This episode is in two parts: Pre-Christmas with Hudson, and Post-New Year solo.
First my #1 son and I talk about Christmas anxiety and the excitement of my recent commercial shoot. Apparently, we work in the rain. Then, I wrap up the old year and ring in the new with the latest holiday cheer and our prep for the big trip back East. Something I should have kept in mind: Rain here could equal snow there…
Premium Edition: An hour, nine minutes.
Free Edition: TBD
Dan,
Saw 2 of your Bimmer spots, great job. Hope you had a great Christmas and have a great New Year.
John
Dan, I am very pleased for you re: the work opportunities. Keep that truck rolling along!
LOVED to hear about the xmas day present thing and your travel woes – makes me glad that I am not the only person who has to live with this madness.
Our kids were told the 6.30am thing too. My son (nearly 8) appeared at 2.30am and was promptly sent back to bed, my daughter (6) appeared at 4.50am and was also sent away, but constant nagging from both broke our spirit at 5.10am!
On the kennel issue re: Hugo, we have had similar issues. We made the mistake of visiting a local kennels however, and decided there was NO WAY our dog would be going there – and they are all pretty much the same – limited exercise and basically solitary confinement for most of the time with a 6pm bed time. Compared to the lap of luxury we bestow on our labrador, we could not bring ourselves to place him there.
The kennels your way are REALLY expensive too – here if you paid £15 a night, that would be top end, which I guess is about $25. Just a suggestion too – get the iSpy App on ipod or ipad (ipad is best), which allows you to view and control literally thousands of security cameras. Look up the cammeras at Doggy Day Care and similar kennels and you will definitely not want to board your dog at these places!
Your mother let you down really, but that’s mothers for you when they get older!!
Dan – still packing dvds and players – no, no, nononono. Go to Apple.com and get the kids refurbished iPods and you will be asking yourself why you did not do it sooner. You don’t even just have to fill it up with videos and music – you can get audio books. Your library may have a link so you can get free audio books downloads. (They should with 9.75% sales tax – ridiculous!) Make using them a special thing. (Not in the house – just in the car, on trips, etc. You set the guidelines and hold on to them when they are not to be in use.)
RZ, I have a better idea than that – an ipad! You can burn and load up a lot of movies and stuff. and when you are at home, you can stream to the ipad from your Mac (or PC I guess) using Air Video. This app allows you to save way more than the capacity of the ipad or ipod touch and stream over wi-fi (at great quality, even when converting on the fly, stereo sound etc). Amazing!
Not to mention all the free or cheap Apps you can get. I honestly think they will ditch or downgrade the ipod soon as the ipod touch just makes way more sense for most people, especially kids. But then we are a 3 touch plus ipad family plus all the previous incarnations of ipods!!
Oh Wayne – like this cheap American housewife could bring myself to buy an IPAD? (I mean really, how could I justify that?) I just upgraded my son to a refurbished iPod Touch from Apple. (16g for like $149) He LOVES it. The free apps are CRAZY. I told him he has app madness. lol I am just freakin thrilled to get his hand-me-down video 8g. Both my kids had 8g and I had their two hand-me-down 4gs. I used one for podcasts and music and the other for audiobooks. Nothings but second best for mom! You know technology is seducing us all. Ha We have so many iPods in various forms around this house it is ridiculous.
Christmas Presents are always add value to your life. Gifts your precious ones by adding this meaning to your loved ones by choosing your own gifts. Save money and time…
http://www.refurbishedp4.com