Early December

Early December was rocky in this house! Ellie went back to school today after a full week at home. The school nurse called me last Tuesday morning to say she had a slight fever and by the time I picked her up she was up to 104! She had an upper respiratory virus which was bad for a couple of days, but then she just couldn't shake the fever. Finally we went in to the doctor's and they diagnosed an ear infection which explained why she had had a fever for 8 straight days. She passed on her cough first to Kate, and now to Nicholas, who is currently barking like a seal. It feels like we have personally funded the entire North American pharmaceutical industry this last week. We are awash in different bottles of medicine in the fridge, in both upstairs and downstairs medicine cabinets, and we have gone through and had to replace multiple bottles of Tylenol. So expensive!

Poor Ellie was so sick that she had to miss the OCMCO concert - actually she could probably just about have done it if it were not for the fact that she had no voice for a couple of days. She wanted to go and just mouth the words, but if she had actually started singing in the enthusiasm of the moment there would have been a walrus-like croaking sound on stage and I didn't want to risk it! The concert was wonderful. I do love them! It was a good start to feeling like Christmas.

Our tree was up nice and early this year. The kids started begging (literally, begging) on Dec 1st and did not let up until it was all done. Given that I have been known to throw a tree up the weekend before Christmas I don't quite like this early, early start! The tree itself was up for a couple of days and I was waiting until all kids were healthy and able to participate (ie get up off the couch) before we decorated it. Then I just gave up and we did it with them in their various stages of illness. We'd still be waiting otherwise! 

We're about halfway through the early December craziness. There's event after event after event, most of which involve me playing the piano for various things. One I could have done without, tried hard to get out of, but then secretly quite enjoyed was Jeff's company Christmas party, which was held on the Paramount Studios back lot! Talk about fancy. It almost made up for having to make small talk with strangers... not one of my talents. But a night out in LA was fun, even if it was FREEZING! Every couple of years or so I wish that I actually owned a coat - that was that night for me! It was so cold.

I can't wait to have the kids home from school for Christmas. I can't wait until the all the Christmas crazy is done and I can actually start to think about Christmas and have my family at home to celebrate Christmas properly. And I am enjoying that it is so cold right now - it really feels like proper Christmas. I love it!