Holidays, Moving, and Wishes

We are in the midst of the Great Move...from the 3rd floor to the second.  :)  It's still a pain, even though we don't have quite as much stuff and don't have to rent a truck.  But it'll be a MUCH better living situation, I think.
My in-laws returned last night, having been in Hawaii for the past two months.  So we're getting used to not having the house to ourselves.  Ah, well.  Maybe we'l win the lottery.  Of course, it would help if we actually played the lottery.

I realized a couple of things this morning: It was one month ago today that I arrived in London.  Which is odd, because it seems like I was just there last week.  I definitely need to get back, soon.   I know it's not perfect, and it has its issues, like any city (particularly in terms of how expensive everything is!), but it's been my dream city ever since I was a kid and visited for the first time.  The place I would choose if I could live anywhere on Earth.

The other thing, much closer to home, that I realized is that there only a week and a half until the kids' winter vacation.
TWO WEEK winter vacation.
TTTWWOOOOOO  WWEEEEEEEEEKKSS!!!!!!
The refrain has been sounding in my head all morning, like Jacob Marley dragging his chains and calling out for Scrooge.

My mom will be in town for some of the time, and she's planning on spending at least some of that time in hotel with a pool.  Maybe four or five, which would be great.  But the rest of the time she'll probably be here, which means we have to find something to keep the kiddos occupied. And, lately, WG has decided she'd like to be home As Much As Possible, and lets us know her displeasure in being taken Out Of The House in ways that aren't always nice.  (I was sporting a nice scratch on my forehead for a few days from an attempted walk on Thanksgiving Day.)

I really, REALLY wish there were programs for special needs kids during school vacations!  There are plenty for typical kids, but we don't have the money right now to hire an aid for ours...
So, it's up to me to keep them busy, involved, and entertained.  In some ways it was easier when they were smaller.  They were more portable, lol!  Can't just put them in the double stroller and head out anymore.  Now they're nearly adult-sized (LG is taller than both of his grandparents), and REALLY strong.

And stubborn.
Can't imagine where THAT comes from... (looks away, whistling).

So, we'll figure it out as we go.


So, that's been the daily grind around here.
Aside from a series of some sort of insect bites on a rather ...unfortunate...part of my anatomy that have gotten a bit infected.
More than you needed to know?

Probably a good place to stop.

See ya soon, friends!