Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Gift that Keeps Taking




We must have THE most high maintenance dog! Thank God we purchased the Wellness Plan at the vet's office. To date, our records show we've saved over $1,000 on vet visits. In a mere three months we've had routine visits and shots, spay surgery, an ear infection, two bacterial infections, a wood chip lodged between molars, 2 rounds of antibiotics, ear drops, prescription ear cleaning solution, sulfur baths, and two rounds of prescription dog food. Oh, let's not forget two nights of round the clock diarrhea.
Nothing that I read in my research suggested she would be high maintenance. I'm beginning to think that I'm the one with the problem. Who knew you couldn't just send your dog out into the backyard? After all, that's where dogs lived before everyone thought it was a good idea to sleep with them, right? Little did I realize that, once truly domesticated, their sensitive stomachs couldn't handle a bone or stick from the yard. I guess this means we're back on puppy patrol. No unsupervised play time for Miss Coco. Hopefully this will be over when her puppy days end!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Two Steps Forward and Three Steps Back

Another Christmas celebration is behind us and we had a great time! I survived Christmas dinner without my full sized oven; everything turned out as planned. The epic fail was my attitude. Whoa, PMS at Christmas is just plain ungodly! The older I get, the worse this issue becomes! Of course it's directly linked to hormones, which are changing as I age, but whoa!!
When you're considering assaulting someone because you hear them chewing, I'd say you're hormonal. Ooh, this sounds like the beginning of a very fun list!
You know you're hormonal when:
*You ask someone to do something and finish the request with "--like 10 minutes ago".
*You get so irritated with cleaning, you throw everything in the trash only to look for it and get mad all over again, because you threw it away in the first place.
*You talk to the wall, door, etc., because nobody is listening to you anyway.
*You park in an 'Expectant Mother' parking space and declare you're expecting to open up a can if people don't get right.
*The only thing stopping you from punching a hole in the wall are thoughts of having to clean up the mess, call a sheetrock repair man, and pay the ER copay for a broken hand.
*All sentences begin with "I wish you would..."
The list could go on and on, but at the risk of sounding like I need anger management, I'll stop.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Countdown to Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a stainless steel convection oven. I know it doesn't have the same "ring", but what's a girl to do? Last weekend, my oven stopped working. It was likely due to the marathon baking session that we had last Wednesday. Anyway, the service technician came out only to take a look and say he'd need to order the part, which wouldn't come in until...hmmm...next Tuesday! The only problem with that arrangement is that I'm cooking Christmas dinner. Cooking holiday meals is a big deal-- a really big deal! That's how I know that this test of inconvenience has been passed. Of course, I don't want to celebrate prematurely. I've never cooked Christmas dinner in a counter top oven, so I'll have to make a few adjustments, but it will be okay. Like I said at Thanksgiving, if this is my biggest worry, I've got it pretty darned good!

Our family came in town today and the boys are thrilled. I know they appreciate the predictability. We'll go pick up our two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (traditional Christmas morning breakfast) tomorrow. All presents are wrapped and hidden. Tomorrow night, the boys will go out with their dad and Papa to see Christmas lights. This tradition is really a ploy to get them to sleep quickly! Once they're in bed, we start bringing out all of the gifts. Some gifts have been underneath the tree since Thanksgiving. A few more were added along the way, but somehow they magically multiply in number. When we add Santa's burlap bags to the mix, it quickly gets out of hand. It's no coincidence that I usually clean out toy baskets in the fall in preparation for Christmas loot.

We'll eat and watch movies while the boys play with their new toys. It will take a few hours, but by the end of the day, they will have opened and tried out each gift. They'll certainly have their favorites. They'll likely end up playing a video game for the remainder of the evening and either fighting over and/or looking for one of their new gifts.

As exciting as this time of year is, I must say I'm even more excited about the new year! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. Each year the ride gets more interesting, but I think I'm finally getting more comfortable in the passenger seat. Hmmm... did I just say that?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Lame, with a Capital "L"

Once again, I've volunteered to be the class room mom. Honestly, I volunteer and get involved to have "eyes and ears" on the ground in the school. I think I'm pretty observant and catch subliminal clues and gestures. So, this comes in handy in terms of warding off issues and staying proactive. Along with volunteering comes the responsibility, which is the part that I could do without! Because I was the only parent to sign up, another mother (and coordinator of volunteers school-wide) agreed to help me, as needed.
First things first, I accepted the responsibility and will not put my name on crap! The children will not miss out or get a shoddy, half done job. But...I don't work well with people. The jury is still out over whether it's perfectionism or just plain old bossiness. Nevertheless, I'd much rather do it all myself and get $1-2 donations.
Last week, I sent home a notice requesting snack donations. Two, count them, two people responded! I understand that it's still early, but either you're going to do it or you're not. It's simple. As I said earlier, I'm fine with doing it myself. What I don't appreciate is people who come up short when it's time to contribute and are overflowing with comments and critiques.
The party will be successful if I have to go out and buy all the rest of the stuff myself. The whole song and dance is just kind of annoying.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Zoo-Wee Mama



December is here and it's going to get pretty hectic, hence the title Zoo-Wee Momma (Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Christmas cards are stamped and addressed. Angel tree gifts are done. Thankfully most of my personal shopping is done. Next week I have to finish stocking stuffers and teacher gifts. In addition, I'm planning a class party.

I wrote out another to-do list this morning and it was almost depressing. I know I can get it all done, but every year I ask..."Why do I need to do all of this?" I even read an article about getting lost in the hoopla of the season. Every year I vow to do better but to no avail.

The boys are up to their usual antics. I'm trying to show lots of grace because I know they are excited. As a parent, I sure understand why, as children, we got into big trouble before celebrations.

The tree is fully decorated and my mom's Santa collection is on display. I didn't put them all out this year; only favorites. Looking at some of them makes me feel nostalgic, in a good way.


 
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Gingerbread houses are built. Holiday events are planned and tickets are purchased. The only thing left to do is convince my hubby to climb a tree to collect mistletoe. I've wanted to hang some for a few years, but never got around to collecting it. I guess all in all, we're ready for another week of family and fun.

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