And I almost forgot...my 16 year old is testing for her license tomorrow. Am I ready for her being out on the road? She thinks she is! Give me strength...!

...and the toddler is having night terrors. 20 minutes of gut wrenching screaming feels like hours. Anyone wanting to add to my stress?

My dad is in the hospital...in Sweden. He is there for observation and some tests. He has a chronic lung condition with only 50% capacity. I'm worried sick!

Post Christmas Thoughts

This week went by in a blurr, and before I knew it Christmas came and went. Maybe it had something to do with me having a bad cold all week and having slept extremely poorly since it started, or time really is moving faster after 40.
Last week I couldn't wait for Christmas eve and to enjoy all the good food. But, since this cold started last Sunday I haven't been able to smell or taste anything. All this delicious christmas food was wasted on me. Didn't enjoy anyting, and now there are 362 days until next Christmas.

A noisy but happy christmas

After a week of stressing to get everything ready for christmas we survived christmas morning with our sanity intact. Everybody was happy with their gifts and the toddler more than anyone. As you can see we got him a drumset. However, after a day of constant drumming I realized I forgot to get earplugs for the rest of us...did I say we made it through with our sanity intact? Well, let see how long it will last. Merry christmas everyone.

Feeling like crap. Have a bad cold, but I'm in the park with Hayden. The poor thing has to get out and run off some steam. Not fun when mamma's sick.

n't helped me yet. My bad luck!

We have a christmas party to go to tonight, and I have a cold. Was trying to cure myself with a coldbuster from jambajuice with extra immunity boost. Has

Went driving with the 16 year old today. It's crunch time. Her behind the wheel test is in 2 weeks...a little scary for mom.

s last bit of christmas shopping without loosing my sanity. God give me strength...

perative toddler who had a total meltdown in the store. Did I mention that I didn't bring the stroller. I should have my head examined. Got to finish thi

Was just about to wrap a sportsbra for one of the girls when I noticed that the plastic alarm was still on. Had to go back to the store with a not so coo

Standing in line at the post office. Another government run institution. There are about 50 people in line and only two people working. Very efficient...not.

Stood in line at the DMV for 45 minutes. Had to register the Ford Taurus in our name since the 16 year old will be driving it...soon.

Holiday Parties

I am tired today. We had a christmas party here last night, and we didn't go to bed until 2 am. We started at 8 pm after the little one had been put to bed, and the party ended around 1:30. Not too long ago, 1:30 am would have seemed very early, but having been sleep deprived for the past two years certainly takes its toll.

We had fun though. There was a lot of food, and I had bought a lot of wine and I had also made homemade "glogg" which is a Swedish spiced wine that you drink hot. I thought, well, so what if I bought too much alcohol. It will last us through the holidays...not so. We pretty much drank it all. We had some fun discussions around the table, and we all laughed a lot. I love having people over sitting around the table eating and drinking and having wild discussions. Nowadays it's kind of hard for us to go places because the little one gets tired around 8, so I prefer putting on the parties at home. And of course one doesn't have to worry about driving home. That's a huge plus.

The little one woke up at 7 am, so there was no sleeping in...well, at least not for my husband who was a sweatheart and got up with him to let me stay in bed longer. Not that I really slept, but I stayed in bed for another hour. It's interesting how we adapt and learn to get away with less sleep. We even went christmas shopping in the afternoon with the toddler in an insanely crowded mall. And to boot, I took my 16 year old out driving afterwards. She is testing at the end of the month and need all the driving practice she can get. Oh, what don't we do for our kids?

Moms' night

Had some girlfriends over for drinks and appetizers last night. We had so much fun. Everybody talking at once...one could tell we don't get out much. And we didn't even drink that much...I was surprised. We had leftovers. As a matter of fact I just came home from a grueling pilates class and I was going to make myself a cup of tea when I remembered the leftover bubbly from yesterday. I just poured myself a glass and it's still good....aaahhh. I think we are going to make this a monthly thing. We could all use it.

So I'm sipping my champagne as the rain is pouring outside. This is southern California, so this is a treat for me. We don't get much rain. It did rain on Monday and I took the opportunity to take the two year old to the park, so that he could jump in puddles. Who knows when he'll get to do that again. I did take a couple of pictures...he was so excited "Drinking rain, drinking rain" he exclaimed with his tongue out of his mouth. It sure did bring back childhood memories of Sweden.

Forgot to mention that the car/laptop drama resolved. She opted for the car. We ended up having a nice birthday dinner after all.

Rain, rain, rain...I love it. Took Hayden to the park. We jumped in puddles and got all wet. Hayden had a blast...

Im screwed.

Exhausted today. Didn't sleep much due to yesterdays drama. The sixteen year old is all mad at me. Thinks I want to deprive her of the laptop. Either way

Not so sweet sixteen

My youngest daughter is turning 16 on Saturday, and almost ready to pass her behind the wheel driving test. Appointment is set up for December 31...I know, got to squeeze it in there. Have to have it before the end of the year. Well, in her mind anyways.
So we thought we had worked out a deal with a car. My oldest daughter just bought a new car, and was nice enough to gift her 2002 Ford Taurus to the 16 year old. Well, the car needs $1,700-$1,900 worth of repair. I specifically told my youngest that if we're going to help her out with this car she has to ask her dad to help out with the repairs too. I told her that she needed to tell him that's what she wants for her birthday. I just had my car fixed for $622 and christmas is around the corner. I am not going to do it all. She said, "but mom, I can do it. I'll pay you back", Well, this kid does not have a job, and has not done much trying to find one. I got her a baby sitting job, but half of the time she is asked to baby sit she has other plans. So, there you go. "Well, I have my allowance!" was her reply.
I made it very clear to my daughter that I really needed her dad to help out if this deal was going to take place. I told her to call her dad and explain the situation. This car is way below blue book value and once it is fixed it will easily sell for $3,000. So, I figured her dad would see this, and realize if we wait until next summer getting her a car will be a lot more expensive. I even sent her dad an email giving him a heads up. He didn't get it unfortunately. Instead he calls my daughter up and asks what she wants for her birthday, and she briefly tells him about the car. He says "I don't think you really need a car. How about a laptop?" The girl freaked. Of course she wanted a laptop. She wants it all. So, the idea of getting her dad to pay for half of the repair flew out the window. Instead she calls me all excited, "I will babysit a lot. I can still get the car and pay you back."
I told her that it wasn't the deal we made, and that she is going to have to choose. I am not paying for all the repairs. I will let the car go. Now, I am the evil mom who ruined her birthday. I called her dad and asked him to reconsider. Not only because of the car, but also due to the fact that I have already bought my daughter a laptop. It's her christmas present. It was supposed to be a huge surprise. I bought it a month ago, so that I would have time to personalize it. I had already envisioned her and her sister's shrieks of joy when opening their presents. My exhusband asks, "Can you return it?"
My daughter lives with me 100%, so I feel that I really know what she needs. God forbid he should have called and asked me about what she could possibly need for her birthday. Why didn't he realize that maybe I had already bought her a laptop. But no, he goes ahead and promises her a laptop without discussing it with me. So, I am screwed either way. I am big on principles, so I will not let this one slide. If she wants the car bad enough she has to follow through with the original plan. Her dad said he would pay for half the repairs, but is afraid that our daughter would be very upset with him if he doesn't keep his promise about the laptop. So, we're both screwed. Either way she will be upset. I do not look forward to this coming Saturday. And to add to my frustration she invited her dad (did I mention we don't get along) to her birthday dinner which I'm cooking...arrggghh.

Making Ahi tuna salad for dinner...yummie. The non fish eaters get spaghettios. Sorry, I'm not cooking two meals tonight.