Home at last

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing my family. I look forward to Thanksgiving all year just so I can take the girls to see their Bubbie and Crazy Aunt Judy. But there's just something about being home. It might be the SEVEN hour trip with two children under four....OR it might just be me.

Bitch. Moan. Complain.

Top ten reasons I really need to go back to bed today:

1. It took us EIGHT hours to fly to Texas yesterday. With two small children. Note to self: never go the cheap route again.
2. My throat is killing me. I can feel a sickness descending....
3. Ray Ray woke up at 5:00...AM this morning. Ready to play.
4. I put my underwear on inside out today.
5. I ate chili for lunch. I can still TASTE it.
6. I'm working....when I'm supposed to be on vacation. And my family is at the movies without me.
7. Some of my favorite cousins and friends from Dallas are on vacation. Elsewhere. I won't get to see them this trip.
8. I just got off a disappointing work call.
9. I think I've gained weight. In all the wrong places.
10. And finally, It will take me another EIGHT hours to fly home on Saturday. With two small children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Southwest's New Boarding Policy

I gotta say, I'm not sure I like it:

1. They stopped boarding families first. I'm sure those of you without children really couldn't care, but it was a nice perk if you were trying to get decent overhead luggage space for the bazillion toys/clothes/food items required when traveling with wee ones. Now, they board families between the As and the Bs.
2. They started a position numbering system. I guess so many people have complained about the "cattle call"--you know, those lines that form more than an hour before boarding because certain people (myself included) must be first to board (yes, I'm anal like that)--so they changed their policy. In any case, one's position is determined by the quickness of your trigger finger (think Ticketmaster). You get online and hit the button EXACTLY 24-hours before the flight if you have any hope of getting an A, much less a low number.

I'll find out exactly how bad this new system is tomorrow when the family and I head off (with the millions of other folks) for the holidays. Fortunately, we have seats for everyone. Oh, that's right: WE DIDN'T BUY A SEAT FOR RAY RAY. Guess someone (read: me) will have to hold her for the duration of the flights.

5am BABY!

No, we didn't go shopping at 5am on Black Friday. We went at 6:30 and it was fantastic. My mother, Petra, and unwitting participant Natche and I hit Walmart, Toys R Us, Michaels and Old Navy...and did we make out like BANDITS.

The only disappointment: we didn't get the Vtech Learning Laptop. At $14.99, it apparently sold out at 5:01am. So if you see it on the Internet at a decent price, pop me a note.

I will say to those of you who think I'm completely out of my gourd for shopping on Black Friday at that ungodly hour that it was not as bad as you might expect. Walmart had HUNDREDS of people working the floor and I got my 1GB flash drive (for $14.99, I might add) without delay. And there were still a few 42" plasmas ($988) available when we got there.

Next time I think I'll be better prepared. I'll figure out which "loss leader" I *have to have* (e.g., the laptop) and I'll hit that store first and early. So yes, Al, I plan to be out at 5am next year.