This sums it up

Haole Barb has hit the nail on the head. I'm better off topically applying Holiday Christmas confections; it’s messy and generates laundry, but it comes off easier!

We're gearing up for the big Christmas push! Today we run errands, one of which is to get the kids' bikes off lay-away. (Yes, they do sometimes read the blog, but they picked the ones they wanted. There is no element of surprise on this one. The fun part will be keeping them in the garage and not letting them ride until Christmas morning AFTER church! That's one of the perks of parenthood!)

We start Christmas break next week, and I, for one, will be very happy when it gets here. I didn't realize until I worked at a school that teachers look forward to long breaks more than the kids do! I thought it was just me that needed those breaks, even though I have only ever had two students. (Except the week I subbed in the 2nd and 3rd grade class in Verona. That was the week from Hell!)

We don't have a lot planned for our break. We'll have grandparents here for a chunk of it, which will be fun. I'm tentatively planning to read a couple of books and work on the house. We mostly need the R&R, and if the weather is nice maybe we'll go do something in St. Louis.

Or maybe we'll just stay home and let the kids ride their bikes. I'll be sure to post pictures of that little escapade!