here comes santa claus here comes santa claus

Thank you, State PFD Division, for approving my dividend application. Socialism is alive and well.

My first act as a Person With An Income is to turn up the heat a little. I can't function in cold air.

Next, who knows... a haircut, maybe? Some Danskos, a FILE CABINET, some fancy long johns, Christmas gifts... and 529's for the kids. It would probably be wise to get the car checked out, since the heater doesn't actually produce heat until we've been driving 65 mph for about 15 minutes. My New Year's Resolution will be to stop ignoring the check-engine light.

It's been FOREVER since I wrote last, because I didn't feel like it. I was busy, too, and K was in town so I got to detach myself from Mama'sBoy for three-and-a-half days in a row. I threw myself into accompanying the kids at T's school during music class. Now I can't get all of those Christmas songs out of my head. I even dream with those songs going on and on and on.

The students are all over the map: obedient, bored, psycho-hyper, cranky, musical, coughing, screaming, jumping, tone-deaf, content, fighting, eager, whatever. I practiced my stare-down with a few of the brats who were ignoring the teacher, that was fun. There were some really good moments all week, though, when they all got into it and just sang because it was fun and not just something they had to do. "I wanna keep SINGING!!" they'd say when the bell rang. One morning I brought Mama'sBoy with me - I stuck him behind me with his new train set and his lunch bag and hoped for the best. He did really well for about three hours and then started a slow melt-down. He climbed onto my back, then my lap (while I was playing a song), turned off the (digital) piano twice, and pulled out the contents of my purse, waving some feminine products in my face, saying "What's THIS Mama? What's THISSSS???"