let the baking begin

We're going to be doing a whole lot of this for the next couple weeks...My baking list is incredibly long this year, everyone wants me to make something:

• sugar cookies (decorated of course!)
• chocolate chip cookies (for Santa and staff at Big Tall Hubby's school)
• buckeyes
• chocolate fudge
• toffee bars
• peppermint cookies
• pretzel hugs (for teachers at school, neighbors, and community friends)
• gingerbread people (only if I feel like it and the other stuff gets done)

Now, you can see why I have to get started like yesterday. There might be a couple more things that pop up, I hope not, that list seems pretty daunting.

Coincidentally, this is the week I have decided to start tracking my food and measuring for Weight Watchers Points. Ugh. Not that I feel like Weight Watchers is "ugh", on the contrary, I love WW, it's the whole getting started process that is ugh. Once I get going, I know I will feel so much better. I am not going to meetings (I desperately want to but we do not have a free night that I can go, and Saturdays are booked too, double ugh.) so I am going to do it on my own, which goes against the WW philosophy but it is better than nothing. Maybe I'll post about it here, make my own WW meeting of one? Something to ponder.

My things to do this week:

• enjoy this week, because I know it will only get crazier
• pack up gifts to mail
• mail Christmas cards
• make menus/grocery lists for Tanner's birthday, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day meals
• finish shopping (almost done!)
• wrap, wrap, wrap (why do I wait so long!?)

My menus for this week:

lots of repeats from last week (BTH was gone a lot so we have some stuff saved)

• fish and sweet potato wedges
• tacos and nachos
• Italian sausage sandwiches
• stuffed shells and salad
• chicken and dumplings
• tortilla soup and biscuits

Look at my buddy, Tanner, he is checking out his picture with Santa from a couple years ago. He says, "why am I sad mommy?" (he was crying) Gee buddy, I don't know, a big stranger makes you sit on his lap and smile for a picture and you can't see his face and you have to talk to him too. I don't know what you would be crying about?! The things we do to torture our kids!

Bringing out the Santa pictures of the past is turning out to be one of my favorite things of the holidays. Seeing how the kids have grown each year is amazing (not to mention our family!). We actually have some of our "first" baby, Max, our dog with Santa! Those were the days.