March Break Moments

I don't think that you want to know every moment of our March Break but I thought I would share a few.  I often wonder why a blog - I am just another mommy blog and seriously, how many pictures of my kids do people really care to see?  I was pondering letting the blog go but then, I decided that I enjoy it.  I like sorting through the events of my life and the things on my mind and, when you stop by a comment, it makes it so much more fun.  Truly, though, this is a kind of scrapbook for me and I have always been one to enjoy going back down memory lane.

This March Break started out roughly but has just gotten better and better.  Wonderful weather, time with my immediate family and visits to both sets of grandparents, quiet domestic time at home, going back to work with the days feeling longer (I adore daylight savings time) and the knowledge that summer holidays are getting closer.  This break has been so full of wonderful little moments I wasn't expecting.

Of course, we started with the flood.  Dh and I had a laugh today - the minister showed a video about water problems around the world (our Lent project is raising money for wells in Africa).  Dh leaned over to me and said that they could have filmed our basement a week ago.

 I don't know what we would have done if f.i.l. hadn't graciously volunteered to come and support dh through the repairs.  He truly was a blessing to us!  He and Dh also got in a lot of soccer-watching (m.i.l. won't let him have the soccer pay-per-view channels) so there was lots of father-son bonding.

 One of my favourite parts of the break was the slower speed.  Bedtime stories were more leisurely and the cozy evening routine didn't feel so urgent.  We had a canine houseguest for a few days and she wanted to hear stories too.  LB is now obsessed with "Goodnight Moon" and "Ten Tiny Babies", both of which I am very happy to read.

 Do you ever have recipes that you have never made that someone become a part of the family culture? These Hamen's Ears cookies were that for me.  They began when Dh was teaching the Esther story to his Sunday school class and I knew that they are a traditional Jewish treat for Purim.  I tried the recipe from Beth Moore's Esther study and while they were delicious (I was told - I've given up all sweets for Lent and haven't tried them), they were horribly difficult to work with.  I cheated, making my usual sugar cookie recipe, filling them with jam and folding them to be triangles (I am sure that no Jew would recognize them but the idea is there).  Surprisingly, they were a huge hit.  I had one mother from the Sunday school ask me for the recipe for the "earmuff" cookies that her children couldn't stop raving about, I made a batch for my class and for Dh's class for Purim and then, my f.i.l. sampled some leftovers here, fell in love and I made them for him as a thank you.

 Up at the in-laws LB managed to even get Pk involved in his ball obsession.  In this case, it was basketball with oranges and a mesh garbage can.

 The grandson of a good friend of my p.i.l. came over for a playdate.  It was love at first sight and Pk and he had to be moved outside before they trashed the place.

 The weather was glorious and instead of snowsuits and shivers we had sweats and stripping off coats.  It was marvelous and worked wonders for my mood.

 We knocked several ideas for our alphabet challenge off the list including windmills, waterfalls, trains and tea parties.

 We got to visit with good friends (although, Kittenpie, we missed connecting with you so we will need to try to work something out soon!)

 I think the funniest part of the visit up north involved this little stinker.  We got up in the morning to heat BLASTING from the gas fire in the front room.  The little monkey had snuck the remote into bed with him and during the night, kept turning up the heat.

Can't you just feel the joy?

 Our tea party with our special guest from kindergarten.

 My little cutie as he erupts from his room every morning - soother, Rudolph and jammies.  This always brings a smile to my face, even as I beg him to sleep the tiniest bit longer.

 This was a "haircut" - it looked rather like torture to me.  One of the joys of this week was watching how close the two of them have become and how much they enjoy each other.  It is exactly why I so wanted two children.

 We finished up the week with a visit to a farmer's market with a farmer friend to buy chickens (live) and a morning at the farm.  LB was in heaven - tractors and gators made his little heart tremble with joy and he very obviously had plans to hijack.

 A morning at the farm wiped him out completely.  I was able to strip him from his outdoor clothing and change his diaper and he didn't stir.

 This is my mother.  We went down to the city for a visit and the best part was seeing how much better she is feeling.  Before Christmas, she was too uncomfortable to walk to the end of the street.  Now, she's playing in the park.  It is so reassuring.

 The St. Patrick's day meal verged on the ridiculous but that's the fun in the family :-)

Not every moment was spectacular (I did have a visit to emergency when my varicose veins and high platelets led me to be rather concerned about a new and intense pain in my left leg - I would say that I was paranoid but as soon as the doctor saw it, I was rushed for an ultrasound.  The narcotics addict in the next cubicle screaming and throwing things because they wouldn't give her anything made the visit... interesting) but overall, this was a week that made me feel so grateful for so many parts of my life and it gave me a good chance to reconnect with myself and what I want.  If only this feeling can last!