nixtress's Diaryland Diary

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Brief catchup

Wow.
A long time, again.
Mostly because things have been going pretty well! I'm always happy to report that :)
The boys are doing fantastically.
School-wise, Ryan's carrying straight A's, Trev is steady A's and B's, and Bran has A's, B's, and one C. Nothing for me to complain about, all in all.
Trevor and Ryan went on a campout in early December with their Scout group, on a weekend that was the coldest Ohio has seen yet. There were several inches of snow and temps in the teens (not counting wind chill) and they managed to stay the entire weekend! When other boys (some of them MUCH older) were calling their mothers, mine were hunkering down and stickin' to it. The Worrywart Mom in me was worried sick all weekend but Teaching-Them-To-Be-Independent Mom was very, very proud of their stick to it-iveness.
They came home cold but no worse for the experience. We discussed ways and items they might be able to use to keep a little warmer or make the situation a little more comfortable but overall, for their very first cold weather camp, they did wonderfully!
December began in a very hectic manner but has settled down now that we've been on Christmas break.
Week One was spent getting everything ready for Santa Shop, and various PTO situations. Week Two was spent every day, all day at the school, doing Santa Shop. There were pros and cons again this year. I didn't chair it, since I'm PTO president but the gal that did was a kindergarten mom and handled things pretty well. She bailed on the last day, however, leaving me with only one other parent volunteer to count all items, box up, clean up and do paperwork. Needless to say, I was there for a good 8 hrs, when it should have only taken about 3. Oh well, all done and very successful in all ways. The kiddos loved it and I enjoyed their faces so much! It really helped usher in the Christmas spirit for me.
We made a profit of nearly $900, which we then funneled into families at our school who might not otherwise have had a Christmas. THAT was SO much fun!!! There's nothing like Christmas shopping for another family, using money that isn't your own, able to buy what you KNOW will make them ecstatic on Christmas morning. It. Was. Lovely.
Week Three was a flurry of shopping for my kids, shopping for school kids, getting everything in order for class parties, baking like crazy, taking care of my Gramps...yes. CRAZY. Friday, the 19th was supposed to be class parties but due to weather, school was cancelled and we began our Christmas break early! My sons were not unhappy at all :)
I baked quite a bit, as gifts for extended family members and friends. Probably the most baking I've done to prep for Christmas, ever. YUM! Such temptation but I've managed to avoid most of it. Go, Me!
Christmas has been fairly uneventful, in terms of drama. That's ALWAYS good!
We spent time with my paternal side of the family, which was enjoyed immensely. It's like wrapping up in a warm comforter, most times. 33 years old and I finally feel like I semi-fit.
Christmas Day, we went to my mom's and it went better than I expected. All of my brothers were there, for the first time in probably 6 years. That's normally a recipe for drama but it was maintained and we weren't out there for hours on end so it went well.
It was actually very nice to have my brothers in one space. My stepbrother AJ was even there, completely surprising all of us. He just appeared on mom's doorstep, apparently. And looked SO different from the last time I'd seen him. And my little niece Taniel is 2 already. I can't believe how the time is flying.
I'm finding more peace with my family since I've chosen to distance myself more. I think sometimes you have to do that, to keep your sanity.

In other Christmas news, my aunt B. bought the boys a Wii for Christmas and to say they are thrilled is a complete understatement!! I recorded the most fabulous video of Ryan boxing himself into a sweat. It's so funny! He's the most animated player, I swear. And it's great exercise.
Trevor got a cell phone for Christmas from me and was over the moon about it. He'll be 13 in May and it's one of the prepaid versions so he'll learn budgeting, etc, just as I used it to teach Bran. Ryan's favorite presents were his Webkinz and the air drummer set he received. Thank goodness for ear buds!!
New Year's will find us hunkered down, munching on odds and ends and watching the ball drop.
Another year, so quickly gone.
Belated Merry Christmas wishes to everyone and a premature Happy New Year!
N.

8:34 p.m. - 2008-12-28

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