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December 26, 2002
CHRISTMAS AT OUR HOUSE
I promised myself that I was not going to buy a ton of stuff for the kids. I did go past my intended stopping point, but I made sure each item was useful and functional for more than good, clean fun. Jarod got a mini basketball hoop and a rocking zebra to help him with his balance and gross motor skills. I got a big bucket of Legos to help him and Jaida with their fine motor skills. For fun, Jaida got a Viewmaster with several reels of dinosaur pictures and a Spiderman sleeping bag. Jarod’s fun toy was a ball thingy that pops when you press a button. I think it’s called a push start tumble top or something. Beth brought one once and Jarod loved it, so I decided to get him one of his own. I also got each of them a Fisher Price Bach-n-Rock guitar since they were only $10. If I had only bought one, there would have been a lot of fighting.
Their paternal great-grandmother gave me way too much money and told me to get them something from her. Every year, she comes up to me around the 10th of December or so and asks what I want her to buy for them. I usually have no idea but this year I was prepared. I went to Toys ‘R Us.com and printed out pictures and everything. Beth brought a Little Tikes piano once and Jarod banged on it happily for almost 10 minutes, so I picked that out for him. It was under $20 and should have been stocked at our local store. For Jaida, I picked a very inexpensive Fisher Price matching game to help her with describing things and the alike/different concept. Meme, as we all call her, told me she would just give me the money and let me go, which was perfectly fine with me. She’s nearly 75 and still quite spry, but I’m sure that kind of shopping trip was not a fun idea for her.
I went to TRU and had no trouble finding the piano, but I couldn’t find the game for Jaida. Since I had so much money, I went nuts and bought them lots of fun stuff. You’re only young once, right? I got Jaida a Jurassic Park dinosaur rescue adventure and a Fisher Price circus train. Jarod got a FP fire truck and a zoo. I think we will have lots of fun with all those. I also went to Wal-mart earlier in the week and they had a bunch of Jurassic Park dinosaur figures that make sounds on sale for $4 each. I just couldn’t say no to that deal. Then I got a Bob the Builder backhoe for my cousin’s little boy and since it was only $5, I got Jarod one too. Sigh… Now, we may need another toy box for sure. What was I thinking?
On Christmas morning, Jarod woke first. I led him into the den where all the new toys were set up and he looked confused for a minute. Then he forgot about the corn chips he usually whines for and headed straight for the Bach-n-Rock guitar. Then he touched the basketball hoop. Steve had to finish putting his rocking zebra together and he picked up the zebra part and carried it around until Steve took it. Then we went to wake Jaida. She came into the den sleepy and stumbling. When she saw the gifts, she opened her mouth and hid her face in my Mom’s dress tail.
She went straight for the dinosaurs and touched little else until I pointed out the viewmaster and Jurassic Park truck. She’s napped and slept in the sleeping bag on top of her bed ever since. I laughed and snapped pictures and my brother had as much fun as the kids. He is a true clothes horse and Mom gave him a silk bathrobe, which he modeled immediately while acting like Eddie King from the movie “The Five Heartbeats.” We had a rip-roaring good time and soon the relatives came flooding in. We had a slight miscommunication and we ended up with enough food for an army.
Steve got a friend to make us a fried turkey, my Dad bought Honey-Baked ham and smoked turkey breast and my in-laws gave us a ham from Sam’s club. Then, my MIL went to do her last minute shopping and let all the grocery stores close! They only had a ham and nothing else. We all found that hilarious and the joke about how she never buys any food got repeated all day. Of course we told them to come here and then we made sure they took some leftovers and a whole sweet potato pie. Mom always makes too many and we had SEVEN before I made her give some away. I didn’t get quite the reaction I was hoping for when my MIL opened her gift, but I wasn’t expecting her to jump around and shout or anything. My FIL didn’t even open his at all. Nonchalant should the whole family’s last name.
Steve and my in-laws gave me $100 each and I plan to do a little personal shopping tomorrow and get a facial. Their gift to Steve (okay, really to me as well) was a large, correction, REALLY large sum of money. We plan to pay off some bills and save the rest for a rainy day and work on our estate planning. When he showed me the check, I nearly fainted. I guess it would only be fair to say that my in-laws are wonderful, if not unusual people and they really do care about me and our family. Since we had a rocky period, I can’t expect them to treat me like their new best friend overnight. But Steve deserves everything they give him and more because he is a fabulous husband, father and son.
MOVE OVER HAZEL
I have never been a fan of housework and I purposely try to stay organized and keep the house straight so I don’t have to do major cleaning very often. I might vacuum one night and clean bathrooms the next. Doing everything in one day takes way too long, not to mention how exhausting that is. However, I find it ironic that I do my best cleaning when I’m upset. I don’t know what came over me on Friday night but I know I was still fuming about the IEP meeting. When I got home, I stopped long enough to change my clothes and then I was off like a shot. I cleaned my closet and Steve’s. I got rid of clothes and bras that no longer fit and others that I have no desire to look at ever again in this lifetime. I especially needed to rid myself of my ratty old house pants that are starting to fall off me. I’ve got to get some new loungewear. I packed two giant Toys ‘R Us bags, one for Goodwill and one for the garbage. No self-respecting poor person would want some of the crap I threw away.
I didn’t even stop for dinner. Steve kept asking if I was hungry and I told him I had to finish first. I put away a bunch of laundry that was sitting in a basket in our room and reorganized my dresser drawers. I cleaned off the tub steps in my bathroom where I always throw my clothes every night before I shower. I hung up Steve’s nice shirts and made a separate area in his closet for the paint-stained ones he wears to work. After that, I bathed the kids and straightened their rooms. I felt like a robot. When Jarod went to bed, I vacuumed the den and under the breakfast table. His latest corn chip infatuation is really getting on my nerves. I kept sucking up chip crumbs everywhere. Finally at 8:00 I sat down and ate my dinner while I watched the last hour of the Providence finale. I sat back and surveyed my work and I felt so relaxed. It’s weird; I can look at the freshly vacuumed floors and get so happy and satisfied. It must be some kind of natural instinctive stress reliever or something.
On Sunday, my MIL took the kids to church and I finished vacuuming the rest of the house. The Christmas tree had dropped quite a few needles since I checked it last and I spent about 10 minutes getting them all up. I took a nice nap and then Steve and I went to the movies. We saw Drumline and it was great. Corinne at BT reviewed it and she gave it 2 ½ babies, but I give it at least 3 ½. I don’t buy movies often, but that one would be a great addition to my modest collection. It really reminded me of the predominantly black college I went to (for the brief time I attended). Plus, I could identify with the main character. The band performance during the games was awesome and I found it hard to stay in my seat. I wanted to jump in the aisle and shake my booty. Steve and I had a great time and we even smooched a little. (blush) It brought back memories of when we were dating. Ahhhh…
PAMPERING MYSELF AND RELAXING
On Christmas Eve, I had a wonderful pedicure. There’s something about smooth feet and fresh polish that makes me feel so feminine. Looking down at my feet and admiring the good work the nail tech did makes me wonder why I don’t make time to do it more often. Tomorrow while I’m having my facial, I will be visualizing a tropical island with perfect 80o weather and balmy breezes. Danielle, a fellow SKT writer, gave me that idea and hopefully it will work. The facial will include a mild glycolic acid peel that I really wanted to try. I’ve been considering a microdermabrasion and this will be a perfect introduction to see if I’m brave enough to go all the way. Stress, hormones and poor eating habits have turned my skin into a close match to 40 miles of bad road. Pits, craters, bumps and lumps; it’s truly awful. The closer I get to 30, the worse my face looks.
I couldn’t schedule the massage I wanted since I waited too late but I’ll get one soon. The spa atmosphere is so soothing. They don’t allow children under 14 and you must turn off all cell phones and pagers. They play relaxing instrumental music and burn scented candles. It can’t get more peaceful than that. I wish I could curl up on the chaise in the corner with a good book and some hot cocoa. Relax, relate, release…
JAIDA’S ENCHANTED GARDEN
For quite some time, I’ve wanted to decorate Jaida’s room and get her some furniture that matches. I had a secret or enchanted garden theme in mind. On Saturday, I went inside a local store here called The Bedroom. You know the type, cutesy kids’ furniture and special order pieces. I was a little sad when I looked at some of the prices. I recognized the bedroom set that my youngest niece has right away. The salesgirl let me browse and daydream for about 10 minutes and then she asked if I needed any help. I asked if she had ever seen a picket fence-style headboard. To my delight, she said they had one in twin size! She led me to it and I was so excited, especially after I saw the price. I had some plans to build one from HGTV.com but I don’t think we could have done as good a job for that amount. It wouldn’t have been as pretty either. Then I saw the sign about layaway and I got more excited.
The co-owner came out and showed me a nightstand they had to match and I felt my giddiness growing. I also found a picket fence bookshelf priced quite modestly. I picked a plain white dresser and mirror to go with it and 20 minutes and a 20% deposit later, I left feeling on top of the world. I’ve told Steve that we need to paint the dark, hideous paneling in her room and now we can put the whole room together when we’re done. I have a distinct memory of being about Jaida’s age and my Mom bought me new nightstands and a dresser to go with my brass bed. I can still remember riding home in the backseat with the drawers to my nightstands stacked beside me. I vowed to give my little girl the same experience one day.
My, this is long and I should stop now. I’m having a ball being off work and Mom is going back to GA to spend some time with my brother tonight. He’s a 2nd Lt in the Air Force and he works in engineering. She’s never seen his house or the base where he works, so that should be fun for her. She needs to get away from us and have a good time too.
Happy New Year!
Kim, Jaida & Jarod
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