From Nastia's birthday to Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and everyone except me has gone out to visit Aunt Sue. The House is quiet, which is rare these days. The Girls get up for school at six am, Teri a little while later and I'm up by 6;30.

  The Girls go off to school by 6;50 and I leave for my part time job about 8am. I stop off at my Mom's until 9'30 and get to work around 10 am.
 I leave work at about 2 pm and always get home to a noisy house, so this is rare.
   Nastia's birthday was simple this year, we went to the Hard Wok in Nanuet on Route 304. She invited David and everyone had a good meal and some fun. We were going to go for Ice Cream,but it was cheaper to stay at the Hard Wok and eat it there.
  That was Thursday, On Sunday we had Cake and Ice Cream. Only Nancy showed up. David couldn't make it, my Mom was very tired and I forgot to invite everyone else, oops.
   This hollow day (no I spelled it correctly, Forced spending, fake cheer, stress, some day I'll get into it) season has had it's share of firsts. This year, Nastia and Elena were told to buy their own Christmas gifts. For the proceeding few weeks I would get them talking about items they might get for their Mom. Hoping they would get something original for her that I hadn't thought of.The Three of Us went to the Palisades Center about ten days before Christmas. At the door I told them to go and buy their gifts. They could go on the own to together. As they walked away I asked if everyone had their money?  Elena answered, "No", she left it home. So I gave her 60 dollars, yes a mistake in hind sight and off they went. I walked around the Mall figuring I had awhile. About twenty minutes in Teri gives me a call and asks how is it going? When I tell her the girls are off on their own she tells me that was a very bad idea and I shouldn't of done that. I tell her they have to start growing up and this is how it needs to be done. She says they are to irresponsible, She is right, but if We wait for them to become responsible they will be ready for nursing homes. The only problem with my way is if something happens once it's all going to come down on my head and be my fault. Bad position to be in. Sometimes I feel she wants them put in bubble wrap. She won't let them touch sharp object, feels real real bad when they get a cut. I want them out there and safe. She wants them safe, then out there.
  After about an hour after they started, they called and said they were done. We met and on the way out Elena goes, "This is why I hate shopping,it takes too long. They're really not real girls I guess.