<p>pulling up from page 2</p>
<p>mommusic,</p>
<p>don’t worry, come in an have a drink anyway. It will be most likely to celebrate but should any unexpected suprises crop up , we won’t have to toss to many more down the bar at ya because you’ll already have one ;)</p>
<p>Just remember, no crying in the beer as we want curmie and dodds to buy us some pretzels.</p>
<p>Maybe we should do an Alley secret Santa. </p>
<p>Drumroll.</p>
<p>I reach into the hat and pull out, um, let’s say, SBMom!</p>
<p>Because this is virtual, not IRL, I can shop for her immediately. Given her commitment to physical fitness, I give her a month of her own personal trainer. And, as a bonus, he’s an Italian soccer player. (ha ha couldn’t resist…)</p>
<p>Aw, I wanted an Italian soccer player! </p>
<p>Anyway, just took a call from DS who is supposed to come home on Wednesday. “Hi mom, we just got on the highway.” </p>
<p>“What???”</p>
<p>He forgot to tell me–the other 2 kids in his car pool moved their Wednesday exams so they’re all done today! Be home in a few hours!</p>
<p>It will be great to see him, but I told him he was lucky we were in town. Does he still have his house key? :D</p>
<p>I love SA secret Santa + I pick out mommusic !</p>
<p>Rings for her fingers and bells for her toes, two Italian soccer players carrying a sedan chair…she shall have music wherever she goes…:)</p>
<p>Okay I got Alumother!! </p>
<p>And because her gift for me was sooooo perfect I am getting her what I know she really wants: A two week vacation back in time to 1992 with her tiny perfect chubby children, who cannot get enough lap time, snuggles, boo-boo kisses, etc. Smell their necks again and again. Love them up. Enjoy!!</p>
<p>Merry Christmas!!</p>
<p>Aw, thanks, BHappyMom!</p>
<p>That’s probably the nicest present I have gotten or will ever get!</p>
<p>And from the sedan chair I will preside over my household of men/boys, attempting to divert the conversational topics from computers, algorithms, problem sets, & operating systems! Haha, lots of luck!</p>
<p>And I will be carried in style to the grocery store to stock up on gallons of milk and pizzas for snacks!</p>
<p>Aw, SBMom, you are right. And this time I will know what I didn’t know then. Everyone told me that time would go so fast. But for a stay-at-home mom with two young strong-willed children, in my experience, time did NOT go fast. </p>
<p>I think what those people really meant was this. The hours with little kids can take forever to pass. But when they go, when the passing is finished, those hours are gone. Truly gone, nowhere to be found except in memories. Blurry memories, because sleep deprivation and overwhelm ain’t too good to the receptor brain cells…</p>
<p>I want grandchildren just to bring back those hours, just for a little bit.</p>
<p>My friend told me “The days are long, but the years are fast.” Thought that about summed it up.</p>
<p>My mum said “Once they are ten they’re twenty.” </p>
<p>So true. The under-10 years seemed to loll past–but all of a sudden they are 18 and nearly 21?</p>
<p>So true…I remeber the endless parade of tweed clad old ladies peering into the stroller, or lurching over the little ones growling “treasure these days, they grow up too fast…”, and now all too soon I have found myself uttering those same words to young mothers :eek:…Yikes! BHappymom shakes off her tweeds and orthopaedic shoes and goes back to finding interesting recipes for dog food casserole, which she & the DH will no doubt be living on in their retirement (HaH) and golden years… 
…</p>
<p>Another one I’ve heard is “Little children, little problems; big children, big problems.” Seems to be true!</p>
<p>Funny you should say that mommusic.</p>
<p>Though I adored the wee baby years, I am LOVING having teenagers. Go figure.</p>
<p>You are lucky, then! And I have been lucky. It’s just that the things big kids can do wrong have such huge consequences. You could go crazy with worry.</p>
<p>I love having teenagers too. Just that once they get access to cars their necks aren’t so easily accessible by their mothers:).</p>
<p>Alumother - with all this talk of necks and picturing you with that streak of white hair at the temple…hmmmm bartend’ hold the onion, I’ll have a clove of garlic in my martini… :)</p>
<p>Yesssss. The Wie? Actually works quite well as a stake through the heart…</p>
<p>Rescuing from the scourge of the forgotten on page 2</p>
<p>My shopping is done. My feet are up and I’m sitting by the roaring fire at the other end of the bar sipping on my third Irish Coffee and eating shortbread cookies …ahhhhh</p>
<p>Miss most of the Christmas hub bub being Jewish. Each year, as the kids get older, we do less and less for Hanukka. Not even sure is I can spell it correctly anymore.</p>
<p>Headed out with some my Jewish friends with college aged kids to drink wine and celebrate the general holiday season.</p>
<p>Funny - I never really associated Christmas with religion, I grew up part of the black and white tv generation “Father Knows Best” “Leave It To Beaver” “Miracle On 34th Street” …and I was just a greedy little kid and it was all about the presents (not that I got many of those 
) and the reindeer! It wasn’t until my son drew a ‘Christmas’ picture for me when he was in kindergarten that I did a tiny bit of reflection…It was a cross with Santa nailed on it…and his explanation was very intriguing showing all the cultural icons he’d managed to absorb in 5 short years. 
</p>
<p>massmom - Happy Hanukka! Happy Holidays to you!</p>