me to put on each sock and help with every aspect ad nauseam). Last night, pajamas, no biggie. Today, I cringed to see his selection. While not glaringly unmatching, it wasn't one of the ultra cute setups I like to get him in. I have to let this go. Particularly since I still have the little girl to dress up.

Karma is an awesome thing. I have been pricing out new gym bags. PBS calls and asks for money. I say okay, and when given the option of free gifts, I choose a tote bag. Thinking it’s like a real tote bag, you know, like you put your groceries in or something. But NO! It’s a *gym bag*. Like with a shoulder strap and mesh ends and pockets for headphones and shampoos!! Life is super duper right now. All for my contribution to good children’s programming. ;o)

Now she can appreciate my ah-milks without nursing. She's very interested in them, but has not asked for milk in days. She wants to tickle them and tells me she loves them (as I get in the shower ;o) ) but hasn't even asked. I love that it ended like this.

So I guess I need to take down the above ticker and change it to a standard My Kid is Two years, Three Months, Two days one. Because since Monday, she has nursed exactly once. This is what I wanted, right? She has asked several times, and the only time I allowed it was when she was really sad, and it was 6 am. Today. But she didn't ask at bedtime, and I really feel we're done. I'm really glad it (knock on wood) went so smoothly.

When you ask a friend on facebook to confirm you, and it takes time for them to do this, do you get nervous and all eighth grade? Me neither.

Okay so you know how after you shower, your feet are all soft and you can peel of the calluses? Or if this is gross to you feel free to move on.

Anyway, so I was doing just that this evening, as I needed a shower after caulking all day. So I'm peeling my feet and it's going well. :uh And my daughter comes up, practically shaking, saying "owwwwww Momma don't DO that". It was all I could do to not die laughing. And hard to stop. Not traumatize daughter vs. really satisfying foot peeling. Hm. I stopped. By now, after bedtime, the peelability is gone. I'll just have to moisturize. Hmph.

Thank you, Big Brother, for knowing about the piles of stuff at my house that needs out. And coming here to get it!!

Also, I can't believe that I can still get that embarrassed thing from teachers. I got a little talking to this morning about always being late for 9:15 karate. Oops. I still blush a little when I think of it.

In case you're wondering, the best *and* worst gift you can give me is a dunkin donuts gift card. Free coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Several times a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The good thing is, there can't be much left.

Merry Christmas all. Lovely day here, and I shouldn't be here at 10 pm. I was kind of too excited last night/this morning. And stayed up too late wrapping. But it was worth it. It was a wonderful day.

Apparently, a ninth reindeer travels behind Santa's sleigh, as a backup. If one of the other reindeer stubs his hoof, Perpinsia is there to step in.

Thank heaven.

This year I had to totally let go of the christmas tree thing. I wanted one sooner, I wanted to cut it myself, help choose it, all that. Weather put a damper on it and last night, my husband and son chose one without me. I drew a picture for G of 
the tree I wanted, and he painstakingly referred to it as they 
selected. He shot down a few of daddy's suggestions for this one. So it lilts to one side and is a little slim through the middle. 
So it has small white lights (half of which no longer light) and huge colored 
ones. So we had to cut a foot off the top *and* bottom. It's perfect.

It did take a while to get here though. Half the lights didn't light, I couldn't find a replacement bulb, ended up buying another string of lights, half of which of *those* didn't work, the large bulbs are so heavy they kept smashing on the floor, the ornaments smashing on the floor, I used the dustpan about 9234570 times, and the home depot tree isn't all that fresh and is leaving balsam deposits all over. But I still wouldn't trade it for anything.

It's like I need to work. Since October or so, I haven't had reliable childcare. I can get coverage for a meeting here and there, and probably 3 days in the last 10 weeks I've had a full day, but not good consistent time. I love the time with the kids, but I find myself playing lots of facebook games, eating junky food, and letting the house go to pot. So today I finally had childcare, a deadline, and somehow I"m still able to cook a real dinner and clean up the kitchen. Like I can do it when I only have barely enough time to, but if I have all day, I won't do any of it.

Oh my heart.

Not only does she tell me "I love you too momma" just out of the blue (yes, she adds the "too" even if she says it first), but she says "thanks momma!" if I give her something that she likes, like chocolate milk, and she really means it. Or she'll say "thanks momma, I love chocolate milk!"

But then, today, she walked up to me and said "merry christmas, momma". My heart!!

Oh winkflash, how I love thee. Not only are you sending my cards (which btw, are very cute and have a great design, this coming from a Design Professional) for incredibly cheap, but they are already printed and en route. I took the photo Friday night. Seriously, even if I had decided to print them myself on my little hp all in one, I couldn't have done it faster and cheaper. And other than getting the kids to be relatively cute and facing the right way, I had to do nothing.

Thank you.

Dad, is that a gingerbread house (the house is lined in many strands, as well as each tree, in different colors, not multicolored, but one red, one blue, etc)?
No, that's just a ranch.
Well, then that's ridiculous.

Oh do I love him.

"Mom, why do some people's houses smell like fish?"

I guess maybe they cooked fish?

According to facebook . . . .

You got 27 questions right out of a possible 30.

You took 7 minutes to complete the test.

We estimate your IQ to be: 140... The average person has an IQ of 100 - if you are over 100 you are above average!

Today I'm grateful for the regular old boring stuff. More turkey than I should ever eat, lots of pie, great family to share it with, lots of vegetating.

And running a 5k this morning. Holy sheep.

However, I think my husband is mad at me for leaving my purse there. Oh well.

Last night my husband and I decided that the tiger would win.

Today's gratitude is a warm fireplace and plenty of free wood.

Today I'm just grateful for my smartypantses. Today the boy asked me who would win a fight between a lion and a tiger. Stumped I am.

Again with the skipping days. It's not like I don' t have stuff to be thankful for, I sure do.

Saturday: That taking just one child to run errands can turn into special bonding time.

Sunday: Super duper friends and fun at starbucks. Nuff said.

Today: While it's just begun, I'm really grateful to the teenager at Dunks who gave us 8 free holiday sprinkled munchkins.

Oh shoot I missed another day. And we're almost at the big Thanks day.

Yesterday I cleaned my house. I'm just thankful that I had the motivation, even my office. And I went running. I'm not sure who put crack in my coffee, but it worked. Thanks DD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!1

Today I'm thankful that everyone is asleep and it's 8 pm. We're *finally* going to watch Hot Fuzz.