Wide Awake

I woke on Christmas morning before my kids. Perhaps I should rephrase that. My teenagers slept later than I did this Christmas. Gone are the days of 4am wake ups to see what Santa brought. Gone also is the mounds of wrapping paper from toys and games. Once teen-dom hits the gifts get higher in price and smaller in quantity. Still, excitement fills the air as presents are finally unwrapped and memories are made. Pictures are quickly uploaded and sent to friends and family, along with well wishing texts.

At my home, it's a tradition to make Alton Brown's Chocolate waffles for breakfast. In fact I made Alton's waffles on a Martha Stewart waffle iron accompanied by Paula Dean's homemade maple syrup along with a Rachael Ray fruit salad. I feel like all my friends from the Food Network enjoyed Christmas brunch with me. I did not receive one gift of a cookbook nor do I think I'll need one seeing how the Internet and my new iPad hold my favorite recipes.

Hard books or e-reader, what's the best option? I've one teen that adamantly prefers a book, while my other daughter leans more towards the technical element. I'm using a little of both and will probably end up in the electronic lines as well. Perhaps if Steve Jobs released an e-cookbook that would make it a done deal.

She buzz words

• Antifreeze
• New marking period
• Tune up
• Mark down

Right now she could be

• Forgetting what time her kids bus comes
• Packing lunches
• Seeking a retail deal
• Doing more laundry than humanly possible

She could be a

• Pharmacy Technician
• Pediatrician
• Mechanic
• Car Saleswoman

She's totally ready for...

• Teenage pregnancy to be ad- dressed properly instead of made into a headline of the week
• Results from her new diet and exercise plan
• Her family to clean up after them- selves

She would be a queen for a day if only...

• The Christmas decorations would put themselves away
• If something with a great clearance price came in her size

She likes it when...

Her credit-card bill is not as extreme as she thought it would be.

She's sick..

Numerous women drag themselves to work no matter how sick they may feel. Many save sick days to use when their child is sick. Due to office politics, some refuse to call in sick and others simply can't afford to fall behind on their work. With about 200 cold and flu viruses floating around her at any given time, she needs to sleep, exercise, eat healthy, and wash her hands.

She Thanks

Thank-you notes are an appropriate and necessary way to ac- knowledge a gift. With the exception of a wedding (etiquette for newlyweds is three months), all notes should be written as soon as possible. Now that it is the post-holiday season, she, along with her children, should sit and write a proper note and send it via snail mail. E-mail thank you's are not as personal as the gift that was given, and, unless it is a very casual situation, e-mail is not an appropriate way to thank someone. Handwritten notes also tell a person that their gift arrived safely. Thank you notes are a sign of respect. Young children who cannot write can send thank-you pictures. Older teens will benefit from doing this act, which may seem ancient to others. Those of an older generation expect this sign of consideration. She is smart to write these notes and to include her family. There are a lot of fun ways she can personalize these notes; perhaps a picture of the recipient and the gifts or just a sincere exclamation as to why the gift was so perfect. For more tips on writing the perfect expression of gratitude, log onto www.emilypost.com.

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