Wake Me Up When Spring Comes

It's that point in the year when I feel like the word hibernation describes my life in so many ways. Although we are busy and out and about...I mostly just want to be home where it is warm and there are jammies.

At school, registration is revving up.
This is mind blowingly stressful and hard and...is the opposite of hibernation.

But I WANT to hibernate. So I get a little quiet...on the inside.

What I have been doing a lot of since Christmas is cooking. We've eaten out a lot less and I've been trying to cook as much as I can at home. It's mostly healthier (I am not yet cooking completely healthfully, but at least it's better than fast food?!) and a whole lot easier on the bank account.

I've been making lots of cookies and bars, which helps me feel like a nice mom sometimes. Tonight there are oatmeal raisin cookies in the oven and it smells fantastic! Guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow?! (Update: My kids don't like the cookies. Bummer. I don't think they are sweet enough for them. So guess what I'M having for breakfast tomorrow?)
I'm addicted to this soup, so we've had it three times in the past six weeks. YUM.

The other night when I wanted to make a spicy meal that Hubs and I used to enjoy almost once a week (have you had Zataran's? Their Jambalaya is so GOOD.), so I made a bizarre little alternative meal for my kids and they loved it. Squid dogs. The name really yucks me out, but the kids thought it was so cool and ate 'em up. I even served them with ants on a log in my bid for COOLEST MOM EVER.

I received Pioneer Woman's cookbook for Christmas from my parents and have enjoyed several recipes from there. This one from her site is something I've made twice in the past month and it is really good. The kids prefer plain noodles, which is fine by me because the left overs make a great lunch.

I guess when the weather outside is constantly unpredictable and harsh and the work world can be a bit the same...I enjoy the control I can have in the kitchen and the smiles it can create at the table.

A New Year

We were supposed to go back to school on Wednesday, but it was not to be. Looks like second semester will start on Monday. School's been cancelled for three straight days due to cold and snow. So it's our second three-day snow break this year. Craziness!

For the new year we spent our time at home this year. We had gone to a morning matinee of Sesame Street Live and had lunch out. Then we just hung out at home after B and I got our hair cut.

One of our traditions now is to get new year's poppers, we got them last year and now our B insists that we must have them for new year's. Ours this year didn't quite pop, I'll have to look for higher quality ones next year.

At supper, we enjoyed some sparkling grape juice and took turns making toasts. Good times with small children, you should try it some time.

The poppers contained one of those whistle thingies! And a tiny parachute man! Treasures galore!

General silliness has been the rule. We've spent a LOT of time at home, a LOT of time together.

We got Christmas decorations put away on New Year's Day.

And then went about getting ready for school to start.

But it didn't.

So we're just home. Staying warm and being grateful for our trusty old furnace. Thank you Furnace!

See our patio chair? It's in there.

Might not want to sit there right this moment, it may be a bit chilly!