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I'm embroiled in the Christmas aftermath (laundry, processing gifts, getting rid of old toys, etc.), but I just wanted to jump on and tell everyone that we had a very nice Christmas. It was great to spend time with family and friends, and to see Nick's delight at his gifts. And yes, I ate way too much decadent food. :) It's good to be home, but I feel like I have a million things to do and can't quite catch up. I doubt that I'll be taking down any Xmas decor this week or weekend - maybe Jan. 10 and 11? I hope you all had wonderful holidays, and are fully recovered. :) As you can see on the sidebar, I have set several goals for 2009. What are YOUR goals?
I must admit that so far, this Christmas Eve isn't so great. I feel really miserable with my cold, and on top of that, I'm now completely exhausted and spacey, because I was up no fewer than 8 times last night, unable to breathe. But, we're going to stick with our plans to head to Springfield this afternoon, because hey, it's Christmas! Needless to say, I haven't exercised yesterday or today as I had planned to, and will be going a full 6 days without working out, which is unheard of! But next Monday, I'm going to get right back in there. It'll probably kill me, but it'll be good to be back in my routine. In happier news, I decided to weigh myself a couple of days early since we won't be here on Friday, and I was at 141! Yay! That certainly cheered me up.Yesterday, I went back to bed after breakfast and slept all morning, but then I got up around 1:00 so that I could get some stuff done. I made a couple of fruitful phone calls - I switched trash services, saving us $45/year, and I also upgraded to a faster Internet speed. Joy! Then, I set to work making my Christmas treat - cranberry-almond bark. It also has coconut and Rice Krispies, and I made both a white chocolate and a dark chocolate batch. It's really yummy! I was exhausted and felt terrible by about 7 p.m., so I went to bed at 8. This evening, my whole family will descend upon the paternal home for Christmas Eve festivities, and then tomorrow morning, Brian, Nick, and I will have even more gift opening to do. We plan to visit some friends tomorrow and/or Friday, and tomorrow evening, we'll be going to Tim's for Christmas Dinner. We're also going to try to squeeze in that visit to the Titanic museum that keeps getting put off. And of course, I have a few things to shop for in the after-Xmas sales, such as wall calendars, Christmas cards, etc. So, this will be my last post for a few days. I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and I hope you are all surrounded by family, friends, warmth, and good food this holiday season. Ho ho ho!
#1: I definitely have a cold, and I feel pretty wretched right now. Ack. I have a strong feeling that trying to sleep tonight is going to be pretty miserable. Wish me a speedy recovery.#2: We got a Christmas package from Jutta today! We're saving most of the gifts in it for Christmas, but I opened one tiny box, which contained a little salamander pin! How clever and thoughtful of her. I love it!#3: Notice my new poll on the sidebar, and vote! Also, notice my list of goals for 2009. I thought that this would serve as a good visual reminder for me of the things I want to accomplish next year. I will probably add to it as time goes on.
...birthday to you,Happy birthday to you!Happy birthday, dear Patty;Happy birthday to you!I don't honestly have much else to say. We had a very lazy, uneventful weekend, which was fine with me! I do feel like I'm coming down with a cold, which is to be expected, as I think I held it at bay through sheer will until after I was done singing. I got all my gifts wrapped last night (yay!), and now, I just need to make some cranberry-almond bark, which I'll do tomorrow. Hope everyone's having a good Monday!
Here are some pictures from last night: Nick during the program, with his teacher Mrs. Tate, with his teacher Miss Proctor, and with his girlfriends Riley and Sarah. :) Look at that beaming smile on his face in the last picture - he is the consummate ladies' man! 
We just got home for the evening, and......it's all over! All the craziness of this week is now behind me, and I can just chill out and relax. Granted, I still have plenty to do, like wrap gifts and other stuff around the house, but I don't really have any actual plans, and that's awesome. From now until the 24th, there's just not much going on, and that's fine by me. On Sunday, I'm just going to sleep until I wake up (can't do that the next two days because I must go to fitness classes), and it's going to be glorious!So, this evening we attended Nick's preschool Christmas program, and it was absolutely precious! I will admit, at the risk of being mocked, that I got a little teary. Hey - it was my baby's first school program! The kids were on risers on the stage, and they all had on these Xmas sweatshirts that they had decorated with fabric paint, and they sang (OK - yelled) a selection of cute Christmas songs, complete with hand motions. Nick did OK - he sometimes lost his focus and spaced out, but for the most part, he did the words and hands. This one girl, Sarah, was hysterical - she was completely into it, and did everything not just perfectly, but with such alacrity that it cracked me up the whole time. At times, she even looked angry because she was so focused on yelling the correct words, and all of her hand motions were extremely exaggerated, yet still accurate. After the program, I got a really cute picture of Nick flanked by Sarah and Riley, another classmate. I will share that pic, along with some others from the program, soon. Brian videotaped the whole thing, and his parents are just going to eat it up! Absolutely priceless.
I just asked Nick if he thought he would like to go see The Tale of Despereaux, and his reply was "Well, if I were a mouse, I'd go see it, but I'm a boy, so - no, I don't think so."
At today's MOPS meeting, we had our White Elephant gift exchange, and the gift I ended up with was a box full of hotel soap, shampoo, and conditioner - hilarious, and so useful! I will totally use it, and I won't have to buy those products for ages. There's like 10 shampoos, 10 conditioners, and a dozen little bars of soap. :) Nick had his school Xmas party today, and came home with a bunch of loot. I guess all the moms (me included) thought that Xmas pencils were a good idea, because he had 10 of them! Lots of erasers, too. And of course, plenty of candy, which will be rationed out over the next several days. My Dad spent the night here last night, and after MOPS and preschool, the three of us went to the commissary to get groceries. Right now, Dad and I are chilling out while Nick naps, and Brian should be home soon. This evening, all 4 of us are going to Nick's school for his Xmas program (should be so cute!), and then out to dinner, after which Dad will head home. And tomorrow, all the busy-ness stops! Yay! I can't wait to just take a deep breath and sleep in.Oh, I have to share this: The other night, Nick and I were cuddling before he went to bed, and he looked into my eyes and said "Mommy - without you, I'd be sad." I pretty much melted into the floor.
I'm too tired to think right now, but I just had to jump on the blog and say that tonight's concert was awesome! Not just my solos, but all around. The band sounded incredible on everything from the rock and jazz numbers to the Nutcracker. And yes, my solos went great and were miked the whole time! I couldn't be happier. Yay!Goodnight, Dick.
Tim got here just fine, and I went ahead to the theater, leaving him with Nick. They had dinner at McDonald's together before proceeding to the concert. My friends Katherine and Brigitte also attended the concert last night - it's so nice to have peeps sitting out there! As a whole, the concert went well - the privates loved the music, and the band sounded great, minus a few isolated issues. Unfortunately, when I went out on stage to sing my first number, "Man with the Bag," there were technical issues and my mike wasn't on for the whole first half of the song! I just kept singing as though nothing were wrong (because what else could I do?), and halfway through, someone walked out and traded mikes with me, handing me one that actually worked, so at least the end of the song was audible. I must say that I looked quite smashing in my red dress and silver shoes, and I was having a great hair night, thanks to the wonders of the flat iron. :) The whole mike debacle was disappointing, but I really didn't stress too much about it - I mean, at least no one could blame me for it, and I just carried on and did what I was supposed to do. Luckily, the mike was just fine for "O, Holy Night," though the tempo was way too slow. I'm going to have to talk to the commander before tonight's concert and hope that she picks up the pace tonight. The guy who served as the "MC" last night had some hilarious gaffes, such as saying "Mannheim Stroller" and saying that "Man with the Bag" was sung in the 1950s by Karl Starr (it was sung by Kay Starr). Everyone had a good time, though, and spirits were high. After the concert, I hung around visiting with my peeps, and we even took some pictures, which I'll share soon. When we got back to my house, we discovered that school had already been cancelled for today, which is completely inexplicable, considering that we really only had negligible precip yesterday, and the roads are totally fine. Go figure. The disappointing thing is that Nick's class Xmas party was supposed to be today, and Tim and I were going to attend. I'm assuming that they'll have the party tomorrow, but I won't be able to go, because I have a MOPS meeting. Alas. :( Tim will be leaving after lunch today, and my Dad is going to come and take Nick with him to tonight's concert. Dad will then spend the night and come with us to Nick's Christmas program tomorrow evening. Should be fun! Wish me luck for tonight - hopefully the technical glitches will have been worked out! I just hope my voice holds out - I'm feeling a bit hoarse this morning. I'll be so glad when the concert is over tonight, and then I can just relax, and it won't matter if I get sick or lose my voice!
Well, the weather is holding pretty well here. We didn't get the snow that was forecast for last night, and there is just a light freezing mist happening now, but the roads are pretty good. So, Tim has decided that he will go ahead and come up and take Nick to tonight's troop concert. He should be here by 4:30 or so, and I have to leave about an hour later to get some dinner and head to the theater for sound check. I'm starting to feel nervous, but I think it'll go well. And assuming tonight goes well, then I should feel much more confident tomorrow night, for the "main" concert. Hopefully, the weather will continue to behave so that my Dad has no trouble coming up tomorrow. So, say a little prayer for both the weather and my voice, and wish me luck!
I'm a bit short on time today, but wanted to do a brief post about my weekend. I started off my visit to Springfield by accompanying Tim to the historic, beautifully restored Gillioz Theater to see White Christmas on the big screen. I had actually never seen this movie (I know, I know!), and I absolutely LOVED it! What a great way to spend the evening. ("Sisters, sisters....")Saturday morning, I accompanied my sister-in-law, Gayle, to the Y, where we jogged a mile and then took a step class. It was a good workout! Saturday afternoon, I had a rehearsal at NACC, and Saturday evening, my Dad and I did a very small amount of shopping and had big, sinful burgers at Red Robin. Sunday morning, I was up bright and early for the first service at NACC. Both services went very well - both the choral music and my solo. So, I was pleased! My Dad and niece came, as did my friend Katherine, who lives in my town. I was so honored that she travelled to Springfield to attend the service. After the second service, Dad, Maddy, Katherine, Tim, and I went out for sushi, and then Dad and I went to see the Springfield Chamber Chorus in concert. This group is absolutely outstanding, and has the highest standards of musicianship, tone, etc. Suffice it to say that I cried several times during the concert (certain moments in choral music make me spontaneously tear up) - at the end of one particular piece, I just had tears rolling down my cheeks. I plan to audition for this choir when we move to Springfield! The city has always needed this type of choir, and I'm thrilled that it finally has it.After the concert, I got packed up and returned home just in time for Brian to leave to play for a troop return. This morning, I had some flu-ish stuff going on, but soldiered through a dress rehearsal with the Army Band. It went fine. I'm feeling better now, and we're planning to attend Brian's battalion Xmas party tonight, despite the single digit windchills. Tomorrow night is the first of our two concerts (weather permitting) - wish me luck! The next three days are going to be insane; I can't wait until Friday.
I'll be leaving in a little while to head to Springfield for the weekend, so you won't be hearing from me until next week. And, I gotta warn you that posting next week could be quite spotty, as it's going to be an insanely busy week for me! (see my schedule on sidebar). So, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
I just saved $200/year by switching my auto insurance from GEICO back to Progressive! What a ridiculous game this auto insurance business is. But, I'm glad to be saving some money. BTW, if you're in the market for auto insurance, I have to say that Progressive's online quote process is amazingly fast and user-friendly. And, if you want to talk to an agent, you can just click and enter your phone number, and they will call you immediately! It was pretty sweet. It was a very painless process.
We had some freezing rain last night, and the roads are fairly slick, so school has been cancelled. So, no preschool for Nick. We're just going to stay home all day. Brian got to work OK, thank goodness. I hate days like this, but I guess they're part and parcel of living in MO. :(In funnier news: Nick has this tiny flashlight, and today he took it apart. After I successfully put it back together, he pronounced me "the magicalest woman"! What an endorsement! It's 10:00. Another few hours, and I'll probably be climbing the walls. Wish me luck!
So today at Big Lots, I bought Nick a knock-off on Hungry, Hungry Hippos. It's exactly the same as the aforementioned game, but with frogs. Are you ready for the stellar, exciting name of this game? Ready? Ready?......................................Frog Game. Uh huh. Frog Game. I've decided to call it Famished, Famished Frogs.
Not much exciting to say today, so I just figured I'd ramble a bit. :) I'm happy that I maintained my weight this week - yay! Lately, I'm feeling rather tired and frazzled, but it's the holiday season, so who isn't? I just feel like I have a million things to do, and I can't stay on top of it. I even cancelled my plans to go to a play tonight, because I just wanted to stay home and get stuff done around the house and chill with my boys. I'm REALLY dreading the week of December 15, because after getting back from Springfield on the 14th, I'm going to be launched into 5 days of extreme busyness, including Brian's battalion Xmas party, two Army Band Xmas concerts, Nick's preschool Xmas party, a MOPS meeting, Nick's preschool Xmas program, etc.! I'm really looking forward to Dec. 19, actually, because after that it should be smooth sailing through Christmas. Today, I had to take Nick to the hospital for a "sports physical." Yes, to do a little soccer workshop thingy, even a 4-year-old has to have a physical beforehand. So, it was a pointless appointment to begin with, and to make matters worse, we were at the hospital for almost 2 hours! Grrrrrrrrrrr. Nick was incredibly charming and loquacious, and the nurses and doctor loved him, which helped take the sting out of the long wait. At one point, someone said the word "dehydrated," and Nick said "That means you need to drink some water!" The little smarty. Nick is healthy as a horse. His only problems were an almost imperceptible heart murmur and excess ear wax, for which we got drops. :) Well, it's time to go and get to work. I think that I can finish my Christmas cards tonight, which will be nice. Then, it's on to gift prep, etc. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
So, Nick is quite spazzy, and has a tendency to flail his limbs and propel himself violently into people near him, which has caused us untold numbers of injuries (none serious, so far!). We are constantly telling him to be careful in this regard, but our words seem to fall on deaf ears. Earlier this evening, he flailed his leg and came this close to kicking me in the face, and I got angry with him, yelling "Nick! When are you going to learn to be careful with your arms and legs around other people and stop hurting us?" His reply was "In a couple of days."
If you're not already in the Christmas spirit, maybe these pictures will help:
