A great start

Well it finally happened. 

First snow of the season, and nearly everyone is excited about it. The dog was skeptical but enjoyed it once I pushed her out the door. And you would have thought it was Christmas morning when I got the munchkin up. Poor Daddy, who is a lizard at heart, was not thrilled. But then he never is. I was bursting with the winter spirit and enjoyed some Earl Grey tea with a Gingerbread bagel for breakfast. And we listened to Christmas tunes in the car pool. All in all it was a great start to the day, the weekend, and dare I say the winter season. Let it Snow!

As our days turn bitter cold , we're all snuggling up. 

And the munchkin has a cozy new reading spot 

And after an especially good effort at swimming lessons, we crack open the first Nog of the season. If you haven't tried Horizon go out right now and get some. It's probably the best premade Nog I've ever had. 

Next comes the parade of knitted items. Between baby showers and holidays I've got a lot in the needles. Hope you're all stating warm wherever you are. 

The Answer

So from my teaser shot, I’m sure it’s pretty clear that we have a new member of the family. Her name is Maggie, and she is a miniature schnauzer. And to say that she is the cute is really an understatement. She is also one of the most lovey dovey dogs I have ever had. The munchkin had been asking for a puppy, since she could say the word. And when my Mom’s dog passed away a couple years ago, Zoe got more insistent. But we had a diva house rabbit, so a dog was not in the cards. We told Zoe that if she took better care of the bunny maybe that would prove that she could have a puppy when the time came. In March we went to Arizona for a 90th birthday, and when we came home, we found poor Abby (the diva) had suffered a stroke and couldn't raise from her side. We nursed her overnight and let her go the next morning. A week later, after the kiddo internalized her grief, she said: But how can I prove that I will take care of a dog now? Well……. Good question. So after much deliberation (on my husband’s part) we decided to give it a go. And we adopted little Maggie. Now let’s recap….. We have an offer on a new house, we’re trying to sell out current home, we lost a car over Mother’s Day weekend (big pile up) and now we’re adding a new pet to the mix. Are we crazy? Probably. But funny thing is, I think Maggie the wonder dog is actually helping things. She makes us laugh and smile and showers us with unconditional love. I think she’s actually lowering the husband’s blood pressure. And the munchkin is so over the moon, she sat down and wrote a two page story about “Her Dog Maggie.” And I swear I've never seen her print so nicely. A guess the answer then is a snugly puppy, no matter what the question really.

A Reverent Pause

I don’t' usually write about religion. I feel that a person's spiritual beliefs are a very personal matter. So don't fear this is not a piece of evangelism. Today my daughter's school (Catholic) had a special mass for the second graders that have made their First Communion this spring. All of the children wore their special clothes and processed in with Father. The First graders always "put on" the mass, for their older friends and it's all very special and sweet. Last year I went to cheer on Zoe who was reading. And this year I went to smile and wave, and eat cake with her class afterwards. This morning I was struck by the sincerity and devotion of these little people. It's so sweet to hear their little, often lispy, voice read in church. But there's something strong about it as well. Little first graders holding candles and walking stick straight. These kids could but the Royal Guard to shame. There is a fierceness about what they believe in a way that's most often found in children. And how sad that that resoluteness so often wains in adulthood. We think of our children as small, fragile, naive. But when it comes to faith and spirituality they can often teach us a lesson. In our modern crazy world, full of distractions, we should all take a lesson from the youngest among us, those who are able, amazingly, to simply be in a moment. I'm sure their teachers wonder why they can't do that in Math class, but in church these sweet children are laser focused. They are a beautiful reminder of what faith and spiritual practice should be, however you practice it. I am so grateful that I took some time out of my work day to share the mass with my kiddo and all her friends. I am also supremely grateful to have my kiddo as a gentle reminder of what my religious upbringing was like, and how special it all was. Watching your children live through these milestones is a gift.

So many things

I have so many fun things to share with you. But for now here's a lite teaser. Much more text to come. :)

Spring cleaning

We are in the process of selling our house, so the idea of clutter has been bandied about a lot lately. I also hope that at soem point this year the snow will melt, and I will be able to open the windows. All of this puts me in a sparse place of mind. I wan tto stream line our meals and work out more (to hopefully stream line my body too). Some of my favorite simple recipes include: baked chicken the hubby's favorite Shepherd's Pie and amazing Mac and Cheese Cups And I plan to try this beet salad and Chinese Chicken Balls. I saw this on Food in Jars, and it fits perfectly into my current mind set. Why not Take the Pledge yourself. And while you're at it check out this post.

A Mommy High

I am riding a Mommy High! Zoe asked if she coudl be a speck for "Dress up as your favorite Dr. Suess character Day." I said "a speck?" And she said "You know the world that Horton saves." Well how coudl I say no to that? So I did a little web surfing and found a great idea for a wig..... And now she is the cutest speck ever. It's official, her Daddy said so.

And the best part is that she said I did the bestest job ever. So yeah I'm riding the Mommy High. I win the day!