What were you doing at midnight this year?  I was scrubbing puke out of the carpet by the couch after Lexy barfed everywhere.  But, I’m not complaining about it because really, it’s not such a big deal considering, well, lots of things.  Besides, it was a true representation of where I’m at in my life.  In future years, I will be doing other things, like worriedly waiting for the kids to come home safe after partying.  I’d much rather be cleaning up after them.

We took the tree down today.  I loved our little tree this year and wood have (heh heh, sorry) liked to keep it up longer, but, Willow!  Willow just loves to pull off the lights and chew on the ornaments.  One of my favorite childhood memories that I love revisiting every Christmas season is of laying on my back under the tree with my brother.  We’d lie there in the dark and watch the pattern of the colored lights on the ceiling.  We could see the shadows of the needles and the muted colors from the big bulbs.  Even now, I love to be in the living room when the only light is coming from the tree.  I guess the small colored bulbs are okay, but someday I want to replace them with the big ones again. 

I put all the kids’ ornaments in separate boxes.  Lexy’s have to go in two boxes now.  Usually I get the kids an ornament each year, like my parents did for me, so that when they grow up and move out they’ll have their own for their new house and something to remind them of home.  I have ornaments dating all the way back to 1970, and I cherish them.  My mom always brings us oranaments, too.  This year she got the kids real eggs that are hollowed out and covered in beautiful feathers.  They are really stunning.  I fell down on the job and didn’t get them any.  But hey! I can give them some pasta angel and button tree ornaments can’t I?!

I’m not too much of a resolution maker.  That said, we are certainly on a decluttering kick around here, and both keep talking about figuring out our back to school plans.  We are going to meet with a financial counselor on Wednesday because we need some help in that department.  I really need to knit and finish all my late Christmas gifts.  I cooked enough on New Year’s Eve and day to fill my kitchen quota for a long time, but I still want to get back into the habit of cooking supper every night.  I make way too much mac and cheese, and even though it’s the "healthy" kind, it’s no way to nourish the kids.  Or the grown ups. 

Time for bed, back to the school/work schedule tomorrow.  Some of the people around here are a little bit grumpy about that, but hopefully they’ll adjust soon.