Christmas Highs and Lows

Let me start off by saying that Christmas really is NOT my favorite time of the year. Really, I'm not a Grinch. There are some things that I really like about the season. Especially now that I have kids. I love perpetuating the whole Santa charade. And the sheer amount of excitement leading up to Christmas. If you could store that excitement up, you could power a city (::thinks of Monsters, Inc.
::). And the whole Santa Cam and holding Christmas over the kids' heads for a month DOES make life a little bit easier. But you NEED something to make life a little bit easier in December. Now, I'm not a huge shopper. I mean, sometimes I can get in a mood and shop 'til the cows come home. But it has to be on MY terms, and the mood has to strike me. I'm not a big fan of deadlines, crowds and keeping secrets.

Deadlines make me crazy. They didn't used to. I'd get a bill, and mail it that day. I'd have a paper due in school, and nine times out of ten it would be done early. But now that I have these two little bundles of energy, they pretty much dictate how my day goes. And shopping for them? It was almost impossible. The hubby's at work 60 hours a week. I made a mad dash to Wal-Fart one morning when Chloe was in school. Normally, while Chloe's at school I'm working at the restaurant. But I put that off and plowed through the toy isle. It actually was going pretty smoothly. Too much so. I got in line and got somebody on their first day. I'm very patient when it comes to that sort of thing, but I had to make it home to hide the toys before I went to pick up Chloe at school. I was practically jumping out of my skin! I did make it, though, and the kids were none the wiser.

The crowds...well...I've always been like that. I'm a loner. A rebel (anybody know the movie?
). And keeping secrets? I think it's genetic. I just don't enjoy keeping a secret. If absolutely necessary, I can do it. I've also found that it's safe to tell a secret to somebody who basically wouldn't give a crap about it. You know, I'll tell my mother or father a secret about one of Tony's friends that they don't even know. They really don't care, and I get it off my chest. It's win-win. I've kept Christmas secrets so far, but I've definitely dropped some hints. After I drop them, I'm ready to just kick myself right in the ass.

So, I'm glad the season is almost over. I'll thoroughly enjoy watching the kids open their gifts. I will also enjoy having a house free of Christmas Decor. It always feels so clean and organized once all the Santas and snowmen are put away. I may not post again before the big day, so I hope you and yours have a fantastic holiday.

Drive by Posting

OK, I have to be quick today. Becca's home sick from school, I have a big honkin' sinus infection, and it's the busiest bar day of the year. I do have a free shipping coupon from Cafe Press for ya. The code is FEMHOL10 and it's good on purchases over $50 up until November 28th.

Lots of stuff to do on the Print-On-Demand projects, too. Zazzle just made a bulk add tool available (so I can FINALLY get all of my designs up there) and CafePress just added dark sweatshirts and zip up hoodies. Looks like I have projects to last me for a while. That's on top of all the birthday parties coming up, Christmas shopping, decorating, and general everyday life stuff. I need a clone. OOH, like that movie 'Multiplicity' with Michael Keaton. The kids sure would have fun with the 3rd clone (or was it the 4th?). You know, the one who was....well...let's say mentally challenged.

OK, gotta bolt! Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!!

Monday already?

Well, here's how I started my week.  Becca forgot her lunch.  So, after I get her down to the bus stop and get home (and see the lunch sitting on the counter), we pack it up and head to the Primary School.  I have to say, she did look very cute in her little apple dress with her glasses on.  She's such a good little girl (when she's not at home!!)

Today is the first day of my new schedule at the restaurant.  Which is really my new schedule NOT at the restaurant.  We've decided that it would be more financially responsible for me to be home with the kids.  So, I'm only going to be at the restaurant on Mondays (when Tony can watch the girls) and Tuesday/Thursday mornings (when Chloe is in Preschool).  I really can do most of the work from home, I just have to make sure I always have a server there.  We had our server call off on Friday, and I really was a jack of all trades.  I washed bar glasses, stocked beer, waited on tables, made a delivery, rolled silverware, did dishes and played bus girl.  I just hope all of the work gets done when I'm not there.  ::crosses fingers::

We went and saw Madagascar 2 yesterday.  It was very cute (and funny).  The girls enjoyed it, also.  The trip cost us $50 bucks, though.  Between the price of getting in ($6.50 per person for the matinee) and the popcorn and drinks ($27 for 2 large Pepsi, 2 small Pepsi and 2 medium popcorn) it's a small fortune.  And that's not including the money the kids conned us into spending at the games after the movie.  Oh well, it's a rare treat that we all get to go and spend the afternoon together!

Well, off to wake up the hubby so I can leave.  Talk to everybody soon!

Wow...I went to the movies!

I am so excited...I went to the movies. Not a regular date with my hubby, mind you. A family date with all four of us. It was the first movie that Chloe has sat through. We had a failed attempt to see Shrek 3 at the cheapie movies. She lasted about a half an hour or so. We went to see the Bee Movie yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. Maybe that was due the giddiness that the girls were really behaving well. And the icing on the cake was that we got to use our $40 gift certificate that Tony won LAST Christmas at his work Christmas party. Chloe did, actually, end up falling asleep on my lap. And I spent the middle 40 minutes of the movie with my arm totally asleep. But that's OK. Becca also liked the movie very much. Before we went in, we had to try to win stuffed bees from the claw machine, of course. We won one for each girl (after about $12 worth of tokens!). The girls were even game for going out to dinner after the movie. The behaved pretty well there, too. Sketchy towards the end, but they had been sitting still for quite a long time! So, thumbs up for the Bee Movie, and thumbs up for the fact that I can actually take my girls to a movie every once in a while. Good timing, seeing that it's getting cold and miserable here in Pittsburgh!!!