Good-Bye Winter Break

Tomorrow it's back to school for Thea (she's looking forward to it), and back to the last eight weeks of Micah's routine of Ela on Mondays, group on Wednesdays and Estra on Fridays. This year I think I worked more than all previous winter breaks combined - especially this past week when January 1 was the only day I didn't work.

Back to school uniforms, though I've enjoyed seeing Thea in her 'regular' clothes. . . .

Back to packing lunches - I stocked up on lunch supplies today while grocery shopping. . . .

Back to keeping to a more regular schedule, especially with bedtimes. . . .

Back to making 1,000,001 phone calls to get the missing part of Micah's evaluation scheduled, to talk with the Wednesday teacher before she talks to the social worker from the Child Study Team, to check with JFK's Audiology Department to see if Micah's second BAHA has been delivered, to check with the company that makes the blocks that we use for the BAHA since the double BAHA band from Cochlear is on back order for months and months.

What I learned from over the past few weeks:

- I suck at making potato latkes, and the ability to make hash browns (a sort of giant latke in my book) has no bearing on one's ability to make a decent latke;

- the quality of latke recipes availabe via Google sucks;

- I need to work on taking a holiday card picture in October, given the level of cooperation I receive from the photographees around here, but if push comes to shove as it did this year, I can take a picture, make a card on-line, bang out a letter and address labels in a relatively short time;

- in December 2009, if I use all the ornaments, including those that were held back to avoid any breakage due to a two-year old's curiosity, we're going to need a nine to ten foot tall tree - and a small step ladder would be a good gift;

- the batteries never wear down as fast as you'd like them to in the noisiest, most obnoxious toys;

- holidays are better when viewed through my children's eyes, I am thankful that they don't have a lot of expectations as far as presents, so they are thrilled with it all, especially the boxes.

- Thea is gorgeous in her red velvet dress, tights and 'high heel' shoes; with any luck she might not completely outgrow it by the next holiday (dream on, Mom - she's a weed).