Can't Sleep

What's a pregnant girl to do when she has insomnia? I'm on a "no drugs" policy, and I need my sleeping pills! I'm worried that this may be the start of one of my week-long insomnia marathons. If so, at least I can count on Cecily to be up into the wee hours. (I'll be calling you, friend!) She seriously keeps vampire hours. Cecily, if you're reading: Are you one of the undead?

So today was a marathon day; we all left the house at 12:30noon-ish and got home at 11:30pm. Poor Max was so upset. He's such a little homebody and kept saying, "Can't we just go HOME?" Mimi's Christmas dance recital was today and ended around 2:30pm. By an amazing stroke of luck, I scored tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert and Mike's parents offered to watch the kids (thankyouthankyouthankyou). So we drove to Grandpa & Grandma's, visited for a while, then left for the concert. (It was amazing; more about that tomorrow) Watch Music & the Spoken Word tomorrow! (Sunday) The King's Singers were guests at the concert and they will also be on Music & the Spoken Word.

By the time we got home, it was 11:30 and the kids were burnt out! And poor Max. He gets the nervous shakes if he's away from his stuff for too long. He has to be able to obey the impulse to compulsively create a kooky craft--or at the very least, to sit down for a manic lego-building session--and feels adrift without his supplies nearby. He feels secure with his own belongings, his own cozy bed, his own dvd's or his own computer nearby.

Mimi, on the other hand, was in heaven with Grandma's 4,554,312 Polly Pockets to play with.

Isabelle was evidently having a blast raiding and pillaging Grandma's rather, ahem, extensive toy collection.

The last few days have been barren of baking & I'm going through withdrawals! So here's what I have planned:
Monday - chocolate & caramel pretzels; graham cracker houses that night for FHE
Tuesday - Haystacks
Wednesday - Toffee
Thursday - My secret batch of sugar cookies, not for kids! Only for me to decorate!
Friday - Fudge (to give away this time)

I'll also be making & posting some easy recipes that are holiday staples in my family: "Thanksgiving Punch" and the famous red jello. I'm also going to try to get around to doing a post on Nanimo Squares, the most decadent treat in the universe.

Who wants to come help me, said the Little Red Hen?

Tomorrow my lesson in Primary will be so fun! Here's the plan:
*Set out my Nativity-oriented Christmas books and let them each pick one for me to read aloud while they sit on the floor and eat treats.
* Watch some of the church Nativity dvd
*Make their sheep (they are going to be shepherds next week, travelling to find the baby Jesus)
That's probably all we'll get to, even though I'd like to do a flannel board activity. Do any of you even use flannel boards ever? I pulled it out last week and all my kids said, "What's that?" I said, "A flannel board, DUH."

I guess I will go read Mike's gun mail-order catalog. That ought to put me right out. Why didn't I think of that before? Good nighty-night!

(Call me, Cec. I'll be up.)