Busy Busy Busy

Holy cow I have a lot to do.  CHRISTMAS EVE IS TOMORROW!!!!!  Breathe.

I've been really horrible about getting things done, and now I'm sitting here writing on my blog.  Exactly what I shouldn't be doing right now.

The kids just got on the bus.  Freddy is laying in his favorite spot, on my ottoman, sleeping.  Christmas music is playing over my AppleTV (thanks again, bro and SIL1!) and I have Christmas pictures slideshow-ing on the TV.  Awesome.  I should be zipping around cleaning the house for the festivities tomorrow.  I have peanut butter rice krispy bars to make, and if I don't get them done, SIL1 may very well kill me.  On Christmas Eve.  My house is seriously messy.  I have about 20 more presents to wrap.  Why do I just feel like wearing jammies and watching a Muppet Christmas Carol?  Help me, people!

So big news.  The hubby gave me my Christmas gift.  Mostly because I had to go help him pick it out.  Apparently spousal whining can go a long way, because I got it.  My iPad.  It's a crazy, extravagant, too-expensive gift.  I don't need it.  But I wanted it SO bad.  And I love it.  It's really fun.  And thanks to some of you peeps for already getting me hooked on Words with Friends.  That's exactly the way I need to be spending my time right now.

At least I got my shopping done.  I took the iPad to the grocery store yesterday, and used a cool grocery shopping app to get my stuff.  It was pretty slick!  I think I need to make my own app, though.  I have lots of ideas for organizational apps that just aren't out there.  And I would make them WAY more appealing to look at.  It seems like organizational apps mostly have the appearance of being for office executives.  Not for moms who like to wear Christmas jewelry and paint their toenails sparkly blue.  And I know there's lots of us out there, that want something that's fun to look at.  I love colors.  And fonts.  I need to make my own apps.  So VW pickup boy--if you're reading this, we should put our heads together--I know you're in the business.

The other cool thing I did yesterday was go volunteer at J's Christmas party at school.  I offered to handle the snack table, which is the table that most parents usually shy away from.  It tends to get really messy.  And this one was particularly messy.  The kids were tasked with making their own snacks:  Christmas trees made with an upside down sugar cone, covered in green frosting and sprinkles, M&Ms, and red licorice garland.  Crazy messy.  One little girl who I just wanted to take home with me, she was so cute and funny, actually got so much frosting and sprinkles all over her hands that she started rubbing it into her hands like lotion, saying, "I love this moisturizer!"  Love it.  And eating the freshly made snacks was a whole new adventure in messy 3rd graders.

The best thing about it, was that I got the chance to ask almost each kid about their Christmas plans.  I asked who was traveling, who was staying home.  What they wanted to receive for gifts.  What their favorite thing is about the holidays.  It was so fun to just chat with all of them.  And it's hilarious to imagine what our kids are saying about their lives when we parents aren't around.  One little cutie was telling me how last year she made a gingerbread house, but the mice ate it all up.  So the kid next to her says, "do you have pet mice?" and she she responds, "oh, we have a lot of mice, but they definitely aren't pets."  Lordy, I'm sure her parents would be thrilled with the information she was throwing out.  You have to love kids.

I really should get to my chores.  Even though right now I'm tempted to search the internet for fun holiday cocktail recipes.  Brother, MOH and Mr. P:  If you can think of anything cool, bring it!  I need to get some crap done.

So tomorrow's the big show, folks.  And even though we're snowless, it's going to be the merriest of merry days, and I wish anyone out there reading this a blessed, warm, laughter-filled Christmas.  As I sit here in my jammies, needing my second cup of coffee, I am so grateful for my friends and family, I am missing my dad and my mom-in-law, and I am hoping you all are surrounded by loved ones in the next couple days.  Merry, merry, merry, Christmas!