Quick Takes Volume 24

~1~

I'm giving blogging from my iPad another try. This time I'm sitting in the van gleaning someone's unsecured network while Ellie is at her ophthalmologist.

~2~

Katie had her follow up visit with the doctor this morning. She's pretty much maintaining the status quo with her illness. The doctor thinks its likely she'll get through this without needing to be hospitalized but he said she could still deteriorate. I'm hoping she will turn the corner. He already thinks her lungs sound better after a day of nebulizer treatments.

~3~

I woke up this morning feeling like I'm coming down with a bad cold. Wonder where I picked that virus up. With the older kids I can try to limit contact with them when they are sick, but it's not possible to do that with a small baby.

~4~

Bryan got me a Dyson for Christmas. I'm a Hoover girl through and through so I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like the Dyson all that much. After taking it for a spin on Christmas I'm totally sold on what I previously believed was an overpriced vacuum. For everything it picked up you would think I hadn't vacuumed in over a month.

~5~

Thanks to Target's post-Christmas clearance sales I now have all the gift wrap and tags I need for next Christmas.  I even found a small box of Duplo blocks on clearance that I will give Katie next Christmas.  

~6~

I felt overwhelmed and rushed this past Advent so I sat down with my Mom's Family Planner and filled in important dates and reminders to buy ingredients for things like cookies and gingerbread houses a week or so before I'll need them.  I also wrote myself little notes telling me how many batches of cookies to make per variety so I don't get stuck with a bunch of cookies that won't get consumed.

~7~

I realized on Christmas Eve that even though I have systematically been scaling back on what I buy the kids for Christmas that other family members have not done so in regards to buying for them.  It's sort of odd, even though the kids didn't get any gifts from our estranged family this year [a very welcome blessing in disguise although I'm sure it wasn't intended as such] they were still overwhelmed with stuff. 

 My last minute decision to scale stocking stuffing back to four items and a candy cane meant that the kids actually appreciated what they found in it instead of feeling overwhelmed with a stocking full of stuff.  I put a note in my planner for next year reminding myself to buy four specific items for next year (a favorite candy, $5 Lego gift card to Target, a small toy and a faith based gift).  Given that the stocking scale back was a success I think I will also scale gifts from Bryan and I back to three or four items going forward.   Years ago someone mentioned having their children list items they would like for Christmas under specific categories such as: something you want, something you need, something you wear and something you read.  On Christmas morning they could expect to find something under the tree that fit each of those categories.  I am now at a point where I really like that concept and will likely use it starting next year.