"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."  ~Japanese Proverb

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It has been an interesting week around here.  I've had sick kids and a sick car.  Yes, Big Red is having some issues.  She does have 120,000 miles on her.  And I fear this could be the beginning of the end.  But I'm holding on.  I just love her so.  Join hands and say a collective prayer for her.  'Preciate it.

Thankfully, the kids are feeling better.  Now Hubby and I have also contracted the crud, but we are fighting on, because what else can you do?  Moms don't have time to be sick.  And HVAC's have to be installed at Daddy's work and well, the show just must go on!  In the midst of the collective crud, I've been visiting the doctor with Emma, visiting the car doctor, feebly attempting to finish my Christmas shopping, building the gingerbread train with Emma and Co., decorating our "nekked" Christmas tree and sadly neglecting my housekeeping duties.  Whew, yes, if anyone came in my house right now, they would think it had been ransacked by intruders.  Complete ransackery I tell you!  YIKES.  And here I sit at midnight blogging while I should be sleeping.  But I find I cough less if I'm upright, so here I am.

The long awaited weekend has arrived...well, almost.  Drumroll please...It is time for the "official" 20th reunion--NPHS Class of '87.  I'm excited.  My bff Kristi asked if I could come up with some song suggestions for the DJ.  I love music--y'all are well aware of my LCD (Lyric Compulsive Disorder)--and I love to dance.   I came up with quite a list of tunes.  Mostly R&B stuff from '83-'87 that I really liked.  Oh how they have made me smile...I emailed them off to the DJ. 

One of my favorite things about high school was going to the dances after the football games on Friday nights.  They were held in the school cafeteria.  Tito the Party Rican would be up there spinning those records.  Good times.  Good times.  There was a song he used to play and all I could remember was "WIKI WIKI WIKI WIKI" was part of the song.  Kristi thought maybe I could find out what the song was.  Well, thanks to the miracle that is the world wide web, I found it.  The song is "Jam On It" by Newcleus.  (I wanted to embed the video, but apparently I can't. SIGH. Whatever.  Click on the link and view the "pimpest 80s rap video ever".)  How it does take me back.  We'd be tearing up the cafeteria dance floor.  Back in the day. Yep, yep, yep.

Should be a fun weekend.  The sickness cannot keep me down and it sure can't stop me from keepin' it old school! 

And I'm keepin' it real too!

Circa 1985.  That's me sporting the female mullet.  That's right.  I had a mullet and I'm proud.  It was the 80s after all.  I was stylin'.  And so was my Daddy.

Post reunion ramblings next week...

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories."  ~John Wilmot

First, Vanessa Hudgens, of High School Musical fame, has nudie pictures of herself floating around the internet.  Now this.

SIGH.

Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old sister of the trainwreck also known as Britney Spears, has announced that she is 3 months pregnant.  Just what the Spears family needs...more tabloid fodder.

When she isn't accomanying her sister on some shopping trip and telling the paparazzi to "____ off", Jamie Lynn stars in the Nickelodeon (kids' network) show (which my daughter watches) called "Zoey 101" about a group of high school kids.

Now I'm not passing judgment on the kid, I'm just wondering, how do I explain this one to my 9-year-old daughter?  I wasn't quite ready to have the sex talk just yet.  I mean, we have only in the last 2 months had peripheral discussions about "Aunt Flow"...OY VEY.

I'm thinking that pretending Emma doesn't know or won't find out about this is the wrong way to go. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenting tweens.

"A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."  ~Carl Reiner

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I basically lead a pretty boring (wonderful) life.  Hence, I really haven't had anything exciting to blog this week.  But here's what's been happening!

The biggest news around here is the weather.  Folks, it's been over 75 degrees all this week.  It's hit 80 even.  Now, I'm not complaining.  I mean, I'm totally okay with having a green Christmas.  But, after four years in the Midwest, it just seems kinda weird--wrong even, to have 80 degree temps in December.  My kids haven't needed to wear their "big" coats (READ: Iowa coats)...in fact, I'm really not even certain where they are.  Nope, don't even know where any gloves or hats are either.  There are quite a few pairs of snow boots sitting in the garage collecting dust.  And there is a giganto wardrobe box which is labeled "snowboards/sleds."  I should have donated all that stuff to our neighbors or to "Goodwill before we moved, but somehow I just wasn't thinking about that...it was August, after all.  My sweet Iowa friend, Diana, said to me a couple of weeks ago, "I bet you're still wearing your flip flops" and I said, "Nah, I've put them away."  'Cause it was, well, "coolish" outside.  WELL, let me just tell you, I DO love my flip flops, but I do retire them in the winter, and I had prepared myself to not see them until the weather warmed up again.  Well, guess what...the weather warmed up again and I have been wearing my croc flops all week.  I just love 'em.  My pedicure needs a little help but, I've got those babies on.  I hate to break the news to Diana who is currently bearing the brunt of a pretty nasty Iowa winter.  Sorry, girlfriend. 

The other big news is that today, December 14th, is my sweetie's birthday. 

He is my old man--42 today.  Back in the day, when I was 13 and he was 17, well, he was robbing the cradle.  Now that I'm 38 and he's 42, it's almost an invisible gap.  Funny how age differences sort of grow together as you get older.  So, he'll be having his favorite supper, spaghetti.  I'll be making some scrumptious cake.  (Thanks, Pillsbury Dough Boy.)  And we'll have presents.  The kids and I went shopping after school the other day and they picked out cards and helped pick out some gifts. Should be a nice low-key Friday night.  But I'll be keeping the fire extinguisher handy!

(I'd also like to give a birthday shout out to my sweet friend Lisa who shares her day with my hubby. Hope it's a happy one, girl.)

We are counting down to Christmas now. It's always a very busy time, not only due to the nature of preparing for Christmas, but all the extra stuff the kids have at school.  There are the parties, concerts, end of semester projects, etc.  Emma had a field trip this week to a local plantation.  They are learning about the Revolutionary War and so this was their "educational field trip."  Emma has also had a chorus concert which was adorable.  I am loving the non-PC-ness of the South right now...as it relates to Christmas.  In Iowa City, the kids didn't talk about Christmas, Santa, much less Jesus at school.  There was no Christmas decor.  It was "winter" break and they could have a "winter" party at school with "winter" related themes, aka snowmen.  Here, those chorus kids were sporting their Santa hats or reindeer antlers and singing about baby Jesus and shepherds in the school building!  SHOCK. All the while, there is a Christmas tree in the foyer of the school.  WHAT??  They have also put a minora on a table beside the tree as well, but we are actually recognizing Christmas??   In addition, they say the pledge of allegiance every day and have a moment of silence.  What is the world coming to?  It blows my mind.  And I love it.  Jacob has his band concert next week.  He's in his third year of French horn.  His concerts with his band in Iowa were always terrific.  Can't wait to hear him with his new band.  One of their selections is Holly Jolly Christmas!  Woohoo.

Every December, the kids always enjoy the advent calendars where we mark off each day leading up to Christmas.  We especially love one that my sister-in-law, Amy, made for me about 7 or 8 years ago.  I was going to try to describe it, but took a picture instead...

 It has cute little "shrinky dink" pins you attach to each day.  Each pin comes in its own box and written in the top of each box is a scripture that relates to the Christmas story in some way.  It's very cool and my kids have enjoyed it year after year.  I love little Christmas traditions. 

We also decorate gingerbread houses every year.  Now, don't be thinking I'm some Betty Crocker.  I've already told you I'm making my hubby's birthday cake out of a box...as I do ALL the birthday cakes that I make!  But you can get these great kits with everything already in them...pre-baked gingerbread, icing, candies.  So it's fun and easy and the kids get a big kick out of it every year.  We made ours yesterday.  Emma had a friend over so she helped Emma with hers...

Aren't they so cute?  Yes, yes they are.

So, I'm off the wrap a few presents, both birthday and Christmas.  Do some laundry and pay some bills and maybe do a little more Christmas shopping.  I still have nothing for my sweet mother-in-law.  SIGH. 

You are officially caught up on my boring (wonderful) life.

If those words mean nothing to you then you obviously do NOT have a daughter between the ages of 7 and 12 living in your home. 

Here are three words for you.  HIGH. SCHOOL. MUSICAL.  Wait, I've got three more.  THE. ICE. TOUR.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me just give a little info.  High School Musical is a Disney movie.  The main characters are Troy (the school basketball star) and Gabriella (new girl at school and brainiac) who find themselves auditioning for the school's "musicale" and falling in teeny-bopper love.  Add some catchy songs and dance numbers and a few more quirky friends, and VOILA! you have High School Musical.  I like to call it, HSM.  There is also a High School Musical 2 and I've heard there will be an HSM 3 as well.  It is this generation's "GREASE" only without all the swearing and sexual innuendo and the teen pregnancy scare. 

Thanks to my bff Kristi, we (Emma and I) were able to get tickets to go see HSM--The Ice Tour with Kristi and her daughter, Sarah, on Saturday night.  Along with some of Sarah's other girls scout buddies.  It's HSM on ice skates.  I had never been to any show "on ice" before (aka Ice Capades, Disney Princesses, Sesame Street or the like), so I had no frame of reference and no expectations.  But I just have to say, from start to finish, this was an amazing show.  The lighting, the props, the skating.  Really great.  What really cracked me up was all the HSM Dads who were there.  And I mean they were rocking out with the HSM tunes right along with everyone else.  At one point, before the show started, there was even an HSM GRANDPA who was standing up busting a move with the pre-show tunes.  I do not make this stuff up, people!  It was too funny. 

The girls were on cloud nine.  Singing along with all the songs, all starry-eyed.  Oh, and the kids had fun too! 

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"Did you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside you, just looking for a way to come out?" ~said by Gabriella Montez in High School Musical

SICK KID = NO BLOG

Emma has just been hacking like there is no tomorrow.  I've told her she needs to cut back to two packs a day...

This is my child who vehemently detests taking medicine.  I mean it is a NIGHTMARE trying to get that kid to take some simple cough medicine.  Granted, it's nasty.  And no matter HOW they try to disguise it (melt away tablets, melt away strips, "new" and "improved" flavors)...well, nasty medicine in a disguise is still nasty medicine.  I can't blame her for hating it, but the nasty only lasts for a moment and then you get a few hours of peace.  Can't convince her of that though. No way.  So out comes the Vick's Vap-O-Rub, slathered on the neck and chest.  Out comes the warm steam humidifier (with the Vick's stuff in the water).  Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't.  But it doesn't hurt.  Smells bad, but doesn't hurt.

SIDEBAR:  As I type this, I'm overhearing the kids talking.  Rudolph is coming on tv tonight and they are making hot chocolate in preparation for the festivities.  As they are putting their mini-marshmallows on their hot chocolate, Emma is hacking.  Jacob says to Emma in an Aussie accent, "Hack on your own marshmallows, mate."

 Thought y'all would get a kick out of that. 

It's so bizarre.  She has no other symptoms really, except for the sore stomach and raw throat that accompany a week's worth of violent hacking.  I don't mean to be gross, but whose kids haven't hacked till they puked at one time or another?!  Lovely. 

Anyway, so we've been up nights and home from school the last two days.  Just a-hackin' away.  It's one of those things where she's not really well enough to go to school but not sick enough to stay in bed all day at home either.  SO, she has learned to crochet in the last two days.  (Her grandma got her a little kit and she has crocheted herself a chain about a mile long!  LOL.  Doesn't quite work as a jump rope, though.  Take my word for it...we tried.)  And we also "assembly-lined" our Christmas cards.  So they are all done! YAY.  AND they are adorable I must say.  She also elfed us.  And has watched plenty of the "good" cartoons.  You know the ones like Huckleberry Hound and Tom And Jerry and Underdog and Scooby Doo and Pink Panther and, well, I do believe I make my point.  If anyone gets that Boomerang Channel on cable, you TOO can watch good cartoons. Ahh the good ole days.  Hopefully, we'll all get a good night's rest tonight and be back in the saddle tomorrow.

But roight now, mate, I gotta go get me some o' those mini-marshmallows. Rudolph's waiting.