Tutu just left.

We had the best visit, except for some minor kid vomiting, and it’s such a treat to get her company but oh boy does it hurt when she leaves. Normally, I mope about for a day or so and morn her loss while Kevin plies me with treats and hugs. This time her departure is especially wrenching because Kevin isn’t here either. He was sent to Taiwan for the week so I’m alone with my sorrow.

My girls rock. They are such fun bundles of joy that I adore every second (well, pretty much every second). But it’s so hard to find someone who loves them with the same level of intensity and wonder. So when my mom comes, I get another person that is just as enthalled and touched and excited about every little thing they do. Every new word from Kulia, every cute phrase from Leina, is as exciting to my mom as it is for me. Being a stay at home mom is rather isolating. Having another person here to share the love is a blessing all of its own.

It’s time like these that I wonder what, exactly, I’d need to do to get my sister to move next door to me. Unfortunately, it would involve changing the west coast weather pattern and I just don’t have that kind of pull…yet.

So the girls and I are alone for a while until Kevin returns from abroad. They don’t realize it, but when they wake from their naps, they are going to get an excessive amount of snuggling from me!

Safe journey home, mom. I love you!

Hello 2007!

I am secretly excited about 2007. I am harboring a tiny flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, we are reaching the end of the tunnel here. I’m holding my breath that the girls will continue to become self-sufficent tykes that do not require their mother to hold and/or entertain them every moment of every day. Yes, my foolish dream is that this years, the girls will be able to play with each other and leave poor old mom alone for a moment or two this year. Unrealistic? Perhaps. But a girl’s gotta dream.

Santa was very good to us this year. I found two pairs of roller skates under the tree. One was a pair of Dora skates which Leina snatched up. The other was a pair of women’s skates that I claimed. Can’t wait for all this rain to stop so I can get outside and break them in. Of course, that isn’t scheduled to happen for another 6 months but a girl’s gotta dream.

Hmmm, I seem to be doing a lot of dreaming lately.

Rang in the new year with Kat and Josh. It’s sort of a minor tradition around here. Josh worked his bizarre child charms on Kulia. She basically threw herself at him and we had to peel her off at nap time. When she awoke, she looked at me with her big eyes and moppet hair and croaked, “Josssh?” We didn’t let these darn kids cramp our style though. After getting them down for bed, we broke out the games and laughed and played until midnight. At this point we had our rootbeer floats, our New Years kiss, and modified fireworks. It was 27 degrees out so Kat and I decided to watch the lights from inside while Kevin and Josh headed out into the night armed with the pyrotechnics. The caveat was nothing that made noise since they were right outside the girl’s window. After a short light show and pathetic male dancing (don’t ask) they hussled it back into the warmth of the house. A very successful close to the year 2006.

Now all I have to do is remeber to write 2007 when dating my checks and all will be well.

Ho Ho Ho…

When I am not sick, which seems like a lifetime ago right now, I’m trying to get to the gym three times a week. I like to go really early in the morning to get my workout in. I must say that I enjoy leaving the sleeping house behind for a little “me” time even it the sun isn’t out yet.

At the gym, I have my own section I like and I’ve come to expect a certain group of regulars. There is the hard core runner who does these intense sprints between sporatic weight lifting. The hot guy who has a bit of a tummy that he is working on. The older couple who walk every morning together around the track, arms pumping, without saying a word, and the large young guy who is always wearing sweats and a very large sweatshirt pulled over his rear. I suppose I’m the 30 something mom trying to work off her baby fat which would be pretty accurate.

So imagine my surprise when I claimed my treadmill to find a new face next to me. She was hard to miss. She had on full make up and buffed nails. Her ponytail fell just below her sholders in a perfectly smooth cascade of dark hair. She tiny little hiney fit into her size 2 black spandex shorts and to top it all off, she was wearing a tube top sans bra. Yes, you heard me, this chick was working out in a bright green tube top.

Um, hello? Pony tail too tight honey? Do you have any idea what happens when you decided to jog braless wearing a tub top?

Ok, maybe she did. All I know is that I was totally distracted and I’m a woman! We had all sorts of male rubber neckers wandering by checking out the jiggling action. Now, I’d expect this is some pickup gym after hours but at the Sherwood YMCA? At 6am? Craziness. It was like a bad episode of Charlie’s Angels crossed with Baywatch with a dash of Fit Club.

It was fun to watch all the men trying to sneak a peek without being too obvious. I really can’t blame them thought because I could barely tear my eyes away from her slowing dropping tube top the entire time. I must say, my 30 minute workout just flew by. So maybe tube tops and gyms do mix after all.

I’ll unplug the kids from the tv here in a minute to make our last run to the post office. The end is in sight. I only have one more Target run and one mall run left this season. Our cards will be late but hey, at least we’re sending them out at all right?

It definately feels like Christmas this year. The weather is nice and chilly and we wake in the morning to a nice white covering of frost. People in our neighborhood went crazy with the lights this year which is very nice to see. Our little reindeer herd is looking a little sad. They’ve stopped moving and parts are falling off. I’m thinking we’ll be culling the herd this winter. Sorry Kev.

Leina is so excited for Santa. She totally believes and I have come to appreciate the power of Santa. Merely uttering the phrase, “Santa is watching” produces an immediate behaviour change. This girl really wants a pair of roller skates under the tree.

Kulia? Yeah, well, for her Christmas is a magical time of year when mommy puts pretty shining things on a tree for her to pluck off and throw around the house. She’s enjoying herself immensely. Me? Not so much. Our poor little tree is pretty bare for that first three feet and is then stuffed with ornaments on the top. I’m surprised it hasn’t keeled over yet.

I still need to get our Christmas ham and make Christmas cookies. We also must watch The Christmas Story one of these nights. Aside from that, we are looking good for Christmas 2006!

I thought I was safe. When we moved to this sleepy suburb from the big city, I thought I had a chance. A chance for a new life. A chance to re-invent myself. I could leave behind my past and start over fresh. I would be sweet. The good neighbor, the kind mother, the supportive friend.

I had them all fooled until…my past caught up with me. It was the end out our book club and things were winding down. I don’t know exactly how it happened but someone made the comment that I was so nice.

“Chrisse? Sweet?” Kat laughed out loud. “You have to be kidding. You know they used to call her RMC at work?”

I tried frantically to signal Kat. To cut her off before it was too late. But it was hopeless.

“Oh, was I not suppose to say?” Kat asked shyly, but the cat was out of the bag. My new friends wanted to hear all about Really Mean Christine. It seems my skeleton was out of the closet.

There were gasps and “oh my”s as my other self was revealed. Brittany almost swooned. All were shocked as my sweet facade was ripped asunder to reveal the true me. Well, not all were shocked. Liza leaned forward with unbridled glee in her eyes, rubbed her hands together and declared, “I knew I liked you for a reason!”

Ah, well, I suppose you can’t hide the truth forever right? And lets face it, June Cleaver I am sooo not. Kevin is excited to reclaim his sainthood and I suppose that’s ok. However, I still take offense at being called “mean”. I prefer “naughty” or “mischievous”.

But I must say, Really Mean Christine does have a very nice ring to it!