Everybody has to spill on theirs since we don't know your families!

The best gossip was after my grandmother died. And all my (older than me) cousins were talking about "that summer when we went to live with other relatives."

Well. Turns out my Uncle abandoned the family and my Aunt couldn't handle five kids so she sent them away.

Some of them were treated quite well. Others were literally sent to spend the day outside in the dirt and treated cruelly.

Then my Uncle came back after six weeks and all were reclaimed.

Also, he went AWOL in WWII which turned out to be an important career move for him. Also, his youngest daughter was fathered by another man. Which everybody in the family knew but her. She was his favorite.

Liese, you have a really good SO. Mine is the kind who would tell me to rush back because he likes my reaction when I'm in the middle of bullshit.

Apparently I am very entertaining when I am exasperated.

It does not FEEL entertaining at the time!

t collapses

SO. Tired. Went running, took kids climbing, climbed, took kids to lunch, went home, fetched SIL, visited with parents, helped make dinner, cleaned up, lots of family talk and shepherding of three toddlers, created menu for Sunday, planned tomorrow, made meringues.

I am going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

Fuck me sideways. Got a nasty virus on my computer. Need sleep and a thumb drive (tis hiding from me) before I try fixing. Grrrrrrrr. Merry f$&@#£%ing Christmas to me.

I don't think I can talk about the latest family gossip, because charges might still be pending.

(What? I have a plan.)

Given my tag, this amuses me.

I need to reread bandpires now.

Family frustrations abound but not a lot of drama. Except my brother and sister in law asked what I thought of my sister's new boyfriend and the best I could say was that he seems to bring out the best side with her. Bro is a lawyer and rolled his eyes at me. Told him that it was factually accurate and technically not mean.

And an uncle is dating two women. One of whom is married and not in a happy poly way. Whatever. He also got shot in the ass once. I'm beginning to understand how that might have come about.

I am not yet home, so gossip is pending. Though I did go to a friends Christmas party and watch someone get chloroformed. It was interesting.

This conversation has made me realize that I probably am the family gossip this year, although hopefully not in a mean way.

My parents are back having just missed a 24 hour interstate closing in NM. This is the first year I remember the kids being really excited about Christmas. We are celebrating tomorrow since they will spend the 25th with Joe.

Vacation is so much better when I don't feel like death warmed over! The kids and I are hanging out in our jammies, Dylan is singing "This Is Halloween" at the top of his lungs and Aeryn is dancing. They are each playing with the other's Hanukkah present front last night.

Unfortunately DH now has the dreaded stomach bug so it's going to be a long day for me with these two. Maybe we'll go over to my sister's and make cookies

My family is fairly boring. Although my nephew, who finally moved out of his parents' house into an apartment of his own, announced he'd be conducting an experiment on the effect of alcohol consumption on video game scores. Kinda mild, as family scandles go, although his tea totaling grandmother would Not Have Approved.