T minus, um, not much

Good thing my to-do list is getting shorter because we are running out of time!!
Let's see, this is Thursday, right??

Here's the update:

* So far, all is well. We are packed, the important paperwork is ready, and nerves seem to be in check.

* One screw up: We ordered the Lonely Planet Amharic Phrasebook online from B&N, as well as a book for me to read on the plane. Supposed to ship within 24 hours. Nope. They've had some sort of glitch and won't get it here until after we leave. I keep picturing someone in a warehouse trying to remember where they put the Amharic phrasebooks. As one who used to work for a book wholesaler and had the pleasure of spending days in a large warehouse full of books (pure heaven for me) I can totally see Amharic phrasebooks being misplaced. I want to call them and say, "Go check where you shelved the Lonely Planet Arabic books." Oy. What's worse is that my friend Jen got me started on a new book series, and I'm dying for book 2! (It's the Stephanie Meyer "Twilight" books -- young adult, vampires, surprisingly captivating.)

* House is a mess. Gotta clean it today. Driving me nuts.

* J has been practicing his good-byes. He comes up to me, gives a big hug, and says, "Bye-Bye, Mommy." He tries to sound all sad and pathetic -- he's pretty good at that. More than once I have caught him cracking a smile, so I know he's just trying to get to me. Smart kid.

* Speaking of J, I have to do a bit of bragging and a bit of embarrassing. On Tuesday, they had this thing at his school called a Town Meeting. Basically a group of about 13 second graders were chosen to get up in front of other 2nd graders and parents to read something that they had written. J was chosen for this. So, I went to his school and crammed into the library with the rest of the proud parents, and two of the 2nd grade classes came and sat on the floor to listen to the presentations. There is nothing like being in the presence of a bunch of 8-year-olds to remind you how normal (and great!) your own kid is. Oh my. Some of the kids seemed to a tad spaced out on their meds, other kids appeared to need some meds, and then most of them were fairly well-behaved 2nd graders. J did an awesome job of waiting his turn and then getting up in front of the crowd and reading about his Favorite Fall Day into the microphone. I was very proud of him. (One kid got up there, said his name, and then ran off.) Whenever I wonder if my son is too crazy, wild, ill-mannered, etc., it helps to hang out with his peers. Makes him look like the model of maturity -- and if you know J, that really says something about the other kids!

Now for the embarrassing part:
J is a snuggler. Don't know when he will give this up, but for now it is a must for him. He LOVES LOVES LOVES to snuggle up with mom and dad. So, he's telling me the necessary steps for snuggling. Step 1: First, you find a tender woman. (WHAT?! How old are you? 30?)
Step 2: Then, you fart in her ear. (Oh yeah, you're an 8-year-old boy. How could I forget.)
His favorite word of the moment has been tender. Mommy are you tender? Mom, you're tender. Mom, what does tender mean?

* We'll attempt to blog and email while we are away. I apologize in advance if it doesn't happen as often as I would like. We'll see what happens. And to all of you who have children in the House of Hope, we will be sure to give them lots of hugs and kisses for you.

That's all for now. I'll try to post at least one more time before we head out on Saturday. Everybody enjoy The Game for us!
:)