Something For Everyone

Flu is behind us....maybe a blessing in disguise. Now hopefully we all will be feeling well for the Christmas weekend.

I've finally got my mojo (?) back, and GirlKid and I hit the dollar stores for what I call 'accessory' gifts and stocking stuffers. I traded her rolled pennies for 'real' dollar bills and had her decide who she was buying gifts for this year. Grandma, Uncle Dwayne (and Poncho, his chihuahua), and Daddy. Luckily for her, her pennies added up to five dollars, so she also had one left for herself! Six year olds and dollar stores were made for each other. A buck for each gift...easy math.

It took about 30 minutes or more for her to make her final decisions. There was quite a bit of "I'll get this.....(put that down), no THIS...(put that down, too), now THIS is perfect." , with each persons gift. I was in the mood (rarely) to just let her take as long as she needed. If her choices were off the wall, heck, it's only a couple of bucks.

However, I was impressed with her choices:

Grandma: A calendar set
Reason: "So Grandma can keep track of things.....Like when I'm coming to visit, and when she has a doctor appointment, and to remember when the garbage man comes."

Uncle Dwayne: An ice scraper
Reason: " Because he has so many cars."

Poncho: Dog treats shaped like hamburgers
Reason: "So when he begs at the table, he can have his OWN hamburger."

Daddy: Zip ties
Reason: "Because I've seen them in his shop, and he doesn't have little ones like these."

Herself: A pair of 'el junko' mermaids
Reason: Because I wrecked my good mermaid's hair in the bathtub, and it won't matter if these get wrecked because they were cheap....and I really like them."

I had nothing but agreement to all of her choices, and to her great satisfaction she went through a checkout counter for the first time paying with her 'own' money, from her own purse and wallet, for gifts for other people. I was so tempted to help her get her money out of her stiff plastic wallet, as there was a line behind us, but I held off so I wouldn't squelch her first independent transaction. She carefully counted out the dollar bills to the cashier and then realized she didn't have any change for the 'extra' (tax). After a bit of a panic, she reached for her mermaids and said "Mom???" I told her I'd pay the tax and she could pay me when we got home. Relief flooded her face. A very quiet "I love you, mom." sealed the deal.

On the way out of the store, she said "Man, that was great, Mom. Five dollars, and I got something for everyone. I think I got my money's worth outta that place!"

I'm tempted to let her do the rest of the Christmas shopping!

I am so glad I am that kid's mom......I like the way she thinks, and I love the way she loves me.

Allll Aboard! The Flu sTrain!

Yup, you guessed it....we got it...two strains...three family members...two weeks. My goodness, it is hard to retain any sense of humor when you feel like crap, let alone get caught up in the Christmas Spirit.

GirlKid's gifts had been purchased before Thanksgiving, but are still in the bags they came in, hidden from sight. I have had enough time to question each one of them. "What was I thinking? Should I take it back and get something else? We already have too much plastic crap stuffed into every nook and cranny of our house! How many Barbie, Bratz, Winx, etc. is too much?" Whew, now that I have written my thoughts, I see how manic I have become regarding this Christmas season.

I feel paralyzed...I haven't bought any Christmas cards, let alone sent them out yet...so with each one I receive in the mail, I feel guilty and more guilty that I haven't gotten with the program.

I can't think of ideal gifts for friends, which usually comes easily. Nor for my husband, which is usually difficult.

Most of the dilemma is based on not having much money to spend this year. My recent root canal right after Thanksgiving sucked up all of our available funds. Also, the weather has been warm and rainy instead of crisp and snowy. And then, of course, the flu bugs that have been ravaging our household.

I know, MAKE something....couldn't come up with anything that caught my interest or didn't seem ridiculous (or cost too much).

Waaa, waaa, waaa, I sound like an infant who can't reach her binky.

I still have a few days before it is too late to recover from the Holiday blues....I am almost positive I will pull this off before it is too late. It isn't like me to completely succumb to hopelessness when the chips are down....

Chin up, Kath, grab the credit card and just GO to the store and buy stuff we can't afford because it's Christmas dammit!