Not so adventures of the St. Clair clan...

This Christmas break hasn't gone down exactly the way we envisioned.  Weather and illness have kept us pretty low key the last week or so.  Carter takes the prize, celebrating her second birthday with CSV and pneumonia.  Poor girl.  We knew she wasn't well when she refused to eat.  Girl does not miss meals.  Or snacks.  Or food scraps on the floor.  She is recovering, but it's definitely the hardest part of being a parent - seeing your babies sick and miserable.     Prior to all the illness, we enjoyed an unprecedented white Christmas.  We were all thoroughly spoiled and felt very blessed.  Our kids were full of gratitude for all they received and never seemed to hit "gift fatigue."  They have been enjoying several new games and toys, but I have to admit, I wasn't sad when they went outside today with a hatchet and pocketknife and spent a large chunk of the afternoon carving fishing poles and spears.   Our d...

 If you're wondering where your Christmas card is, it probably got lost in the mail.  I'm sure I sent them out earlier this month, but the details are a little sketchy.  That was at least days ago.  I overshare enough here that even if the card doesn't make it, you already know what the last year was like in the St. Clair household: LOUD.   However, I will continue to enjoy and be open to any and all cards you would like to send my way.  I use them to cover up muddy handprints and color crayon on my walls.  It looks very festive.  But I need a few dozen more to do a proper job.  Please.  Duplicates and triplicates accepted.  For more pro tips, follow me on Twitter.    Here's the best picture collage I could piece together of our year.  It's a little blurry.  The pictures and the year.   It's okay, nobody really wants a clear memory of 2021 anyway.    P.S. I'm not on Twitter.

 Let me start by saying, I love my kids.  I love them.  And I will destroy anyone who tries to harm them in any capacity.  Including myself.   That aside, some days with the kids are rough. Have you ever gotten to the end of an exhausting day and sat down to realize it's only noon?  Each hour crept by as one kid after another tried my patience in their own special way.  Even now, at bedtime, one little bitty is sitting in my lap, refusing to sleep - the icing on the cake.  I couldn't listen to another second of yelling today.  I've had my quota and I've done my quota.  I'm not proud.   The timeouts in the last twelve hours were abounding, the extra chores plentiful, swats were served, and it was truly just an ugly day start to almost finish.  Plus, I was out of chocolate and ice cream which wasn't helping anyone.       At the end of the day, I felt like a huge failure.  But somehow, the kids ...

 Vanity has never really been one of my failings.  I mean, I care, but I don't really care.  My clothes are not in style because they probably weren't any style to begin with.  My eyebrow probably wishes I was a little more vain...if you know what I mean.  I don't spend money on my hair or nails.  Our vehicles are practical and economical.  And that's it.  Actually, let me take you on a little sideline here: the 1999 Camry.  If you are looking for a dependable car that absolutely refuses to die, get yourself a 1999 Toyota, Camry.  Ask your grandma if you can buy hers.  There are approximately 700 grey Toyota, Camrys identical to ours in our community alone.  Because they all refuse to quit.  And manufacturers probably never made another car like it because that kind of lasting power doesn't do them any favors.  It isn't sexy, but 250 thousand miles with little more than general maintenance does kind of make me blush....

 I was going to use this little window of time before bed to do a core workout.  That was around 3:00pm when I was still riding my caffeine high and hadn't just eaten sugar straight from the bag (not literally, but close enough).  Instead, I'm embracing my sedentary self, working toward acquiring Type II diabetes, and resting in the knowledge that my core will still be there and droopy tomorrow.  I'll start that workout first thing in the morning.  Priorities. Speaking of priorities, our kids are becoming noticeably more feral.  We need to reign things in, but I don't know where to even start.   Lift the toilet when you pee?  How about just close the door when you pee?  Or at least make it into the house?  Or, if you must pee outside, find somewhere discreet?  Sheesh.  Please, use a tissue instead of your sleeve, or use your sleeve instead of your finger, or at least wash your finger when you're done - with water, not in y...