...and more snowy weather!

This winter!  It is unreal! Never can I remember having so many snow days in one winter.  The two (yes, two!) days off this week brings Jack to a total of six days off, and me to four.  January almost disappeared in the blur of all these days off. 

Not that I am complaining.  There is nothing quite like the magic of a snow day.  A glorious surprise every time, a gift of unburdened leisure in the midst of life.  A pause button for reality.  A chance to sleep in...

This week our snow days were actually "cold days", our second batch of 2014.  Nothing like two polar vortexes to start a year off right.  "Cold days" are by far my favorite of the snow day genre.  Almost invariably accompanied by brilliant, frosty sunshine, cold days bring clear roads and easy outings.

Because snow days, gift that they are, can sometimes be too much of a good thing.  The gift of time together as a family can sometimes come wrapped in bickering and tantrums and general ennui.  The magical leisure of it all can sometimes become just a little oppressive when we're at home all day...

Never fear.  That's nothing a little Wade Oval can't fix.  This week's days off included warm and wonderful trips to the Gardens and the Natural History museum, time with friends and time with the Wii, with a little bit of painting and a little bit of refinishing the mantle thrown in, just for fun.

Bring on the magic.

What is it with taking your kids somewhere else to play?  They played happily with this cake  for a good twenty minutes.
Never would they collaborate so well together at home.

We had SUCH a nice outing with our friends on Wednesday.  Just 'moms and kids' as Ivy noted, and everyone was so happy to be together.  Jack, the ringleader, getting everyone laughing as they laid on their tummies on the earthquake simulator.  Happy littles wandering alone and in pairs in the Discovery Center.  Yummy lunch, eaten with gusto, complete with dinosaur finger puppets.  The chance to talk (albeit in often-broken sentences) with my wonderful friend.  Have I mentioned that snow days really are a good thing?

Other highlights from this week:

*The Lunar New Year festival in Asian town, to start off our "year of festivals" (in which we resolve to visit one local festival each month of the year).

Not the most exciting festival I've ever been too, but you can't complain about getting to watch a kung fu demonstration, an extremely loud drum performance, and an Asian food speed eating competition all in one day.

* The last session of this round of skating lessons.

These lessons haven't been easy on Jack.  Becoming more confident, he is also more cavalier and more speedy and more likely to fall.  He also struggled to master all the skills--which his instructor said was perfectly fine, as it was a very short session-- but my poor sweet little perfectionist took it pretty hard and was in tears every time.  Sigh.  I feel badly for my part in the genetics that bring him so much frustration.  But I am proud that, tears and all, he never left a lesson.  He pushed through.  He is not sure he wants to sign up for another session, but he pushed through.   And while he won't admit it, I have to say he does a very nice backward swizzle...

Ivy, always the foil to her brother, is raring to go for Snowplow Sam II.  She was an enthusiastic participant every time, eagerly bringing me the imaginary "milkshakes" they made as a part of the lesson, and heading back out onto the ice, all on her own, after class was over.  

That pink thing out there?  That's my baby daughter, ice-pusher-thingie abandoned behind her, marching herself into the great unknown. Looks like we'll be doing some Saturday lessons for her next month...

Snowy Weather

What a winter we are having this year.  It is phenomenally beautiful out tonight, yet another winter storm blanketing our yard in a sheet of white, one smooth layer from the top of our porch to the rise of the backyard, the patio buried under 8 inches of powder.  Trees, street, sky-- all white.  It is magical.  And I can enjoy it tonight because we are snuggled in under blankets in our warm, clean house, full of provisions and no place to go at all in the next 24 hours.  Winter is really just fine with me-- as long as I don't have to drive in it.

Little bits of news:  Right now my two children are both asleep in Jack's room, taking advantage of his newly transformed bed-- we flipped it into bunk position on Thursday and so far they've spent two nights together in there, Ivy on the bottom bunk.  There's something wonderful about seeing them in there together, all cozy together...

I've had a wonderfully social weekend, with a "girl's night" at a friend's house last night (complete with massage and facial!) and then a dinner with some old-new friends tonight. We've known this family since Jack was in pre-K with their daughter and finally managed to spend some quality time with them.  Only took two years... They are grand and it felt wonderful to share stories and jokes over wine as our kids played Wii and ran around as ninjas in the background.

Oh, we also went sledding this morning.


movie credits to Nat!

Life is snowy-wonderful this weekend.  Stay warm and soak in all the sparkle of it.

Trip and a half

We had a three day weekend.  We went to Ikea.  

Sound familiar?  

I think we have a problem. 

We also had a super fun day climbing on furniture, trying mattresses, and being together as a family while spending gobs of money on stuff we don't really need.  One of our favorite pastimes, I am sad to say.

We did get an excellent new rug.  

And we did get to make this movie trailer.  (credits to Nat and his newfound passion for iMovie)

Not much new to report other than the rug, to tell you the truth.

That's OK, in a January sort of way.    As I've mentioned before, this is a month you just kind of get through.   We're playing around with adding curtains, we're going to skating lessons, we're doing a lot of laundry, we're playing a lot of monopoly and Wii Monster Truck 4x4.  I'm fighting cold dark mornings to get to the gym, Nat's driving all over the place teaching classes.  It's easy for the days to blend together, even with random trips to Ikea to break things up.   We are all missing summertime.  Ivy asked tonight when we'd get to go back to Farley's.  Eleven degrees with biting wind makes it seem impossibly far away.

Ah, January. 

So we seek our sunshine in the small things.

Like this small thing.

Talk about a trip.

This one is certainly a bright spot in our days.  An opinionated, assertive, energetic and irresistible bright spot.  I've been meaning to do a proper "kid update" post about each of my two; I think what has been holding me back (aside from general exhaustion each night when I have time to write) is that it may be impossible to put this girl into words.  

Maybe this picture will help.

Ivy at the start of 2014 is 4 months away from 4 and talks about her birthday every day.  She's in a hurry to grow up and do it all on her own.  We get into arguments about clothing, already, because she insists on dresses and tights, every day.  Preferably her fancy Christmas dress, thank you very much. Tonight at dinner she sang us a song, the lyrics of which were constant variations on, "I love dresses and tights and flowers...."  She is a girlie-girl through and through, always hugging a baby doll or a stuffed animal or a horse figurine or one of her two pink plastic butterflies (she chose a second identical one at the History Museum store just recently, "so they can be twins.).  She loves to have tea parties and play doctor and pretend to cut hair.  She does not deliberate on her decisions or worry about consequences.  She does not hold back on her feelings, from screaming at her brother to pushing us away to pointing out the flaws in any situation.  Nor does she hold back on the love:  "I love you and daddy taller than our HOUSE!"  She is a talker, oh my!  She spins a good narrative (albeit with a restricted set of topics, namely princesses or playing with friends) and starts conversations easily with anyone she meets.  She adores school, especially yoga, and likes to teach us the poses she learns.  Last night, she spent ten minutes after dinner on the floor, being "bread"-- "mommy, pick me up so Pip doesn't get me!  I can't move because I am bread!"  I need to take more videos of her talking because I just want to freeze her like she is right now, bottle up her little voice and her funny syntax, her soft "th" sounds and irregular grammar.  Because it is so perfect in its imperfection, because the way she describes things is so often more true than the "right" way to say it.  Because every day her speech is getting more clear, more precise, more grown up and I am going to miss so much the way my three year old talks, right now... And the way her hair smells... and her tiny hands... and her little self curled up next to me at bedtime... and her sweet face up to my ear to tell a secret, the small intake of breath, the pause, the loud loud whisper.  Ivy at the start of 2014 is earnest and enthusiastic, joyful and gentle, fiery and funny.  I could not love her more if I tried.  

Born cows and ferris wheels

Who knew that the prescription for the January doldrums is for one's husband to get sick, forcing one to step up energetically to the task of Entertaining The Children and Keeping Them Out of the House.  There is something about the complete focus required for this task-- it grounds me and brings to clarity all that there is to be enjoyed in this life.
 
*Side note:  I am not actually glad my husband is sick.  Just taking gratitude where I can find it as I reflect on what was for me a pretty grand weekend.   I can do this even while pitying Nat and hoping he feels better very very soon.

Enjoying things like:

*A spring thaw in winter.  We had temps in the 40's and 50's this weekend, which represents a pretty significant rise from this time last week.  The sad part is the muddy swamp that has replaced our once-snowy outdoor vista.  The upside:  being able to take the dog for a walk again!   The kids and I opened our Saturday morning with the longest one block walk in history, as they "skated" on the icy sidewalks and climbed the melting snow mountains, exclaiming over each found object because it was so novel to see the earth again.  It was so warm that we felt inspired to go to Lake Farmpark later that day, where we had the opportunity to see...

*A newborn baby calf.  And when I say newborn I mean NEWborn.  As in, the afterbirth was still coming out as the mama cow licked that wet, surprised-looking baby.  Jack was both repulsed and fascinated by what he observed of the birth process.  Ivy was more interested in the sheep next door, who watched the proceedings closely, head between fence bars.

The day turned drizzly on us but not before we had the chance to feed miniature horses, pet some lovely full-size horses out for a walk, and take Ivy's doll on her first ever wagon ride.  We always enjoy our days at the Farmpark.

Sunday brought a spur-of-the-moment plan with Melinda, who decided we ought to take the kids off to the RV show at the IX Center. Just she and I and our four, off to the giant brown box of a Convention Center to look at Recreational Vehicles.  Might be one of the stranger decisions I've made with my leisure time-- but also one of the best.  We all had a blast, climbing in and out of dozens of giant luxury RV's, winning prizes from the the Progressive booth, watching an animal show... and of course, riding the giant indoor ferris wheel.  Twice.

I've managed to squeeze a bit of cleaning and the cooking of three chickens for dinner swap into the day and I am feeling pleased with how I've spent my time this weekend.  May 2014 continue along this path, thank you very much....

**Bonus pictures--

The kids have started skating lessons!  Ivy is doing stunningly, fearless and excited to be on the ice.  Jack is independent, off skating with friends before his lesson. Good times.

Ivy says, "I haf to take care of all of dese tings.  I haf to nuggle them.  It is hard work!"

January Gray

This post is not about the kids.

It's about their mom, and January, and life after vacation.

It's rough, y'all.

Seventeen lovely days off.  Seventeen days of sleeping in til at least 7:00 each morning, drinking coffee in the kitchen, lingering in pajamas.  Seventeen days of time to play and cook and clean and still have some energy to wrap presents, shop, and spend time with family.  Was it a vacation of unending leisure, free time yawning before me?  No.  It was hectic and full and just as overscheduled as the rest of my life.  It had its share of frustrations and tedium and even a nice bout with intestinal illness to round it all out.

But it was vacation.  And it was good.

I know this now, with my amazing acuity in hindsight.

Because these last three days, since I've been back to work?  Dorothy, we're not on vacation any more.

Will you allow me my litany of complaints?

I'll start with the 5am wakeup time-- ouch!-- and the sub-par workouts at the gym thanks to the aforementioned illness.  Follow that with 8 hours of constant rushing at school, frantically trying to fit in a week's worth of paperwork into 70 minutes of planning time, and then working my tail off to manage my increasingly squirrely group of middle schoolers into some semblance of good student behavior.  All while trying to teach them something.  Then, some tutoring.  And some driving, always a rush, no time even to stop at a bank, errands and to do lists piling up every day. And home to my own children, my beautiful children with all their energy and light, whose perfectly age-appropriate behavior bears a remarkable resemblance to the behaviors I fought with all day at school.  And my dog, my beautiful dog, with her incessant panting and tremendous ability to aim her breath right at my nose and to make me feel deep guilt for not walking her more often. And the dishes, which are always piled up. And the laundry, which is always piled up.  And the desolate, ramshackle mess that is my house in the aftermath of Christmas cleanup.  And the floors, spotted with salty boot-and-dog-prints, the floors that were just clean clean clean (with Murphy's oil soap no less!) when I was on vacation!

And I am TIRED.   Falling-asleep-while-playing-Legos tired.  Ready-for-bed-at-eight tired. I am tired to the bone and it's only been three days.

This January is getting me down.  It's a new year!  I should be filled with positive energy at the potential wonder and growth that 2014 has to offer.  Instead I am slogging through each day, forgetting to find joy in the small things, and only seeing the grime and clutter and work all those small things add up to.  I'm out of energy to even think about house projects or lovely, enriching parenting ideas. I'm feeling, to tell the truth, old.

I've been pulling out gray hairs a couple times a week recently.  I've always pulled them out at the first sight, because you see, I'm not old enough to have gray hair.  So, pluck! and problem solved. But 2014 may be the year I have to stop, for fear of creating a bald spot.

And that scares me a little.  I'm not ready for this.

I've gotten used to living my life at breakneck speed, trusting that I can fill every hour and minute and fit it all in, that somehow through force of will I'll get everything done and have some energy and joy to spare.  With a few notable exceptions (random periods of 20's angst, let's say) this approach to life has worked out all right for me.   I boldly burn my candle at both ends because it shines brighter that way!

But this year I am feeling like the wax is thinning a bit and that something might have to give.   Because it shouldn't be this hard.  It shouldn't feel like a grand victory to still be awake and typing at 10pm on a Friday, after tackling nothing more than the basic routines and chores of life.  I need to have something left at the end of the day because this feeling of depletion does not work for me.  It eats away at the gratitude and erases the moments of wonder and leaves me gripey and pale and not the person I want to be.

2014, you are going to challenge me, I think.  Challenge me to find some more balance, to find a way to be a mom and a teacher and wife and a homemaker and a daughter and a friend and still, also, somewhere...myself.  Challenge me to find more time to breathe in gratitude for this life, with all its exhaustion and gray hairs, this life I am blessed to be living.

But I'm going to have to face that challenge tomorrow.  Because it's 10:30 on a January Friday night and this mom?  She's going to to bed.

Happy New Year!

 A New Year!  So fast!  2013 was a good one for our little family.  Really lovely, actually.

And the last few days of the year weren't an exception, full to the brim as they were with family and friends and fluffy-white snow. 

Here's a recap, by the day.

28th:  Fake Christmas Morning

A small group of treasured friends, four beautiful children in jammies, a sunny day and an abundance of pastries and coffee.  Need I say more?  

The 28th also brought a trip to the airport-- to pick up Anna, aka Vovo, for a quick last-minute visit.  Ivy was terribly excited about a bedtime drive with me to the airport, insisting on going along.  It was only halfway through the drive that I realized-- she thought we were getting on a plane and flying to Grandpa's house to pick Vovo up.  Once I explained that we weren't going to be flying anywhere, she promptly fell asleep. 

Jack, on the other hand, felt no need to drive along, as staying home meant playing Monopoly with daddy.  If I were to name a defining theme of this winter vacation (other than "family" and " too many presents") it would be Monopoly.  Jack has developed a deep fascination with the game and between the ongoing game that has taken over our dining room table, and the app on Nat's phone, he probably spends two hours a day playing.  Can't complain too much as his ability to make change and budget his money is actually pretty astounding. 

29th: 

Christmas number four-- Christmas morning with Gram and Bec.

OK, so disclosure-- this is not from the 29th.  Its from the Sunday before Christmas.  But I love this picture so here you go.

So Nat uses this Hipstamatic filter that sometimes randomly adds words to the frame.  I love the perfection of this one. 

 More family, another over-abundance of gifts, two excited spaniels, a delicious french toast brunch.  How are we so blessed?

In the evening, it was off to a holiday party at the home of one of Jack's classmates.  We've known this family since our 6 year olds were toddlers; they are lovely people with a lovely home, full of interesting antiques.  And, it turns out, they are friends with many of our neighbors.  People who we've lived a couple blocks away from for 7 years now, and never really talked to.  It was great to get a chance to get to know them.  Ivy stayed home from the party to get quality time with Vovo, and it was like Jack had stayed home too, for all we saw him.  Walked in, took off his boots, and followed a friend to the basement... and there he was for the duration.  Big boys, Air hockey, and video games.  What more do you need?

30th:  

We'd planned to take Vovo to all the museums, forgetting it was Monday and everything was closed.  Instead, a lazy morning together before ice skating at Wade Oval, picking up my new car, and then shopping with Anna and my  mom.  

Ivy is big enough for rental skates now, so we got her a pair set out.  I'd anticipated holding her up and walking around a few times, awkwardly, as she slipped all over.  Instead--

We were blown away by how well she did on her very first try.  She is fearless, this one, and sometimes that can work very well for her...

31st:

A morning at the Art Museum and Botanical Gardens with Ivy and Anna while Jack played at a friend's house.  It was so neat to see these places through the eyes of someone new, who does not take their magnificence for granted the way we do...

 An afternoon recovering, and then New Kiddo's Eve at Melinda's house.  

Quite the rockin' event this year thanks to the addition of a disco light and glow sticks.

We enjoyed the raucous partying going on in the dining room, as the adults sat sedately around the Christmas tree.  It seems like another lifetime that I was the one making all the noise...  but I am ok with that.