three more hours

the hubs is due home in about three hours. i'm winding down from a pretty busy day. though we started late, we got a lot done.

first stop--post office to buy stamps and actually mail christmas cards. it's funny but you just take for granted that people know about stamps. i had the kids help me put the stamps on (they don't even remember stamps before adhesives) and i had to tell them where the stamp has to go on the envelope. so, hey, i taught my kids something today.

second stop--we dropped a trunk load of stuff off at good will (remember those bags that were sitting in my bedroom floor? gone)

then i did something pretty stupid. i took them to the mall. i don't normally do malls. i'd say they've been in a mall MAYBE once a year since they were born, if that. anyway. i was looking through my purse and realized my bath & body works bygof coupon expired today and i'd already missed out on one before. so i thought we could just dash in there and be done. hell no it didn't happen like that. we walked in and i wanted to look at steve & barry's because it's a store i'd heard of but never been in. it's clothing apparently. they were advertising everything for $8.88. really? the hell you say. so i made them go in. the boy said it smelled in there. i immediately thought oh hell (apparently hell is my word today), this stuff is cheap, most likely made in china, which means it's probably rolling in formaldehyde--that's what the smell is. we scanned through the "aggressive shirts" as the boy calls them. the t-shirts w/ the smart ass sayings on them. i was walking and just glancing but when the girl asked me what head and and orgasm were (something on a shirt) i knew it was time to go. i told her i didn' t know. i know, a cop out but i'd already taught them about stamps and didn't think we needed to get into these topics today.

after that it was heaven--i mean bath and body works. i love this store hellaciously much and would so love to spend an ass load of money in there. the boy said that place smelled too but i made him suck it up cos i needed at least 20 minutes in there.

then they decided they wanted to walk around the mall. ok i thought. for the most part they'd been good. i'd warned them before we left that a) the boy had no allowance left to spend and b) we weren't shopping for either of them, we were christmas shopping. they wanted to look in a toy store and a card shop (that carries webkinz). stupidly i let us go into both stores. it was torture for them but we walked out with nothing. i decided to treat us to barnes and nobles. my final gift from my secret santa at work was a b&n gift card so i wanted to use it. we milled around in there for awhile. i told them i'd buy them each a book (not too expensive). the boy picked a captain underpants book and the girl, after much debate, picked the hobbit. i wonder if she'll actually read it? god i hope so, that would be so cool. i never could get through it but thought i should. maybe this will make me read it. she loves series books. she's read the harry potter books, all of them, i'd say at least 10 times through. i used my gift card and got an anita shreeve book. i love her writing.

then a drive thru mickie d's cos the kids were fading fast and it was near dinner time. grocery store after that then home to straighten up a little. now i think i'm going to build a fire, put my pajamas on and chill out till the hubs gets home. i know he'll be exhausted he's had fog and rain all day. we might even have hot chocolate. i've become a hot chocolate snob though. although i used those little pouches i can't make it with water anymore. you know, add the mix to hot water? no. i use milk. it's an amazingly better cup of hot chocolate.