December update

It's almost Christmas.  How'd it get to be almost Christmas?!

I am so not ready. 

I mailed the Christmas cards, and I've bought almost all the kids' gifts, which I did all online. But I haven't opened one box or packaged that has arrived since I shopped for them on December 10th. So I don't know what has arrived and what hasn't. And I haven't wrapped a thing. 

So I have a lot to do before Sunday morning. 

Thankfully, we don't have to buy for anyone but the kids. We stopped buying for extended family years ago. It just got ridiculous, spending money on people who didn't need spending money on, and we all agreed to put a stop to it. Which is a relief. 

I do usually give my mom new pictures of the kids every year. And this year I'll give my sister a framed 5x7 of the kids, and my mom a framed 8x10 of the kids.  The fall pictures in the park turned out really well this year. 

So, updates.  

Sophie is still doing really well in school.  Going into finals, she had all As and a B+ in Biology (got a 92 on her final, so we're hoping it pulled up her bio grade to an A... still waiting for the school to post grades for the second quarter). 

Luke is getting straight As this quarter, also. He had his first band concert earlier this month and did a great job. For a 5th grade band, they sounded amazing. In tune and everything!

They both have been healthy all year.  No dizzy spells for Sophie.  Luke did have an ear infection that we had to see the urgent care for on Sunday morning, and I should have known because he'd had a cough for almost two weeks that I just let go because he wasn't running a fever or complaining and didn't miss school.  But other than that, they have been great.  

Mark has been sick with bronchitis for the past four days (sick the week before that but didn't get an antibiotic until Monday). When he gets sick, he reallllly gets sick. I don't know why it hits him so hard, but it does. Goes straight to his lungs, he gets a fever, has no energy, and is down for days. It's a real drag. He's still not well.  Today is day 4 of antibiotic, and tomorrow I'm hoping he's doing better. He went to work today but didn't do much and said he felt awful all day. 

Thankfully, I haven't gotten anything so far this year. Knock wood. 

I started going back to OA meetings about a month ago.  The college changed my hours on Monday's so I only work until 6pm and not 8pm now, so I can go to my 7pm meetings.  I'm still not abstinent, though. Haven't worked out my stuff to get it all figured out again.  I'm just doing what they say at the end of each meeting--"keep coming back." Eventually it will click.  I'm hoping after the holidays I can get my act together. 

I was going pretty good on the running/training front up until Thanksgiving, and then that fell apart. Nothing since. Blah.  I have to get that together, too, or I'm going to be in a world of pain the last weekend of February at the Princess Half.  

Basically, I work too much, have too much responsibility with a home life, and when I get done with everything at night, I'm fried. There's nothing left for me. Same song, stuck on the same track, playing over and over. 

At least things aren't getting worse, really. They just aren't improving. 

But hey, they aren't getting worse. 

Here are pictures for you to enjoy! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!