Crashing into the Holidays

(A note before you start--I just realized that my goal was to be ready for Christmas by the week before Thanksgiving, not by the last day of October like I thought it was when I was writing this. Ha ha! Being sick has apparently made me deluded and confused. As I am too lazy and tired to rewrite, I'm going to leave it as is and let you all have a good laugh AT me, WITH me.)

As I posted publicly earlier this month, my goal was to be ready for Christmas by...tomorrow (today, actually, where some of you guys live).

Yeah, not gonna happen. But, as I am ever the optimist, I will first explain what I DID get done, and then whine as to why the rest is not. And perhaps, like a lenient teacher, you all will accept a revised timeline?
-Christmas cards ordered. Half filled out and addressed. More cards ordered when I realized I was short, but still waiting to be picked up. Confirmed and updated quite a few addresses.
-Purchased almost everything for everyone on my list.
-Most of above-mentioned purchases have arrived, but how can I resist cheap 21-day shipping? (Whatever that means; it's coming from within the US, so are they walking it here, or what?)
-Found out, that hey! Christmas boxes never actually made it back into the attic last year, so there's one big CHECK! on my list.
-I know where we're spending what holiday and with whom. Okay, kinda. Sorta. Pretty sure nothing major's going to be at my house, which is really what counts, right?

Now for the pity party. I expect a big, "Aaaaaaw" from everyone when I'm done, savvy?
Last week, Tuesday: Cami starts staying home sick from school with a sore throat, sneezing and coughing. No fever.
Friday: Lily, ditto.
Saturday (okay, this one I'm guessing because it's hard to keep track): Maya joins the club.
Monday morning: Dad, who has really been sick for a couple days, gives in and stays home as well. The whole happy clan cooped up together. Mom smiles triumphantly as the sole survivor, counting her blessings since she has been wiping noses, catching coughs in the face, and cuddling sick kids for a week.

Monday night: Mom experiences a strange, persistent tickle in the back of her throat.
Tuesday morning: Mom reaches for a tissue (again), sends Cami off to school and Dad off to work, takes her own temperature, stares at the only elevated temperature that has registered on the thermometer all week, turns on the TV for her two sick kids, and cancels the rest of her week. Joins the kids on the couch. Now regretting not exiling herself and praying, praying, praying that the kids already had this (not sure if it's the flu or THE flu) without the fever, not just a cold, so they aren't sick again and worse next week.

It's been a pretty fun week and a half at my house. Come by real soon. You'll love it. Actually, I'm having a pretty good time right now, complaining to everybody, so there's my silver lining. Woo-hoo!

Other good things? Ryan somehow managed to stay home from work for the last couple days and take care of me. How lucky am I? Or I should say, how lucky is Maya to have her dad home taking care of things, since I slept all day yesterday and slept in until 10:30 this morning? Also, I managed to avoid a trip to the ER since Ryan has inhalers at home that helped me to breathe better (but don't tell anyone my doctor said I could use someone else's prescription). Don't forget that I'm pretty sure I'm on the mend, despite how awful I'm making this sound.

And of course, I really am glad that I have most things ready for Christmas. I'll probably get some wrapping and card-writing done next week, and finish it up the next. How does the 15th sound? Really? You guys are so nice to me. Thanks. ;)