Three days to go...

The elementary school teacher profession keeps you hopping at the holidays. There are the holiday programs, Secret Santas, and the cookie exchanges. While it all helps to build the holiday mood (there's no missing the anticipatory buildup to the holidays in grade school), it is a bit tiring after a while.

I have today, Thursday, and Friday to go. I have 'miles to go before I rest.'

The holiday program (which could have been a train wreck, but wasn't) was last night. Of course DH was out of town. One of the secretaries at our school, who happens to be the most fabulous, funny, self-depreciating mother I have ever met (and who loves Mark as if he were her own-- no, really)-- wrangled the toddler while I was on teacher duty.

Just realized the time. I'm off. It's cookie exchange today.

I need some coffee.

Oh, yeah...

We've been watching airline fares on kayak.com for a while. We wanted to go to Germany.

It was $600 for a one-stop flight, and I encouraged my DH to buy... and he wanted to wait.

Then it dropped to just over $500 direct.

Merry Christmas to us. We're going to Germany this spring. :)

Number One and Number Two

There are certain humbling experiences about parenting. We all go through them.

Baby puke on your clothing.

Awkwardness at work as you muddle through your third month of sleep deprivation.

Realizing others around you are disgusted by potty-talk. (As in bathroom-talk, not Illinois governor talk.)

I had a humbling moment tonight.

I have not been able to shop after work for, oh, three years or so. Recently, Mark has allowed me to shop at night. Alone, with him. (This is a small miracle, because I was one of those parents you glared at as I rolled past you with a cart full of screaming infant/toddler.) Tonight, it was off to Staples to buy a printer cartridge to get our Christmas letters knocked out. I was so proud of my boy-- he walked into the store with me, let me put him in the cart, waited patiently as I grabbed the cartridges, and talked to me as we waited in line for the register.

Oh, until we were next in line and he screamed, "MOMMY! I NEED TO PEE AND POOP!"

Apparently he thought I didn't hear, because he then repeated it.

I would have crawled under the cart right there had it been possible.

If you are in public and hear this, please know that we parents don't wish to subject you to this punishment.

Double Standards

I have a dirty little secret. I can cuss like a sailor.

Oh, I definitely try to keep my language clean. It's hard for me, though. At school, I most certainly keep the language under wraps, unless I'm with some of my very close friends. Put me in my car though, and I can let it rip.

I also try to keep it clean around my toddler. I thought I was doing pretty well until Mark dropped a toy one day and said sh-(poopy word).

Why is it necessary to make this confession? Oh, sexism.

Really, I mean that-- sexism.

The last time I heard sexism seriously discussed was when Rudy Guliani went on the Today show and harped about the sexism being heaped upon Sarah Palin. (Before she had gone out to do any interviews, mind you.)

However, sexism has reared its ugly head today.

Hillary? Nope. Palin? Ha-- she wishes. Pelosi? Umm, no.

It centers around Patricia "Patti" Blagojevich. A couple of days ago, I wouldn't have known who she was. Last night, I was throwing my own personal blue streak at the television as I heard what her putz Illinois governor husband had done. (His stupidity both astounds and disgusts me. Ms. Illinois Attorney General, could you please declare him unfit for office already?)

But so what if she has a potty mouth? Did anyone blink an eye when her husband was quoted as using a variety of expletives in his conversations?

Sarah Palin, you don't know sexism. Unfortunately, Patti Blagojevich now does.

Logic

Umm... My toddler is sounding like a barking seal. It's really heartbreaking to hear. He coughed all night long last night, and none of us got much sleep.

After much persuasion (some might call it nagging), DH finally took him to urgent care when Mark's ped. was triple-booked. What was up with the barking like a seal, active and jumping toddler? An ear infection, of course. (How logical is that?)

So it's my turn to stay home tomorrow. I'm thinking chicken noodle soup (homemade, of course), hot cocoa, and Veggie Tales 'The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything' is in order. Or, if he's a rascal, it's the Sprout channel and Easy Mac. We'll see how it goes.