Post-Christmasing

Ooof! I need to waddle myself over to some taiko-robics. I've been pigging out for days, and can't afford all new jeans. :P

Oink.

My house is staggering under the weight of extra desserts, and the sad truth is that most of them can't be miser-ed away to use at Abbie's party. Darn the luck.

Today is out first day at home and supposedly on our normal schedule. And then our buddies from K.C. and Baltimore will be in the area starting tomorrow, so it very well may be the last for a while, as well. Although, I don't see us joining them Tuesday.

This morning we had a funny thing happen. I got a call from my grandmother, asking where my mother was. That's not the funny part. She asks me all the time. Everyone figures that if someone knows my mother's schedule, it's me, and then maybe my dad. I told her that as far as I knew, Mom was staying in Rolla today. Well, then it came out that she had shown up on my mother's doorstep as a surprise (she has a key, so she was calling from the warm house) and nobody was home. I'm pretty sure Mom was at Sears picking up the last present for my dad that didn't come in on time, but I still don't know. We called her cell phone, but never got a hold of her. I even called my dad, who had no clue what her schedule was this week, and then we laughed that we hoped she hadn't driven off to Versailles to surprise my grandmother!! Probably they missed each other, but I was able to direct Gran to the cookie jar, next to which I had left some things for her. So, not a complete waste, right?

Other than that, the day has been extremely sleepy. And cold. But I'm going to have snack time with the kids and maybe that will perk us up.

I found my other black Christmas sock, now that it's too late.

Well, I have to say, looking back, that the award for best Christmastime employees go to the Bath and Body store at Mid-Rivers Mall and the receptionists at the doctor's office here in Warrenton. At Bath and Body they appeared (even if they weren't) to be having a fun time helping people and sneaking my Santa gifts into bags before the kids turned the corner. Very conspiratorial and cute. And the cheerful efficiency of the doc's staff was fantastic. Not so at the dentist, who all insisted on continuing their private conversations in front of me and Grant, and even forgot to smile. At a dentist's office. Yeah. Also, all the other stores I visited at the mall were full of harassed, cranky and uncaring workers, except when I went into RealiTea to see our friend, Katie. And I have to say that Wal-mart is like that, too, in Warrenton and Rolla, for sure.

Another thing about Bath and Body: if you are near one, go right away and grab up any leftover foaming soaps called Winter Candy Apple or Noel Vanilla Bean (or something close). The kids had them in their stockings (thank you, sneaky, cute B&B girls!) and they smell so good I've been sneaking in their bathroom to wash my hands! It's great stuff, and I'm sure it's on sale!!!

Christmas was good for the kids. They got lots of good stuff, and are happy. Josh got a knife from his parents that he likes, and a leatherman from my parents, and the kids gave him a few goofy things. Josh got me the little sister to my old camera. It's pink. My mommy gave me some new towels and....a snuggie. No, kidding. I own a snuggie. HA! I haven't taken it for a test drive yet. It's very static-y. She also gave me a Robert Louis Stevenson book that used to belong to her father. I think I have 3 girl friends who got Wiis from their husbands.

My kids are on the floor looking at Grant's dinosaur book: "Look! Dinosaur poops! That's a black dinosaur poop. Yuck." "I'm that species. I'm a herbivore." "Bracciosaurus!!!" "Yep. That's a bracciosaurus. I looooove bracciosaurusses." "You love leaves!" "Let me go over here and poop a lot." "It's dinosaur poop. You're poopy!" WHY are my kids obsessed with dinosaur poop????

On that extremely charming note, I am off to get some snacks for snack time. Nothing that resembles poop, with any luck. Yeesh.

Have a wonderful December Monday!