God Moments

At the end of a long hallway of a medical center, there is a print of some artwork by Cheryl Piperberg. It looks like this:

C has loved this picture for years. Years. There's a walrus front and center. And a polar bear. And penguins. Once M got older than car seat age she began to love this print as well. Especially since it features a panda bear.

Yesterday we left that hallway and for the first time, we have no immediate plan to return as we have graduated from the specialist. And I was nervous about it. It's like taking away my safety net. But it's good. (Except I may have to buy that print for our house. Lol.)

So today I felt especially close to the Holy Spirit. I heard a new-to-me song for the first time:

And it just speaks to me. This morning there was a little birthday get together for a friend of mine. She's a leap year birthday so she picked today to celebrate. And it was such a wonderful time together with a great group of women.

Then I went to deliver some prayer journals I made for the ladies of my small group at the retreat.

Journals from Amazon. Fruit of the Spirit art from Etsy. Our group was called the Pineapple Princesses so I was thrilled to find something that would feel like it was in the spirit of that.

Then as my day kept going I had a BIG God moment and it was so amazing it actually made me cry. I was going to ask a friend to pray for me specifically. And then I never got around to it. But I got a text that she actually HAD. She prayed for the exact thing I needed without prompting from me. And then reached out to tell me.

It's little things like that that remind me that He is with us always. Tomorrow is March. Which is crazy. Hopefully, actual Spring weather is around the corner too. But we will see.

CEW 2019

So last year, about this time, I went on a CEW retreat. It's a bit like a Cursillo retreat but a little different. And it was good. In my old post, I wrote about how I wasn't clear what the lasting impact would be.

Well, we found a true parish community. That is an amazing impact. Church isn't just Mass on Sunday. I have real and true friendships with people. We get together monthly. (Or we try to anyway when all these blizzards don't cancel our nights together.)

I was invited to join a mom's rosary morning and my introverted self went. And now I go pray the rosary with friends while the kids play. We pray for each other. Let me tell you that friendship rooted in prayer and vulnerability is real.

And in early November my phone rang. And I was asked to be on this year's CEW Team. So I said yes.

This past weekend, I spent 48 hours at school/church helping lead this retreat. And let me tell you, a thank you is inadequate to whoever picked me for my role. It was so much more than I could have imagined. It was really amazing actually.

I honestly don't know where we are going from here yet again but I suspect there's a pretty good plan I am a part of and I just trust that it's going to be great.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is how beautiful the table decorations are, BUT we don't have our phones which is a shame since they work so hard to make the weekend really lovely. This year, I had a friend on the kitchen team take a picture of the decorations at Saturday's lunch because they were so lovely. This is after the placemats and napkins were removed since we were done eating. So it was even more magical, but it still is beautiful.

And they did similar table decorations, with fresh flowers and loveliness for 6 meals! It was so nice to feel cared for.

My heart is full and I am definitely riding the CEW high.

Walrus' Birthday

Yesterday was Walrus' birthday. Oh, Walrus. It's hard to believe you've been in our family for five years now.

If you're wondering if I am, in fact, talking about C's stuffed animal walrus named Walrus... you're correct. And yes, we absolutely celebrated Walrus' birthday yesterday. Because he is important in our family and someday he won't be. Let them be little and all that you know?

We went to Red Robin for dinner. C had a doctor's appointment that took a very long time and we were all hungry and cranky afterward. We had planned to have fish for dinner because he's a walrus, but going out just seemed more festive and redeeming.

Obviously Shu Shu the panda came too. We went so early. There was a point where we were truly the only customers. I even joked with Husband that if we explained that we were there celebrating Walrus maybe they'd even be bored enough to sing. We did not, actually, attempt that. 

Then we had cupcakes. Remember a few weeks ago when I made walrus cupcakes? Well, I just defrosted the cupcakes I had frozen. It worked out great, they were tasty. We bought some chocolate marshmallow frosting and stuck a Swedish Fish on top. Easy peasy.

It sure made the day fun and on these wintery blah days that we have been stuck with, I will take it. Today was the first time in all the winter weather advisories and warnings lately where we didn't get walloped. Just two inches and life went on as normal. Maybe, just maybe, we are turning a corner?!

Friday and Valentine's Day Recap

Hallelujah, we made it to Friday. This week has seemed really long you guys because it is the first week that C has gone to school 5 days in a row since January 7-11. Granted there were some 2-Hour Late Starts mixed in there but still. Perhaps we've turned a corner? I really hope so!

Yesterday both kids had school which was really good.

This little girl in her heart dress had missed her last two days which was devastating to her, and I am just so glad she got to go celebrate on Valentine's Day!

I ran a lot of errands while she was at school, which was good. She had a playdate after school so I just picked her up and then she got picked up from our house pretty quickly after that. Since C was at school, and M was at a playdate... Husband and I decided to go out to lunch.

This has literally never happened, but it was SO nice. A little squeezed in Valentine's Date. But just as we were finishing up I got a call from school and C wasn't feeling well! Poor kid! So I dashed out to get him and he rested all afternoon. But once he submitted to taking the acetaminophen he was right as rain.

He didn't have a fever and actually had no discernable symptoms other than being tired and not eating his lunch yesterday. (Which is why they called me, apparently he actually decided to lie down on his rest mat which also apparently doesn't happen as he chooses to read.) But he ate all of his dinner and slept well so... we sent him to school today, which is good because it's the 100 days of school party. Since he missed the Valentine party (though he did get all his Valentine's) it'd have been a real shame to miss that one.

I never shared the Valentine box that C brought in. It was pretty cute. So cute that M wanted one too even though she didn't need to bring a box in.

Husband printed out Mo Willem's bus pieces and we put them on some meal kit boxes our local grocery store has. They have handles on the top which makes it so much easier to carry too. We'll probably get some more next year for this same purpose. Then Husband printed some Mo Willems characters and hearts on sticker paper so the kids could decorate their bus the way they wanted to.

They are pretty cute!

And now we gear up for a relaxing weekend! We are ready!

A Long Road

A little over a week ago C and I went on an adventure. I did a lot of waiting.

Like outside this door, while he played some games.

Then outside this door where he played some more games. 

Then we went to a waiting room, where we played. 

Then after some more tests we got sent to a different waiting area where this TV had PJ Masks on in Spanish. He thought that was funny.

Then we went to another room.

And he did some more tests. 

All in all, his vision appointment with the specialist was over three hours long so he got to pick a special lunch to have. 

Then two days after that we went as a family to Target and tried on some of these:

And last Thursday night they came in! Last Friday was an out-of-uniform day and he was still star of the week so Walrus got to go to school with him. It was his first day wearing glasses!

They said over and over again, vision is more than just sight. It's true. (That's why so many tests.) But now a few days into life with glasses he seems to be doing well. 

Still my handsome guy, now just with some snazzy new glasses. 

Classroom Valentine Exchange

It's that time of year again when I get a wild hair to make really unique Valentine cards for the school exchanges. This year, I admit I just stole an idea from Oriental Trading Company.

Their's looked like this:

Fun. Not sugary. Cutesy poem. But not actually that cute. And furthermore, they are $9.99 for 12. In order to get them for my kids, I would have to buy 3 packs. That adds up pretty quick.

So I did what I've done every other year we've done Valentine cards... I had Husband design some. And then I bought 36 straws on Amazon for $9.99. It looks like the price has gone up just a little since I bought them but nevertheless, I needed 35 and that's a huge savings.

And I think ours are so much cuter! I did change the poem ever so slightly.

Obviously, my walrus boy is giving out the walrus ones, and my cat girl is happy to pass out the cats.

Just Another Thursday Home

Last night I went to see a show for work and I was really looking forward to my two quiet hours to write this morning. And then I turned to get into our alley and slid all over hill and dale. I walked in and told Husband, I bet the kids have a two-hour late start tomorrow and I won't get quiet time to write.

Oh, how right I was. Tuesday's early out was a good call since the evening commute was the worst of it. Luckily school was normal yesterday and the kindergarteners went to their first school Mass. (They start second semester and it was the first Wednesday this semester!)

Today we got the two-hour late start message at about 5:00 AM, and I just rolled my eyes and kept sleeping for a bit. Then once we were up and about... and we were debating if we'd be able to get out our alley (it's a hill) we got the school is canceled message.

For whatever reason, we count school by hours attended, not days so we have a whole lot to make up. They've already taken away President's Day and Easter Monday and even still we will be going until mid-June. (By then we will almost certainly have days where we will have to leave early because of heat.)

So that's going to mess up swimming lessons and summer camps and my guess is VBS attendance is going to be way down because it's probably going to be the first week of summer break. I wish we counted days or they come up with some good solution to make up time. One district extended their school day by a half hour but I don't think we are going to be able to do that. They might try and cancel spring break but so many people already have vacations booked that no one would come anyway. There's no good solution really. Luckily this is really not normal, usually, we have like one snow/cold day a year.

And also luckily my kids are not one bit sick of their days together. If they could just use their inside voices no one would have any issue with this at all.

Here is a silly picture of my girl sitting on the pile of coats. It's been so cold we've been keeping the coats inside instead of on our three season porch like normal. We asked her what she was doing and she told us "Just relaxing." Keep on keeping on then little girl.

Star of the Week

And just as we were getting into the swing of things this week we are getting an ice storm. So... it's a two-hour early out. Summer break may never come, everyone, we're going to be in school until July at this rate.

On the upside, it was in the 50s this weekend and stayed above freezing for three days so a bulk of the snow melted. Which is definitely worthy of celebrating because it was becoming a sightline issue for my driveway.

This week C is the star of the week. Which in Kindergarten is a big deal it seems. Yesterday he brought in a tee shirt he colored to put on his person, today he got to bring in six pictures. He picked ones that show that he loves walruses, Mo Willems, traveling and Raffi, Disney, and his sister. Also, he picked a picture with his friend Mason to show that he's a good friend.

Tomorrow (assuming they have school...) he gets to bring in a favorite book to read to the class. He has already picked: 

Unlimited Squirrels: I Lost My Tooth by Mo Willems. Of course.

Thursday he gets to bring in a few items, he is very excited for Walrus to go to school. Friday he gets to read the class his Me Book which we have been working on. He's doing a good job. It's a fun week for the kids and honestly, I am just so glad he wasn't the last one!

And with that, I've got to go pick him up and get home before all the ice hits. Yuck!

Hello February

It's February.

Instead of boring you with all the weather facts about January I am just going to drop this right here.

We got 4.2 inches of snow yesterday officially, though thanks to blowing was more at my house. And that brought us a two-hour late start today. I can't even make that up.

Here is a handy infographic for you to visualize the last two weeks in case you were wondering.

Re-entry is going to be hard next week which will feel super long to both the teachers and the kids I imagine. 

I am pouting a little because on 2 Hour Late Start Days I have to do drop off, and usually Husband does drop-off. AKA, the alley behind our school is AWFUL and I don't want to get stuck in it. That's really it. 

But, it's the final actual day of Catholic Schools Week. C got to pick which out-of-uniform dress up choice he wanted and he picked Tuesday's missed Flannel Day. AND since today is the first Friday of the second semester it is also his first day of hot lunch ever. So that's pretty cool. (We signed him up for Fridays because it's pizza day.) 

And with that, I am going to enjoy my morning with my kiddos before we journey out, obviously NOT getting stuck today. Have an excellent first day of February. And hopefully, that groundhog takes pity on us and announces spring is on the way tomorrow.