We went out for breakfast (at noon) as a family. On the way there, Mr. GM and I were discussing China and its 9% economic growth rate and its demand for oil and the debt that the US owes it. I had read something about it in the morning and couldn’t recall all the details. My son, 9, chimed in and wanted to know why a dollar wasn’t a dollar. We explained how the dollar works–as best as two non-economists could–when it comes to buying foreign products or buying products made with foreign parts. Basically, we had a little macro-economics class. Kind of cute.

Kids eating at restaurants. My kids are well-behaved at restaurants. We’ve been taking them out to eat since they were tiny. I am completely annoyed when I have to sit next to ill behaved children at restaurants. Some kid was rattling continuously some game and it was really, really loud. The parents did not seem to be trying to stop him. It was loud. Admittedly, I had not had enough coffee.

Laundry rant. Why is it that I’m the only one who notices laundry? The pile in our room can be 5 feet high (no kidding) and Mr. GM will not say, “Hey, looks like we have a lot of laundry. Need some help with that?” No, the pile just magically gets lower and lower.

Watched Elf. It was a very cute movie. We all liked it. Made fun of lots of Christmas specials at the same time as it was a Christmas special itself.