Another Round

The girls were so excited that the sleds I'd ordered after last week's snow arrived yesterday afternoon.  Last night they sat on them and pulled them around the house, feeling a little sad that we'd missed our big chance to use them this year.  But we found a good spot for them in the garage, promising to pull them out whenever an opportunity (though few and far between) presents itself.

Then we woke up to snow (and no school).  Again.  Lots of it!  Sara was first a little disappointed that tonight's open house at school would be canceled, but quickly realized it was a small price to pay for a fun day at home.  Steve had to head to work, but the girls and I bundled up and headed outside with our new sleds, and we had a blast.  We took some runs in our front yard, and then walked to the park to play there.  Emma fell over a few times because the snow almost reached her knees.  Sara loved stepping in the deep spots to feel herself sink.

 The sun was shining and it was just the perfect day for snow play.

 I even took a few turns on the sled ... lots of laughs for everyone!

 Snow Angels

We've spent most of the rest of the day in the kitchen and doing projects, watching the sun melt our snow ... it's going away as quickly as it came.  Today we've made chili, the insides of chicken pot pie, and banana bread.  Now we're waiting for G&G, who are on their way (from Florida - they're not thrilled about our current conditions) to spend part of spring break with us, and the good news is that their flight isn't delayed. They'll be here soon ... a good ending to our fun, surprise, spring snow day!

Real Snow

After our snow (ice) days on Monday and Tuesday, we ended our week with real snow.  It didn't start until after everyone was at school and work on Friday, but by the time we made it home in the evening, we found ourselves surrounded by multiple inches of fluffy, white snow!  It sure beat the ice that we were trying to play in earlier in the week.

We didn't waste any time bundling up and heading out in it.  It was still coming down at this point, and continued to for many hours.  By this morning, the sidewalks and roads were white, too. We had so much fun playing in the snow, and Steve and I were reminded of what a great workout it is, too!

 

We were back outside this morning and had plenty of time to play before it started sleeting again.  We don't own snow pants, but we found boots for both girls and piled on plenty of layers.

 

  When I picked up Sara yesterday afternoon, she said her weekend homework was to build a snowman.  We sent this picture to her teacher!  After our snowman was complete, Sara said, "Wow, our neighbors are going to be so jealous when they see this!"

 The park was a vast expanse of white.  After testing the hill in our front yard a few times, we took our laundry basket sled down the street to try out the hills there.  The girls loved it!  Emma called our  makeshift sled a boat, and they both giggled so hard every time it turned over and dumped them out.

 

It'll all probably melt in the next day or two, but our late-in-the-season snow has sure been fun.  I'm so glad my girls have been able to get a glimpse of real winter, even if just for a few days.  I plan to go ahead and buy a couple of "boats" for whatever snow days may grace us in coming years!

Book Talk

Need a weekend read?  Look no further!

 Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald is exactly what the title says it is.  Of course nobody knows for sure the minute details of Zelda's life as wife to F. Scott, but the author did a lot of research, collected a number of letters, and was able to piece together a convincing story with historical accuracy.  Zelda's life with F. Scott Fitzgerald was star-studded and tumultuous, glamorous and depressing (such seems to be the case for so many famous artists in history).  I thought the story was well-written and entertaining, if frustrating and sad at times.  For anyone with an appreciation of those who wrote classic literature (because you'll run into a handful of them in these pages), I recommend this book.

 

I'd wanted to read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore for a while, and picked it up at the MOA for my return trip home from MN a few weeks ago.  If nothing else, the title piqued my interest.  In the midst of the recession in San Fransisco, Clay finds himself with plenty of technology expertise but jobless nonetheless.  On a whim, he wanders into Mr. Penumbra's shop and asks about the night-shift job that's been advertised.  He's not on the job long before he realizes that there is more to this store than meets the eye, and he's determined to do some digging to solve a mystery that he's sure is hidden among the shelves.  This book felt like sci-fi meets mystery meets strategy game meets satire ... and the best word I can use to describe it is quirky.  The character development was amazing and the whole concept was different than anything I've read recently.  Highly, highly recommend Robin Sloan's debut novel.

In 2011, foster child (teen) Molly connects with (and finds herself at the mercy of) 91-year-old Vivian, who once rode the Orphan Train from New York to Minnesota.  At first, neither has any idea how much their stories have in common or how deeply they'll impact the other, but this is the story of a special friendship between two people who can truly identify with one another and very few others.  I couldn't put this book down, and although I wanted more closure at the end, I understand why it ended when and how it did.  Heartbreaking and heartwarming, I absolutely recommend orphan train.

"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."

-Carlos Ruiz Zafron

Snow Day

After yesterday's rain was topped with sleet overnight, we had a snow day today ... and it was a great day!  We went outside a couple of times where the girls enjoyed throwing snowballs into the pool, spinning on the ice-coated driveway, and using garden tools to break up the ice into pieces. 

Inside the house, we made cookies, built-our-own lunch pizzas, sipped hot chocolate, and did a lot of playing/crafting/chasing.  Arguments were at a minimum and pretty quickly resolved, and everyone was able to relax (even Steve, who did some work but at least was able to stay home with us!).  The girls did lots of art projects and some lounging around, and I read part of my book.

Emma used the day to further master using the toilet, and I'm thrilled to say she's basically only in a diaper now for sleeping (which is mostly just at night since she's also decided to kick naps to the curb).  Today I finally got around to submitting a huge Shutterfly order that I've been meaning to take care of since the winter break, so that made me feel productive.  The floors I just cleaned yesterday are full of sprinkles today, but I don't care.  We had a fun, easy, cozy snow day ... the timing couldn't have been better!

And guess what?!?  We get to do it all again tomorrow!  That makes it wine o'clock, friends.  Stay warm!

a little reflection

After a week that included, collectively, some of us being sick, some of us not getting any sleep, some of us wandering out of our bed to visit at any ol' time, and some of us being stressed at work, we were in need of a quiet weekend.  Yesterday morning marked our second Saturday in a row with a doctor visit - this time for me.  I'll spare you the details, but I had let a bothersome ailment go for a few days, trying to flush it from my system naturally, but by yesterday morning, I was in serious need of an antibiotic.  I got my meds (and some groceries while I waited for them) and took one immediately.  The weather was nice so we all enjoyed some fresh air during the afternoon, and by dinner I felt like a new person.

Today has been cold and rainy/sleety.  As we speak, closings for tomorrow due to ice are already starting, so we'll see if our district ends up on the list.  The weather has forced a low-key day, and although the girls are going a little stir-crazy, they've played together really well most of the day.  At one point, when laundry was done and I realized the house was as clean as it's going to get before it gets dirty again, Steve and I made ourselves some Sunday Bloody Marys and sipped away while the girls played.  It was all so relaxing and fleeting at once.

The last couple of weeks have felt especially stressful between work and home.  Work is just work, but on the home front, we've had a number of expenses pop up all at once: root barrier system installed, new sod, new pool cleaner...and who knows what else is on the horizon.  When the girls aren't playing nicely together like they did today, they are usually arguing and one or both are yelling.  I know this is probably normal, but it drives us all crazy.  At times they are so sweet and kind to each other, but they are also competitive and seek their own justice in every interaction.  As much as I love them, sometimes I get so frustrated with them ... and I know the outside stress from things like the house and work just compound my frustration.

When people were talking about Lent on FB recently, I saw something that struck me.  Someone wrote that, for Lent, he is going to give up being frustrated with his kids.  It's not worth the negative energy.  Wow.  That idea is so powerful to me.  Easier said than done, I know, and even if the person committed to this action isn't perfect, having it at the forefront of one's mind is a really important step.  A couple of days later, a friend posted this important reminder that I so needed:

Even when the house is messy or things generally aren't going the way I'd prefer, I know that what we do here - and our time together as a family - is the most important.  If we end up out of school tomorrow and we are all stir-crazy, I'm going to focus on being thankful for the time stuck inside together.  And I'm going to follow the lead of the guy on FB and make a real effort to give up being frustrated with my kids.  I won't be perfect, but making a wholehearted attempt will certainly be worth my time.

Valentine's (semi) Fail

I had been so looking forward to Valentine's Day on a Saturday.  In recent years, we've enjoyed a family dinner of heart-shaped pizza by candlelight, but then it's been a quick evening of bath & bed.  This year I knew we'd get to spend all day together doing something fun.  When the girls woke up this morning, they were excited to see their Valentine's Day goodies, especially the Dallas Zoo tickets!  Just as we were going to make their favorite lemon poppy seed muffins for breakfast, Sara started crying and saying that her throat hurt.

Don't get me wrong: Sara can be a champion whiner when she wants to be, but she never complains about not feeling well ... and I'm not sure I've ever heard her say that her throat hurts, let alone cry about it.  I knew we had to call a timeout on our V-Day activities and head to the doctor, who confirmed that Sara has strep.  As we were getting in the car after the diagnosis, Sara said, "We can pick up my medicine and then go to the zoo!" It broke my heart to tell her that we wouldn't be able to go after all ... and then I had to explain the meaning of contagious.  

So instead of our planned family day at the zoo (and by the way, the weather was beautiful - perfect for a zoo visit...but I'm not bitter), we hung around the house.  Although Sara was initially upset about our change of plans, when she put herself in bed shortly after her first dose of antibiotics, I knew she really felt terrible.  While she slept, we did a bunch of laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, replaced a light bulb ... all of the stuff that we'd planned to put off today.  It did feel good to get our chores done, and the weather allowed us to open up the windows, which we all enjoyed.  Papa and Mamas were in the area and swung by with a Sprite for Sara.  She revived a little, and was feeling well enough after they left to enjoy a Valentine's package from Grandma and Grandpa, and then head outside for some fresh air.  She really wanted to run around with Emma, but as the strep has also triggered her asthma, she settled for sidewalk chalk. Now she has crashed.

Steve and I watched Seinfeld and DD&D and ate Chinese food. Today wasn't what I'd had in mind for our fun family Valentine's Day together, and I know Sara is so sad to have been sick on a holiday.  But the zoo will be there when we're all well enough to go, and all things considered, we still had a good day; it was spent together, which is what Valentine's Day is all about.  Not what I'd call an absolute success, but I suppose it also wasn't a total fail.

jet-setter

Last weekend and the early part of this week were busy for me, and I'm still playing catch-up, but the busy was all good.  Friday after work, I drove to the airport and hopped on a flight to Minneapolis for girls weekend with my sister.  We stayed at the hotel attached to the Mall of America, and we had the very best time.  It had been a long time since we've had so many hours to ourselves together, and we spent them laughing, gossiping, and catching up.  We shopped way too much (but couldn't pass up the great things we found - including my first essential oils!), got manicures, and slept in.

Oh, and we did some of this.

Our weekend was so relaxing and rejuvenating.  I'm so thankful for my sister.

I got home from MN Sunday evening; the girls and I worked on their Valentines and I did a bunch of laundry.  I made Sara's lunch for Monday with the few remaining items left in the fridge, hung out with Steve, and then called it a night.  Monday morning I headed back to the airport (actually the smaller one this time) to fly to Houston.  The counselor at my school won an award, and the two of us took a day trip to Galveston to attend the awards luncheon.  We arrived in Houston at 9:30, then rented a car and drove south ... towards the water and the palm trees.  When we arrived at the convention center/hotel for the luncheon, we had about an hour to kill, so we found the pool and kicked back.

 It's amazing what a difference a few hours makes ... everything in Galveston was green and tropical.  And the water didn't look like oil and the buildings didn't look like remnants of a hurricane, both bonuses we weren't really expecting.  After the luncheon, we had a few hours before we had to be back at the airport, so we made our way to the beach to walk in the sand and put our toes in the water.  We were wishing we had brought our flip-flops.

  A little time on the Gulf can sure cure a case of the Mondays.  We didn't want to rub it in too terribly, so we only sent a few pictures back to campus.

I got home Monday night after the girls were in bed ... what a whirlwind.  As someone who isn't used to traveling without my family and/or for work, it was sure a different four-day stretch.  But it was all good and worthwhile and so much fun.  Steve and the girls had a good time together, and I learned (or reaffirmed what I probably already knew) that a weekend without grocery shopping or cleaning won't ruin any of us.  And I have to say, I enjoyed my little jet-setting escapade a whole heck of a lot!