Things to Do - Grateful List (December 2011)

A long month - three sick kids, 1400 miles of driving, a new house, and a move. Mostly good things. But we're ready to settle in for awhile.

ARTS
1. M83's - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming album
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the movie) (and my mom babysitting so we could go)
3. True Grits by Bilger in the 10.31.11 New Yorker (I really want to eat here someday)
4. Knuffle Bunny the Musical (the play was okay, but running around the Kennedy Center afterwards was awesome)
5. Watching Work of Art at night with Dan

FOOD
6. Trader Joe's Sugar Cookie Mix
7. Amie's pasta salad - mixed greens, goat cheese, sundried tomatos, and orecchiette
8. Dan's Xmas goose (esp. the gravy)

PLACES
9. Mt Vernon in late fall/early winter
10. The Walkersville Santa Train for B's Birthday Party
11. Our first wassail
12. OUR NEW HOUSE!!

STUFF
13. Elf on the Shelf
14. Amazon wish list books for Xmas from my mother-in-law
15. Brain Quest Kindergarten (F is addicted to these and they're perfect for long cartrips)
16. Elfa organizers from the Container Store (during their 30% off sale), the girls' new closet is amazing

ETC
17. F's pride at winning the soccer goal kicking contest
18. T's obsession with building castles out of blocks and magnatiles
19. P always telling people "now pretend . . ." and then changing the "pretend" every few minutes
20. Caro's cheap wine party
21. The kids always saying "everyday I'm shuffling" or yelling "party people in the house tonight"
22. T constantly "helping"
23. "Mom, doesn't this outfit make me look like a 3rd grader?" - F
24. All three kids playing adventurer together for hours after school
25. F singing holiday songs from around the world (a spanish carol, a song about kwanza,"I have a little dreidel", and jingle bells) at Safeway with her Kindergarten class
26. "Twins"
27. Playing Candlyland with P in the afternoon while T sleeps and F is at school
28. Marley the dog
29. Grandma and T playing "good guy" superheros Xmas afternoon
30. Dan's family's help during the move (thank god for relatives)