New Year's Eve

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Alrighty, peeps. Maybe I'm aging and if so, I don't really care, but it's 9:40p, we had a great dinner, some nice champagne and wine, and now are off to watch a movie in PJs. I feel satisfied. Completely. And I will be in bed well before midnight, and that's great too. www.em-i-lis.com

We had toasted baguette with thyme pesto and preserved lemon crème fraîche, steak fajitas, roasted fennel and potatoes with radicchio, endive and bagna cauda (ridiculous sauce made of anchovies, capers, garlic, lemon, butter and olive oil), and in the fridge lies in wait a chocolate-caramel-hazelnut tart. Mamma mia. I'm stuffed! T is chugging water and we're just happy the boys are in bed.

www.em-i-lis.com

www.em-i-lis.com

www.em-i-lis.com

 

Honest to god, they killed me today. During bath time I imposed monetary fines on them starting then for 1) purposefully dissolving their bath soap in their bath water ($2), 2) using the words butt, crack, fart, hole, tongue, lick and several others anymore (25 cents per transgression), 3) general rudeness, especially in the form of not listening and basic cleaning when asked (25 cents per transgression), and 4) NO dessert or gifts until I see wildly improved behavior.

"But Mom, at my old school, I LOVED the puppet theater, so I NEED one in my room."

A likely story I say. "And no puppet theater for you!"

I had such big and hopeful plans for Em-i-lis 2013 Year in Review as well as Predictions for 2014 pieces for you tonight, but the children beat me to a pulp, and this is all I can manage. Also, the dentist mentioned something about a pulpectomy or some such shit for Jack's unclean 7 year old mouth, but that kid needs to pony up with better behavior before we go on with pulp crap that costs a fortune.

So, in the meantime, I wish you all the happiest and healthiest and best-ever of years as 2014 reaches you. If you're a parent in any way to anyone, I wish you patience and godspeed. Also R&R whenever possible, even if you have to plead or pay for it.

Remember:

  • if you chew gum, don't smack it with an open mouth;
  • if you're wearing tight and/or white pants, please check your rearview via trusty mirror or human source before leaving your home;
  • be kind because you don't know what others are dealing with;
  • that said, stand up for yourself because usually, people can do more;
  • write thank-you  notes, seriously!
  • let things go if you can or if it's warranted (that includes to-dos, "friendships", piles of unread "I swear I'm getting to thems", etc;
  • give, thank, love;
  • be nice to Mother Earth;
  • listen to and/or read an old, amazing speech, like the Gettysburg Address.

Happy New Year!