Wow. Bed Bath and Beyond was poised to be a clusterfuck, with all the cars turning in to it. But they had adequate parking and had every cash register open, so it was actually the quickest I've been in and out. Their 20% coupons are genius. I feel compelled to check them out for a certain category of stuff, because I figure they're competitive, above and beyond any actual price research.

This is news? That requires a "source"? The Gosselin kids don't believe in Santa, and they've told other kids that he's not real. [link]

yeah, that's not news.

mac did similar today. We got here with his playdate and the friend made a comment that they already have presents under their tree ( we don't b/c mac FREAKS out and basically cannot handle the idea of presents coming in the future, must less actually see them and have to wait). Then the friend says, everything except the stuff from Santa, and mac goes "SEE MOM! There is too a Santa." His friends eyes are all bugged out and I have to call mac over for a conference.

I wonder if I spoilt Santa for anyone. Because I'm not sure a conference would have worked for me--I was very short on empathy when it came to the truth. We had one friend who clung tightly to beliefs like "everyone in England wears big dresses" and "my Baby Alive is really alive" and there were big screaming fights that adults tried to mitigate, but I thought that it was just important that she understand I was right.

It's possible you don't recognise that in me today.

HA!

I am halfway through wrapping the caramels AND I made a half batch of toffee. I was worried it wasn't going to turn out, cause there at the end, the butter started to separate, but I just poured that bit off and spread the rest out to cool and it seems to be ok. WHEE!

When I was a kid, my mom would start piling up Chanukah presents in the living room as she bought them and wrapped them, but by the time I was in second or third grade, she knew to use double-sided wrapping paper on mine and tape up all the gaps in the paper, because I'd figured out how to hold the present up to the light to see the the box under the wrapping paper and lift up the stray edges of paper to peek underneath. If something was in a distinctive-sized package, she's put it inside another box before wrapping it.

One year my mother wrote all the presents, "To Aisha, To Khadija," etc. - she was reading Naguib Mahfouz at the time. So we wouldn't know what was for who and be tempted to peek.

Snort. I don't know when I stopped believing. We played along all wink-wink-nudge for a long time.

All day, people have been trekking up and down the streets with sleds and trashcan lids and now a snowboard just went by (nice sliding hills on the old stadium site.) t /neighborhood likes carrots

I want to go sledding. There is nowhere to sled around here, though.

I've got several new coworkers on fb who just moved to Baltimore recently and they are pretty much all in shock. It's funny.

Oh! My realtor? Who isn't due until 1/4? She's got 12lbs of baby in her. And she's TINY. I really can't imagine.