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"Everybody knows, I love my toes"

Luci's been chanting that a lot lately. Must have learned it at preschool. I'd like to know if there is more to it, since she loves it so much. I should write an e-mail to her teacher and ask...

Luci calls "The Cat in the Hat", "the hap in the cap". Too funny.

I'm still sick today. I slept on the loveseat last night, propped upright so I could breath. I'm getting mighty sick of being sick I tell you.

I made breakfast burritos this morning trying to use up the eggs and sausage and cheese in the house, since the Nativity Fast starts tomorrow. I'm excited in a weird sort of melancholy way. It sort of feels like I have permission to start preparing for Christmas now. Of course, we still have Thanksgiving and another birthday to celebrate (Luci's, Dec.17). So I can't totally immerse myself in Christmas yet. I also want to actually give more than lip service to St. Nicholas's day (Brad's patron and our unofficial slava, family patron, Dec. 6), St. Lucia's day (Luci's patron, Dec. 13), and St. Zoe's day (Zoe's patron, Dec. 18), and St. Eugenia's day (Mari's patron, Dec. 24th, also Mari's actual birthday) this year. Not sure exactly what to do for all of those days though. Fall and early winter is one long celebration in this house. Any simple ideas for name day celebrations from the Orthodox out there? I had this dream of doing taking the girls to do some kind of volunteer/charity work on their name days, sort of in the tradition of their saints. I need to do some more research on that. And I don't really know what small children can do in the volunteer realm yet. But it is a very important dream of mine, I don't want to just give up on it.

Brad's birthday yesterday was sweet. The girls were excited about their gifts. Mari gave him a new insulated lunch bag, Zoe gave him a new long sleeve, blue t-shirt, Luci gave him a can of Irish cream hot cocoa and some espresso chocolate truffles. They had a bit of help from me, of course, but they really picked stuff out themselves and had the final say on what was actually purchased. It was fun shopping with them right up until the end when we went to a party supply store to pick out some balloons. The suggestion was Zoe's, but all three thought balloons were a marvelous idea. However, Mari and Zoe refused to compromise on their choices. Mari was the worst. Anything anyone else said was nice, she categorically hated. And Luci couldn't leave the candy aisle alone and kept sneaking off to try and rip into something whenever I let go of her for a split second. I should have had her strapped in the stoller, but she is really getting too big for that. Finally, I gave up and took them home without balloons. I should have known better than to try and get two five year olds to compromise, especially after our experience in picking out a pumpkin to carve. It took FOREVER and no one was happy with the pumpkin we actually took home. I don't think they'll be given much say in picking out the Christmas tree...heh. But the applesauce cake with maple frosting was good and everyone had fun singing to daddy and giving him his presents and eating gyros from the local Italian/Greek place for dinner.

I'm rambling today. I like Tuesdays because it is our one totally free day during the week, but I also frequently end up feeling a little lonely and sad on Tuesdays. I always want to call my sisters on Tuesdays. It is still too early to call either one of them though. I hate being in the latest time zone.

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Hey, I finally talked Brad into starting an LJ. He's majbaj. Be kind to him, he's new to the blogging/internet community world!