What I Did On My Christmas Vacation

My vacation, by the numbers:

3...Christmas celebrations with various branches of the family

1...Trip to the Children's Museum

1...Case of the stomach flu, probably a memento from one of the patrons of the Children's Museum

2...Trips to the sledding hill

84...Trips up the sledding hill

7,483...approximate number of times I inflated and released rocket balloons for the kids (the orange thing in the upper right hand corner, for the uninitiated)

12...rocket balloons which popped

12...number of near heart attacks resulting from the balloons popping*

846...approximate number of times I chased Natalie off of the kitchen table

2...pairs of mittens knitted for the little kid-ens who are always losing their mittens

3...forts built and demolished

18...art projects started and abandoned at various stages of completion

23...different "potsicle horses" created to amuse the kids (If Sammy reaches elementary school without knowing how to properly say "obstacle courses", I take full responsibility.  I find it so hilarious that I can't help but do exactly what you're not supposed to do, and I use the phrase myself.)

*For those who don't already know, I am deathly afraid of loud noises, i.e. popping balloons, cars backfiring, and gunfire.  I think the fact that I tolerated so much balloon play over our vacation should earn me some extra Mommy Brownie Points (MBPs).  Possibly to cancel out the MBPs deducted when I lost my temper at the kids for being kids and getting fingerpaint all over every.square.inch of the kitchen table, their clothes, and their bodies during one of our art projects.