Dear Santa...

My kids started drafting their lists for Santa before Thanksgiving.  DD announced that she doesn't "know words", so she took the toy books and circled what she'd like.  Oh, and she'd also drag us to the TV when a commercial came on for something she thought she wanted.  DS, in all his anality (Is that a word?  Spell checker says no, but it is now!), made a very detailed chart...making categories, and sub-categories for his wished-for items.  DS, I know, doesn't really care about all the "categories".  Most of the time, he only gravitates towards books (reading or puzzle type books), sporting equipment (or just a ball), or video games/computer stuff.  I humor him by acknowledging that he's adding some action figures to his list, knowing darn well he would never play with them.  He is ultra-conservative with his reactions on Christmas morning.  He would never dream of jumping up and down screaming over getting a special gift.  Yet, DH tries.  Every year, DH tries to hone in on the most coveted gift, yearning for that elusive Christmas morning reaction.  It's yet to happen.  And I'm doubting it will happen this year either....and not for lack of trying.

I listened carefully this year to the kids' wishes.  DD talked non-stop about Dora and the Prancing Pegasus, and Bye-Bye Baby Chou Chou.  Her birthday was in November, and she got Dora and the Prancing Pegasus.  She reacts with emotion, whether excitement or disappointment.  She was beyond thrilled and it has been played with daily for the last month.  (However the darn Pegasus is taking a beating....it has one gimpy leg and the wings are temperamental about opening up already.)  Santa scored Bye-Bye Baby Chou Chou at good price!  I was so excited!  DS was exposed to Guitar Hero on a recent trip with friends and that was the item on the top of his list....for the last month or so.  DH and I hunted for the best deal, and tried to decided which "instruments" made the most sense for our house.  We decided on the Guitar Hero World Tour edition with the dual guitars.  Perfect!

Except, it's not.  DD was playing with a little girl recently who had Baby Alive Baby Go Bye Bye.  A much cheesier option, I'll add.  And as we trekked through Target's toy department recently, she pointed to Baby Alive Baby Go Bye Bye and said that was the doll she wanted!  I showed her Baby Chou Chou and told her this was the one she asked for.  "I don't want THAT one, I want THIS one!"  Damn.  

At dinner last night, DS was counting down the days till Christmas.  DH asked him what he was most hoping to get.  His response....Madden '09 for the Playstation!!!!  What happened to Guitar Hero???  Needless, to say, the shopping is finished and neither child will be getting their "revised" top pick.  The whole point of the list is to stick to it!!

Champagne with that caviar?

We have snow!  And it's a beautiful thing.....except for one (ok, maybe more, but one I'll mention) side effect.  The rabbits that are still lurking in my yard are unseen, except for the poop that rests on top of the snow.  Tiny dark balls are scattered all over.  Gross enough.  But my dog seems to think these are delicacies.  I can not get her to stop eating them!!  This morning I was gagging as I watched her nibble them up on her morning outing.  She seems to think they're doggie caviar!  I need to make sure she doesn't lick my face anymore!

I'm a Junkie

My name is Beth, and I am an addict.  It doesn't seem to matter to what....I have realized that I get hooked, very easily, on a lot of things.  To name a few: coffee, wine (not to problematic levels, but I do enjoy it), facebook, The Weather Channel, the internet, and lately, and most dangerously, online shopping.  I obsess.  I can't think of anything else.  And if I don't get a fix, well, it's just not pretty.  

I always thought I was normal.  Easy going, laid back....but I'm seeing myself lately as obsessive.  What's wrong with me?  I check the hourly weather forecast numerous times a day.  Is that necessary?  I hit refresh on my email homepage more times than I'd like to admit.  And facebook....forget about it.  I'm not even going to go there.  Not helping matters is the fact that I keep my laptop in my kitchen.  Every time I walk by, I'm sucked in.  DH has thought about limiting the amount of time I have access to the internet, but isn't that treating me like a child?  Like how I limit the amount of time DS plays his video games.  I'm an adult.  I should be able to get a handle on this.  

I realize the season isn't helping the shopping problem.  So, hopefully, it will come to an end shortly.  But I did stumble upon a blog that tracks sales (wantnot.net).  It is updated a number of times a day....so I check even more frequently.  I'd hate to miss a great deal!  (In my defense, I have managed to score the Leap Frog learning globe for $49, a Melissa & Doug easel for $29, and I am diligently tracking price adjustments at Target...so far they've refunded me $36.)  Perhaps my obsessions aren't really hurting anyone, but actually helping!!

Crazy Eyes

DH took the kids to the pet store the other night.  We can't seem to keep fish alive in our tank, so we just keep replenishing them.  He made the mistake of letting them each pick out 3 specific fish each....as "pets".  So, now, when they kick the bucket, which we know they will, we'll have to deal with the kids crying over the death of a pet again.  DS, in particular, is very sensitive, so he'll surely take it hard.  

One of the fish that DS picked is unlike anything I've noticed in the pet store before.  We've affectionately dubbed it "Crazy Eyes".  I don't think this picture does him justice, but his eyes are, in fact, crazy.  They are on top of his head, not on the side like normal fish.  They look up, and he almost has a cross eyed look to him.  DS said the pet store had this fish in a tank all by itself and he thought the fish would like to come home and have some friends.  DS has empathy for the crazy eyed fish.  I thought it might be a deformity and signal impending death...and tears.  DH says it's an actual type of fish.  Have you ever seen a fish like this?

'Tis the Season

I bought my kids Advent calendars this week.  Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared on December 1st, so when we got them on Wednesday, we had to open up 3 windows at once.  Much to my kids' delight, they got to enjoy 3 chocolates at once.  Last night, DH was on duty, and forgot to do the calendar.  So, tonight, after dinner, I went to help the kids open two windows...and enjoy two chocolate treats.  I hadn't labeled the calendars with their names since they were identical and would be eaten at the same pace.  I had "stored" them on my kitchen counter, standing upright, in a corner.  I grabbed them both and noticed that the front calendar had a number of windows flapping open.  At first, I thought we got jipped...that maybe they were empty when I bought them.  Then I remembered the cellophane wrapper and ruled that out.  As I was figuring out what was going on, DD ran and hid.  That's when I knew.....

My DD stole candies out of the Advent calendar!  The thief!  Somehow, she must've climbed/reached the calendars and cracked open 5 extra days!  And even the special, larger, Christmas Eve candy is gone!  Isn't that like, sacrilege or something?  So typical....

The Break Up?

I have plans next week to meet my friend for breakfast.  I made these plans with her in October.  Actually, we made plans to have lunch together...and she didn't have an "opening" until December.  She only lives 10 minutes away from me too.  I was notified of the switch to breakfast last week.  Apparently she's very busy.  

We used to work together...up until last year.  Just a fluffy little job, so we had plenty of time to chat there.  But once we both quit, we kind of drifted.  I'm not really sure why either.  I enjoyed her company.  She was funny, and sarcastic, and always had a story.  So, I miss her.  Yet, I'm kind of nervous about meeting her next week.  I ran into her at a baseball game over the summer, but other than that, I have not seen her in months.  I think we broke up.....

Do friends break up?  And if so, why are we meeting up?  

Crock Pot Cooking

I am new to the world of blogging.  New to writing, new to reading.  I'm fascinated by what I'm finding "out there" that people blog about.  I don't have a specific topic, but a lot of people do.  I just stumbled upon a great blog last night called A Year of CrockPotting.  I love my crock pots.  I know most people will say it's one of those useless appliances, but mine are front and center.  Meat comes out moist and tender.  And of course, I don't have to stop in the middle of the afternoon to think about what's for dinner.  I have a number of tried and true recipes that I stick to, but this blog documents using a crock pot every day for an entire year!!  It's going to take me a while to go through the site, but what I glanced at last night made me very excited!  If you haven't used a crock pot, I strongly suggest you do!  I'm sure you could find a recipe on this blog...or maybe I'd even share one of mine.  ;)

Out With the Old

Recently, my sister and her family decided to move out of their house and into my parents' house.  My parents have a Cape Cod style house, so my sister, her husband, two babies, and two dogs are living in the upstairs - what was her and my old bedrooms.  Needless to say, in order for them to fit, the shrine to my younger years had to go.  

I was completely ok with this.  I mean, I've been on a decluttering kick at my own house for the last year and a half, so it makes sense that they'd get rid of the stuff that's been sitting in my old room for the last 10 years.  In fact, I was asked if there was anything I wanted out of the room.  Aside from my old flute, I figured I clearly didn't need anything that had been sitting there untouched for the last decade.  But aren't pictures different?

Since I'm living in a different state, I wasn't there to do the clearing out myself (not that I'd want to...).  So, I was relying on my mom and sister to do the job.  Old size 4 jeans, college text books, stuffed animals.....all the things I was thinking they'd toss.  Then, I got the news.

In high school, I had one real boyfriend.  Only one.  My sister went through boyfriends frequently, but not me.  Apparently, I had left a gift box in my old room with mementos from that relationship.  Little things, nothing major.  But there were pictures.  We're not talking a whole album here....probably a dozen or less.  In my mind they were proof that this one boyfriend had existed, and frankly, a part of my history.  And my sister threw them out!  She told me at Thanksgiving in a very "oh, by the way" sort of way, and finished up with "You didn't want them, did you?"

What am I supposed to say to that?  They're gone already, right?  Was I going to frame them and hang them in my family room?  No.  But when I'm 80, maybe I'd like to show my grandkids a picture or two of their granny with big hair and a boyfriend.  I'm just saying.  Now, I will only have my wedding pictures show.