OH BOY! This has been some morning folks! We'll start with this being my SECOND attempt at writing this blog! My computer decided to take a poop just as I was finishing up and wouldn't let me save the post or publish it...GREAT!

I was rudely awoken by some a-hole's car alarm going off at butt thirty this morning. I lay in bed cursing this person for a bit before jumping out of bed to see who the car belonged to so that I could give them the evil eye next time I saw them. I rush to my bedroom window, open it, and discover that the a-hole is ME! My cars lights were flashing and MY horn was blaring. GREAT! now I'm going to get the stink eye! I rush down the stairs calling for my husbands help, because apparently you need two people to find the keys and turn the thing off! PHEW...he found them and stopped the honking. You're welcome Meadow Creek for the wake up call...you need to get moving anyway people!

I tell my husband and niece good-bye as they head out the door to work and school. Coffee is in my cup and I have a couple of minutes of peace. The radio is playing Christmas music and I'm finding my happy place. Then that annoying "Twelve Days of Christmas" comes on. I give up...I wander up the stairs to my eldest child's room and try awakening her softly and lovingly. It's pajama day at school and she has to do nothing more than roll out of bed, eat breakfast, have her hair combed and walk to the bus stop. I have already made her lunch, and set out her breakfast...easy enough? Apparently NOT! She wakes up with the breath of a dozen rotten eggs and the attitude of angry bear! WTH? I was singing so nicely and rubbing her back, why the evilness?...after all, the a-hole with the blaring horn didn't wake her up!

She finally decided to roll out of bed and walk down the stairs with Thing Two and myself. They sit at the table and I pour them their bowls of cereal. Everyone is kind of quiet...ok...not too shabby. UNTIL, Thing Two notices the tree now has wrapped gifts under it (gifts I tell them the elves wrapped, but we all know it was their daddy and I who stayed up late, sat on  the floor until our legs were numb and our backs hurt, that wrapped them...but hey...let's give tiny fictional characters the credit!). They both are now finished eating (normally they would eat more, but there's presents to look at for pete's sake!) and they start snooping around the tree to see what gifts are theirs. Thing Three has managed to wobble down the stairs and has now joined in on the present gazing fun.

They are being pretty good, for a short five minutes. Thing One starts bringing her gifts to me saying, "this is from Granny and Paw Paw, what do you think is in it?" Well, I know what's in it since the grannies and paw paw's decided to send money so that we could go out into the cruel world of Christmas shopping, buy the gift, bring it home and wrap it...easy way out! She does this a few more times before the boys start bringing me their gifts and asking, "who's this one from? Can I open it now? What's in it?" ENOUGH already!

My nerves are taking a hit again...I ask, very calmly, "Please leave the gifts alone before you rip the paper and ruin the surprise of what is in it." This request falls upon three sets of deaf ears...they're going nuts now, crawling under the tree, climbing the thing, it's getting out of hand and no one is listening. I am reaching a boiling point and am tired of being ignored...that's when bah-hum-bug mom surfaces...I, not so nicely or calmly anymore, grit my teeth and in my "mom's had enough so you better listen" voice said, "IF you pick up another gift it goes away until Christmas morning and IF you rip the wrapping paper, I take that present back to the store and buy myself a gift!" WOW! They can all hear again, amazing! It worked! All three Things have stepped back from the tree and are now just staring at them...great...I've crushed Christmas spirit...way to go mom!

It is now time to walk Thing One to the bus stop. Remember how I said it was pajama day at school? Well, I thought it was clever, and cute, to suggest she wear her robe in place of her jacket. EXCITING! She rushes up grabs her pretty polka-dot robe and puts it on. We get to the bus stop and some snot nosed brat tells my "always follows the rules because I can't stand to disappoint anyone, EVER!" daughter that she can't wear her robe! "It said in the letter NO ROBES, you're gonna get in trouble." Thanks kid! I want to kick this child in the shins and take off running! Hark, the herold angel behind my daughter tells her, "The note did not say no robes, you can wear it." THANK you little girl! I will be sure to tell Santa you were EXTRA good! I manage to calm my, now VERY panicky, daughter down, pick her broken heart up off the sidewalk, kiss her frustration away and get her on the bus. YAY! She's smiling again...good!

I get back to my warm home, and cold coffee. The boys are settling down with a video game in the basement and I'm able to start my blog for the morning...again, this is my second attempt...Lord help my HP laptop if it screws me again! Lord help my husband when I tell him he'll have to buy me a new one because I threw mine out the window...oh and we'll need a new window as well ;)