Happy New Year's Eve!

When we finally get to December 31st most years, I'm pretty numb from all the hectic school activities, holiday travel, and family melodrama. I like to stay at home, watch movies, eat fondue, and have too much champagne. My husband and I only went out once in the last seven years we've been together, and it was not a success. He got a glass of wine dumped on his head by a waiter, and I wore inappropriate foot wear, and kept slamming into things. He took home a bruised ego and I took with me very literally bruised thighs. Not pretty.

This year, my sister and her husband are coming up to Elk Grove from the Bay Area (yay, no driving for us), and we're having pot roast and chocolate fondue. And yes, too much champagne.

I'm all about the comfort food right now, which is not good for my diet, but oh well. I'm applying for my admin credential and my husband's trying to get in a Physician Assistants program. Our savings is dwindling, and I'm having major anxiety. It's keeping me up at nights and giving me heartburn.

If I were to be any animal, it'd be a squirrel that likes to hoard her nuts for the long winter. I know it's necessary for us to dip into savings, and that we'll eventually be better off because of the choices we're making, but I cannot explain how uncomfortable I am right now.

I am going to try to have a relaxing time tonight with my family and remind that I have a whole new year in front of me to deal with our money issues.

A happy new year to all!

Fun on four legs!

The last time that my husband, daughter, and I visited his family up north, our niece was not walking. She just turned one and was just on the verge of walking, but not there yet.

Well, now she's off! And my daughter, who's being walking since summer can scarcely keep up with her. It's hysterical to see them wobbling around together. And now that they are both walking, tensions betwixt the two of them have relaxed (thank the heavens.) At least for now, things are peaceful. I'm sure that will change at some point, and the newfound tranquility most likely has something to do with the fact that my in-laws get two of every present for the girls: two ducks, two dolls, two rocking horses.

We took the girls to a quiet, indoor mall in Redding and they chased each other all over. We had ice cream sundaes and looked at Christmas lights. It was a really fun time. It's so cold up here, it actually snowed a little today. It didn't stick, but when I went running today, it was stinking cold! My legs never got warm. Yeah, I'm nuts.

Home again...well, for awhile

So we finally made it back home yesterday after an almost four hour drive from the Bay Area; yeah, you heard me: FOUR HOURS. Should have been way shorter. I won't say how much shorter cause it'll make me have anger.

It's nice to be back and beat back the laundry monster, rescue the mailbox, and reassure our cats that we do love them. (The fat one hid behind the couch until 9 last night.) My dad is coming over tonight. He just drove back from LA yesterday, so I feel moderately bad that he is driving again. (Well, not that bad. That's what he gets for spending X-mas with his girl-fiend.)

Okay, back to the land of adults again.

It's amazing how big my little girl is. I got her a doll for Christmas, and today we put it to bed and sang it a song. She really was trying to sing rock-a-bye baby. It was so cute I went and got the camera. But as soon as I started filming, she stopped and stared blankly at me. She's not so much into being filmed.

So we have two days at home, and then we're off again. This time to Redding. My niece is walking now, so that should be a lot of fun.

Happy Kwaanza everyone!

Feliz Navidad

Since my parents divorce, my side of the family is trying hard to come up with new traditions. We are still celebrating Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family, but Christmas Day will be a whole new ball of...tinsel, gingerbread men, egg nog...whatever!

My lovely husband is making tamales. Well, we are all helping him, but he has been preparing the mole for the meat for the past two days. Have I mentioned that I love him? :) We are going to put them together this weekend, which should be messy fun, but we'll see. My sister and I are planning on making mojitos, so at least WE will have a good time.

I have been surprised at how mad I am at my father again this time of year. I thought that time would heal those wounds, but I guess they haven't. He is spending Christmas in LA with his girlfriend's family and didn't think to tell my sister and me. We just assumed that he would want to spend Christmas Day with us. I feel betrayed by him all over again. And then he wrote HER name on my Christmas present. Ugh. I know I should be more mature, but I am not finding the emotional reserves to do so.

Hey, this was supposed to be a happy post! Whoops!

Preview?

When I was pregnant with my daughter, people told me two lies (people are big fan of these, lies I mean, when you're pregnant. ) Maybe "lie" is too harsh of word; maybe fantasy-related statement would be more apt.

Nonetheless, people would say two things when they found out I was having a girl: 1) Your girl will NEVER be like the teenage girls you teach, and 2) At least you know what you are getting into, which I interpret to mean: "You work with teenage girls all day so you should be an expert."

Not only am I not an expert dealing with teenage girls (on the whole, I find teenage boys much less complicated and generally more fun), but I can attest to the fact that knowing what you are getting into as the mom of a girl is cold comfort.

Just the other day, I sent a girl outside for swearing at me in frustration. Granted, she had reason to be frustrated, but swearing is a deal breaker in my class room. I step outside after she's been cooling her heels (quite literally in this weather) for a couple minutes, expecting an apology or at least an excuse. No. Instead I get "Ms H, let's deal with this like two adults."

I actually looked around for the other adult, realized she was referring to herself, and laughed the whole time I wrote her referral. Bless her little heart...