Where has the last week gone?

Can anyone tell me what's happened to the time? Oh my! In the interest of saving some, here's the latest from the Healy house.

• We've all been battling a vicious, nasty stomach virus since Ryan became sick at school last Tuesday. It coincided with Ken's trip to Atlanta, so that meant 1) I had to take care of two sick children by myself for 2 1/2 days and 2) Ken got sick in the hotel and had to fly home feeling miserable. Thankfully, I got the mildest case, which is good because I'm not sure I would have survived otherwise.
• The Polar Express, which is a wonderful book and a holiday movie, is much too intense for youngsters. We tried watching it with Brendan on Saturday night, and though he watched, he looked scared at times. Fifteen minutes into it, we turned it off. We'll try again in two years.
• Our Christmas shopping is almost complete! I tried very hard this year to make lists, stick to them, and shop early.
• Having said that, I will never again shop at Toys R Us. I always go with high hopes, and I leave disappointed. For such a huge toy store, they certainly don't carry much that is unique. It's all big brand-name toys, and I challenge anyone who says those are the best toys available. More importantly, though, I get overwhelmed just as easily as any child. Seeing all of the toys, it's so easy to say, "Oh, the boys must have this!" Seriously, how many cars/trucks/planes on wheels do these kids need?
• Last weekend we did manage to attend Ken's office children's Christmas party. What a hit. Brendan went right up and sat on Santa's lap when Santa called his name. Then he politely answered Santa's questions and received his gift. He loved getting Wingo, from the movie Cars, though he really wanted the "little" Wingo. I'm sure Santa will be back. Ryan was less enthusiastic, as most children his age were, but he was happy to get his MegaBlocks helicopter.
• For those of you who hear me complain about Michigan winters, you'll be happy to hear it is very mild here. We're talking a high of 50 nearly every day for the past week. The sun is even making appearances. And we have only had about three inches of snow. I'll take a nice snowfall on Christmas Eve or Day, but then the 50-degree weather is welcome to stay!
• So with a little more than week until Christmas, I still have so much to do: finish shopping for and decorating the playroom, clean out the rest of the basement and give many items to charity, shop for stocking stuffers, plan our holiday meals, and prepare the house for my parents' arrival on Christmas Eve. Oh, yes, and we'll need to wrap some presents!
• Before that craziness begins, though, we're going out for an adults-only dinner tomorrow night with our friends at Bravo. This is becoming our little holiday tradition with our other friends displaced to Michigan. Looking forward to it!