Christmas Vacation

No Snow, for Christmas, just showers of love. If you read Mike's blog, it sounds like all we got was movies and video games. The movies were what we got from Thomas and Vickie, who were our exchange family. I had mom and dad, and since they are coming in January, I figured I would give them their gifts to take home. I will probably make them go shopping with me at Bed Bath, etc because it is now Clearance Season, where everything that is on clearance is brought back out of the stock rooms and is marked down an additional 30% off the lowest ticketed price--and you can still use the 20% off coupons on top of that (which is what I would automatically get if I was still an employee, but I am not.)

The girls got dresses and the boys got new suits for church from this awesome store called Syms, to which I had never been, but love. Lots of high quality brand-name clothing and great discounts. I got Mike a robe and a shoeshine kit. I also gave him a promise that we would go back to Syms and get him another suit or two. He only has two and he has to wear a suit to work every day. I like watching my dapper darling go out the door in the morning.

Mike got me a case for my makeup because he hated the one I had. It is big enough and nice enough that I can even put all my new Cookie Lee Jewelry (as well as previously existing accessories in) along with my makeup. So I am now a Cookie Lee consultant, but I have yet to look at my information and imitate getting started.

The kids are all here all week, and I am here with them. I like it. Mike has short workdays this week, but he is working. The boys--get this-- played video games all yesterday while I took the girls shopping. Where do stereotypes come from? How did we fall so easily into them? I left Lexi and Emylie at the Mall while Claire and I exchanged her 18" bike for a 20" bike that would continue to fit her for much longer than the smaller one. There ended up being no price difference either. Since Emylie has a WalMart gift card, she is anxious to go, so we may do that today (depending on how their rooms look by the time I have my Dr. appointment).

Isaac and Emylie both have cell phones now. Isaac is on my plan and Emylie is on her dad's plan. Those little boxes have generated the most excitement for them. I resisted them having a cell phone for a long time, but I am tired of wondering where Isaac is after school. He has no excuse now not to let me know where he is.

Emylie has decided to go back to her dad's for the rest of the school year. She misses her friends. She wanted to go a long time ago, but I made her stick it out a little longer. Splitting parenting necessarily means less control over your children's lives. It is hard, but you have to continue to teach them and trust them to be mature and make their own decisions based on what you have taught. I guess it gives them a chance to mature a little sooner. Good or bad, that's the way it is. I treasure the time I have with them.