Holiday Hangover

Too lethargic to do much of anything. Just like the commercial of the boy jumping off the diving board...my pictures sit on the memory card in the camera waiting and begging to be downloaded!! Not sure that the 'artistic quality' even makes the scale but they are of memory quality.

This many years later, the "Not ONE minute BEFORE 7:00am" is still in place. They are now old enough to know the routine and at 7:01 we got the knock on our door followed quickly by the burst through with screams of "It's time!!!" ...and by 8:01 I was back in bed. They were too mesmerized to care where their parents had gone. Our 'deprived' children had 'fiiiiiinally' gotten a Wii and it has consumed many of their post-Christmas morning hours, thankfully.

I had dinner duty and after a too brief nap I was back up getting the turkey stuffed and in the oven. Pushed four of us through showers, dressing, and hot footed it out the door to church...I personally find it too embarrassing to live literally across the street and be late for services!! Back home to find that our guest list for dinner was being decimated by the flu. In the end, the day of cooking for 16 people ended up being dinner for 8...did I ever mention that I'm not a big fan of leftovers? Patrick would eat the same food day in and day out for weeks but not me....and I had 1/2 of a 25lb turkey and A LOT of sides left over. Warned my kids that tonight I'm ordering Chinese take out!!!!!!!!!

Then we headed over to Aunt Arie's [aka Anne Marie] for the much anticipated gift exchange and dessert. Presents were in abundance but bodies were missing....some from the flu and some from selfishness but doesn't every family have that one member who marches to their own drummer? Kids initially were a bit dismayed by the absence of some favorite cousins but the materialistic tendencies quickly erased that mood. This year we did simplify but there is room to improve on that matter for next year.

Speaking of next year, Julia is now one of Santa's official helpers. Just too many inconsistencies in this year's Santa visit coupled with rumors heard at school caused, in her own words "my Santa bubble burst". Handled it rather well...one or two squeezed back tears during the early part of 'the talk' but bubbly and excited by the end as she was given her Official Elf title. Being my funny, upbeat kid she has even done a few schticks since on how "Saaanta" missed a few items on her list...hint, hint, wink, wink, nod, nod!

Luckily they are still mesmerized with the Wii because the ravages of a seasonal cold coupled with flaring Meniere's and the stresses of all the Christmas preparations have left me wiped out!! I should be sewing. I should be running loads of laundry. I should be doing many things.

Here's to a couple more days off of work. Hoping they do the job to restore my spirits so we can ring in 2011 with gusto!!!