January 7

Today I am grateful for this quiet house, for the cozy fire, and for my ability to ignore baskets of laundry for extended periods of time.

I am grateful for the brilliant sun and 45 degree weather, for fresh air on our faces and a day at the zoo.

I am grateful that most of the time, my kids sleep better than they did last night.

I am grateful for Vick's vaporub and Benedryl and slippers and bed.

Savings report:

Not sure I can claim much today. In fact, I unnecessarily bought Jack a souvenir shark so that we could get quarters as change so that we could buy a souvenir penny from the penny-press machine, which is what he REALLY wanted all along.

Lesson learned:  Think ahead, Amanda, and grab a few quarters before you leave home, OK?

We did manage to buy nothing ELSE at the zoo, so that's good.

At McDonald's I got 2 happy meals but did not get fries for myself.  I just ate Jack's.  Savings:  about a dollar.

I guess I could say something about the 3 hours I've spent packing up Christmas stuff, vacuuming, wiping walls, and mopping floors today.  Like, I could have paid someone to do that but I didn't-- Savings:  $50.

But I am not sure that counts.

Tell you what.  I'll go over to my bank account right now and move some of the savings bond money into the kids' college accounts.  Deal?

Off to bed.   Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep.