Blah, Blah, Blah...oh, and Merry Christmas!

I haven't been in the blogging mood as of late; I mean, I've been commenting and reading, but not writing. And the few comments I've been making are lousy and make no sense. Which shows that I probably need a break or a change or maybe a new brain.

And speaking of brains, have you noticed how children suck away all of your brain cells? At least the ones that prove you are an intelligent being capable of doing more than dishes? I find it crazy (and depressingly ironic) that I can remember every detail of my children's lives, anticipate their every need, and multi-task like Angelina Jolie's nannies, but ask me to have an intelligent conversation? Write a novel? Come up with a good "thought of the week" for the bi-monthly neighborhood newsletter? and I fizzle. I often roll into the fetal position and curse the day I claimed I was more than a mother.
But it passes. And I always go back to illusions of grandeur. Don't we all?

And speaking of illusions, how many of you have finished your Christmas preparations? Yeah, me neither. This was the simplified year, too! What makes me crazy is I have many things to think about that don't even have anything to do with Christmas. For example, here's a list of non-Christmas things to think about:
*Do I pack on Christmas Eve for our CA trip or do I wait until Christmas Day? And if I wait, how much laundry will I be doing while Santa is out delivering presents?
*Which evening do we spend with my aunt and uncle that won't take away time from the in-laws? And how do I choose without screwing with everyone's schedules?
*I have to change almost all of my piano lessons starting in January. Mondays are now open so I don't have to teach Fridays; but therapy is going to be on Wednesdays, which means I need to switch a few of those lessons, but that's okay because I could teach on Fridays if I wanted to, but will parents freak out that I'm changing lessons around kind of last minute? and oh! I'm going to be gone for TWO Mondays because of the London trip next month...maybe screw the Mondays altogether and just keep it as it is?

And here's the Christmas list:
*Gifts
*Gifts
*More gifts
*Wrap gifts

Speaking of Christmas, it snowed again yesterday. We got about 5 inches? 4? I have no idea because my ability to estimate is non-existent. All I know is that when #1, #4 and I dropped off #2 and #3 at a friend's house on our way to the dentist (yesterday morning), it took us about 20 minutes to drive less than 4 miles. After two hours worth of cleanings (shout-out to Annette --we loved the dentist!), we walked out to our completely covered van, and it took us another 20 minutes to go the same distance. We saw a few accidents, but not many, and I was very grateful for the all-wheel drive on our mini-van. And learning to drive a car during the winter of 1994-1995. Way to go, Idaho! Your winters have prepared me thus...

And speaking of being prepared, did you want to know how my therapy went? Yeah, it has nothing to do with preparedness. I just wasn't sure how to segway into the therapy part without just changing subject abruptly, which is what I ended up doing. (Is this post over, yet!?)
So, yeah. Therapy. It was good! She was great and I could tell she knew what she was doing. Turns out we know some of the same people and she understands where I'm coming from. So, we'll see how it goes. It's too soon to know if it's gonna help long-term, but it's definitely a start. Thus my desire to change piano lessons around for therapy sessions. I think it's that important. I'm important, right?

And speaking of importance, have you noticed how fine a line there is between arrogance and confidence? I have met my share of people who I thought --at first --were arrogant, but they turned out to be compassionate and confident. At the same time, I've seen assumed confidence rear it's ugly arrogant head. The worst part is when somebody keeps switching between both and you just never know where you stand. The other worst part is that I honestly have no idea who I'm talking about because that continues to change, too. I'm sure I used to know once upon a time...somewhere in the not-so-distant past...but alas, the knowledge has escaped me because of the children. They stole my brain cells, you know. And I love that I can blame the children. Blaming the children is awesome!
Have you noticed how you can blame the children for almost anything?
"I'm sorry I'm running late...little Jr. puked on the floor."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that big service project because I have four children under the age of 7."
"Maybe next time; I can't because the baby is napping."
"I tend to forget these things because my children took all my brain cells with them when they were born."
"Little Suzie-Q is sick and so I have to sit around in my own pajamas all day reading books and watching movies."
"Now I'm sick, and it's the children's fault."
"Sorry I missed your incredibly boring lesson today; the baby was so fussy I had to take him out in the hallway!"
"My kitchen is a mess because I have small children and not because I'm a lazy freak."
"I wish I could help you move, but what would I do with all these children?"
See? Blaming the kids rocks. Not that I have EVER done it before. Never. Never! Ahem...what is that over there??

And now, dear reader, I think I can honestly say that this post has been my strangest and least organized of all posts from the last 3 years. And I'm not even editing. Who knew I could move into such uncharted territory? All it took was boredom, stress, and laziness. With some effort, I'm sure you could do it, too!

Well, since I might not be around next week (with it being Christmas and all, although I might do a nice "reason for the season" post on Christmas Eve) or the next week (what with us traveling to a place we were hoping didn't have snow, but now, who knows?!), I hope you, dear reader, have a fabulous Christmas! Don't stress out too much, eat lots of good food, enjoy all the gift opening, and don't forget the music. Christmas isn't Christmas without music!

The End. For now. Or later.