the jury is out

Well, I got called up for jury duty again.... only this time I had to go to court. Then they drew my name out of the "bowl" on the second try..... I then had a bad feeling that I was going to be there for a while. Well, it was a civil suit that was supposed to take two days. They met this morning before court was in session and due to some "indiscrepencies" on the plaintiffs part under oath yesterday, they decided to settle out of court and there was no money awarded either way!

WHEW! I didn't know what to think, a day or two away from the responsibilities of GP and the kids, or two days in court listening to boring testimony from Dr.s!!

So now it's back to the old grindstone. Greg's working with Mr. Pete today and I'm taking his day on Friday! Hey, that doesn't seem right, that will give Greg a four day weekend.

Christmas went well, I've still got totes of decorations and a tree in my dining room waiting to go back down to dad's pole barn... hey, Greg does have a four day weekend.

Lauryn got the one thing she was asking for a Nintendo DS... it took two grandmas and mom and dad to be able to afford it. She was really good about opening only 3 presents as opposed to Liyah's 5-6. Liyah asked only for dress up princess clothes and shoes that go "click click" so we scoured the thrift stores and found some lacy, flowing dressy dresses a few sized larger than she wears. A couple dollars for each one and the kid is done!!

Everyone in our house gets jammies from Santa so we all are cozy and would like to sit around all day in them (actually Lauryn did wear her "Princess and the Frog" nightie for three days before I told her she had to get something else on and let me wash it!!

We had fun convincing Lauryn that there is a Santa, she said if Santa ate the cookies she made him then he is real! Of COURSE we ate them.... she's back on the belief wagon for now! Although she did find a Walgreen's price sticker on the tube of toothpaste that Santa put in Liyah's stocking. I don't know... mommy said that Walgreen's is a 24 hour store and it's a good thing 'cause sometimes Santa may need to stop and pick up a few little items on his trip around the world. When does it become a lie?

Ah well, enjoy it while they are young. I don't remember ever thinking that Santa was real.... other than a great story to read about. Maybe I'm too much of a realist, I never thought fairy tales were real, that princesses were repressed or that Barbie's were a bad "role model" for my fragile psychie. Like I really thought a plastic doll with rubbery legs that popped when you bent them was real!! I snuggled with my mother enough to know what a real woman felt like. Then again, she was a great role model too.... not perfect, but fair in all things!

So when my girls love to play Barbie's or Bratz or dress up and make believe I don't worry too much about them getting the wrong idea on what life is really like.

I still tell them that I'm not spending my money on every toy they see, I'm not letting them stay up past their bedtime, and no the boy Bratz are NOT allowed to go to the bedroom with the girl dolls (unless we've already performed the wedding!!).

Life for kids, have fun, use your imagination, laugh, play and above all things believe. 'Cause real life will hit you sooner than you know and then you have to "schedule in" these things!!!

HA!!

Happy new year to all!