The Grouch

I guess the total Santa freak-out of 2010 tipped me off a little...I just knew something was not right with James because he was extra clingy and not his usual, happy-go-lucky self on Saturday. I suspected he might be getting sick. Luz had complained about a scratchy throat earlier that morning and it was a busy weekend, so that part made sense - my kids tend to plan their illnesses at the worst possible times - Christian is gearing up for exams, I have a few projects to finish at work before the holidays, and there are tons of extra-curricular things going on.

Look at this face, so completely bummed out:


Ultimately fever surfaced and the rest of the weekend was spent quietly. We decorated a tree that was selected without any fanfare (Christian picked it up from Whole Foods on Sunday afternoon while the kids napped) and watched movies and stayed cozy and warm on a very chilly day. The kids recuperated somewhat but James still has a hacking smoker's cough that keeps him up at night (I miss the days when it was okay to give kids cough medicine).

If you are in the market for a tree that is in the 7 to 9 foot range, please check out Whole Foods. It is a great deal - every tree is $50 - and there is no haggling and hard-selling by some inebriated drifter looking to score a big commission. They will tie it to your car and promise to plant two trees for every one tree sold. I don't think it gets any better than that. Our tree is not particularly big and we contemplating going really big this year since we have the ceiling to accommodate it. I am glad we didn't because the first thing out of Luz's mouth was "wow, that is a gigantic tree". It is all relative.