Undecking the Halls

This weekend, our Christmas tree has an appointment...TO MEET ITS MAKER! MU-HA-HA!. Okay, actually, it had already met it's maker about a month ago, and we've been watering its lovely corpse in our living room for the past few weeks. I like to leave holiday paraphernalia up through Epiphany, which was yesterday, so I don't have any more excuses.

We'll probably do this during nap time, or we will end up with many broken ornaments. The kids kind of like to, ahem, help. For five or six minutes. And during those five or six minutes, their help is about as productive as a twister through my living room.

On a completely different topic, our Wii Fit arrived last night (thanks to Playwright and B.I.L., whose gift of a big bag of money* funded this purchase)! I don't know what it says about me that I prefer watching a cartoon version me exercise in a lovely digital world to actually jogging in my neighborhood. And I'm sure that the workout is not as good as one done in a gym, but I burned more calories than I would have web-surfing, which is the only other kind of exercise I get on a regular basis.

My Wii Fit age is 44, which is horrible, but better than Super Ninja's 52. Despite his head cold, he messed around with it too, which tells me we may actually use it beyond the novelty phase. I'm reluctant to post the nitty-gritty of my stats here, because I really don't think everyone needs to know just how much I suck at balancing (whoo-hoo for doughy core muscles). But we'll see if I can get my Wii Fit age down to (or below) my chronological age.

*They truly gave me a big bag of money for Christmas. It is all I ever ask for when prompted for gift suggestions, so my Christmas dreams came true. I am now wondering if I should have asked for world peace or something like that, but I'm too busy playing with my Wii Fit to really ponder it.

I'm Haven't Fled the Country, I'm Just Busy

It's lovely when my office assigns me a huge new project. On December 15th. And I need to have my head wrapped around the details by January 5th. And the building is closed between Christmas and New Year's. Yep. LOVELY.

Besides that, nothin' much goin' on around the compound. Wrapping gifts, slapping paint on the walls, marvelling at the inadequacies of some of my DIY projects, especially when they are in direct contact with jobs professionals have done (I'm lookin' at you, brand-spankin' new kitchen window). Random other holiday projects have taken center stage, like erecting a tree that Super Ninja thought wasn't big enough but skims the top of our living room ceiling. Honestly, I think he would have been happy if we had to lop off the top third of it, and then stick that in a Christmas tree stand in the Girl's room since it's directly above the tree spot in the living room.

In-laws arrive today. Some of my co-workers have offered mis-placed sympathy because my in-laws will be here for almost a week. But honestly, they do so much for us while they are here. I might just be interpreting their behavior in a way that benefits me, but I think they are only happy if they are contributing in some fashion. Well...my father-in-law would be content to read an historical tome while ESPN plays in the background, but he is always more than willing to make lunches, wake up with kids, or run to the grocery store.

Tomorrow evening will be spent with my family, and we will festively dine on cheesesteaks. I didn't want to ask my Mom to whip up a holiday meal on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when most of her other children will likely visit. Besides, I kind of really like cheesesteaks.

After that, the week will be spent back-and-forthing among various familial outings. And enacting the countdown to my children's heads exploding from all of the sugar, toys, and people.


'Til then, my compadres, have a lovely holiday season.

P.S.: If you are the parent of a child who is friends with my children -- and at this age, "friend" seems to mean they know each other's names -- PLEASE don't buy my children Christmas gifts. I haven't purchased gifts for your children. And even though, as adults, we give to each other because we want to do so and do not expect a return gift, IT DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY WITH KIDS. If they see a brightly wrapped package going to one of their daycare friends, and they do not get one in return... Well, cue tears. So let's save each other the hassle, shall we?

P.P.S.: Once again, the Boy has requested a toy that IS NOT MANUFACTURED. So Super Ninja and I have craftily obtained something similar. I know that sounds terrible, like we're trying to give him a GoBot when he really wanted a Transformer. But the thing that he wants exists only in his imagination, so we are not giving him a subpar version of something cool. I'll explain later. He's learning how to read, and I'm sure he'll stumble upon this blog and he will have magically obtained complete literacy, and Christmas would just be ruined.

Only 173 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

Over the weekend, I went to a bridal shower tea for a college friend. Most showers (bridal, baby, and otherwise) are a yawn fest. There are only so many times you can ooh or coo over china and onesies. But, at this shower, the bride received something that I covet. Her mother gifted her with this:

(image courtesy of the Yellowstone online gift shop)

How perfect is that? I love that it's completely ahistorical. Well, of course it is, as our Lord and Savior, if you truck with Christianity, was not, in fact, a black bear. But black bears are not indigenous to the Middle East, which makes the whole thing even more fanciful. And that little grouping up there? That's just the starter set. There are two more. The second set features a shepherd, Bear-Caspar, and some of the animals that chilled out in the stable:

And then, set three: Bear-Melchior, Bear-Balthasar, the Little Drummer Bear and a Bear-Cow.

I'm not sure if this is blasphemous or awesome, but I'm leaning toward awesome.