Weekend Catch Up

So it snowed..then it snowed some more...then it iced...then it snowed then it got damn cold...then it melted..then rained and the water came into my house.

What a way to wake up!!! Three kids, two dogs, two cats and a basement full of water. Awesome...it is the exact opposite of all that is good. Out comes the shop vac. and let the pumping begin. Had Peas strapped to my back (thank you mei tai)...

Look out the window at the yard...Lake H....need an ark where is Noah when you need him?

Kids were in rain boots and snow pants having a great time (only kids can have fun during this)

Enter mother in law. She calls she has water..needs help...If I can do it with three kids...she can do it by herself-she is a big girl. She was all upset because her husband was not there....well neither was mine...duh. She does not have a shop vac--my answer go buy one...not that hard. I have done it.

So after a long day of work with lots of help. My basement was dry and my yard was mostly dry. Bring on more snow.

watch and learn

have you ever had someone in your life that lives in a way that you aspire too?? not in a condescending way but in a way that is genuine and authentic and good? I have a friend like that. She is inspiring. Her heart and generosity are inspiring. I can only hope and pray that I can be so generous and giving when called to.

a full heart

Christmas was fun for the kids. Tiring for me. Exhausting more like. The day after we went to a PADS shelter to serve breakfast to those less fortunate. It was the children's first real experience there.

Leaving the house was an experience in an of itself...the roads were sheer ice. It was like driving on a sheet of glass. Driving my SUV was scary. But we made it. Took longer than I thought.. but we made it.

once inside we waited for the other volunteers...and proceeded to make breakfast bacon, eggs, sausage, coffee, juice, toast, bagels...etc. Princess was so excited to help out. She loved it. The other family had a little girl too..older than Princess but not a lot. Both of them were happy to help. That was refreshing. It made my heart happy to see my child so anxious to help and enjoying it. It was somewhat embarrassing when she told a guest that "I came here this morning to help people who do not have a house like we do".

The two hours flew by. Soon it was time to leave. We loaded back in the car and ice skated home. My heart filled and refreshed. I am already looking forward to going and helping next month.

hangover preschool style

So it has been a week of holidays...Hanukkah, Christmas...next New Years. The kids are wiped...but net expressing it as fatigue..but as grumpiness and stubbornness. it is 1:30 and we are holed up at home trying to mellow after the buzz of the holidays.
This year I had a hard time getting into the holidays...get wonder why...huh? Oh thats right this year has been challenging. So much loss. So much sadness. It almost does not seem real. Usually I am fussing about Christmas/Hanukkah in October..this year I could not get into it. My heart was heavy.

This morning we awoke at 4 am to go serve breakfast to those less fortunate as a way to re-focus and center ourselves (read myself). The roads were like driving on glass. Awful. Scary. I could not get into the lot at the shelter. But we made it. It was really good to do that. It refreshed my heart to teach my children about giving. Even when we are having a rough time...the guests were so kind and so nice. I am looking forward to doing that again. For the first time this season my heart was lighter and I enjoyed it.

SNOW!!!

So we live in Chicago. Seasons are a part of life. As are frigid bone chilling cold and snow. Lots of snow.

As a child I would often wake up early in the morning before school to get an hour of playing in the snow in. I lived for it. sledding skiing skating snowmen all of it...even shoveling..in fact even now the only thing I dislike about snow is driving in it... and cleaning the car when I cannot reach all the way.. I have such wonderful memories of playing in the snow until my mother forced me to come in.

My kids it seems are the same. princess and stinky did a victory several laps around the house shouting 'wooohooo' at the top of their lungs when I told them we were going to go out. My ears are filled with the joyful shrieks of my kids enjoying the amazing thing that is snow.

I'll never be to old to sled down a hill and make snow angels...

Sibling love

Peas is sick. Last night I was scared. She was listless and so so sad. Her fever was so so high. 105....called the doctor. He was a lot less freaked than I was (that is a good thing).

Princess and Stinky were so sweet to her. They were holding hands with her when she Princess snuggled her on the couch and read her a story. It was so sad that she was sick but soo sweet to see the kids loving on Peas.

Now
Peas is feeling better...more interactive...still sick but not scary

Changes

One year ago....

I was pregnant. One year ago. I was getting ready for Christmas with two children. It has been one heck of a year. Good and Bad.

I was looking at pictures of Peas in the NICU and thinking how much she has grown. Looking at B holding her and beaming the new daddy pride.

Yesterday was Princes's Holiday program at pre-school..her first one ever. B was not there- that was sad. But his grandparents came- and Princess had a wonderful time singing her songs. Daddy was missed sorely.

Today Peas started learning the art of the Sippy cup. Up until now her only way of drinking has been nursing and she is not a huge fan of solids...she prefers her nummies...I cannot believe that she is the same 3 pound baby who made her entrance on her own terms- she has done everything else on her own terms since then too.

Imagination

There are so many things about motherhood that are hard and frustrating..Thankfully there are more that are fun and entertaining.

Lately Stinky has started imaginary play. Like full on imaginary play. He pretends he is an airplane and flies around the house...buzzing the dogs...bothering his sister...making the noises. It is so much fun to watch him immerse himself in his world and see what develops.

What will he be today?? So far a race car and race car driver, a choo choo, and an airplane.

Now a funny story:

Yesterday I was petting the cat and I noticed a strange accessory: blue fur. I put my mommy interrogation skills to work...asked how her fur came to be blue and found out that Stinky had colored her. Oh well...not the worst I've seen

Forgivness

it is a topic I have been contemplating a lot recently. It is a hard concept to grasp and even harder for me to say anything concrete that makes any sense about. Bottom line we all need it.

I am not good at giving forgiveness. I am a grudge holder. It is not fair of me to ask forgiveness then, but I still want it.

Anyway.

I find myself wanting forgiveness but knowing I cannot ask the person I hurt for it. It is something that I did a long time ago. That I knew was wrong...felt trapped....justified it..did it anyway..and have lived with the guilt. So much that I have only told one other person about it. ever. How do you do that. How do you get forgiveness from someone who is unavailable to ask? How do you forgive yourself?

The Christmas Story

I confess I am not the most up on my Bible stories... Princess today asked about Christmas. I told the story as best as I could. Starting with the Annunciation ending with Epiphany.

It was hard to cover the Annunciation and that 'drama' without making issue of the fact that Princess and stinky were born before we got married and weather or not that was the same thing with regards to the babies before marriage thing. Really interesting to dodge.

Any ideas on how to handle this gracefully?

big sister

Pfincess rocks. Simply put. Some days she is trying and she is stubborn as hell but she is so loving and empathetic it always surprises me.

I have a few recent examples of her caring nature:

Recently Stinky fell down the stairs and needed to go to the hospital to make sure he was okay. Princess insisted on going with him to the exam room with him to hold his hand to help him not be scared. They held hands while he was having his b/p taken and is SpO2 checked. She held his hand when he got his mouth and cut examined. She was great.

When Peas needs to go to the doctor she always holds her hands to make sure she is not frightened. OF course the kids get on each others nerves but Princess loves her baby brother and sister.

what to do....

This is the part of parenting that is sometimes the hardest. I am sick. All I have the energy to do is make sure that the couch does not float away. The kids feel better but are still coughing...if they run or are hyper they cough and cough and throw up. Delightful. So they must be kept 'quiet'. Easier said than done. When they are kept 'quiet' mischeif ensues. Other than that they must be engaged in something...always; see the above issue with me being ill.

What a conundrum.

What can I have the children do to engage them that does not require immense energy on my part?

It would not be a normal day here with out...

Some drama.

Stinky managed to fall down the stairs and bite through his lip. A trip to the ER later he was prescribed lots of milkshakes. Hmmm guess who his new favorite doctor is.

As a follow up to Saturday's post:

I felt like a character in Little Women when Jo cut her hair. Minus the 1860's and the Civil War etc. Princess cut her hair. And Stinky cut his hair. I never realized how attached I was to her beautiful hair. She truly had the most gorgeous hair. Now it is short. Very short. Yes it will grow...but I miss it.

It was so cute in pig tails with bows...blowing in the wind.