Midweek Update

This post is rather disjointed, but just in case you've been wondering what we've been up to, wonder no more.

•  Jane is a regular beatnik these days.  Her go-to outfit involves a black long sleeve shirt, a black {way too big} skirt of Sophie's, and navy blue leggings.  Usually atop a pair of {WAY too big} undies courtesy of Grace.  I'm not really sure why this ensemble sings to her soul so loudly, but it does.  And she keeps finding it!  Every time I think I've hidden it or at least tossed it down the stairs to the basement to make its way to the laundry room, it re-emerges and takes its rightful place back where it belongs.  

• Two hours of writing notes on Christmas letters and stuffing envelopes yesterday left me with paper cuts on my tongue and a disgusting adhesive aftertaste in my mouth.   But that's okay -- mama gets it done.  Hahahaha.  What mama doesn't get done, apparently, is proofreading.  I was already about a third of the way done through my stack of 125 copies of our newsletter before I noticed a glaring typo in Sophie's paragraph along with some really poor copy-editing in the last sentence of Alex's.  Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!  I guess making corrections and additions first thing in the morning while I'm still tired and bleary-eyed {AND still wearing my glasses} is not a good idea.  I'm really not that illiterate!  Hahaha.

• I think I've finally finished up the Christmas shopping for the season.  We stick to a 3 present apiece rule in our family, mostly because I have extremist tendencies and will go overboard if boundaries are not put in place.  Hahaha.  It helps to tell the kids that baby Jesus only got three gifts as well.  It's funny how much they have accepted that and internalized the concept.  Even more surprising is how they also seem to accept our stock line that "every family is different," and that other families might get more presents and that there are other families, of course, who get much, much less.  We're keeping the gift-giving on a smaller scale this year since our BIG present is going out to Utah on Christmas day!  All of Scott's family will be there and we are excited to see everyone.  And since I have siblings out there as well, it will be a win-win situation for all! 

• This year we've decided to amp up the Secret Santa sibling exchange by letting each kid be in charge of an entire stocking. The initial reasoning behind the idea was to hopefully cut some costs by combining the two elements.  In actuality we will see how that goes.  I think of all the kids, Grace is the most excited about this plan.  She's already filled me in on all the different ideas she has for presents based on whose name she pulls -- pluggies for Alex, undies for Jane, and a My Little Pony for Sophie.  I can't remember if she's thought of anything for Ethan, but knowing her she'll come up with something fantastical.  She really is a generous little gift-giver.

• Ethan and Grace were both home on Monday with a stomach bug and Grace stayed home again yesterday.  This really threw a wrench in my plans for the week, but what can you do?  The bug has now moved on to Alex and Jane and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will stop there and leave everyone else alone now that we are on the cusp of enjoying our Christmas vacation. 

• Scott left yesterday afternoon and returned this evening from a quick trip to Cincinnati where he has been meeting with people to determine what and where his next assignment will be.  In the short 26 hours he was gone, pure chaos reigned.  The house was in shambles and so were the kids' moods.  Grace pulled one of her world-famous meltdown fits which would have worn me out on the best of nights, but flying solo AND having a HUGE headache already made for a miserable couple of hours.  And it's not like the other kids decided to be super helpful and cooperative to make up for it.  No, that's not really how they roll.  The evening's insanity finally culminated in Ethan punching Grace in the mouth while I was trying to get Jane down for bed.  Blood was drawn, threats were issued and EVERYONE earned an early bedtime.  Or at least as early as I could force them to get up the stairs and into bed.  In all their defense, they were very tired and overwrought and just needed to go to sleep.  Once they were all finally tucked in, sleep they did and I was able to enjoy a QUIET few hours before the festivities started up once again in the middle of the night.

• After trying and trying to fall asleep, I was finally starting to drift off around 11:30 when I heard the pitter-patter of Jane's little feet and looked over to see her carrying her pillow and blanket and ready to climb into bed with me for the night.  Immediately after settling in she informed me that she was hungry and then started coughing up a storm.  She was wheezy enough and I was awake enough at that point to realize that she really needed a breathing treatment and we headed on down.  After giving her a quick snack, I hooked her up with some Benadryl -- she was itching like crazy -- and set up her requested episode of iCarly while getting the albuterol going in the nebulizer.  Not 10 minutes later, Sophie drifted down shrieking and crying that she was itchy, too,  and then settled down on the couch to watch iCarly while refusing any medicine.  A couple seconds later she did her patented "wheezy breathing" move on me and insisted that she needed a breathing treatment, too.  She did, so when Jane was done I hooked Sophie up and we all finished watching "iSaved Your Life" before heading up to bed well after midnight.  

• While she may not be sleep trained, Jane is officially potty-trained!  Now THAT is something to celebrate.  She is such a funny girl.  I am so glad this has finally clicked for her.  Now if only "listening" and "obeying" would click as well, that would be awesome.  Hahaha.  

 

• And finally, this is my 100th post of the YEAR.  Isn't that something?  Something crazy maybe.  Hahaha. Now if only I could get around to actually printing OUT my blog for the year...

{Post Script: At dinner tonight, Scott asked the kids if they missed him yesterday.  Ethan responded that "it was chaos."  First step is recognition, right?  Hahahaha.}