Jolly Me

I am uncharacteristically merry about the upcoming holidays. Easy Ed thinks it's because the stock market has done well this year. But I think it probably has more to do with both kids being in school all day and finally having a job that is challenging and fun (at least for the moment). And just having so many reminders of all my blessings lately....

Here are a few little things that are contributing to my jolly ways this season....

1. Pandora Christmas Radio. I play it through most of the day when I'm working from home. It's always fun to hear a forgotten favorite. Another bonus: Having Christmas music playing in the house all day bugs the hell out of Easy Ed.

2. Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks. Salty and sweet. Very sweet, but yummy. Definitely get a short....there are some serious laws of diminishing returns working in that drink (not to mention calories). When I was about to exit Starbucks after drinking one the other day, I briefly considered busting through the window rather than walking out the door. It just seemed so possible at that very moment in my extreme sugar high.

3. Cinnamon-scented pinecones. Who invented these? I am not a card-carrying Michael's customer, but I was walking by the store entrance the other day when my nose came across a bin and I had to buy a package. And then I came back the next day and bought more to fill the rest of my house up with that yummy scent!

4. iPad. We found a Black Friday deal so the iPad is already in use at the Guzman home. This means our Christmas tree is going to be a bit bare this year, but early projections declare it a winner. I will write another post soon about the iPad and specifically how it is shaping Noe's learning.

5. The Nutcracker Ballet. We have tickets for Christmas Eve. This version of the ballet is supposed to have a lot of American history to give it a DC flavor. I am excited and a little nervous about how the boys will fare. The tickets were not cheap. I already have the boys in training....they listen to the Nutcracker CD every night and we have been reading the Nutcracker storybook that my aunt gifted us several years back. Tonight we went to a practice performance.....a silly Disney revue that the local high school was putting on....and the boys did well. I, however, wished I had brought along the above mentioned iPad ;-(.

6. Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I like Jillian because she isn't peppy and kicks my rear end. I also like her because the bottoms of her feet are dirty in her exercise DVDs. It tells me that she is working and not just "showing up." My arms and abs haven't looked better in years. It is a good wintertime indoor exercise alternative for me, since I refuse to get an overpriced (why should I pay big bucks to drive and park and THEN exercise?) club membership, but I don't always get my butt out the door for a run in the extreme cold temperatures (extreme cold = anything below 50 degrees to this Portland girl).

7. $1000 of non-perishable food. I get to give this away to a local organization as part of my church calling. How cool is that?