phew...got most of them out the door

Not that I WANT the out the door, no it would suit me just fine to keep them all here. Sonja K. is staying home today. She has a bit of a cold, but mostly I am letting her go shopping with me today. I will be sure to teach her a little bit about prices and bargains, so her brain doesn't turn to mush missing a day of school.

She also is one of those kids who needs to touch base with Mommy, well, all of them do I suppose...but I was gone to the Dome yesterday before she even got home from school, then she was all tucked in and sleeping when I got home, so that means she needs to see me today.

Working at the Dome...how can I describe it? It is fun, because all of my bestest friends in the world are there, and my older kids usually work, yesterday it was Abigail, and Mirielle, and Aaron, and Paul was there....Syracuse won the game, too. I got to see a few plays. And I did have a Cookiewich, but it WAS my dinner. And it was good. The only bad part was that I took my break with Paul, Mr. Healthy himself. I asked him if he wanted a bite, and he just made this face, like, "Are you kidding me?" And he continued to eat the homemade beef jerky and almonds and apple he had packed. I ate a few almonds too, just to keep things healthy, ha. I really shouldn't have eaten the whole thing, but I did. I will just be extra careful today. And tomorrow. Oh, while I was eating it, Paul also mentioned real casual-like, "I didn't gain any weight over Thanksgiving, I actually lost some..." Ouch, I hate you. Not really. But the guy is not fat anyway, he just likes to be in shape, and he is. It is actually really nice to have someone to talk to about eating healthy and exercising, but for me, it is a bit different. I have to live this way forever and ever, and am afraid to be too totally strict with myself, or I will never be able to eat anything and I will gain five pounds. He also doesn't have the emotional attachment to food that I have. I mean, I didn't ask him if he had been thinking about Cookiewiches all day before the Dome, but I already know the answer. ha.

Good thing he is really cute and I love him to pieces.

The last day of November already. Tomorrow the Chocolate Calendars start. Hopefully this year we won't have any little rascals eating them all up.

I love this quiet time in the morning when the little one is still sleeping. But soon Camille will be going out that door in the morning too, and I am going to be sad. I remember when there were so many little ones here and it was never quiet...my mother said to me, "Some day you will hate the quiet." I found that very hard to believe.

I am selling a few things on ebay, which makes me feel like I have accomplished something and done something nice for the household expenses instead of just spending the money. Next year maybe I will sell a lot more.

Only four more nights, and we are on our way to Jamaica! It already feels like it is going to go by too fast. And I already wish we were going for longer than six nights. I will be missing the kids by then, but on our last few vacations, it really was hard to leave the sunshine and warmth and relaxation...I just crave that feeling of peacefulness, that slowing down of the thoughts...just the realization that I don't have to think about what's for dinner or who is going where or who has homework....so that my poor frazzled brain can take a break. And of course there is Paul...it is wonderfully nice to focus on him. And to have his attention. Yes, wonderfully nice.

But today I am not in Jamaica, and there is hardly any milk, no bananas, no salad stuff, so therefore Nothing To Eat, by kids' standards.

And there is a pile of pee-pee bedding waiting to go into the washer that just finished a load of pee-pee bedding.

And I should wash and match some socks for when I am gone.

And, I should plan the meals a bit for Mirielle.

And, and, and...oh, I can't wait to let my mind relax....