The Superior Express -

George started work today! After 12 weeks, it is sure nice to have my house back to myself for even a few hours a day. You won’t hear me complain about missing him anymore because he works just across town—a welcomed change. This morning, I wanted to crawl back in bed and enjoy having it all to myself again. During the three or four years he was on the road, I got used to having it all to myself. For a while, I thought we would have to go to his and her beds. I’ve been told I sleep diagonally and that I hog the covers.

The children have all been a little grumpy this week. You can tell they are ready for winter break. Jacob has finals this week. He said it’s super stressful, but I haven’t seen him crack a book open for more than 30 minutes in the evenings.

The girls I watch, not sure what’s got into them. They have been bickering a lot with one another, and the youngest has gotten even snarkier if that were even possible. This girl is a hoot. She’s six, and she tells it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not. She’s always cleaning. She asked Santa for cleaning supplies for the last two years. Last year she got a real vacuum cleaner. She curses my dogs for shedding, lol. The oldest, who is eight, is content just brushing her hair and styling it into various ponytails all over the top of her head. She would be happy if her sister would let her watch her shows in peace and quiet. They have grown up so much in the past year.

I got the Christmas tree set up this past weekend, a small victory for me. Last year I set it up on Dec. 23. I’ve even got some of the other decorations put out. I’ve been deep cleaning as I slowly decorate. What is it about Nebraska? Any given time of the year, I have enough dust to grow corn. I dust every week, and every week it’s the same old story.

Robert will be home in about a week. He asked what we were doing for Christmas. Honestly, the kid has known me his entire life, and you would think by now he would realize there is no plan. I gave up planning years ago because nothing ever goes according to plan. So like most everything in my life, I wing it. I pack the frig because who knows which kid will show up, and when, and for how long. I cook for an army, and whether we have four or 14, it seems to get eaten.

I’m not sure how many stragglers we will have this holiday. I have an open-door policy with my “extra’s.” I’m preparing for utter chaos! I know my daughter and her “hubby” are planning to be here at some point. And of the four tankers I adopted at Thanksgiving, all but one has gone home for Christmas. Thank God, they had been away too long. I’ve gotten several pictures of happy homecomings! One of the boys even called to let me know his plane landed safely and promptly sent me a photo of his little girl. It’s so crazy how you can form a genuine connection with people in such a short time.

I know for sure one of the boys is stopping in. I don’t know when or for how long. He has decided he is my favorite son. It’s fun to talk with them all on Facetime. (Facetime is a video chat for those of you who don’t know.) Robert barely gets a word in, so he has to call me when they are not around so we can have a real conversation. Until next time, X’s & O’s.