I have survived - just barely- with Daddy in the hospital christmas eve, helping glenda get ready for family christmas, cleaning up for glenda cause she'd spent the night in the hospital with daddy, family christmas dinner, eating ham because we never have pork at my house, opening presents – getting a clown costume and money for my summer vacation, feeling guilty because Kevin didn’t have as many as everyone else, santa activities, forcing everyone to sleep in one room and not allowing anyone else to go back downstairs because Jose was the elf this year and he wasn’t getting up to do it and was sure he’d be up before the boys ( he wasn’t so forcing him to do it before 11 and keeping the boys in the room worked best)little boys who wet the bed because they so didn't have to pee before bedtime, whatever, sleeping with wet pajamas because there was nothing else to sleep in, getting up early, waiting 30 minutes before forcing everyone else to get ready, wondering in what wierd hell Santa leaves all the presents in the bag that I have been carrying around from room to room for 3 days with presents in that the boys have seen instead of taking them out of the bag and putting them in the santa bag purchased specifically for that purpose, shaking my head at how bad boys are at being santa’s helpers, watching the boys open their presents from santa and mamita, papita and mom and dad, feeling guilty because kevin only has one presewnt to open, visiting with the relative no one else wants to visit with, another family christmas, lunch this time and again focus on the ham, playing dirty santa, ending up with two gifts, both of which i like, thank you jodi, the drive home, and last presents between the boys, feeling relieved when Kevin was so happy to see his bike and not upset at all that men’s bikes now come in the color purple, then putting everything away, listening to the children be whiney and happy all at once like kids who’ve been up since 5:30, mostly that 5 year old whose idea of sharing is for him to have it, but since he’s the only one who got toys and not video games everyones all over his stuff, outlining the day ….now, to go hide in the bedroom, read, and sleep until dawn.
