The little old man who lives in our building.

This kid is doing something funny every time I turn around lately. He's kind of like an old man. He is happy to be left alone. Just don't take his blanket or his chair or make him change out of pajamas. He can be often found watching the cul de sac, pointing and telling neighborhood kids to get off our lawn, through the window. His hair and eating habits are stellar. Oh, and he whistles. All the time! It's hilarious! 

He's got dinner covered. 

Today, he disappeared while I switched the laundry over. I could hear him singing in the basement for awhile, but that stopped and I thought maybe he'd come upstairs. Nope. Just put himself down for a nap. It was noon. This was such a pleasant blessing, today. Sloane was asleep, too. A nap eclipse! I aborted mission on operation laundry and made myself comfortable in a sunny spot on the sofa and went to sleep for nearly an hour and a half. Thanks for basically raising yourself, Soren. 

We went grocery shopping while the big kids were in piano lessons. He took inventory of everything I purchased, saved half of his popcorn chicken for Reese, and asked why I don't buy cookies and soda like daddy does. 

Aaron, you're busted! 

Creating Culture

It's a new day and we are feeling so much better. Not gonna lie, yesterday was tough on all accounts, and the recon work from the weekend will be mucho grande. I have kids home today from school and playgroup, and everyone is catching up on reading assignments and empty stomachs. It's a new month. I'm determined to make it better than last month. Here's what's bringing me joy today: 

The top of Aaron's dresser. Usually covered in papers, dons the centerpieces from Saturday's relief society activity. I might just keep them there. I'm loving the look of all those lavender stems reflected in the mirror. 

2) a happy baby. Sloane woke up cheerfull and giggly this morning. I couldn't help but feel brightened by her laughter when I gave her her morning tummy tickle. 

3) this fantastic shirt HolleeAnn sent me makes me VERY happy. There was a time not very long ago when I felt like I could handle anything and everything. Today? Today I'm wearing the same clothes I've had on since Saturday. And I'm totally ok with it. Is what I'm wearing of great importance? Nope. Were the children nourished and loved today? Absolutely. Priorities. 

Sister Ann Loveland spoke at our relief society retreat this weekend about savoring the pleasures of life and creating culture in our home. I think I do ok with savoring simple joys, but I'd like to focus on the culture in my home. The first things That come to mind when I imagine the culture I want in my home are these:

I want a culture of service

I want a culture of gratitude

I want a culture of cleanliness (both physical and spiritual)

I want a culture of love and kindness

I want a culture of creativity

I want a culture of learning

I want a culture of joy.  

So today, as I serve and nurse this family back to health, I'm working on cultivating those things....starting with gratitude, which was long forgotten in January. 

And to help me remember the culture I have the power to create, this is the new verse up on our chalkboard: 

Curse of the Fox

When we woke up on New Year's Day 2016 to find a sneaky fox eating our hens on the back lawn, Aaron jokingly asked me, "is that some kind of bad omen, or something? To start a new year out with an animal massacre on your property?"  Hahaha! Ever since then, anytime we have an unfortunate event, or a new illness take down a family member, we chalk it up to the imaginary "curse of the fox". 

I'm starting to think our Chinese New Year will be the year of the Fox at Fort Willy. I never even published the disaster that was trying to get in to a doctor when Corbin had bronchitis a couple weeks ago. It was definitely the curse of the fox, that time. 

Last week during preschool, someone brought a puking child over. Every germ a phob alarm went off in my brain and as I bleached our bathroom I told Aaron I had a really bad feeling that our kids were going to get sick, too.  He laughed and blamed the fox. 

Fast forward to 24 hours later when Sloane started throwing up. She has now blown out of every diaper since Thursday. We hoped it would stay contained to just her, since she's the only one who puts things in her mouth, and the sick child only touched her toys. 

Sloane was just the beginning. Aaron called at the end of the RS activity begging me to come home because Q was sick. 

Quincy continued to throw up all Saturday afternoon....not once into a bowl, toilet or sink.  I've scrubbed walls, doors, sinks, floors and so much carpet.  By 9:30 I collapsed into bed, praying for it to be over...or for her to at least make it to a sink or toilet or bowl (or anything!) next time. Aaron is sick. Reese is sick. It hit me at 2am and I threw up through the night and didn't leave the bathroom floor for most of today.   My mom texted words of encouragement. I replied with this too honest selfie:

The boys have played the Wii all day long and Aaron and I are trading off in one hour shifts taking care of Sloane and trying to rest between trips to the restroom and feeling like we are going to die.

Shifts. That's how desperate and pathetic this is. I'm so over this. I stood at the kitchen sink puking and holding a screaming baby, while Aaron ran past me to one bathroom and Reese ran to another.  Uncle!  At least Soren and Corbin have iron stomachs. Well, for now, anyway. We kept the entire family home from church just in case. Plus, it's not like Aaron or I could go anywhere! 

On a lighter note, check out the shirt my sister mailed to Sloane, last week. If you know me well, you know why this is so funny! 

Mr Fox, please have mercy. 

A happy place

An old high school friend of mine is visiting our hometown (from Winnipeg, where she lives, now) and posted this picture on her Facebook page, yesterday.  

It's nothing spectacular or breathtaking. But those are my hills. That is the winter of my childhood. February is my favorite month to be in the Bay Area. Everything explodes with green, and the fruit trees (everywhere) burst into bloom.  It's beautiful and sunshiney and the air smells oh so wonderful, and though there are not "true" seasons in California, intermittent rain and the spring breeze blow fresh life on the green hills. 

We are getting a 60* teaser in Arkie, this weekend!  I've already started pulling all the window blinds up in anticipation to chase away the January gloom and air this place out. Sloane threw up all day and into evening yesterday. "Thanks for sharing", said no one ever.  A new month is around the corner. I am happy for February to bless us with freshness.

I had so many places to run today and tonight. Kind of really wonderful to have it all canceled for me. This is where I have been for over 3 hours today. 

(Don't mind my lip that's fat with stress cursed cold sores. I really hope tomorrow's relief society activity is everything the powers that be hope it will be.) Baby Sloane snuggles? I do feel awful (and frustrated) that she is sick again, and yes, I happen to have vomit in my hair, but I right now I feel like I'm reliving the luxury of a newborn. I canceled our date night with total contemptment because I can't remember the last time she buried her face against me and sighed off to sleep. It's happened three times in 24 hours and I refuse to move. It's fleeting but it's the best. About an hour ago I was breathing her deep heavy sleepy breaths and they entranced me into a half sleep meditation, pondering relishing the little important things. 

Soren is still in pajamas and bouncing between watching tv and playing cars in the basement. He made us bagels with cream cheese while cheerfully humming the Darth Vader star theme, "dun dun dun ba ba bum ba ba bummm..." 

There's a heavily sleeping baby in my arms. 

There is sunlight pouring through my windows. 

There are fresh tulips on my table. 

I get to sit and rock and meditate and look at this pretty picture of a green California February and take all of this in. 

Life is so good. 

Happy Friday. Hope you've found a happy place to be today.

On a Snowy Day: Young Learners Welcome Winter

I love my little side job. Being a teacher is unmeasurably rewarding, but if I had to describe the benefit--/which I attempted to do with a parent/friend just last week--I'd say it's exhaustingly empowering. The three hours a week I spend as Mrs Meg are like having a "really good mom day", every week. Every week I see progression, growth, understanding, exploration, and a growing love for learning. They tell me stories, share all their big news, show me their owies, and ask me their one hundred questions. And they trust my one hundred answers. 

And since they are not my children 100% of the time, this learning comes with only a minuscule fraction of the heaviness of teaching my own child as their parent. I get that, too, with my own preschooler enrolled in my class each year, but managing my own classroom is like...it's like all the break through mom-teaching moments, without (most of) the heartaches and battle of wills and patience struggles that accompany the typical mother-child teaching interactions. As a teacher, I invest in these people and gain respect their love and respect as I cultivate our relationships. I get to help enhance and enrich, but I'm really only decorating and embellishing a perfectly baked sweet treat. So thank, parents, for creating great people, and for sharing them with me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to apply a little frosting and sprinkles these cupcakes. I am dog tired by the time I crawl into bed on Wednesday nights. But the dessert was totally worth it. Every week. 

Today was rad. I greeted the children wearing a top hat and scarf, holding sticks, and my nose painted orange. Some guessed the riddle right away. Others took a few hints to figure out They'd have a snowman for a teacher today! 

Dramatic Play: lots of props and orange noses my little snowlearners today. 

Literature: 

Gross Motor: we skated like the mice on ice and made snow angels and snow tracks with Peter in The Snowy Day. I gave each of the children a "snowball" of their own to protect during circle time. 

Art: sneezy the snowman

Handwriting: letter W and drawing snowflakes on the aqua mats

Practical Life Skills at Play: Winter Weather Olliblocks

What do you wear to stay warm in winter? 

Fine Motor: snowflake stamping 

Motor skills: 4 season floor puzzles 

Science: hot and cold item sort

Sensory: Insta Snow!

I gave the children counting bears so they could play "snow bears" in their snow. This stuff is great science-y, sensory fun. 

I can't wait to pick up my big kids from school, today. Every Wednesday, they run downstairs to see what preschool excitement is left out for them to explore.  Then they reminisce about their own days as a Young Learner with Mommy/Mrs Meg. I make insta snow with my students every year and my children get SO excited to have a turn with it after school. I also added ice cream dishes and spoons this year. I'm sure the basement will be converted into a frozen tung snow shack at 3pm. 

My side job is fun, but my full time career as a mom has its perks too. It's not uncommon for me to receive mothering inspiration for my own children while I am teaching someone else's. That happened to me today and I'm anxious to try out a new idea.  I'm grateful to my creator for the spiritual gift of teaching, and for the variety that Wednesday mornings add to my life. 

Mommy and Corbin Age 6

Quit hogging the gene pool, Aaron.

Friday Saturday Sunday

Friday:

Everyone is well enough again, so Friday starter with  a make up day for preschool. Fly me to the moon!

I pulled some "standing toys" from storage and this cutie bug loves them. 

Sloane loves baby dolls. She giggles with delight and kisses them and pats them and says, "awwwww" before biting their arms or feet. 

I went to bed, exhausted, at 9:30. I'm an up until midnight girl. Going to bed means less tired the next day, but I also wake up to things like this: 

So it's still kind of depressing! I think I'd rather be sleepy than wake up to grossness. Before you think it, the children and Aaron do help...this is from one meal. Big family = nonstop dishwashing. I loathe doing dishes, but not as much as I loathe getting behind and watching them spread across the countertop and accumulate on every surface on the kitchen. An empty sink is my thing. 

Reese attended Madi Z's 11th birthday party. It was a cupcake decorating party, and she brought home 6 adorable cupcakes to share with very happy siblings. It was a pleasure to catch up with sweet Michelle. 

Saturday: 

I signed up for the Bentonville Half Marathon. Not totally sure what I was thinking, other than, "that will get me running again!" I should be running 3-4 times during the week, plus long runs on Saturday. That isn't happening. And it is ok. I go after bedtime one night a week, and I go earrrrrrrly on Saturday mornings--which are my favorite, except the early part.  

Even going to bed early does not make me a morning person. 

The training group meets in the Downtown Activity Center for a workshop  on all things running (fuel, pace, stretching, aid station etiquette, hills, gear, breathing, etc) then sets out in a huge group of all speeds/abilities on a course marked by volunteers for the long run as the sun rises. I ran 6 miles in 16 degrees on Saturday. It was so cold I had icicles in my eyelashes and the water in my fuel belt was slushy ice when I finished. It was not easy, but I did it and I loved it. I ran 5 miles last night with Kasey, and I think that the first time maybe since Soren was born that I put in 10 miles within the same week, let alone 3 days! Felt great. Pics courtesy of a fellow trainee on the fb group. I'm sitting on the floor, 7th in from the top left, in a Green Bay packers beanie. 

Being with a group is really fun. It is inspiring to hear everyone's stories, encourage one another, and being in a pack gives a "race day" feeling that just makes me move a little faster, so my pace is picking up, too. This Saturday marked the halfway point, and it's literally all up hill from here. February and March will be intense, but worth it on race day! Even though I have done this and much more, before, It was two kids ago. I'm in a different body and have different time commitments in my life. It's been so long since I was a "runner" that the added distance reached each week feels like a brand new victory. It's thrilling. 

Corbin lost his 2nd tooth! I will miss his baby smile. He received a quarter, a dime, and a nickel from the tooth fairy and was quite pleased. He thinks it is cool to have "a bloody hole" in his gums. 

Corbin helped me harvest some fresh spinach and kale for a smoothie on Saturday. 

Aaron took the big kids to see star wars a second time. Soren was supposed to nap, but batted his eyes at me and asked me to please make him some "spreckled" eggs. It was too cute to resist, so spreckled eggs, he had, and then I practiced making an omelette for myself. Are you an omelette master? Teach me your skills! Aaron loves them and I'm trying to learn how to make them, but usually over cook the eggs. I need help. At least It tasted good. 

We had a sitter for a long awaited date night on Saturday and went to...a baptism! We are romantic like that. ;) It really was beautiful and I'm so happy we could attend and support the Hiligrass family as well as enjoy the Spirit's presence there.  We had gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and some incredible Gouda, green onion, and bacon loaded sweet potato fries at Hammontrees after. And Aaron was stalked by a Teredactyl hanging from the ceiling while we dined ;). 

Sunday: 

Sundays are long. I told (bribed) the children that if they could make it through two hours after church without arguing, we would make homemade personal pizzas. They made it (barely! Haha) and pizzas were devoured. 

Here is Pizza Reese, pre baking. In the past, I've always used cornmeal to dust the counter surface and paddle for easy sliding into the stone. Parchment paper is the way to go! No mess, no fuss, and no deformed pizzas.

After dinner, Aaron and I destroyed the kids at hi ho cherry-o. No mercy. 

I worked on pinning down some details for our upcoming relief society retreat. 

Then went to bed early for the third night in a row--who am I???

Weekends, you are so good to us. Stay here a little longer, next time.