When Daddies Are Left In Charge

Last week was pretty crumby at the Brennan Ranch. Aside from the 2 snow storms, early dismissals, and snow days...I had a cold.

There are few things in this world that bother me as much as when I get sick. Asking for help is generally my last resort; but by Wednesday, I knew I needed it...Bad!

It's funny how easy our efforts are taken for granted on a regular basis. I sometimes wonder if most Mom's realize what they accomplish during the day. I sure didn't.

I was awoken from my drunken NyQuil stupor at 5:30am by Hubby to inform me that the kids were off from school due to the storm. At 6:30 I was awoken again to inform me that he had made a mistake...the kids really had school. He also needed to know what time to bring the kids to school.

I could see the panic in his eyes. I have seen my husband multi task at his job. He is genius. But take away his computer, and he turns to goo.

By 7:30 am, I decided to check on the family. I found the breakfast table covered in Pop-Tart remnants (The breakfast of Champions). The boys were in pretty good shape. Hubby was too. It's funny how I can spend my whole morning running around, but when I check on my Husband, he is watching the morning news.

It wasn't until 10 minutes before the kids were about to leave for school, that I realized there was no lunch packed. And it's not like my kids would tell Hubby.

They were finally off. I could get the rest I needed. Right? Not really.

As I sat on the couch, the snow continued to fall harder. Finally we received an email that informed us the children would be coming home early.

"What? They just got there." I thought. What is going on? Well, you know what that means. Mommy had to get into the shower so that she could accompany Daddy back to school. Since the school has different dismissal policies for different situations, I knew my husband was 2 minutes shy of having his head explode. And so I returned the favor and helped out.

I did get to crash on the couch later that day. I woke up wondering how long I was down. The mailbox had literally disappeared under a pile of snow. School was cancelled again on Thursday. No rest for the weary.

It's now Sunday night, and they're calling for 2 more storms this week. And while I may not be running at 100%, I am back on my feet. Hubby is headed back to work, and the kids will be back at school.

We're praying that the storms go in a different direction. But just in case were home bound again, we have a fresh supply of Pop-Tarts waiting in the pantry.

When a Christmas Gift Bites Back

Christmas shopping for me begins in late August. Yes, it's true. I'm a bit insane. However, nothing pleases me more than to know when the Christmas season finally arrives, I am more than half way done my shopping. Not to mention, the gifts are even wrapped.

For the most part, the kids are still easy to shop for. They tell you everything they want. It's just up to us to cut the list in half (once or twice), then hope Santa figures out the rest.

But when it comes to Husbands...I'm totally stumped. We are at a point in our lives where we have everything we need. Accumulating more just means throwing out what we already have. Occasionally I'm thrown a bone though.

My husband loves to watch the Food Channel. I find it entertaining myself (sometimes). I'm always amazed that even in the tiniest of kitchens; they seem to have everything they need to make a meal for a party of twelve. I have a hard time cooking for four.

Despite this, Hubby insist on having gadgets. So when he mentioned he wanted a mandolin- I was only a little surprised. First because I thought he was referring to the musical instrument. (This coming from a man that is perplexed by a kazoo). I finally realized he was referring to a vegetable slicer.

I hesitated slightly at his request based simply on luck. Yes, I said luck. Let's just say, Hubby didn't exactly pass "Safety Class" with flying colors. Here are a few examples: During driving school he plowed right into the back of another car (with the instructor in the passenger seat); while installing a patio in our back yard, he put the utility knife right through his knee (Stitches!), While taking down Christmas decorations he fell off a ladder (Broken Arm), While searching under a perfectly still sink, he came up and hit his head (Huge Knot).

So like the loving woman I am...I bought him a sharp object. And like the brave man he is; he decided to use it for the first time while I was out of the house. And if you're hoping for a happy ending; well you should have read a fairytale instead.

The call kind of went like this: "Do you remember that Christmas gift you bought me Babe?"

And I already knew. Luckily, all of his digits were still attached. However, based on the amount of band aids and paper towels missing; the loss of blood was significant.

Well, tomorrow is trash day. Needless to say, there will be a mandolin curbside.

I can hardly wait to find out what he wants next Christmas. I'm thinking a padded room will suffice.

Another Snow Storm

Sledding and Snow Angels today in PA. Happy Children.....No School!

Prayers for Tuscon

Only thoughts and prayers today for those in Tuscon AZ. Life is precious. It should not be so easily taken.

Join in the moment of silence today at 11am Eastern Time.

"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit." -Napolean Bonaparte

It Pays to Shop!

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The 12 Days of Christmas Vacation

It's hard to believe that the Christmas season is finally done. Two months of preparation for one day, and it's over in the blink of an eye.

I sit here savoring the final minutes of peace before I have to wake the kids up for their first day back to school.

"What is school?" I'm sure they will ask. Their last week has been filled with a shocking amount of toy play, junk food, television and day trips. What kid would want to return to school?

I'm finding myself asking: "What is routine?" I lost all sense of routine these past 10 days. I was even able to get a cold and relax. Imagine That. Although I felt like poo at times, it was real nice watching my husband do wash.

Sad how we have to depend on vacation to get caught up on life... but that's exactly what we did. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

How was your vacations?