Insomniac Blogging: Twelfth Edition

Good morning.   4:34 a.m.  Yawn.

--I have never cooked a turkey all by myself.  I consider that to be an adult fail.

--Strong opinion alert!!!  I am not a fan of folks who put that crazy Rudolph the Reindeer costume on their car during the holiday season.  First, costumes are for Halloween, not Christmas.  Second, your car is not a reindeer.  It's a car.  It's just silly.  All those rein-cars sitting in the parking lot do not inspire Christmas cheer--they just make us roll our eyes heaven-ward.  Strong opinion rant over.

--We put our tree up and did all the decorating on Sunday afternoon.  I was working hard to get the ribbon on the tree "just right!", when I heard it...the unmistakable "Away In A Manger" tune from the Little People Nativity.  You know the one--you push the angel down on top of the stable, and she sings.  My cowboys are 8, 9, and 11 years old, and they will not hear of passing on "their" nativity scene that they have painfully outgrown.  I guess it's not the biggest thing I have to worry about.

--When I woke up, my immediate thought was:  "I don't have anything to put in the boys' lunches!"  Then I remembered what day it is.  It's Waffle Wednesday!!! Phew. (Yes, that's a real thing, and they LOVE it.)

--Every meteorologist in DFW is going nutso right now promoting the upcoming "Winter Weather Event."  It's December.  It's supposed to get cold.  This happens every. single. year.  Settle down, troops.  Settle down.  

--All I want for Christmas is to see Saving Mr. Banks.  Sixteen more days.

--I worked a shift at the book fair at the boys' elementary school.  Maybe I'm just viewing it through jaded adult lenses, but the book fair isn't what it used to be.  I remember volunteer moms spending weeks ahead of time working on decorations, and hyping it up to us kids.  It was magical!  Now, Scholastic decides on a theme, and packages everything you need for a successful book fair:  Book Fair In A Box.  Twice a year like clockwork, the boxes arrive, the kids come, the parents spend, and then everything is boxed back up and the Scholastic truck picks it up.

--While I was working, two classes came in:  one 4th grade class and one Kindergarten class.  All of the kids are paired off as "book buddies."  The big kids were so sweet as they helped their little friends write their "wish lists".  I saw one big, tough-looking 4th grader gently put his hand on his buddy's back to guide him through the crowds.  That touched my heart.

--We did get our hands on the highly-coveted brand new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.  Little Middle is super-excited!

--When I was a kid, we also did Santa's Secret Shop.  It was awesome because I, as an eight-year-old, could buy Christmas gifts for my entire family for $4.00.  I remember feeling pretty good about that, and I always bought something for my brother (that was the spirit of the season at work in my little heart).  Do schools still do that?

--I feel sorry for people who work for the USPS.  They must walk around feeling unsettled all the time.

--I hate days when I have so many things to take care of that I don't get to be at home for any period of time.  I mean, I like my life and I don't sign up to do anything that I don't really want to be a part of.  Some days, though, stack up quickly because I underestimate.  That's how I get mountains of laundry like what we have going on right now.  Luckily, the Winter Weather Event is coming!!!  Maybe it will be a good excuse to be homebound.

--We do not have an Elf on the Shelf.  Honestly, I think that little Elf is sort of creepy, and I don't want it watching me all the time.  So it's bad enough that my kids believe (probably correctly) that we are the only family without our own elf.  Honestly, you over-achieving moms out there:  there is ZERO reason for you to make me feel worse by allowing your elf to take a "bath" in a bowl full of marshmallows.  Or allowing the elf to pull the laundry from the drawers and toss it onto the floor.  Or let the elf build a roller coaster out of toothpicks on the dining room table.  For real--there' already so much pressure on parents to make the holidays picture perfect.  If you MUST have an elf in your home, please tell your children to keep it a secret from their friends.  That way I don't have to hear about how WE don't have an elf who made chocolate milk last night and fed it to our dog!  Thanks a lot.

--My favorite boots are falling apart, and I find myself for the first time ever needing a shoe hospital.

--I love, love, LOVE being an Auntie.

--Four words:  The Cowboy Rides Away.  What would I not give to see George on his farewell tour?!?

--I have a nearly-neurotic fear that if I leave the Christmas lights on the tree on when I leave the house, then they will start a fire and the house will burn down.  It's a little ridiculous--even to the point that I was halfway to Target and I turned around and went home to unplug the lights.  But if the house burns down, well...that would be a BIG thing to have on my conscious.

--(Walking in to church on Sunday...)

Me:  Doesn't our church look so pretty with all the Christmas decorations?

Baby:  There's too much mistletoe in here, if you ask me.

--All three of my little cowboys have asked for a puppy for Christmas.  And they each want a different breed.  We still have Gus the Terrible, and that's all the dog --and more--that this mama can handle.

--In other Christmas list news, Baby wants an elf.  Not a creepy Elf on the Shelf, or even an Oompa Loompa. He wants a real elf.  As in, one who is trained and certified by Santa himself.  I asked him what he would do with a real elf, and he said, "He would do stuff for me, bring me a drink when I'm thirsty, and build me toys to play with."