More best laid plans

My middle child is mostly recovered....I think. His fever was 103.1 yesterday (YIKES!), then about 99.5 at 6:30 this morning, but he couldn't even get the thermometer up to normal this afternoon. He keeps coughing like he's trying to clear his lungs and I'm hoping that will clear up without it being bronchitis. He had an email from his science teacher with the study guide for tomorrow's final, but no instruction on exactly what he can bring. His whole book? Or just that page? But YES, he'd better be fine tomorrow!

My older son stayed up until after 2 am working on a book report that "shouldn't take very long" so went to school on very little sleep and is taking a nap instead of studying. I'm mostly worried he'll get sick before tomorrow. He says his exams Friday are "watch a movie" in French class, and "I don't know, but we've taken the test already" in English. So he can be sick starting at noon tomorrow when the first half of the exams are done.

And I took my daughter Christmas shopping this afternoon, which was a madhouse. Rookie move, I know, to go to Game Stop and Target (and the post office with a priority box, but the machine was working and only one person ahead of me in line), but I slept all morning and am still trying to kick the less-awful-than-middle-child flu. It's settled in my chest and I keep doing that deep, chest cough just like middle child's.

Santa and I need to confer on stocking presents, but otherwise I am DONE. The boys have done NO SHOPPING, though, so we're probably going to be out there Saturday morning. May the Spaghetti Monster have mercy on our souls.

But you know the best Christmas present? Pre-order Henri et Marcel:

Heck, go buy the first three in the series, too. They're more historical fiction with romantic elements than straight-up romance. (I mean, the strict definition of romance is that it focuses on the romantic leads and has a positive ending, so they're romance novels in that way). They're also about PG-13. They get racy and all, but it's not a major part of the books.

So anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays!