Day Twenty Eight: A Post for Post's Sake

I have a horrible headache. I've been laying on the couch for the last three hours. I've been cleaning up other people's sickness all day. My house is toxic right now. But I'm so close . . . So close to the end of the month and being able to say that I posted on every day in December . . . I just had to write something. So here it is - SOMETHING.

I'm going to bed.

Day Twenty Six: Post Christmas Recovery

I literally did nothing today. No, I'm not exaggerating. I did nothing. No shower. I didn't change out of my pajamas (for like the third time over the last week). I haven't brushed my teeth yet. (I will before bed. Don't be too grossed out.) It was just one of those days.

I got up late because I was up late. Then at 2 a.m. my younger son came into my bedroom, which he does quite often so I wasn't surprised, and climbed into my bed - causing my husband to vacate our bed - and before my husband was out the bedroom door my two year old was throwing up. So after stripping the bed, scrubbing the mattress, opening the window and closing the door to keep the odor from spreading, I joined my two year old (after he had had a 2 a.m. bath) in his bed while my husband took the couch.

The good news is that it was just the one incident of sickness. He was fine today and was eating regular food by dinner. I, however, was exhausted and so I slept in. Then I spent the rest of the day cleaning up from Christmas, my husband cut what appeared to be at least one ton of cardboard and then we vegged out the rest of the day.

Oh, I have had probably no less than a pound of chocolate today. I can't stop eating it. It's sitting right in the middle of my kitchen which is in the middle of my apartment and I can't help myself from grabbing a piece every time I walk by (and then there are the times when I go into the kitchen just for the sole purpose of grabbing a piece). Rewind two months and it's Halloween all over again for me. No self control. Aerobics classes can't start back up soon enough.

I think the Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow. So are the decorations. Time to start getting back to "normal" around here. Although now that the holidays are coming to a close it's go time for our dreams of owning our own home. Time to start packing - which I am dreading. I'm looking forward to ridding out some of the crap we've collected over the past five years, but completely dreading the actual act of packing up and moving. But all of that is being outweighed by my late night sessions of planning what furniture is going where in the new house and what things I want to buy and what colors I might use to paint this room and that room - I can't believe our dream of owning a home is a little over a month away.

It certainly was a very Merry Christmas and I'm looking forward to a very Happy New Year!

11:58 p.m. - P.S. OK. I just checked my email and I had one message waiting. It's a parenting bulletin that I get weekly. I signed up for when I was pregnant with my first child and they update you every week during your pregnancy and then they give you developmental milestones, suggestions for games and activities you can do, etc. after the birth. These days I just skim through it (I've gotten a couple of great recall announcements through it) and usually delete it within five minutes. I stopped reading the whole milestones and "what your child should be doing," stuff once I had a second child, but have just never unsubscribed from the mailing list.

Anyway, guess what the very first topic of information is this week? "How to Raise a Spiritual Child." Uh, what? Could it be that I'm more widely read than I though I was? Are the folks over at Babycenter reading my blog? CRAZY! Or more likely I think it's the universe - it's wonderful how she does that. You put the question out there and she sends you answers; and I stress answers, plural, because the greatest thing is that she doesn't force anything - she provides possibilities, options, ideas. It's still up to me to choose.

But I think I'll actually read this article. (Not tonight. I'm too tired.) Just to see what it has to say. I mean, how can I not give it a chance with a subtitle like: "Whether you belong to an organized religion or follow your own spiritual path, get ideas on how to nurture your 2- to 4-year old's or 5-to-8-year old's sense of spiritual wonder" or "How to keep your child's materialism in check."

Even on days when nothing happens - I can be absolutely amazed.

Day Eighteen: 'Tis the Season

First off, I want to wish a Happy Hanukkah to those of you celebrating the Festival of Lights this week. As you know, I have what's known as "Christmas-head" and neglected to acknowledge that there are other holiday celebrations out there. I apologize for my oversight.

(My son can be credited with reminding me actually. He asked me today if I had a dreidel because he wants to play the dreidel game. Surprisingly, I used to have a dreidel but have since misplaced it and therefore we have not been able to play. I'm going to try and find one tomorrow, but I'd like to thank the public schools for teaching my son about the diverse celebrations this time of year brings. Hopefully I won't forget Kwanzaa.)

It was a quiet day today, for which, yes, I am grateful. It was a day of recovery. My little guy has almost completely recovered from his awful cold, my older son still releases a hefty cough now and again but nothing like last week and even I am feeling better today. (My voice actually has a bit of a sexy raspyness to it, but I can't seem to get my two-year-old to go to bed tonight so that does me no good!) The only downside seems to be that now my husband thinks he may be coming down with the cold that had struck down me and my children. Let's hope for everyone to be healthy for Christmas.

I need to get some sleep. The big Holiday Show is on for tomorrow morning at my son's preschool and we're both excited about it. I think what he's most excited about is that he's having his "show" as he likes to call it on my birthday. (Yes, that was a shameless birthday plug. For those of you have known me for any length of time can attest - I have no shame in advertising the annual celebration of the day of my birth.) Anyway, today he told me, "Mommy, you know what? I get to give you your very first birthday present tomorrow." I asked him what that would be and he replied, "Hello! My show!" Of course. What was I thinking?

Day Sixteen: My Holiday Card to You

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. While you enjoy your time and the exchange of gifts with family and friends, please take a moment to remember those that do not have the means to celebrate the holidays so extravagantly.

Also remember those that will not live to see another day because they do not have the means to provide for their, or their children's, survival.

Then go one step further and don't just think about it - do something.

Share your wealth.

P.S. I had a hard time thinking of something I was grateful for today. My younger son and I have been battling the awful cold that my older son had last week. Instead of sounding like he has rocks in his chest, his nose runs like a faucet and in my case it's my ears that hurt the most.

Anyway, I realized that I have so very much to be thankful for and I wanted you guys to realize it, too. Not everyday is a bright one, but anyone reading this right now is probably much better off than the majority of the world's population.

Oh, and it helped when I read this comment on yesterday's post: "You were nominated several times and now we see why. Your site has won a Blog of the Day Award."

I'm not sure who nominated me, but thank you whoever you are. And it was a bit of an ego boost to know that not only are there people out there reading (and not just my close friends who are sweet enough to encourage this ego trip of mine), but that there are people out there who like what they're reading!

And best of all, look what I got:

You know how I love the widgets!!!