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!

Goodbye '09

Looking back at a decade, it's been quite a ride.

I remember distinctly the night before this decade began.

I was 22 years old. Thin. Single. And out to party. PARTY! I also had a horrible cold and didn't consider how my tylenol cold tablet would mesh with champagne. I should have. It was a fun night overall, but let's just say I'm glad someone else drove us home.

Then that February, I met J. Graduated in May. Married J the next June. Of 2001.
2002 - Settled into and fixed up our first house. Got a dog.
2003 - Had a baby. Named her B.
2004 - Started grad school. Decided to become a teacher.
2005 - Got a job in Omaha on a provisional teaching certificate. Moved to O-Town. Found out I was   pregnant with #2, not planned but totally wonderful news.
2006 - Had the little man in April. Started my second teaching job at a different school. Graduated with my Masters in Special Education.
2007 - A horrible, horrible year that I may never speak of again.
2008 - My B started kindergarten! We all had a much better year.
2009 - Finally feel like a grown up. Or more like a grown up.

Still haven't figured out how to lose these last 25 lbs.
Still haven't figured out how to be everything to everyone.
Despite my best efforts.

What I have learned?
*How to pray.
*How to love.
*How to breathe, really breathe.
*How to stay calm, even when I don't feel calm.

Two thousand ten holds much promise, of that I am sure.

Happy New Year!

*This is my favorite time of year to read blogs. Can't wait to read everyone's reflections and resolutions. I may post mine tomorrow.*

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Merry Merry

Our second big snowstorm of the year came just in time for Christmas Day. We were fortunate to be done with extended family celebrations by lunch time on Christmas Eve, so didn't have to stress over ruined plans. We've been snowed in for three days and that's just fine.

B enjoyed her new wizard book and decoder glasses. Note the ginormous drift in the window behind her.

Finally yesterday we were able to go outside and play. As long as he crawled on them, the drifts didn't swallow up our little guy. It felt great to get out!

Pretending to shovel! The piles are taller than her.

Come evening, it was a pile of homemade noodles to make some chicken soup.

Top it off with a glass of wine for me and it was a fine day.  Cabin fever or no, I'm so grateful for my family. For the time we've spent together. For an excuse to slow down a little. To relax. We are all rested up, just in time for new year. I love Christmas break.

What Else Do You Do With a Snow Day?

First of all, you don't get dressed on snow days. Jammies only at our house!

We finally got out some window paints that B got for her birthday in July! Thanks Aunt Jami.

I painted the circles while the kids had a rest in the afternoon. I had them come down when the paints were dry and decorate them.

Later the kids got to go outside for about 10 minutes and were excited to stand behind their snowmen.
It was a fun little project for our third day spent snowed in!

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Amused

He has said "Peace out suckers!" at least a thousand times. Only you don't say the /r/ sound and you must hold up two fingers. It is funny every time. And highly inappropriate.

Then he says, "Is 'what the heck' a bad word?". I say yes, because I guess it mostly is. And he says, "Eli said 'what the heck' a hundred times at school". Which is also funny, especially since we haven't been to school since Monday. What made him think of such a random thing now?

He wants to HOLD the gum. Being in charge of the gum makes him very, very happy. I find myself giving into him at least once an hour because I don't like doing things that make him sad. He is my baby after all, and won't be this little for much longer. I'm sure to have a very entitled-minded little man on my hands if I don't get that under control! But he's my BABY!

She does the best walk like an egyptian dance, only she doesn't know that's what she's doing. She's currently singing Frosty the Underwear. And he's laughing so hard he's falling over.

So I'm just amused.
I cannot imagine my life or this house or anything else without them.

Now they need some help with their snow pants. So I'm off.

What do you do with a snow day?

We (and by we, I mean they...I took pictures from inside!) were bundled up for our five minutes in the snow before 8 a.m.





Then it was time for geotrax in the hall. Why play with it in the bedroom when you can take over the entire upstairs hallway? I believe his goal was to make the BIGGEST TRAIN TRACK EVER! And the LONGEST TRAIN EVER! B and I helped him and it is pretty darn big. If we had more track we could keep going and going.














Then it's on to the nativity set. Sets. Of course we've added a few animals. Marty the zebra. And a Transformer. I think that's also a Littlest Pet Shop kitten there in the back. It's all good, our nativity sets are very inclusive.







What I'm most grateful for is a day at home. A little extra time to clean up from recent busyness. Time to spend with the kids. Time to listen to Christmas music and do laundry and maybe later, watch a Christmas movie. Looks like we'll probably spend tomorrow at home too because of all of the snow and cold, so I'm also very grateful for our warm home.

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