I Am Alive!

(© Grandma George)

I'm still here! I hope you guys haven't all unsubscribed!

Oh boy, this week has been C.R.A.Z.Y.

Hubs is working ridiculously hard at his training course. He's doing really well but the realities of this particular type of training is starting to wear him down a little I think. He's out of the house before 7am each day and usually doesn't come in until 7pm or sometimes later. He's used to rotating shiftwork (which works for me too, as he's sometimes home in the mornings, and sometimes not - lots of time to do errands together) but while he's training its all dayshift. He walks in exhausted every night, has something to eat, studies a little, and is in bed again by 9:30 or 10:00, virtually obliterating our 'just us' time. So I'm missing him quite a bit :) It's all good though - I'm very proud of him :)

Yesterday Master J attended the Variety Club Christmas Party here in my city. This is an awesome event organized by a wonderful charity. The kids get to be waited on, there's entertainment, the whole works. It's a big event - hundreds of kids get to see Santa and receive a gift. The companies and individuals who donate both money and toys always astound me. J has been going to parties like these with his special ed classrooms over the last several years and they absolutely spoil the kids rotten. Guess what the lucky little boy received this year?


I know! This is the same toy which last year prompted a Target store near me open an hour early to deal with the queue that was forming! Now, though J is nine and ordinarily this kind of thing would be a bit too young for him, he adores this gift. It kept all three kids in riotous fits of laughter for a full hour yesterday afternoon - Mummy on the other hand, lasted just 15 mins before I designated it a 'bedroom toy', LOL. Love Elmo, but good grief!

Later in the evening we headed down to the younger kids' school for a Christmas concert. Daddy wasn't home yet (read above reference to very, very long days!) and J was none too fussed about attending, but Miss Moo's gracious teacher allowed us to come and go from the (air-conditioned) classroom as the concert was going on and J was mostly cool with that. It didn't hurt that I allowed him to take his Tamagotchi and Deal or No Deal electronic hand held game whatsit. I was waaaaay in the back of the crowd but I managed to get a couple of moderately okay shots to email to the relatives thanks once again to Hubs paparazzi-style lens (not good 'nuff to print however).

I think the last few weeks have finally hit me full force. You know how you don't really realise you're zooming toward the brick wall, or even feel the impact, but boy, do you ever feel the aches afterward? That's what I'm like. I was out nearly every day for the past two weeks (I found it easier to sit at a shopping centre food court to study - strange but true) and then when that finished up last week I somehow found my momentum continuing via necessary errands and Christmas shopping. I was out Monday to pick up my Hubs' birthday present (he's THIRTY folks! He got a camera store gift voucher because - hello? - wives aren't allowed to touch the hallowed equipment that is a tripod worth almost four hundred dollars, apparently). Tuesday I had to go pick up his suit (auugh, gorgeous) from the dry cleaners, which, when you don't drive and catch the bus everywhere, tends to evolve into an all day expedition anyway, so I figured I may as well do a little Christmas shopping while I was out. Wednesday (yesterday) I was planning to have a quietish day at home but had a call from a friend early in the day and we ended up meeting for lunch (and more shopping). BTW, trust me, I'm not going overboard on the gifts, LOL...most times I go out to look at things that I've seen in catalogues (I'm a touchy-feely shopper - mail order just ain't gonna cut it) and then either don't like it or it is sold out (isn't that frustrating!).

Today is the first day I've been home (apart from the weekend which doesn't count because I picked up my usual Mummy Job with everyone underfoot) alone in AGES. And with no study commitments either! It's a Christmas miracle! So I'm slothing out, eating turkish delight chocolate and pottering about, and thoroughly enjoying it. I may even lay down for a quick nap. Decadence is my middle name you know.

Tons and tons of stuff needs to get done around the home though, so nose back to the grindstone Friday. We've not yet put up our tree (we have a standing date of 4th December as Hubs' birthday is the 3rd). I have to buy the biggest box of bulk Christmas cards I can find (I could do without the kids giving a card to each and every child in their combined three classrooms, but apparently they cannot - we're talking 60 odd kids!). Boofah comes home last night with another note for a last minute Christmassey thing - a Kris Kringle gift exchange in his classroom to the value of $4. I was all set to tell him no (apart from the money side of things, do we really need to be encouraging MORE over consumption these holidays?) but then he piped up with an offer to pay for the gift himself out of his pocket money so I figured it was fair enough. I've also half set myself a goal of clearing out the spare/fourth bedroom/gym room before Christmas as part of Boofah's Christmas surprise - it's to be his room eventually - but do you think my schedule will open up to allow me to start? Um, no. And his and his sister's current room (they share) looks as though our weekly rubbish removal was poured in through the air-conditioning vent.

And I still don't feel guilty about the napping!

Cheers
Lizzie