Thankful tree, Christmas wish lists, Weird Panera encounter

Dusts off blog

Everyone had nine leaves on which to write the things for which they are thankful for 2017’s Thankful Tree. Here they are, listed in no particular order.

Me:

1. Warm House
2. Viber
3. The internet
4. Doughnuts
5. Interesting job
6. Tea at night
7. Running
8. St. Mike’s
9. Family

Andrew:

1. Electricity
2. Antibiotics
3. Soft pillows
4. Maureen
5. Family
6. Mold
7. Creativity
8. Thermos

Jack:

1. Intelligence
2. Food
3. Speech
4. Holidays
5. Minecraft
6. Civilization
7. Internet
8. Clothing
9. Shelter

Nora:

1. Friends
2. Wolfy (stuffed husky)
3. Doughnuts
4. Thanksgiving
5. Teddy
6. Day/night
7. School
8. Money
9. People that draw women for good jobs (This one is inspired by a cartoon of career choices and some of the people with careers were women.) (We talk about gender and racial equality a lot.)

Ann Marie

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Teddy
4. Jack
5. Nora
6. Family
7. My friends
8. YouTube

Teddy (filled in by me)

1. Mama
2. Daddy
3. Jack
4. Nora
5. Ann Marie
6. Nursing
7. Soft, soft blankets
8. Milk 
9. Milk and binks and blankets

It is also important that I capture the kids’ Christmas wish lists this year.

Jack:

• Super Smash Brothers for the Wii U
• 100 billion dollars (he is willing to accept 100 million dollars)

Nora:

• A Hatchimal
• LOL dolls
• Sisters 8 series

Ann Marie:

• A stuffed puppy
• A hamster. Not a REAL one, a STUFFED one.
• One hundred dollars

Finally, I took the three oldest kids Christmas shopping today. We stopped for lunch at Panera. After placing our order, Ann Marie had a minor meltdown about Nora’s moving her hat and coat to a different seat. A woman came up and said, “Excuse me?” Earlier, Ann Marie had bonked her mouth on the shopping cart and I only found out because a woman saw it and explained to me what happened, so I was primed to think that Ann Marie had again hurt herself and I had missed it. I paused in my tending to the weeping Ann Maire to see what the woman wanted. This is what she said.

“I noticed your daughter is in distress, and I was wondering if you’d like me to teach her some meditation techniques?”

I am not making that up even a little bit.