Hanging On

Old Man Winter seems to be hanging on with a death grip around these parts.  Last week was our first week without a major snowstorm (somewhere between 6 and 24 inches with each storm) since early February.  We had some glorious weather over Easter weekend with temperatures near 60, and then early this week an "Arctic air mass" moved in and we've been struggling to get into the 40's since Tuesday.  Today it's finally a bit warmer and the wind chill is not quite as biting, but the overnight lows are still pretty formidable:

Poor M has been bundled up again every day this week for his early morning run... temps have been in the low 20's when he goes out.

So yeah... remember back when I blogged about enjoying winter this year?  Ummm... SO over it.

L is with me.  Every morning this week she has asked, "Can I put on my swimsuit and run through the sprinkler?"

For the past two or three weeks, the girls have been whiny, defiant, restless, and snippy with each other and me.  Very unlike themselves.  We spent the entirety of Easter weekend outside, and things improved a lot.  But after a few days with not as much outside time, we're starting to get itchy again.

They're acting like I do when I haven't been for a run in a few days.  Like mother, like daughter, eh?  I think it would take a week constant running through the backyard for these girls to burn off all the pent up energy they've acquired this winter.

But there are always those little things that will put a smile on your face and get you through it.

Here are my "little things" that are helping me "hang on" this week:

1) There's this:

(I apologize that my child looks like a mullet baby in her rocker t-shirt and new haircut.  P.S. The mismatched clothing is due to a laundry backup that is currently being remedied.)

After she took her first steps, C's walking was pretty wobbly for a while and crawling was still the preferred method of travel-- pretty normal for the newly walking baby in my experience.  C's confidence in walking, however, exploded really suddenly... over the period of two or three days she went from taking three very shaky steps to walking across a room.  And she is soooo very proud of herself.

2) Hearing my kiddos sing along with all the music we listen to-- which happens a lot in the car-- always brings a smile to my face.  L's particular favorite lately is The World We Love by Raffi.  Hearing her clear, sweet, tuneful voice singing "Earth below, stars above, God bless it every day" never fails to bring tears to my eyes.  (Especially as she sings it: "Errf bewow, stais above, God bwess it evewy day")

3) Friends.  We've met two really cool families here in town and we've gotten some good quality time with them lately-- which is a small miracle, considering we all have little children and it's nearly impossible to finish a sentence when we're all together.  I've had some great time with friends old and new-- and cyber "friends" that I don't know personally too.  I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and came across this:

When I make dinner, I rarely just think of that one meal. I almost always double (or triple) the recipe because my time is limited and because there are just some nights I don't feel like cooking. 

Does that ever happen to you?

Kids + school + maintaining a home = exhaustion. Am I right? A long while ago, I stopped beating myself up over the fact that sometimes I feel utterly depleted. So, I aim to be proactive and anticipate those days by taking dinner out of the equation... 

Exhaustion - guilt over the exhaustion = sanity (for me).  How's my math?

It's so refreshing to hear that other moms out there feel exhausted, even those who seem to "have it all together".  It may seem obvious, but it's so easy to forget.  We're all only human.

4) These two little girls are getting to be such close friends:

...and it makes me very happy to see it.

Imagine a scene from this morning's breakfast table:

N and L are both eating cereal.  N is perched on the edge of her seat primly, taking small bites and chewing carefully.  L is squatting like a frog in her chair, leaning over her bowl as she has been admonished, gulping gigantic mouthfuls and saying something through each one, dribbling bits of milk and cereal down the front of her pajamas.

As they each finish their last mouthfuls, they exchange a mischievous glance.  Simultaneously, they sink from their chairs to the floor underneath the table.  They find their blankies and set up a bed right by my feet as I finish my coffee.  C sucks a bottle of milk, watching them carefully from her booster seat.  The following conversation drifts up from below us:

N: Well, Pete, how was your day?

L: It was good!

N: Are you a lion?

L: No, I'm just crawling around.

N: Are you a tiger?

L: What's this about, then?

N: This is our house.  It's time to have lunch!

L: Okay!

N: What did you get in your lunch?  Ooooh, I got some meat!

(smacking of lips noises)

N: Time for sleepy time!

They've played one another's games so often that they know what is coming next, sometimes without even speaking.  It's that sibling connection that everyone who has a sister or brother will understand.

It warms my heart to know that they are a gift to each other and not just to me and their father.