day 1

mom hasn't even been gone 6 hours, and already the dogs have gotten into the garbage, drank all of the water out of the christmas tree, and nearly ate an entire bag of pirate's booty. Aspen went to school with her hair unbrushed and blue mouthwash on her face, I am sure from last night's toothbrushing cause there's no way she had time to brush this morning with all of the christmas cartoon specials on TV. I went back to bed after delivering the kids to school (which, to be perfectly honest, I may have slept through because I don't remember it at all), and woke up in all kinds of pain with horrible nightmares about not being able to make the christmas music I left playing on my laptop stop. After all of those horrors were resolved, or at least I turned the music off , I came downstairs and ate three raspberry cream cheese meltaways that were too hot and burned my tongue in an attempt to make my back stop hurting. It made sense at the time. Obviously it didn't help, so I took a hot shower, cut myself shaving, and then came back down and ate an the entire leftover chicken terriyaki meal in the fridge, minus the part that bijour climbed onto the table and ate when I ran upstairs to get my computer so I could turn the christmas music back on.

I have been looking everywhere for my colorgraphed spreadsheet itinerary for while mom is gone, to keep me on track, but I think she may have forgotten to leave it, which means that I can sleep in as long as I want. I went and got my free turkey from costco. jake asked if I paid for it. I said yes, with my blood, sweat and carpal tunnel. Mom's musical christmas clock just went off and I nearly fell off my chair. I never knew jingle bells could be so startling. You'd think I would be scare-conditioned with the pair of wiener dogs that run, on cue, every fifteen minutes, to the front door barking insanely at an imaginary bad guy in the driveway. It's entertainment at least.

I don't work for two whole days since I pawned a carts shift tomorrow off and get to go to the girls last basketball game and halle's holiday band concert. It's an amazing feeling, except I keep telling the dogs to "have a great afternoon and happy holidays". And they look at me like I am crazy. Which I might be. So it's laundry and present wrapping and making messes that I am sure will be resolved before mom gets home...

Don't tell anyone, but I am listening to the Avett Brothers this afternoon, to help me recover from the holiday music nightmare this morning. TAB really needs to cut a christmas album.

It's the holidays.