trouble

i think i'm in trouble. here it is 2 days before christmas, and i am no where near ready.
pajamas aren't even cut out.
goodies haven't been started.
don't know where the stockings are.
santa gifts haven't been bought.

on top of that, i discovered this morning, that half of my shirts are getting too small. i still have 6.5 weeks left (technically). what am i supposed to wear until then?!

christmas suprise

the kids had just gotten home from school today, when the doorbell rang. i thought it might be the people that are leaving 12 days gifts for me. there were 3 high school age kids standing at the door with an envelope. they handed it to me, and then informed me that they had a bunch of other stuff for us, and would it be alright if they brought it in. i told them yes, and then watched as all 3 of them made 3 or 4 trips with their arms FULL of food and gifts.

by the time they were done, my table was covered in presents. pretty sure each child has at least 4 gifts each. then, i have a turkey, a pumpkin pie, 25 pounds of potatoes, a case of beans, corn, ramen, mac and cheese, and a few other things. we also have $150 gift certificate to a car repair type shop. (the van needs an oil change, so that's nice to have.) we also have an additional $100.

as a result of our visit this afternoon, i have decided to cut my christmas to-do list down. there are some things i was planning on making as gifts for the kids. they have enough from this visit that we don't even really need what i've already gotten. and i was informed that there's another set coming at some point. but, mom said that it was mostly food (or so she thinks).

last year, we had 4 visits like this. only they were all anonymous. i'm still not sure who these came from, but i did get to see the people that brought it by.

i'm humbled, and feeling very blessed. at the same time, i feel guilty, cause this year we are better off than we were last year. and i can think of at least 1 family that is in more need than we are.

however, when the time comes that we are in a better position than we have been as of late, i will be doing the same thing these people have been. i have a dream of being able to fully and completely take care of christmas for a family in need. tree, decor, presents, and food. some day. some day.

oocoos

or in english, lice.
yesterday, i got a call from the school secretary. elizabeth had head lice. she had been in her homework club, and the teacher noticed her scratching her head. she sent her down to the office. the secretary checked her head, and found living lice.
when she got home, i checked her, and didn't see anything. but i went into town, and bought the necessary supplies. a LARGE bottle of conditioner, and some nit combs. i got the largest bottle of conditioner i could find, because i had 9 people to treat. 7 of those being female. as it is, i still technically have 2 left to do, and little less than half a bottle left.

we threw all the coats in the dryer. all the "clean" blankets and pillows. washed the sheets that needed it. bagged up the animals and blankets that wouldn't fit in the dryer, and started on heads.
taylor and shaun got buzzed to the scalp. as elizabeth was the one that we knew had it, i started with her. oh, the drama! she has a tender head, and the nit comb pulling like it does meant lots of tears were shed. i then took care of the boys. i saved the babies until last cause they didn't have to be able to get up for school in the morning. we made sure all the kids had clean beds, and got the front room cleaned up.
we saved me and mom for the morning cause by then it was already 11p. and this was one tired mama!
got mom and i done this morning, and then my bed. still need to check on moms bed, but other than that, we are nearly done.
des and carli have been in the hospital for nearly a week, and i'm unsure if they need to be treated or not. the nurses checked them and didn't find anything. if they are still there on saturday, they are going to have them check again. i think if they are clean that second time, we will forgo treating them.

elizabeth, shannon and i need to be treated again in a week. we'll check all the girls on friday to see if anything new is there. i found a couple of critters on shannon, and some eggs, and we think we found some eggs on me. and boy did i find them on elizabeth.
when elizabeth went to school this morning, the secretary checked her and she was fine. that's a good thing to hear. a minimum of 1 more treatment for her. if she comes away clean this next time, it will be the last. if not, we'll do another one.

NOT the way i wanted to be spending my weeks before christmas!!!

update

i was just informed that an update about our recent concern was overdue.
two days of constant contractions, and they stopped. it would appear, from our perspective, that if i do more than normal household duties, i spend the next day in bed. and even then, sometimes after i've done the bigger things, and then do the normal stuff, i have problems as well.
i have bought a bottle to keep filled with water next to me at all times, as dehydration can cause contractions. and i will talk to the doctor about everything the next time i'm in. unless they start coming every 3 minutes again. 8 1/2 weeks is too soon to be having those kind of contractions!

rough day

came home from church early today because of contractions. not normally a cause for concern, but these were VERY close together. 3 within 2 minutes.
we got me home, and i laid down, got some water, and started watching the clock. they were anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 seconds apart. it took about an hour for them to stop. but, by the time they stopped, they were quite painful. i was having to stop reading, and concentrate.

now, i am tired and sore. and i hope that i am able to get the kids up and off to school in the morning.