I can see Clearly Now...

So, snow is frustrating when it piles up, freezes, piles higher, keeps falling from the sky, freezes more, piles higher and never seems to end.
This kind of snow can cause an uncommon amount of stress into one's household.  Even to the point of one's 5 year old, sensitive and darling daughter to say "no!  I don't want any more snow!" when a simple 3-6 inches is in the forecast for the overnight.
Each storm that has hit since Christmas was a big one.  Not one storm that has been forecasted has failed to perform.  In fact, most have outdone themselves.
And each. one. has. been. on. a. weekday. while. Jay. was. away.
I have plowed, snowblowed and shoveled more snow in the past 2 months than I have ever moved in my life.  Seriously.  You can ask my dad.

Then, we had 2 beautiful days in the 50's.  I actually wore my flip-flops to bring the garbage pails up one day when it was a balmy 36.
The snowbanks melted down more than a foot.  My driveway and the roads widened.  We can see our new pool deck again and the mailbox is reachable from the road again.  I could actually resume our mail delivery.

With the big meltdown came some wet ceilings and walls.  There's water in the walls, water in the ceilings...  who knows where else.
Annoying but certainly a homeowner's claim - not a life-threatening issue.  Our roof did not collapse, we did not lose water, power or run out of oil.

Bathroom ceiling.

We could just style the rest of the living room in the same "Jungle Striped" theme that the wet ceiling started.

Aside from an aching back and some snippy moments of exhaustion, I think I came out of "January 2011" relatively unharmed.

It's cold again.  And tonight we're getting "3 to 6".  But the snowbanks and patchy lawns are dirty and crusty with snow so the fresh snowfall will be a lovely change of scenery.  The stores are displaying Easter decorations and gardening supplies.
The promise of spring is in the air.  And maybe we can actually get out in it tomorrow and have some fun.  I'd like to show my daughter that snow is still fun.  (Especially now that we can walk in it without getting stuck up to our hips.)

This is a picture of my "footprint" (mid-thigh, really) where I fell through while digging a path for the oil delivery guy.

It's the time of year I start to look forward to raking blisters, the smell of dirt and pansies in every color I can find.
Crocuses and Daffodils will pop up earlier than it feels like they should.  The kids & I are going to start our flowers from seeds, probably earlier than we should.
I'll rake out the flower beds and count down the days till I can plant and mulch.

One thing this winter taught me was that I am much stronger than I thought.  Physically, for sure.  But also mentally.  I managed to keep my cool (most of the time) during what, at times, felt like catastrophic snow & ice.  I took care of the house, the kids and the minor emergencies that cropped up while Jay was out working his end of things - stuck in airports, delayed, missing connections and then actually having to work 40 hours in 3 days and get back into the uncertain skies to return home.
All of this reflection about a "winter" that was really only a few weeks of the season.

I refrained from buying the beautiful wrought iron dragonfly hooks that I saw in Joann's today.  I could just picture the lineup of brightly colored towels hanging from them on my new pool deck this summer.  But, it can wait.
First I will buy seeds & soil. 

S(n)O(w) Fun!!

It's 7:30pm and my kids are both sound asleep.
I know the day will come when we will just be getting home from something at 7:30pm but for now, while my babies are still babies, I will love my life and pat myself on the back for my fabulous bedtime routine.
That day is probably sooner than I think, too.  Soccer starts at age 4 in our town so this Fall (after this Spring and this Summer) Abby will have soccer one night a week.  Crazy!
She can't wait, though, and I can't wait to be that soccer mom!  And I'm guessing that Wyatt and Daddy are going to have a good time, too.

Today we were supposed to have a big snowstorm.  A "blizzard", in fact.  Or at least a "Nor'easter".  Wind and snow with accumulations upwards of a foot.  It was supposed to start around 3am and continue into the night tonight.  They canceled school, local businesses planned to start late or closed all together.  Even my bank made today Saturday hours.
When we woke up, there was no snow.
After breakfast, Abby had it in her head that we would be building a snowman. 
But it still hadn't started.
I won't make fun of everyone for stocking up and buckling down but let's face it, this was not a world-ending, life-threatening storm.
It did start snowing eventually (about 11:30) and it's still snowing.  But it never snowed very hard and there is still probably less than 6 inches accumulated.  It is windy but we're not losing tree limbs or anything.  And tomorrow might result in a 90-minute delay for schools as everyone digs out.  The problem is, everyone thought it was going to be bad last night and this morning and it turns out, the snow is coming down the hardest now, while it's super cold and no one prepared for tomorrow to be the rough day.  Everyone thought today was going to be the toughie.  So, it will be interesting to see how everyone fares.
Me?
I don't have any pressing engagements tomorrow.

Idol started Hollywood Week last night and continues tomorrow.  I love Idol.  It is fun to watch and while I am sad that Simon is leaving, I am excited to have a special reason to enjoy the "last season".  Because, frankly, Idol will suck ass with out him so if they do try, I won't be watching.
And Ellen.  I love Ellen.  She's hilarious.  And she's an intelligent, self-confident woman.  A role model for women.  And I love that.
I like Kara, she adds humor, talent and beauty without being annoying.
I can't stand Randy.  I can't think of a single positive attribute for him.  He is annoying to look at and listen to.

Speaking of Idol, I wanted to review my television line up again.  Now that it's February, the good shows should be doing really well and the crappy shows have been canceled.  The returning shows have proved worth watching or shown how they've jumped the shark.
You may recall my previous posts about my love of television, this one in particular.  Without going back to compare line by line - here is how things have landed on my boob-tube:

Sunday nights bring "Big Love".  I can't explain that show to a non-fan.  It is brilliant and original without having to be about sex or violence.  It is realistic enough to be relate-able without adding stress to your own life.  It is funny and sad.  It is a family drama with a soap opera twist.  I love it.
Mondays have both "House" and "How I Met Your Mother".  I can't work my night around the only 1/2 hour show worth watching on CBS so I DVR "HIMYM" and watch it when I find myself with just a little bit of time and nothing else to watch.  It never disappoints.
I have been watching "House" but I am finding that it is a bit too much about the people, who are a bit too melodramatic and crazy, and not enough about the patients and the cases.  For this sort of program, I go to "Grey's Anatomy".  I miss the old Greg House.
Tues & Wed are about to be all about Idol. 
Thursday, of course, is about "Grey's Anatomy".  Now, I am a die-hard Grey's fan.  I love the show but let's take a minute here, shall we?
My friend told me that Izzie is leaving and that leaves her sad.
She also thinks that Meredith might leave and if Meredith leaves then Patrick Dempsey can't be far behind.
Now, I don't know where her information is from but let me say this:  I don't care.  I hate Izzie, first of all.  If there was a t-shirt, I'd totally be on "Team Karev".  She is a whiny, annoying pain in the rear.  She is the character they should have killed off.  She is the Marissa from The OC of Grey's Anatomy.  She humped everyone on the show, got a terminal disease, saw dead people, had her best friend run over by a truck, met her long-lost daughter, got married, got fired, ran away and now will get divorced while still unemployed.  She's spent.  Get rid of her.
It doesn't help that everything you read says that the real-life Izzie (Katherine Heigl) is a bitch.
So - get rid of her.
Meredith.  If she left, I would be sad.  I like her.  The show is called, obviously "Grey's" so if she left, it would be weird.  But - she hasn't been doing much lately.  She's happy with Derek.  She's doing her surgery thing.  She just had a baby in real life and everything is pretty happy and good.  If she did decide to leave, it would suck but it would not devastate the show.  Clooney left ER, folks.
If Patrick Dempsey left, it would leave a mark for sure.  I would not like to see him leave.  I like him as Derek Shepard and he is very nice to look at.  But he, too, could go without wrecking the show.  That's the beauty of this cast, it is ensemble which is greek for "lots of peeps".
I absolutely adore Little Grey & Eric Dane.
I really, really like Arizona Robbins.  (I like Callie but she over-acts a lot and it gets annoying but she's ok.)
Bailey has a new love interest!  And just in time, too, because she was bordering on miserable and annoying.
Cristina Yang was really, really getting on my nerves until the end of last week's show when she talked about Burke.  She redeemed herself, totally.  Surgeon First, Person Second.  That is how she should be.  Owen kisses her like hes trying to eat her - or at least bite and hurt her.  It's painful to watch.  He is not attractive and a horrible actor and needs to go.
I'd rather see Cristina as a lesbian with the new 'Cardio-God' than stay with Owen.  He's gotta go.

Phew.  I guess I had more to say than I realized.


Fri & Sat never had good shows and still don't.
"New Adventures of Old Christine" used to be a favorite but this season, I don't know if it's her or me, I find it way too annoying and miserable.
"Glee" is still one of my absolute favorite shows ever but is currently on hiatus.  When it comes back, my life will be a little bit happier.

Still love my Keurig.  I wondered if that novelty would wear off and it has not.  In fact, I just bought several new varieties including some teas & a decaf box of coffee.
I drink at least one Keurig each afternoon and a decaf or a tea after dinner.  I highly recommend "Bigelow 'I Love Lemon'" if you're interested. 

Lots of discussion around budget and school system lately.  As in most towns of this size, it is a heated debate.  Often the line is drawn where those who have no children hate to spend money on the schools seeing little to no benefit to themselves and people who do have children, totally willing to invest in their schools seeing every benefit to themselves and everyone around them.
Why do people with no kids move to towns with well-respected school systems and relatively upscale neighborhoods with fairly high taxes?  Don't they realize that this all comes at a cost?
A good school district lays the groundwork for a fine suburban town.  If you don't have kids, go live cheaper in a crappy town.
I tend to vote in favor of whatever is intended to benefit the schools.  I did this blindly in the past and now, with one child in the school system, I am a well-informed voter and I not only vote in favor of the kids but I speak passionately on behalf of that vote. 
Half-Day Kindergarten or Full-Day?  Music and Art in our schools or no?  Pay-to-Play sports?  And how often do we really need those pesky text books?
There are a lot of things that we spend frivolously on.  I don't think the teachers need a hot tub in the lounge but I won't balk at replacing a counter/fridge/stove/sink.  I don't think we have to offer free equipment for all sports for all kids, but I do think it should be available to those kids who could not play otherwise.  And I absolutely, without a doubt, would paint a sign and start a picket line on behalf of music and art in our schools.  Without music and art, where would half of these kids share their passion?  Yes, some kids have passion for math or literature, but I am willing to guess that more of them have passion for paints and drawing and song and dance.

Oh man.  I could go on and on.  I also want to go on and on about the "Great Kindergarten Debate" but I can't now.
I said too much about Grey's and I am out of blog-steam.  So, I'll save it for another night.  While I still have my nights free.

Over the past few years we have celebrated Christmas with my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins on the weekend prior to the actual holiday.  That day was this past Saturday.
It used to be that we ("we" being my family pre-marriage - parents & sibs) would gather with my mom's family on this weekend.  Then, after we all had kids of our own and sort of spread out across the states, it became our only day to celebrate together.
That has made it the official "Christmas" with my parents and siblings and a day that I truly treasure.  I absolutely love the day with my family.

If it snowed, we'd be crazy to drive in dangerous conditions.
But we'd be crazy to want to cancel our day together, too.
So - we gathered earlier than planned.

Our party was supposed to start at 3 with a kick-off (of appetizers and gifts) at my Aunt Carol's at 11:30.  The whole day was planned.  The gifts were wrapped, the cookies were baked.  I made a pie and a salad, Jay made (awesome) sausage & peppers.
With the impending blizzard - my aunt graciously allowed us to cancel our plans there and we headed to my parents' house for 11.
Everyone was there before noon (we were actually there by 10:30!) and the day went off without a hitch!

We sang our carols, ate our chow, opened our gifts and really enjoyed each other for a good, long time.  And then we all got home safe & sound in time for what promised to be (and didn't diappoint in this neck of the woods!) a fabulous snow storm.

The thing about my family that makes it so very special is so very simple:
We really like each other.
The enjoyment we get from just being together is priceless.

Sometimes,  you have to take a step back, really observe what is right in front of you and realize - honestly and deeply - how luck you really are.
My family loves me.
I love them.
And we had the merriest Christmas.

Abby said it best - "I got everything I ever wanted!"

So did I.

 

A very special Thank You to OmaReenie for the Mets glasses.

To quote Jay, "I just hope we don't choke when we drink out of them!"

Gramps.  Our patriarch at 90-somethin' years old.  He's gotten considerably quieter & the ride to Brewster isn't as esasy as it once was, but his presence is still lovingly anticipated and appreciated.

I really hate the new Gap Kids commercial.
It's a bunch of over-dressed, overly-colorful brats screech-chanting at their "parents" about what they refuse to wear and what they demand to wear.
It's sickening.
Equally sickening is the new Stella McCartney line at Baby Gap.
Who spends $70 on something sized 18-24 months?  Not your typical Gap shopper.

And if you know me, you know how much I love Gap.

So, I thank you, Gap Marketing.  You have allowed me some time to pay off my stupid Gap card as I am too repulsed to shop your brand right now.

Snow day today.  That was fun.  I had planned on taking the kids to the mall.  For someone so energized and organized about Christmas, I sure have not done much shopping.
And I am starting to feel the crunch.
Abby needs a dress (or two), Wyatt needs a shirt and/or sweater.  I need to figure out what I'm wearing and if I need anything, as does Jay.
And that doesn't even touch on what I have to buy still for gifts...  and I love buying gifts - but not having much done yet makes it a little stressful.

So, I was going to go today but got snowed on instead.
On the one hand, that's good - when school's canceled I have Q&K all day and that means a little extra money.  And I'm not shopping - so I consider that double profit!

The kids made a snowman while I shoveled and Jay snowblowed.  That was awesome.  They did a great job and it was definitely a first for Abby & Wyatt. 

Abby loved it so much and tonight asked me if the snowman would come to life.  Silly, yes - but so serious and cute that I wondered how to answer.  I'm still not entirely sure.  She's very clever and has a great sense of humor but I can't tell if she's kidding, testing me or dead serious.
I played it off with the "if you think so then he will" and "not as long as you're awake" stuff.  But...

While they were making the man - Wyatt decided to pull his tricycle out of the garage.  It was hilarious.  He rode his bike down the strip of driveway that Jay had blown and then looked at me and said "Ma!  Help You!"  Translated, that means, "Mom, help me with this, will you?  Shovel a good path for me, I want to ride my bike!"


I have got to find a Barbie 3-Story Dream Townhouse.  Why, oh WHY did I NOT go buy it on Thanksgiving Eve when it was on sale for $99?  WHY?
Now, if I can even find it - at full price - it's at least full retail price of $160.  At Amazon I saw it for $260!  That's crazy.
But I can see myself going mama-at-holiday-times-goes-batshit-for-toy-that-kids-love.
I will find that house.
If it kills me.
If I have to cross a state line.
I will find that house.
At a good price.

Less than 2 weeks till Christmas at my mom's house!  We always get together with my mom's family the weekend before Christmas and over the last few years that celebration has become our only Christmas celebration with my side of the family.  Everyone has young kids and we're pretty spread out so it's easier for everyone and frankly, I love it!
We can spend the entire day, there's no rush, there's no other families pulling us in a different direction...  we can just relax and enjoy each other and celebrate Christmas.
My parents are increasingly difficult to shop for and their recent purge of all things not nailed down has made it even harder.  But this year, I think we did a good job and I'm excited to give them their gift.
I also have a few other good ones in my head.
But, like I said, I need to get on that. 

Have you had a bowl of cereal lately?  I don't mean Cheerios.  I mean the good stuff.  I had a bowl of Cookie Crisp the other day at Jody's house.  I was so excited about it.
It was awful.
A few months ago, I had a Fruity Pebbles craving and bought a box.
Gross.
Then I found out that they don't have enough sugar anymore.  The companies have been "under fire" for being unhealthy.
Really?
People had ot complain to the cereal companies because they are not, in fact, an integral part of the "balanced breakfast" they boast of in their commercials?
Really?
Well, thanks, politically-correct America.  For Eff-ing up one more happy childhood memory.
No more sugar in "sugar cereal", no more sitting "Indian Style" and no more cookies for the "Cookie Monster".
Nice.


Have you seen the Walmart commercial with all the little kids waking up and running as fast as they can down to their Christmas Trees on Christmas morning?
THey're all in their little jammies.  Some with feet...  and they run so fast, a few of them actually fall.  It's hilarious and oh-so-cute...  it almost makes up for the Gap nonsense.
But not quite.
You won't find me at Walmart at Christmastime.  No way, No how.  And with no Gap this year... well - it just makes me happy for my zero-balance on my Macy*s card!

I'll wrap up with this:  after tucking the kids in each night, I head downstairs with one final "Good night, God Bless you, I love you."  Just as my mom did every night after she tucked the 4 of us in when I was little.
Tonight, as I closed Abby's door, I said it, as I always do, but for the first time, Wyatt replied "I Lah-loo, Mama".
Then Abby came out with "Goodnight, Wywy, I love you!"
To which he replied "I Lah-loo, Abby!"