Catch up

1. My Mom went home from the hospital yesterday (Friday, 11/24). She is weak and tired and can't eat very much. I hope she can make a full recovery. Surgery for an octogenarian is never easy. I am going to try to figure out a time to go see her soon.

2. K (2.5) is doing a little better sleeping in her bed. We're running her around at the park each day or taking her out for lots of errands. She loves to be out of the house. She gets so bored at home it seems. N (4.75), by contrast, is a home body. The differences between those two girls is just amazing! I don't think they could be more opposite.

3. N made me another list for the store tonight. She's getting pretty good at spelling and writing now. I am so impressed. I love seeing new cognitive developments occur. She is really into practicing writing and thinking about letters. When we are driving places, she will describe to me how to write each letter. She's now doing the same with numbers. Apparently this is how they teach them to write at her preschool, but she really takes her lessons to heart.

4. Our Thanksgiving for 2006 was very similar to our Thanksgiving for 2005 with the exception of going to a NEW park. One that we'd never gone to before. It was a fun one. We played for about 2 hours (plus had a snack break). The girls were exhausted when we got home. K especially. The park we went to has a water area in the summer and we are excited to check it out to see the water area in all of its wonderful wet wetness!

5. This morning K started to wake me up at 7 am. I sat up in bed, looked at her, and growled. "If you wake me up, NO PRINCESS STICKER." I then pointed in the direction of her room and she ran back to bed. She slept until about 9:30! Woo-hoo!

6. We're making lists of things that might help speed up a few things for the remodel. I've got my fingers crossed, but am okay with moving in before the New Year if need be. I would prefer before Christmas, but after this much time and money, a few days more won't make that much difference.

7. T has a cold. Remember when N had a fever? It was just a fever and no other symptoms. And then about 4 days after the fever she started coming down with a cold. It was a very mild cold. Then a few days later K got it. (That put us up to last weekend). Then T started coming down with it mid-week. (Dates approximate.) T seems like she's suffering more than her sisters did. So far, K seems to be recovering well. N seemed all better at the beginning of this week until today but now she's coughing a lot. I don't know if from the fever until now is one bug, or many little bugs or what. Alas, I will probably never know. I'm just really hoping that MWH and I can sit this round of illness out.

8. I arranged my travel for the big work project. I am not excited about the trip. I think I've told you how much I really dislike traveling for work. I don't like to travel for fun, but I really don't for work. I will leave Sunday morning (in December) around 5:30 - 6 am from my house, get to the airport and the plane is scheduled to leave around 8:20 am. I land at 4:30 or 5 and see my nephew and stay with him.

The next morning (Monday) my boss and I meet, do work and head to the presentation (12-2) and then I hang until my plane leave at 8 pm that night. I am hopeful that a good friend will be able to come see me for the afternoon while I am there. She lives a ways away, but there is a chance she can plan a trip for other purposes to where I'll be. (She used to live where I'll be and she loves it, so it may happen.) Seeing my nephew will be great. If I can see my friend too, it will be even better!

9. The trip (see #8) will be the first time I have ever been away from all the girls overnight since N was born in 2002. I have done 3 business trips since 2002 (this will be #4) but I've always had a baby with me on the trip. I am not sure I am going to know what to do with myself.

10. I have ideas for Christmas gifts for the girls that I'll share with you soon. I don't want to spend lots of money. I don't want to buy things that they won't play with, and I know that they will get TONS of other things from their relatives, so I'll share what I'm thinking with you and maybe we can have an exchange of ideas?

11. Can you BELIEVE how many stores opened at insane times (e.g., 4 am) on the day after Thanksgiving? I am so bah humbug about Christmas shopping. I hate it. Christmas should be about family and hanging out, NOT ABOUT BUYING JUNK. I am not into decorating (I do some for the girls 'cause they love it so), but if I didn't have the girls, I don't think I would do any. I am glad I have the girls because their excitement towards all things Christmas make me less cynical, but I am still cynical. I read once that most humbugs are hypocrites and that if they were really true humbugs they wouldn't accept presents, but that they LIKE getting presents. I have to admit I do like presents, but I don't like the presents as much as I hate the hassel.

We put ourselves through so much of it for one day. And we worry and stress about it. I know so many people who say they aren't having any fun during the Holiday Season because there is so much to do that they can't enjoy themselves. I know so many other people who put so much pressure on themselves to make everything perfect for one day.

I don't like it when there are "high expectations" for anything. My own Mother always had images in her mind about what things (e.g., holiday celebrations, presents, her daughter) were supposed to be like, and she spent a lot of time being disappointed it seemed. I try not to have expectations about things. I try to just go-with-the-flow and take what I get because I don't want to be disappointed. Does that make sense? I am not a planner in part because of this. If I don't think about something too much, then I won't have expectations. (I'm thinking about this, because I am feeling disappointed by the house remodel schedule.)

I wonder if my laid back attitude will end up driving my girls crazy. Heh.

Okay... enough rambling for now.