The car is all packed. The errands all run-- except one. Dereck has to go to the post office tomorrow morning, and there we will stop the mail.

Today at Walmart, fresh from having deposited a Christmas check from my dad that was ostensibly going to pay for some new clothes for the kids, I came from the bathroom, through crafts, and then down through automotive on the way to pick up the kids in the electronics aisle, and I saw it. For an incredible amount of money, I could get a DVD player for the car with TWO screens. I looked, and was momentarily tempted, but because of the exorbitant amount of money, continued on my merry way.

Until.

There. There was ANOTHER display of a portable DVD player with two slightly smaller screens, for still an exorbitant price, but not nearly so exorbitant as the other, and not nearly as exorbitant as, say, a cell phone.

I whipped out my dying cell phone and called Dereck. "You should never never let me go into Walmart alone with credit cards."

"Oh no."

I explained what I was contemplating and he said "Everyone we know who has one says they are the best money ever spent."

That was enough for me. I circled back and put it in my cart. And the best part of all? I didn't add it to the credit card: I paid for it with my debit card.

Tonight, we packed up the car, and then we took the new toy and set it up in the car to see if it would work. It did. We sat in the back of the minivan and giggled like children and sat and watched Harry Potter until we froze our butts off and we decided to come back inside.

It is awesome.

Formerly, the kids were going to have to hold the laptop on their laps for two days, and sometimes the DVD player on the laptop is less than reliable.

Now, I am not even bringing the laptop. Oh, I'll still have some computer access. But I am not bringing the laptop, not bringing my AOL cd's. I've traded them in for crochet hook and yarn. Oh, I need to dig out a pattern.

I have a nephew who needs a homemade blanket.

My mom has been lamenting the fact that she and my dad sent money instead of gifts for the kids. Well, Mom and Dad, I think you officially just got the kids the coolest Christmas present ever, and it ain't even Christmas yet. But this is going to make our drive SOOOOOO much nicer. Oh, we are happy happy happy! Thank you!

So, to everyone out in blog land, drive or fly or stay where you are safely, have fun, if you are celebrating Christmas, have a merry one, if you have just celebrated Hanukah, I hope it was beautiful, and if you are looking forward to something else, I hope it is everything you wish for.

I'm sure I'll be on again-- maybe even with pictures-- but it is my hope and my desire to be able to unplug for the next week or so and focus on my kiddies and just living my life.

Cheers!