Yes, I have a little bit of a complex. (No, I am in no way a neat freak.) I don't like grubby fingers. My husband sums it up quite eloquently, "It's OK to live in your own dirt. But someone else's dirt is gross."
I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of a different kid eating what he dug out of the mine.
Anyway, Christmas was a success. No broken bones. The food was awesome! AND I got leftovers this time. I think that's the bonus of hosting and paying for the Honey Baked ham (formerly known as Heavenly Ham). mmmmmm goodness!
Last week proved to be a dismal, rainy, cold week--perfect to play w/ my own new toy: a PowerTap. Numbers are so intriguing; now I need to read up on how to analyze the numbers. I can totally see how pros would want to record every variable and put them in fancy algorithms. I hope I don't become a slave to the numbers. Actually, there's no chance of that. I'll likely get bored before I dive into the deep, deep end.
So, on Christmas Day, I packed away my beloved new toy, bike, and trainer making way for my guests to walk in and out of the kitchen and living room. Not having exercised, I wondered why my knee and hip were acting up. Oh yeah--b/c I was on my feet for 12 hours! My specialty is noodles. From Grandma's recipe, these are hands-down the BEST, most awesome, fat-laden, packed-with-calories noodles one can make. Let's just say, for 5 batches I used 40 eggs. (the secret is using just the yolks--no whites)
Knowing my love for bicycling, my mom made me something special:
My very own bicycle sugar cookie
(which someone ate when I wasn't looking)
The kids were pretty good--most of the time. Some adults liked to instigate noise and rowdiness. For instance, below is a great shot of several of the kids (I think 3 are missing) shouting at the top of their lungs, "Pre-sents! Pre-sents! Pre-sents!" This must be what Christmas is all about, folks. I keep thinking that there is no way we would have gotten away with that when we were kids. But my mom and the parents/grandparents in the room seemed to think it was funny. At what point does this transformation occur? Must I have kids or grandkids to understand this paradox?
Oh yeah, AMC played Christmas Vacation (in the background on the TV) REPEATEDLY throughout the day. SCORE! If only I had been able to watch it.
Funnier than the "presents" photo is the one where Grandma Mo (my mom) actually got some of the kids to pretend they were asleep. For 90 whole seconds, the house was silent. The adults didn't quite know what to do themselves. However, the underlying vibe was in the air as seen with smiles on their faces with their eyes closed in fake sleep.
And then....CHAOS ensued. Below is a pretty good portrayal.
Note
1) one purple-dressed child already bored w/ toys and seeing what she can pilfer from the Christmas tree.
2) Sponge-Bob Square Pants Christmas lights, age-appropriate I might add.
3) Mother w/ black hair (my sister) turning her head with obvious Christmas joy plastered on her face.
4) Cute kid in cute sweater mesmerized more by wrapping paper than the gift itself.
5) Other kids looking around for more presents to open and not playing with newly acquired gifts.
6) Beer on coffee table.
7) Funny coffee table book, "Why do Men have Nipples?"
8) Crayon art on coffee table developed during boredom waiting on this wonderful time of the day to come to fruition.
9) Wrapping paper all over floor.
10) ??? Fill in the blank. You get the picture.
Hopefully the kids were delighted and fell asleep for their parents on the drives home. Would have liked more pics, but I'm a terrible photographer and didn't take many.
Today, back to the grind of working on the house and getting my exercise in--until I get sick from all the sick kids. I've been pondering the answer to my own question, "Am I being a prude not wanting to be around sick people?" On one side of the coin I know it's a fact of life and it will probably make my own immune system stronger. On the other, I consider myself an athlete and take my own good health seriously. Being sick affects my livelihood in a profound way. Shouldn't I protect it? C'est la vie, right?
Temperatures are notably colder with frozen ground in the forecast. Perhaps I'll get some trail riding in this next week. Ahhhhh.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and may your New Year be safe.
2 comments:
was the bicycle cookie a deformed snowman cookie? ;-)
sounds like a fun day!
You are definitely not a prude for avoiding sick children. Or any children, for that matter.
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