this week, next week

It's hard not to get all caught up in a holiday frenzy, even if it is way more subdued and much less commercialized here compared to the US. There has been a marché de noel every weekend somewhere, plus vendors setting up special holiday kiosks in the city center.
Luc has been sick for almost a week, and now Alex and I seem to be coming down with the same thing. So we are taking things slowly and I'm doing just the most important stuff on the to-do list in order for all of us to get suficient rest. Thus, the mountain of laundry is back and 3 times the size it was before. I did find a few minutes to bake some brownie cookies tonight. (priorities, people!)
Tomorrow we plan on relaxing, enjoying a lasagna lunch together, assembling a couple last minute gifts to give to friends, and then we're going to a friend's place to have a Christmas Eve feast. Unless we all wake up feeling sickly, and then we'll make a visit to the doctor's before he closes up for the weekend. Let's hope not.
The mango burn on my arm is almost fully healed, and sadly, I've sworn off mangoes forever. Unfortunately, our trees are dropping like 20 a day which have to be picked up and thrown away so as not to attract bugs. For the mangoes we pick, I can't give them away fast enough. It seems we always have a pile of mangoes sitting around. I should start a little roadside stand!

a good place to watch the rain

Alex has off all next week, so some projects will be started/completed, we'll head to the west coast for Luc's 3rd birthday, and in general, enjoy some good quality family time.