Concerned

About an hour ago, Peyton, looking concerned and holding her nose, came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, I didn't tell any lies and I'm getting a long long nose."

The list of things I wanted to accomplish over vacation is still about as long as it was a week and a half ago. Some things required the use of my personal computer which is, as we speak, somewhere in Portland getting a new hard drive as a late Christmas present. Others required the use of my camera which wasn't so lucky this year. Its faulty gear is still faulty. I can use it only by taking off the bottom plate, lubing the gear and then holding the battery in place long enough to take pictures. Oh well, right? Things sometimes just don't get done. Or in this case, life just doesn't get blogged, as it is difficult to do without a camera and the computer that holds the pictures.

What I have accomplished is a whole bunch of nothing, which is just how the girls love it. Last night we played Bingo and channel surfed till we ran into The Polar Express and then we watched the whole thing. That's good stuff.

I also super organized my Christmas stuff as I took it down this year. If you know me and my love of organizing, this was almost as fun as putting it all up. I consolidated five totes of Christmas into two, put all the ornaments into Ziploc bags with bubble wrap so I don't have to unwrap each one to know its contents and I took a load to Goodwill. I should take nine more loads to Goodwill, but I'm on vacation after all. I'd hate to exert too much energy.

Sometime in January I hope I'll have my old computer back with its new hard drive. Then, I can upload some pics and I'll be back in business. Until then, I'll be enjoying my family as we ring in the New Year together and then cheer our Ducks to a Rose Bowl victory! Happy New Year to you and your loved ones....

A few Christmas Day faves....

Christmas Morning

The list of things I love about vacation is a long one. On that list.... "things I want to do, but never have time for". Today, in the quiet of the post-Christmas frenzy, while everyone was (a) ignoring each other to play with a new electronic device, (b) walking before gorging or (c) napping, I downloaded the Blogger app and I am, at this moment, blogging from my iPhone. Technology, glorious technology. Well, the only piece of technology that is currently working for me.

Wishing you a day filled with love, laughs and working technology. We're about to have our annual viewing of A Christmas Story before dinner....

You'll be happy to know I'm over it.

You know the big boo hoo I had here yesterday? The one to help me get it out and get on with life? It worked. My computer is still mad and me, and my camera doesn't work, but this is how I know.....

I minute ago, Libby came running into the bathroom where I was reading blogs on my phone (don't ask), and I said, "Hi babe. What d'ya wanna do today?" And you know what she said? Get this.....

"Ummmmmm. Be with you."

Bah. Humbug.

This little rant is an attempt to clear my head, have my tantrum, and get over it and move on. If you are fully enveloped in the Christmas spirit, you might just forgo reading this post.

There are a few things I need to quit being surprised about, quit complaining about and just embrace.

#1- This time of year, especially the last week of school before vacation, is a frantically paced go Go GO. The minute I stop, I get sick. It might be a cold, could be a sinus infection, but usually I'm blessed with both. Two doctors have said sinus surgery. I'm hold out hope for something that isn't sinus surgery.

#2- I've told my girls, "There is nothing you could do to make me not ache with love for you. I love you. I'm over the moon for you. Daddy and I are head over heels for you." However, I guess they don't believe me? For every time school lets out for vacation, they test me with the whiniest, clingiest most annoying behaviors that haven't shown themselves since ...... well ....... the last time school let out for vacation. Newly added to the mix just in time for 2012 ....... drumroll ............ fighting with each other! Hooray! Both are equally antagonistic. I guess I should look at the bright side. My head is so plugged with fluid I can barely hear what they're screaming at each other. And this morning at Walmart, no one seemed to notice.

(The next two on my list aren't regular visitors. I guess this is just my year.)

#3- Something is wrong with my computer. It's so slow that every time that little rainbow colored beach ball starts to spin before me I get all red in the face and have to talk myself off of the ledge. I know it's just my computer doing its thinking. But I swear, last night as the ball was spinning, it flipped me off. And as I calmly set my computer down and walked away to pour myself some Christmas spirit, I heard it laughing at me.

#4- My good camera doesn't work. Just in time for Christmas. Awesome.

#5- Right now I'm a slave to my To Do List. It's long. It's my own fault. And this morning I started crossing things off without doing them. I'm just not going to get to everything I wanted to. Yesterday, Shane and I took the "divide and conquer" approach. He took Libby. I took Peyton. As we were running around town with the other 500,000 people I said, "Peyton, I love spending the day with you." She replied, "I like being with Daddy the best." Faaaaaaantastic. After that, we just listened to the Christmas music on the radio much louder.

#6- Two artists I really can't stand are Gloria Estefan and Aaron Neville. All year long I don't listen to them. They both have a Christmas album. Apparently every DJ loves them.

Last but not least, Libby asked me this morning why I call Ella, "Ella Boo". I said, "Well, sometimes when you love somebody you give them a nickname. It's why we call you Libby Lou. It's why Peyton is Peytie Pie, Pea Pod and (Daddy's favorite) Pey-TONE! Peyton responded with this loud rant: "DON'T CALL ME PEY-TONE! I DON'T LIKE YOU CALLING ME PEY-TONE! I DON'T WANT YOU TALKING. I DON'T LIKE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO ME!

At which point I'd heard enough. I yelled, "Hey! Stop! That's enough!"

"Mom?"

"Whatever you're about to say, it had better be nice!

"Mom?"

"What!?"

"I love you."

Maybe my little rant worked. The girls have been quietly playing together for the entire time it took me to type this. I think I'll poor myself some Trader Joe's candy cane tea, turn on the tree lights and work on our Christmas cards. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..........

Silly

"Mom, When I'm a mom, if there's a dad in my family, I hope he's silly like OUR daddy."

-Libby

P.S. I love weekends.....

Saturday Morning

This morning I was laying in bed thinking about math. I teach two fifth grade math classes, and this morning I was laying in bed making a plan to grade and send home completed work, write a parent letter and highlight some vocabulary we've been using.

Then, I heard the pitter patter of Libby's feet heading my way. She climbed into bed with me and we snuggled for a minute before she asked (as they always do), "Mom, can I turn on Nick Jr?"

I said, "Yeah, but first I want to talk to you. It's important that we talk to each other, because one day you'll be an awful teenager and you won't talk to me. So we gotta talk now."

"Why?"

"Because, teenagers are awful and they don't like their mothers."

"I'll never do that mom. I'll always write you special notes."

"I hope so. I had a dream last night that you, Peyton and I were driving an air mattress down the highway. Isn't that a weird dream? It was only partially inflated and that made it hard to steer. Silly, huh? Did you have a dream last night?"

"Yeah. I dreamed that me and you and Daddy and Peyton and Grunny were watching a movie. It was that funny movie where the guy says, "Eat my rubber!" (Christmas Vacation) We can have a little fun with that here (at home) but I'm not gonna say that at school."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."