Our New Year's Eve Celebration with Kids

Well, it started out big. My husband came home with Tequila, a bottle of red wine, and a bottle of Desorona. Everybody has seen the commercial about Desorona right? The woman with the ice cube, Desorona on the rocks, glances between the woman and bartender? So my husband comes home with THAT yesterday. It came in a kit too - two shot glasses and two rock glasses. They were were really cool glasses too. For our kids, we got what they call "kid wine" - grape juice with a bit of fizz. We make these rolled up tacos for dinner for everybody. They weren't bad surprisingly. Hubby and I have a drink (mine being REAL small since I don't generally drink). We pop in Santa Clause 3 (yes, we're a few days late but it's still a good movie) for the kids to watch while we make cookies. The cookies turned out perfect with the chocolate real creamy.

After the movie, the family plays 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader'. It turns out my 5th grader IS as smart as a 5th grader (guess her education is on target, lol). She wins that game. She even went one further and answered two million dollar questions and answered them both right. I got out on my second 4th grade question (something about poems). Dad, well, he didn't do that great. He got out at 1st grade on an oceans question. Some of those questions are hard! I don't remember learning some of that stuff back when I was in school...you know, before they had automobiles and you had to walk to school five miles while barefoot, up and down hills and through a foot of snow.

So, the game is over. Dad and I have another drink. Well, I have half a drink while hubby has another...on very little sleep. We take out snacks - chips, tortilla and salsa, cheese, meats, crackers. Everybody snacks for a bit until our two year old starts making a mess of the mustard so we put it all away. We'll take it out again later.

We make plans to take out some flashing stage lights (back from my husband's band days) later after it is good and dark so the kids can have fun dancing to bring in the New Year. My husband decides he is going to take a little nap. He's out in no time so I send the kids to play elsewhere for a little while so dad can get a little sleep so he can get up in a couple hours to finish celebrating with us. No dice. Dad does get up a little while later but it is just to go to bed, lol. He SAYS he is going to get up before midnight but we'll see.

So, dad goes to bed. Our two-year-old conks on the couch fast asleep. Next, our six-year-old drops off to sleep on the other couch. Two kids down, two to go. I get out the snacks for the remaining kids for a little bit and they watch Spongebob. My oldest falls asleep for a few minutes but then she's up. Yeah. I think she's going to make it.

At about 11:45 p.m., I go down to wake dad up. He's not getting up, says he is too tired. He has been going between 1st and 3rd shift this past week and his body clock is all messed up. I go back upstairs a bit disappointed. We've never missed that kiss for New Year's before. I'm thinking about making myself a margarita. I decide not to. I'm not much of a drinker so I grab some water instead.

So, my two oldest kids and I were up to meet the New Year together this year with two little ones fast asleep on the couches with us and dad downstairs dead to the world. We do our "yeah's" and kisses/hugs and stay up for about another hour together, watching the musicians on Dick Clark's annual new year show. My daughter is drooling over Jonas Brothers. We make a phone call to Aunt Sonja and Aunt Lori to wish them a Happy New Year. They sound like they've been having one helluva celebration earlier that evening. We talked for a bit and then it was time to tuck all our monkeys into bed.

It was the first time my son ever made it awake to greet the New Year. He was quite happy. The kids had a really good time celebrating with us. They want to do it again tonight but I'm not up to it. Next year. Maybe next year, we'll get a third child to stay awake to meet the New Year with us. Staying home with my kids and husband, celebrating together, is much more appealing to me than finding a sitter and leaving them at home to go out and deal with a bunch of drunken fools at a club or on the road. Yes, next year I think we'll stay home again. We had a good time.