The incredible sleepless night AND de-lurking day!

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Sherry

First things first. Today is January 14th, 2010 and apparently it’s also International De-lurking Day. What does that mean for you? Well, it’s not mandatory. After all it’s not like I can come over and force you to participate. However, it would be fun if you’d take part because it’s really easy – all you have to do is leave a comment. I’ll take comments even from those of you who do so regularly but I’d especially love to hear from people who (yep, lurk) read but don’t usually say anything.

Are you shy? Or not sure what to say? Here are some ideas: Tell me what your favorite TV show is. What’s the best book you read last year? What movie did you rent that you wish you had seen on the big screen instead? Share a link to your favorite blogger. Tell me what you had for breakfast or what you’re making for supper. Make me laugh with a bad joke. Whatever! Or just say “hi, I read but I’m too shy to comment on a regular basis!” Just let me know you’re there because that’s the purpose of the day. And remember:

delurk2_1

And we don’t want THAT.

*******

Did you ever have one of those days where you woke up, dragged yourself out of bed, got yourself ready to leave… and then you woke up and realized it was just a dream and you still had to get up and do it all for real? Because that SUCKS.

I sort of did something similar all night long. I guess I’m still worried about sleeping in on the days that I volunteer for Breakfast Club and it’s taking a toll on my ability to sleep. I desperately want to avoid ever showing up really late because I hit snooze on my alarm clock or turn it off altogether.

Because of this, I woke up repeatedly last night. My night table is higher than the bed so I can’t see my alarm clock unless I prop myself up on my elbow. The thing is, it’s so dark out when I wake up on volunteer mornings that it may as well be the middle of the night. I wake up at 5:45 and the sun doesn’t really make much of an appearance until about 7 am. For instance, this is what it looks like outside at 6:15 am lately:

Doesn’t that just make you want to WAKE RIGHT UP? Anyway.

All night I woke up thinking that my alarm had gone off and that I had to hurry up and get up before I dozed back off again, because on those mornings I don’t have the luxury of hitting the snooze button. Each time I woke up I groaned, propped myself up, and saw that I still had hours to go before I had to get up. I did this at 12:45, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 2:45, on and on. I think the last time I did it was a little past 4:30 and then I finally went back to sleep properly until my alarm went off for real. It SUCKED.

As a result I pretty much faked being awake as I helped prepare the breakfast (cutting plums and oranges while half-asleep is quite the feat, as is toasting English muffins when you’re trying not to burn yourself) and served food to all the kids. When I got home the coffee didn’t seem to help much since I dozed off on the floor while playing Littlest Pet Shop with Breanna. I startled awake to her saying, “Terrence! Terrence! Mommy, you’re supposed to make Terrence the Turtle talk to my dog!”

Whoops.

I’m volunteering again tomorrow so I’m hoping for a better sleep. Last week I slept much better the second night because I was so exhausted. I think I might set the alarm on my iPod as a back up so that my brain will feel like it can shut up and let me sleep properly tonight.

Now to get my work finished up so I don’t have to stay up late finishing it when I should be sleeping later!

Wait, was there a weekend in there?

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Sherry

Our weekend was most definitely one that could be classified as quiet and laid back. Friday night found me staying up far too late because George and I got caught up in a long “Criminal Minds” marathon which kept me up until 2 am (and yes, I realize how dangerous watching crime shows can be for someone like me but at least it keeps my neighborhood safe). It was fun and all because I can watch most episodes of that show over and over, but considering the fact that I ended up being dizzy all day on Saturday I wish I had gotten more sleep.

The good news was that my dizziness went away by supper time but the bad news was I didn’t do much better with getting to bed at a decent time on Saturday night either. I played a very competitive game of “Mouse Trap” with the kids, got them to bed, and then ended up watching “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” on BET with George. I wasn’t going to bother watching it at first because I thought I had missed the first half hour but when I realized it was just starting I sat down and it didn’t end until 1 am. It was worth it though, it was a great movie (although it co-starred Shemar Moore from “Criminal Minds” and I commented that it was weird to see him NOT kicking down doors or wielding a gun).

On Sunday I got a big urge to do some cleaning and purging, probably because I’m reading The Happiness Project. It’s a really interesting book and I’m trying to read it in small doses although part of me kind of wants to just sit and read it all at once. It details the author’s attempt to make her life even happier by following a variety of different mindsets, plans, and advice. One thing she worked on was decluttering and making her home less chaotic. Reading about it is kind of like watching Hoarders, it just sort of made me get a little itchy and I had to go clean something out. I ended up completely decluttering my bathroom. Why did we have so much crap stuffed in the cupboards above the washer and dryer? Sheesh.

I like when I get those urges. I could use more of them.

Other than that, the weekend was mostly quiet. It didn’t stand out as being a weekend really, other than the fact that no one needed to set an alarm clock or go to school.

On the other hand, sometimes a quiet weekend isn’t the worst thing in the world either.

Back to the routine

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Sherry

Last night I laid out Hayley’s school clothes for the first time in two weeks.

Today the alarm blared at me at 6:15 am and the shock of it was somewhat brutal. While I wasn’t exactly lazing in bed all day long over the break, I was sleeping in to an extent and I certainly wasn’t waking up to a loud, noisy alarm.

(It’s my only real option; choosing something softer like a radio station isn’t a good idea for me. I use white noise to sleep so I wouldn’t hear anything too soothing and if I had it loud enough to drown out the white noise then it would startle me awake just as badly.)

I managed to get up, get the dog out, and get Hayley up in reasonable order. Breanna woke up when I did and seemed to be a bit bewildered about being up while it was still dark out, but Hayley was reasonably chipper at least. Leaving was a bit rushed because I have never seen a child so slow about putting on a snow suit, but such is life in the winter here – it’s always a slow process. Even the day we were going sledding it took TWENTY minutes for the four of us to get ready to leave. It’s nuts, I miss just slipping shoes on our feet and walking out the door.

It’s good to be back to the usual routine though. I had all my work done before lunch time (not counting the surprise stuff that popped up this evening, but that’s to be expected when you write about celebrities for a living), and I took down the Christmas tree and all the decorations except for the white lights on my china cabinet and the lights in Hayley’s room.

I can guarantee you I wasn’t that productive during the holidays.

Meanwhile, Hayley had a good day at school and it helps that they started back today so they get a short week to ease back into their own routines as well. Breanna missed her sister a bit but was pretty happy to have all the toys to herself!

Now to get myself to bed since it’s 11:15 pm and tomorrow I have to be up at 5:40 am so I can be at the school by 6:30 to volunteer for the breakfast club. We’ll see if I’m still productive after such an early wake-up call – but at least they make coffee for us!

Why he calls me Horatio Caine

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Sherry

Yes. George started calling me Horatio Caine awhile ago and I should be offended since I’m not a male over-actor with a flair for dramatic use of sunglasses. However I must admit that the reason behind it is amusing and I can’t believe I forgot to write about it.

Awhile back, either late November or early December, I went out with Pearl for her last pee at about midnight. I don’t always take her out so late but we had been watching stuff on TV. I went downstairs and stood there while I waited for her to finish her ritual of pacing back and forth 27 times before finally settling down to pee (what is UP with that?). Off in the not-too-far distance I heard a banging sound and wondered idly what it could be.

It was coming from the direction of our building’s parking lot and I walked towards it to see if Pearl had any other, ah, business to tend to before going back in. I could see something leaning against the garbage bin and thought it was probably banging against the dumpster in the wind. I remember thinking how annoying that must be for the people living in the apartment immediately adjacent to the bins.

As I walked into the parking lot I realized it was a mattress and was therefore clearly not making a loud clanging noise. As this realization hit me, the banging suddenly started up again – directly to my right. It was erratic banging; different speeds, different volume levels, different rhythms.

Directly to my right was a car, some sort of sedan. The erratic banging came from the trunk.

I believe my heart may have lodged itself in my throat instantly. I’m pretty sure it stopped beating for several seconds, then resumed by pounding. I looked all around me very quickly to make sure nobody was nearby, then as the banging started up at a rapid pace, I took off like a bolt for the back steps to get in the back door. I didn’t want to get too close to the car just in case, but I did think to stop long enough to back up and check the first digits of the license plate. Then Pearl and I tore up the steps, in the door, and I am pretty sure that I have never taken four flights of stairs that fast in my life.

I may have nearly given George a heart attack as I burst through the door, threw the leash at him, and announced I had to dial 911. I was so out of breath that I gasped the basics to him while I headed to the phone and called the police.

I explained the details to the 911 dispatcher who took me very seriously, asked for my name and phone number, and told me she was sending the police immediately. Even though it was cold I went out on the front balcony and not two minutes later two patrol cars came up the street, flashers whirling and sirens wailing.

I can’t see the parking lot from my balcony so I had no idea what was going on but a few minutes later the phone rang and it was one of the cops returning the call. He asked me to explain the story to him so I did, amazing myself with my ability to speak in French at this point what with my nerves and all. Once I was done he explained what they had just found.

Luckily, it turns out there was no one trapped inside the car in the parking lot. He asked if I had gone and looked on the passenger side, but I explained that since I didn’t know what was going on I didn’t want to go that close. He said that was a very good idea as far as safety and then he told me what I would have seen had I gone around.

The owner of the car was crouched way down low to the ground on the passenger side in between his car and the one next to it, which is why I never saw it. The owner was – hang on, I still can’t believe this man’s thought process – down there with a regular old hammer, and he was attempting to bang out a dent on his car. The dent was right at the back of the car, over the rear wheel, which is why it sounded like it could be coming from the trunk.

Who in the HELL tries to bang a dent out of their car with a metal hammer in the DARK at frickin’ MIDNIGHT?! The man nearly gave me an aneurysm because I was so freaked out. I swear, it took me over an hour to calm down from the adrenaline so I could go to sleep.

I was a little embarrassed but the cop assured me that it’s far better to call and be sure than to worry. That’s how I feel too. I might have been wrong but I’d rather be embarrassed than ignore it and find out on the morning news that some dead body was found in a trunk, knowing I could have helped. I’m very relieved I was wrong because a) that would be horrible for the person and b) I would have had to pack up and move all of our stuff in 24-48 hours because there’s no way in hell I could live in a place where someone would put someone in their trunk.

After it was all over, George kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye with “that look”, you know, the one of amusement. Finally I believe he made a comment about how I watch too many episodes of “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: Miami” and then he called me Horatio Caine.

It became a source of humor for us for awhile. When I would return from taking the dog out he’d ask if I’d witnessed any crimes and I’d reply that no I hadn’t, but I did need to step over a dead body on my way up the front walk. He continued to call me Horatio for awhile.

Horatio? Seriously? Come on, I think I at LEAST deserve a Calleigh Duquesne!

So long 2009, hello 2010

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Sherry

It’s so strange that it’s New Year’s Eve already and that we’re not only starting a new year very soon but a whole new decade. I don’t know where the time has gone. Isn’t it weird how time seems to speed up the older you get?

I was going to do a retrospective but really I don’t need to. For me one of the best parts of 2009 was going to Halifax for three weeks. Halifax is my dream home, the place I’ve wanted to live since I was just transitioning into my third trimester with my now-seven-year-old daughter. Being there for three weeks was bittersweet because it made it even harder to leave in some ways but I’m so glad we got to go. Seeing my sister, being in her wedding, spending time with George’s family, touching the ocean again, it was all amazing.

Other than that, one of my biggest feats of 2009 has been to beat down the panic attack issues that I have. They’re still there, I still get them on a regular basis, and I’ve explained before what it feels like to go through one. No matter how many I have, no matter how rational I try to be, they’re still as scary each time as the first time.

However, this fall I made a choice to try very hard to not let it control my life. I stepped way outside of my normal comfort zones by joining the PPO at Hayley’s school and becoming a part of the Governing Board. I’ve participated in Movie Night, the toy sale, Terry Fox Day, Pizza Day, Bread Drive, attended assemblies, and gone to a Governing Board workshop. I’ve also become a volunteer for the Breakfast Club, arriving there at dark o’clock to make sure all kids have a chance at a healthy and filling breakfast.

It’s not perfect. People probably can’t tell to look at me but I’ve had the odd mild panic in the midst of some of those things, but between the Rescue Remedy I carry with me at all times (hell, I even carried it inside my bouquet in my sister’s wedding), conversations with the Big Guy upstairs (so to speak) and sheer determination I fought it down and won.

It will probably never go away completely but I’m proud of myself for refusing to let it win all the time.

Overall, 2009 could have been better but it sure as hell could have been a lot worse. I’m not sad to see it go but I’m eager to see what 2010 has in store. Hopefully good things. Maybe a winning lottery ticket. I promise to donate a ton of it to charity if I win a big one.

I know people scoff at resolutions, and of course you should make them at any time that you feel a need to change your life for the better instead of just at the flip of a new calendar, but I’m the person who always makes resolutions. It’s a compulsion of some sort and I’m unapologetic about it. None of my resolutions are massive lifestyle changes anyway. Sometimes I keep them and sometimes I don’t but it’s a good way to check into what I need to focus on.

For 2010, in no particular order:

1. Start figuring out a plan to get to Halifax. Not just a vacation, figuring out a plan to GET TO Halifax. It’s been over seven years after all, it’s time.

2. Balance out work a bit better. Working from home is all wonderful and delightful but I need a better way to balance work, home, and life.

3. Learn more about photography. The fact that I’m now writing over here regularly and over at DPS occasionally (I don’t think I ever mentioned that I wrote a post about cold weather photography at DPS) means that I have a good reason to push myself to learn and share those lessons with others. This year I went through a weird slump where I just had no desire to take any pictures, not even snapshots, and it was frustrating but I know now that it goes away eventually. I love taking pictures and want to keep getting better.

4. Tell stories. Somehow this blog has become sort of “dear diary” where I yap at everyone about my day (or days if it’s been awhile). There’s nothing wrong with that and I don’t want to stop. This blog has been a great way for me to keep track of the little things in my life. I could write it in a paper journal but I suck at keeping up with that. I’ll still write the “today I…” entries but I want to write more. I want to tell stories instead of just recaps. Two of my (many) favorite bloggers are incredible storytellers and every single time I read an entry they’ve posted I think to myself, “I want to write like THAT.” I want to tell stories to you.

5. Make the effort. My good friend came up with this all-encompassing resolution years ago because she isn’t fond of specific resolutions. She decided that “make the effort” was a sentiment that could be applied to a lot of things throughout the year. I can think of some things I’d especially like to apply it to – things like getting fit for health and mental health reasons, learning calm and patience, staying on top of things better – but I don’t want to bog it down with too many specifics. I’ll just go with it as is.

What are your resolutions?

And now I have two excited kids who are determined to stay up with us until midnight (Hayley for sure, Breanna, well, I’ll see if she can make it). They’re drinking 7Up in wine glasses and I’m about to pour some real red wine in my own glass. We’re going to listen to some music then hang out with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square to watch the ball drop. I hope that 2010 brings you all the best life has to offer.

See you (wait for it) next year!

One of my creative moments

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Sherry

This year, one of the gifts that we gave the kids for Christmas was a big Barbie furniture set. It came with furnishings for a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. While Hayley had once mentioned wanting the Barbie Pink 3-Story Dream Townhouse (and oh my hell, it’s way cheaper in the stores here, wow!), we figured we just gave them the Diamond Castle last Christmas.

On the other hand, it was a lot of furniture and bits and pieces that would have been just lying around in a box. The castle already had a bit of furniture so it didn’t really have room for much more. I had to clean up the kids’ room a bit anyway so I looked around, scratched my head, curse a bit, and then I had an idea.

There was a white bookshelf in there that wasn’t really serving a highly important purpose; there’s a brown shelf in there that holds a ton of books, but the white one just held odds and ends which could find new homes. I pulled it out of the corner, did a bit of re-arranging, and set the furniture up inside.

Hayley was out when I did it, although Breanna saw some of it while I set it all up. When Hayley came home her eyes bugged out of her head because she was so excited that I made her a Barbie house.

The townhouse is certainly very nice and maybe we’ll get it some day but making one for them was way more fun and they both love it. I’m already thinking that I might like to get some wrapping paper to use as wallpaper, as well as some pictures to use as window views.

When I was a kid I played with Barbies. When I hit the early teen years I didn’t really play with them so much as I loved to set up houses for them at my grandmother’s place, using random things as furniture and whatnot. Apparently I haven’t really changed all that much after all these years.

An extra Christmas

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Sherry

In some ways I wish that I could see everyone I need to see on Christmas day. Growing up, my sister and I went up north to my grandmother’s house.

Isn’t it an amazing house? Hard to believe it’s a grocery store parking lot now, but I’ll refrain from ranting since it doesn’t change anything.

My dad’s mom would come over on the 24th, have dinner, then attend church. After that, she’d come back and spend the night. That house was more than big enough for everyone and we would all go to sleep, waiting for morning.

My sister and I shared a room (and that went well, yep, not really) and we’d often wake up by 6 am. Then we would be amazed by how slowly time could crawl by. We weren’t allowed to get up until my grandmother got up, turned up the heat, lit the woodstove in the kitchen, and then turned on the Christmas music on the radio.

We’d all go downstairs and my whole family – me, my sister, my parents, my grandmothers – would open presents, hang around the house, and have Christmas dinner together. It simply never occurred to me that we were atypical and that most people didn’t have Christmas that way, that most people juggled family and spread Christmas out.

I’ll admit that it took me awhile (years) to get used to how different this all is now than the way it was for me growing up, but in a way I like our new way now. It means that Christmas lasts longer because we see my family on the 26th, and it’s good for the kids because they don’t get quite as overwhelmed by too many gifts all at once (and have fewer meltdowns).

This year was unfortunate because we weren’t able to go on our usual day, which had me bummed, but there was nothing we could do. The weather was terrible with freezing rain and ice pellets making it too dangerous to risk driving (hell, I didn’t even walk the dog past the end of our walk because it was a skating rink out there). We did get to go on the 27th though, which made me happy.

My parents spoiled us in a wonderful way. The kids got lots of great toys (fairy houses, horse & carriage, art stuff, a farm, a remote control car, and (my favorite) a finger puppet theater which is seriously awesome. I got a beautiful sweater, a much-needed set of pajamas, a salad spinner (don’t laugh, I’ve wanted one for ages, and if you’ve ever patted lettuce “dry” with paper towel you’ll understand why), and some other great stuff.

We also had our gifts from my sister and brother-in-law that they had mailed to my parents’ place and Amanda knows me so well. She got me a super-fancy high-tech corkscrew because she knows I enjoy red wine (I’d better see if I can use it!) and she got me Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography, which is the autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. I can’t wait to finish up my queue of books so I can get started on it; it’s been awhile since I read a book about the Middle East and anyone who knows me well knows that’s one of my favorite types of books to read. The fact that I admired Bhutto so much and found her fascinating makes it even better.

After opening gifts, we just relaxed and chatted while Hayley played with her new car and the kids followed the cat everywhere she went; I went to scoop up all the discarded wrapping paper at one point and ended up getting smacked good and hard by a little grey paw because it was apparently her hiding spot from the kids.

My mom had made spaghetti and it was amazing to watch how much of it Breanna shoveled into her mouth. It’s her favorite meal in the world and I fully admit that my mom’s spaghetti sauce is WAY better than mine (and mine is pretty darn good so that’s saying a lot). We had cupcakes for dessert and I got my dad set up on Facebook for the first time. After that it was time to go, but we had a really nice day while we were there.

And when we got home, Pearl was very happy to learn she had gotten some presents from my parents too – she loves her rawhide bones and soft plush bone!

I must say, it was a very good Christmas holiday indeed!

Post-Christmas slump

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Sherry

Usually I get a really blah-worthy post-Christmas slump or let-down. It’s because there’s so much excitement and stress leading up to The Big Day that by the time it’s over I’m left wondering how it’s over already and the lack of festivities leaves me kind of blue. It never lasts long but it’s there.

Last year I didn’t get that because I had Christmas morning with George and the girls here at home, then we spent the day with his parents, and my family came for dinner – with my sister and Neal too! – on the 26th. On top of that we gathered at my aunt and uncle’s house with my cousins and their kids on the 28th and it was the first time in over ten years since we had all been together like that. When my uncle passed away a few months ago I was very grateful to have had that one last visit with him.

I’m finding I don’t have the let-down this year either. I do have the post-Christmas slump but this time it’s not due to feeling deflated – it’s a physical “holy crap that was fun and now I’m exhausted” slump so it’s been a good one.

The 24th was pretty busy. We took the kids to see Santa because he actually hadn’t been there the day we first went. They were very happy to see him right before he had to dash off to start delivering gifts around the world.

Once we got back home I baked cookies with the kids (just Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies, nothing fancy) and while we waited for them to finish up in the oven we tracked Santa on the NORAD site. They LOVE that.

I was very smart this year (and it only took me this long to figure this out). Instead of waiting for the kids to go to sleep and then having George bring the gifts over for us to wrap – something which stresses me out since it’s always after 11 pm – I went to his parents’ house and hung out with them, wrapping everything in their kitchen (his mom did most of the work). That meant George only had to pick them up and bring them here at night, much less stressful for me.

On Christmas eve the kids got their traditional pajamas that they unwrap and wear to bed. They may be two of the very few kids who actually look forward to getting pajamas. Then we set up the milk and cookies for Santa (and Cheerios and water for the reindeer) and they went to bed.

Breanna is a sleep fan so despite the fact that it was the night before Christmas, she was out like a light in about ten minutes flat. Hayley didn’t give in to sleep until after 11 pm (so I was definitely happy that everything was wrapped already!), but it helped that I noticed on NORAD that Santa was in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She knows EXACTLY where that is and it put her into enough of a panic that she fell asleep about five minutes later. Whew. Thank God I had gotten her up at 7 am that day because otherwise she might have never fallen asleep.

George and I always divide and conquer with the kids on Christmas eve so that we don’t have to worry about the kids sneaking into the living room at 4 am. He and Hayley camp out in one bedroom while Breanna and I sleep in the other. Apparently Hayley woke George up with a loud stage whisper at three in the morning. I don’t think she went to sleep until well after 4 am, which explains why Breanna and I woke up at 8 am on the 25th with the two of them still conked out.

It was good though. It was all really good. The kids opened their stockings where they were very happy with their little gifts. Then they moved on to the Santa gifts. They only ever ask for one thing from Santa (or in Breanna’s case she wanted this OR this) which is something I like because it means we get to give them cool gifts too. This year Hayley wanted a Fur Real dog that walks and barks and sniffs a rawhide bone, and Breanna wanted a rocket ship (or a truck).

Hayley got her dog and apparently it was exactly the right one. Meanwhile, Breanna nearly peed her pants because not only did she get a rocket, it was the rocket that was attached to Buzz and Woody in Toy Story, one of her favorite movies. She was so excited to get them all.

From us Hayley got Mousetrap and a Barbie horse spa, and Breanna got a Littlest Pet Shop set (the Get Better Center Playset) and an art easel because she loves drawing more than anyone I know.

Meanwhile we also got them a couple of joint gifts by giving them a big set of Barbie furniture and we downloaded Mario Kart for the Wii. They were pretty happy.

We went to George’s parents’ house for the morning and later for supper and the kids got a lot of nice clothes, some Polly Pocket stuff, and some My Little Pony things, as well as a couple of games. I also got some beautiful clothes so I was happy!

Supper was the usual “I’m going to die happy” meal of turkey, stuffing, squash, pigeon-peas & rice, steamed veggies, and ham, not to mention the pumpkin pie that I didn’t photograph because I was too busy shoving it into my, well, pie hole.

It was a great, wonderful, very happy day and once the kids went to bed (pretty easily), George and I settled in for our tradition of watching a highly inappropriate, very non-Christmasy movie. This year it was The Last House on the Left and good lord I was happy we don’t live in the woods in the middle of nowhere after watching that. Yikes.

Overall, a very good day. I haven’t gone through my photos from our day at my parents’ house yet so I’ll save that story for tomorrow! In the meantime, you can see the full set of Christmas photos thus far over here. I’ve started to put some photos as friends & family so if you can’t see all 35 photos, feel free to add me over there and drop me a line.

I survived but I'm not done yet!

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Sherry

Today George and I headed out to drop Breanna off at her grandparents’ house so that we could go shopping, finally! The first place we hit was Toys R Us and for the first time ever in my time shopping there my jaw dropped open as I saw the lines. It was kind of nuts. In the end it wasn’t as bad as I thought, the lines did move pretty quickly, but it was still shocking. We had sort of figured that most people still have to work up to the 23rd, so we were expecting an emptier store. Yikes.

We also hit Wal-Fart and Zellers. I don’t like Wal-Fart on a good day, let alone a holiday shopping day so I nearly took George up on his offer for me to stay in the car (he knows how much I hate going in there) but I sucked it up and went on in. It wasn’t too bad.

We ended up going to two more on the other side of town as well, searching for just a few more things. Unfortunately we didn’t get it all finished yet (which is why I’m just grateful I wasn’t shopping on the 24th!), but we did get most of it. We need one more thing for Hayley, one joint gift for them, and possibly one more for each. We also have to get the gift for George’s sister and her husband, but it’s going to be easy to pick up. There are two kid gifts that are proving annoyingly difficult and it was ticking me off.

I also have to brave the dollar store and I’m hoping we can do all of that tomorrow. I’m not sure whether we can drop Breanna off again, it depends on everyone’s plans, but if we have to take her too then we’ll take turns at the different stores with one person shopping and the other walking around with her. Whew.

I’m looking forward to the 24th. I usually still have to do all the wrapping then, but at least I won’t have to go to the store!

Think good thoughts

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Sherry

Tomorrow is not only Monday, it’s also mere days before Christmas day. It’s ALSO the day where I will be hitting up Toys R Us and Best Buy among others for our Christmas shopping. It’s the only chance we’ve gotten as far as shopping goes. I’m feeling more or less calm about it since I know exactly what I’m looking for and most people will still be working so hopefully it won’t be too busy and chaotic in the stores.

Hayley has school for two days this week (really only one day because Tuesday is the school-wide holiday party day so I doubt they’ll be teaching much of anything – though the math teacher DOES have a homework sheet for Tuesday, sheesh!) so she’ll be there while we’re out and we’re dropping Breanna over at her grandparents’ house while we head off to the stores.

I’m a bit stressed out because I do wish we had been able to do this all much sooner but that’s the way the cookie crumbles (or the way the bank account fluctuates, whatever you want to call it). Also, it’s not the first time we’ve done it and although I always dread it, it always works out. I don’t know what kind of magic they work in Toys R Us but we’ve always been pretty lucky over there.

Still, keep your fingers crossed and think good thoughts for us tomorrow morning! Please?

Chaos Theory

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