Ups and Downs

This week has been full of them. Some extreme, some not so much.

Saturday we got some bad news about Grandpa & Grandma M&M. Since Grandpa broke his ankle he's been having some other health issues and their doctor told Grandma he can't come home. Grandma cannot take care of him on her own. So Grandpa is still in the nursing home working on getting better while Grandma stays in their appartment. It's tough on everyone because with the exception of hospital stays, they've not been apart in my memory. I'm praying that Grandpa will get his strenght back & something can be arranged so they can be together again.

Then there was the impending Snowmageddon 2011...that didn't exactly live up to the hype. At least not at my house. And for that I am eternally grateful! We got a brief glazing of ice and a dusting of snow. The power went out for a few seconds 3 or 4 times. The kids haven't missed a day of school all week. I have not been trapped in the house. These things make me very happy.

Our Wii bit the dust in the middle of the power flashes Tuesday. I tried everything I could to get it working again. Husband was ready to pack it up and send it back. In a last ditch attempt at a video consol ressurection, we took it to another outlet & plugged it in. Ta-da, Magic (as Bitsy would say)! It's working again and we didn't lose the hours of "work" I put into buying Darth Maul and Jango Fette or opening up the Zumbathon. That would have been devastating.

And I'm pretty sure someone has tacked 3 extra days on this week. I woke up certain that it was Friday but feeling like it should be Saturday. Much to my chagrin, it's only Thursday. Where's a TARDIS when you need one?

Wii are not amused.

I realize I may be asking far too much, but I would really like my children to learn that losing a game on the Wii is in no way reason for a complete nervous breakdown. Having a sibling walk through a door you didn't plan on walking through while playing Lego Star Wars is no reason to avow eternal hatred for that sibling. And that jumping up, getting 3 inches from the television, and doing a half body bend will not help you see around a corner on a video game. Ever.

Someone remind me why we got this blasted thing, please.

Play On

Bitsy is currently in full on meltdown mode because her flannel pink elephant pajamas are too small for her. Grant it, she's still wearing them even though they're size 18 months & she wears a 3T, but she's bawling because I didn't agree with her when she asked if they fit. She even tried to prove to me that she hasn't grown as much as I think she has by standing on her tip toes and saying, "See, me like dis' me big," then standing flat on her feet and saying, "Me stand like dis' me little."

I think it's time for bed.

I'm considering putting a PayPal button in my side bar to raise money to pay for the carpal tunnel surgery Inkling is sure I'm going to need in the near future. You see, I am Indiana Jones....well, the Lego version of everyone's favorite professor anyway. The boys love playing the Lego versions of Indiana Jones and Star Wars. The problem is, they really aren't very good at either one. That means I end up playing one character while one of them leaps about killing everything in sight (including me) while I try & beat the level.

Tonight we were on a roll. I didn't realize exactly how long of a roll we were on until I checked our Wii notes just before shutting it down. Anyone want to guess? Three hours, fifteen minutes. Yup. Three hours and fifteen minutes of chasing after vehicles, throwing bananas to monkeys, and beating the living daylights out of plastic virtual Nazis. I'm The Man.

I don't think I want to be The Man again. I'll be dreaming in Lego tonight...if I can get BabyGirl off the Wii and in her bed.

Ringing in the New Year- FarmHands Style

Most people get dressed up, go to a party with friends, sip Champagne, and belt out Auld Lang Syne to ring in the new year. Not us. We fight over the Wii, put the kids to bed at a semi-decent hour, and veg out to Criminal Minds on the DVR. We also miss the actual change over not noticing it's 2011 until 12:25 am. Yeah, we are party animals.

Today we've spent the day playing Wii, fighting over the Wii, playing card games, fighting over card games, watching videos, and fighting over nothing. Anyone see a pattern here?

Yesterday Husband decided we should go to Wal-Mart to look for a new Wii controller (to use in my Zumba belt) and jeans for him. The trip was almost productive. In reality, he needed 3 pairs of jeans but instead we came home with one pair, a Wii controller, and Mario Kart for the kids. Oh, and did I mention the fighting all the way home?

I think the Ramones were on to something when they rocked out with I Wanna Be Sedated. I'm counting down the hours until Monday morning when I can pack 3/4 of them off to school. I know, I know, I'm a horrible mother. I should revel in the screaming, but alas, instead it just makes me want to double up my Prozac.

Actually we have had a lot of fun this week. We've laughed a lot. We've played a lot. We got to spend a lot of time with QM and Daddy and an afternoon with Uncle Gick & Unkie Di and their extended family. We visited with Uncle E and Aunt C. The kids ran around and played outside 2 days this week (60 degrees on December 31st!). I'm getting into my Zumba groove again (I LOVE this game. If you have a Wii I highly suggest it. The game will set you up on a work out calendar or you can wing it. And you can stumble about in the privacy of your own home instead of in front of 25 total strangers. So far I've worked out 20 minutes a day all but 2 days since Christmas Eve). We've watched a lot of Doctor Who. We've watched the Back to the Future movies. We've been ultra competitive playing Gamewright games (LOVE them, too).

But I am ready for Monday. I'm ready for more than 10 minutes of peace and quiet at a time. I'm ready to turn in my referee whistle. I'm ready for my house cleaning to count for something instead of being demolished immediately after I've finished.

I'm ready for 2011.