In Need of a HAZMAT suit

It feels like Paige just got over an eon-long illness. Cough, runny nose, maybe getting better - nope just kidding, runny nose, cough, cough, cough. Somehow she managed to be sick from Thanksgiving until just a few weeks ago and oh-my-goodness she is finally sleeping through the night again.

But when you have more than one child, illnesses last infinitely longer, because even though Hope could have gotten Paige's cold anytime during those two months, she didn't. It wasn't until Paige was cough-free that Hope woke up with a killer cold, full-on faucet nose with red eyes and a nighttime cough.

We have actually been lucky because I thought that, with her first year of elementary school, numerous sick days and catching everybody's new germs were givens. But Hope has been relatively healthy and only missed her first day of school last week when she had a one day fever.

But the snot in this house, I tell you, we are need of about two hundred boxes of tissues just to keep up. I have been washing my hands so frequently I feel like a nurse, desperate to keep the germs as contained as possible. Preferable with the sick one, and not with me.

Alas it is a part of life, a part of winter life especially, these days and days of sniffly nose and deep congestion. Of course I am hoping I don't get sick. But I'm hoping even more that my husband doesn't get it. I'm already tired from nursing two sick children through this awful thing, I don't think I have the energy to nurse my third "baby" through this too.

***

Photos below from our week. As you can see I did not make it one photo per day, but at least I'm picking up my camera more now than I was a few months ago. {Baby steps}

 I peeked in my room after cleaning up the kitchen and this is what I found.

 Family "Lady Bug class" instructed by Hope.

 Dinner. Who needs a fork when you have perfectly good fingers?

One of my snow angels. She would play outside all day if she could.


xoxo, christine

I've Got the Blues

We have officially enter the winter doldrums. Or at least, I have. I know, I know, some people would argue that I'm choosing to live in in this tundra so if I'm that miserable I should just leave. And sometimes I really wish we would leave. (San Diego anyone?) But, our families are here and our life is here. So I guess I'm just going to have to find a way to embrace winter in the Midwest. (Do I say this same thing every year?)

I keep telling myself that one of these winters I will figure out a way to enjoy the season. That I will find winter activities that make the snow and cold more bearable.

This year we've at least started by getting the girls out ice skating. With a former hockey player as a husband I'm a little surprised it hasn't happened sooner, but at least it's happening now. And both of the girls seem to really love the ice, which is good news for those winter doldrums I've been complaining about.

And, in related news, the weather has warmed significantly so at least getting out of the house feels at lot less overwhelming and a lot more doable.

Our frigid Monday. Modern Family and an evening treat.

Peppermint tea for the ladies before bed.

Paige fell asleep mid-tv show. Smile. Hope's birthday cake (for her party). She lost her first tooth.

Yes, someday I'll be one of these hearty Midwesterners that scoff at below zero temperatures and have as many outdoor things to do when it's freezing as she does when it's hot. (Maybe.)

And I'm not-at-all jealous that my brother-in-law and niece are going to Texas this next weekend at all. Nope. (Except that I totally am.)

Any thoughts on how to beat some winter blues? I'm taking any and all suggestions.

xoxo, christine

How Many Synonyms Can You Think of for "Flippin' Freezing"?

As anyone and everyone around the Midwest (and probably even the country) knows, it is disgustingly and dangerously cold today. In fact, it is so cold that our governor cancelled school today and several school districts have cancelled school for tomorrow as well.

Poor Hope wanted to spend the day with friends but as I have no desire to even open the door (let alone run from the house to the car) we're not going anywhere and I'm pretty sure we will be hard-pressed to find anyone else willing to venture over.

The birthday girl and her Oreo Cupcake

I feel like I'm living in the movie The Day After Tomorrow where the temperature drops so low that fuel lines freeze in helicopters.

Luckily, I'm not opposed to spending the day watching movies, snacking, and making a mess, so hopefully we'll enjoy the next couple days closed off from the world.

Big sister isn't the only one who got her hair cut. She needed it, but I'm mourning the loss of her curls.

In other news, I have decided to make an effort to use my camera more again this year. I'm not exactly sure if I will be participating in Project 365 like a did a few years ago, but I have really let my personal interests slide and I'm not okay with that. If I have something like a photo a day (and weekly photo dumps here) to keep me accountable then maybe I'll get back into one of the ways I nurture my soul.

Learning the fine art of the Rainbow Loom

(Also? I lied. I did open the door. For the Jimmy John's delivery guy. Don't worry, I tipped well for making him come out in tundra.)

Some sort of clue-finding game

Well, I'm off to start up another movie for my kids, snuggle under a big blanket on the couch, and sip some hot tea.

Stay warm!

xoxo, christine

A Few Small Things

There has been a lot going on around here lately, which is what I'm using as my excuse about the lack of pictures and postings (including Project 365) in this space and life. It's okay, really, most of the time I don't feel too guilty that my photography has been sitting on the back burner, except that sometimes I do.

But it is okay, because life is like that. Sometimes one thing has to take a back seat while other things are pushed to the front, and then maybe the next month things are turned around. Something I know for sure though, I always want my family to be in front.

Which for some reason has been a struggle lately, not that my priorities are mixed up, but just that I find myself not appreciating what I have as much as I want to. It has been a nagging in the back of my mind for quite some time now, and within the past month or so has been knocking loudly in the front of my mind. Which is why I am actively working to change it.



********

In the mean time, a few small things I am enjoying:


Good friends and fruit snacks. They always go well together.

A newly organized art box.

Fall apple picking and eating apples fresh off the trees.

Big hair.

Four-year-olds with mustaches.

And special doughnut dates.

********

While I sit here and type this I hear Hope sneaking into the kitchen for snack. She's become a sneaky snack eater lately, something I find amusing and bit unsettling too. It's pretty much my fault because I ask for some alone time while Paige is napping, so Hope is left to fend for herself. And by "fend" I don't mean eat, we did just eat lunch within the hour, but somehow she doesn't seem able to watch her TV show or play with her Pet Shops without also needing something to munch on. A habit I am desperately seeking to break.

But, it is also funny that she thinks I don't hear her, every.single.day. Good thing we have fresh apples as an option.

I love fall.

xoxo.
Christine

More Project 365

Over the weekend I pulled out a mix CD from almost eight years ago. Oh the memories. And OH the music. The girls and I were jamming away. To be honest, I haven't gotten to listen to much music lately. Mostly because we listen to kid's music, but also, there was an incident with the radio/CD player in the car, so we've had a lot of musicless drives. (This is a story for another time.)

So, after rediscovering some of my favorites? I totally recommend pulling out an old CD and being reintroduced to some of your old favorites.

And, by the way, here are our last two weeks in photos.

Week 36

Week 37

Here's looking forward to another week.

xoxo.
Christine

Ahhh... the Weekend

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

My favorite kind of weekend, the kind with one extra day with Adam home.  I love having our family all together, for more than a handful of hours a day.  Life feels warmer, cozier, more complete.  Even if we are not always basking in each other's glorious company.  We feel the collective sigh of relief with a long weekend, especially one that is not filled with To Dos.  Or maybe a few To Dos, but the good kind: eat ice cream, make each other giggle, and read extra stories.

Week 34

Week 35

And this next week is the last of our summer vacation with Hope's preschool and Paige's ECFE class both starting the following week.  I don't know about you, but I'm kind of looking forward to fall.  When I'm not sad about the end of summer.

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo.
Christine

Zzzz -- Sorry I Just Fell Asleep

Wow, I am tired.  Have I mentioned that once?  Or twice?  I know, probably about a hundred.  I've petty much been like this since we got back from New York.  Adam told me I have a pretty killer case of jet lag.  Which made me laugh and laugh.  You know, that whole one hour is hell to readjust to.

Week 33

The week was great.  The weekend was great.  And I'm kinda bummed it's over.  But that's nothing new.

Looking forward to a good week ahead.

xoxo.
Christine

Where Did the Weekend Go?

That's what I'd like to know.

Of course, I know where it went.  It was filled with Olympic evenings, breakfasting with friends, celebrating a commitment of love, picture snapping, dancing, and cake eating.  There was a sleepy morning, coffee talk, adventures between sisters, and a chaotic bedtime.

The weekend was quick and fun, crazy and exhausting.  Which is why I've got to get myself to sleep.  Some weekends leave me feeling refreshed and ready to go for the upcoming week and then others are so crazy I feel like I'm scrambling to prepare for Monday.  This weekend, although packed with joy, was of the latter.

Here are some scenes from this past week.

Week 32

xoxo.
Christine

It's a Lovely Saturday

Ah, Saturday, one of my favorite days.  Made more wonderful by sharing some cinnamon rolls with friends, which I am about to do.

Saturday also means time for Project 365, of course.

Week 31

I think we went out for ice cream twice, if not three times, this week.  'Cause you never can have too much ice cream, right?  And of course there was an evening of limboing.  Adam and I might have been making up our own words to the song.  Also, a trip to the zoo and new butterfly house, and of course, playing outside in underwear and sparkly shoes.  Because what summer is complete without an adventure outside in an outfit made up of only "undies" and "parkly shoes"?

(Paige has been eager to wear underwear here, which does not equate to actually using the potty.)

And now it feels like a perfectly lazy Saturday.  The weather is cool enough to have the windows open, and it's raining, but not hard enough to have to close out the sweet breeze.

I'm going to go enjoy a cinnamon roll.  Happy Weekend, all!

xoxo.
Christine

Let The Meldowns Begin

So, after wondering about the lack of meltdowns, three days later here we are. And holy cow, watch out. I recommend keeping clear our house by at least a five mile radius. Poor Paige just doesn't seem to know what to do with herself. And heaven forbid I actually get her the milk and cereal she asked for.

But, to be fair, it has been busy around here, and I think we're all feeling it. I just hope that a few quiet days in a row will lift her spirits a bit.

In other new, I am working on a post with way too many pictures from our trip. But until it's done (Monday?), I'll leave with the last two weeks of Project 365.

Week 29

Week 30

Happy Weekend to all!

xoxo.
Christine

Just Look At Our Fun

It's Saturday at 11:30pm, which means I'm reflecting on the week.  Or just gathering photos to make a collage for my weekly Project 365 post.  I love looking back at the pictures from the week and remembering some of our fun.

Hope had her first swimming lessons this week.  (I guess they're technically her second since she took a session when she was eighteen months old, but I feel like I can't really count that since she doesn't remember.)  I love to watch her learn new things and practice.  And pretend to dunk her head in the water, but only tip her head back so the back of her head and hair gets wet.

Paige has been cracking me up lately, too.  She's started using the word "actually" which is quite funny to hear out of her two-year-old mouth.  (A word she surly learned from her sister.)  And she's been making up her own little dance that always ends with a big leg kick.

Today I decorated some cookies in preparation for our trip to New York.  And we had a playdate at the beach with all the cousins.

It's been a good week, for sure.

Project 365 Week 28

Happy Weekend to all!

xoxo.
Christine

Yup, It's the Weekend

As has been with most of the country, this week has been disgustingly hot.  I imagine it to be much like hell.  One million degrees with humidity about the same.  Or is hell a dry heat?  I'm not really sure.  In either case, it's been hot.


We had some friends visiting from England the past several days, and tried to experience Minnesota without melting.  We only semi-succeeded with a baseball game in the 101 degree mid-afternoon, shopping at the Mall of America, and ice cream in Linden Hills.  Today is feeling quite lovely finally, which is unfortunate only because the friends left this morning.


With all the jam-packed fun from the past several days, I am feeling a bit hungover.  Even though I think the only time I had alcohol was the one sip of wine last night.  Perhaps it's a heat-hangover.  Which means today I am happy to sit around and nurse my headache with rest and quiet.

Project 365 Week 27

Happy Weekend, all!

xoxo.
Christine

Find Me A Place With Perfect Temperatures And I Am There

Oh my goodness, the heat this week is kicking my butt.  Turns out, as much as I'm not a frigidly freezing sub-zero temperature kind of girl, I'm also not a muggy heat and humidity kind of girl either.  How the heck did I end up in Minnesota where there is both!?

(Also, is there a place that is in the seventies all year round with zero humidity?)

We've been swimming a couple times this week.  And please ignore the two pictures of my daughters playing on the iPad.  Oh, and the computer.  I swear it's totally a rare occurrence.  (Maybe...)

Project 365 Week 26

I have been feeling much better too, thanks to getting off the medication that was making me crazy.  (Or just making my depression flair up.  Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to.)

Of course, life wouldn't be life without a few bumps.  We're currently struggling with bedtime over here.  Something that seems to happen at least a couple times per year.  I am taking any and all suggestions.

And I had my yearly visit to my doctor this week.  Yes, the ever-lovely and eagerly-anticipated pap smear.  Not my favorite day for various reasons.

But now it is the weekend.  We are eating ice cream.  We are watching movies.  We are going for sweaty family walks at State Parks.  It's perfection.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo.
Christine

It's What We've Been Doing

Here's a glimpse into our last two weeks.

Time in Duluth, a Bike Rally, a trip to Target.

Week 24

Swimming, cookie decorating, lunch with Daddy.

Week 25

The weather is beautiful here today, and I'm breathing it in.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

xoxo.
Christine

It's a Short One

Project 365 Week 23

One of my favorite joys from Little P this week is the way she has combined Oopsie Daisies and Uh-oh Spaghetti-o.  Uh-oh, dah-daisy-oh.

One of my favorite joys from Hopey this week is how much she loves snuggling with me.  Every night she wants me to lay in bed with her.  She's a snuggler after my own heart.

You can find more joys here, here, and here (if interested).

Happy Weekend to all!

xo.

Christine

Weekly Joys [the third]

Project 365 Week 22

This week I am combining the images from Project 365 with Joys I have started documenting.  I know that neither of these are "popular" posts, but I like having the memories (in photo and word form), especially to share with my sister.

*****

When talking about how families come in all different shapes and sizes (ie. some kids live with a mom and dad, two moms, etc.) the Big One chimed in with, And some with a Grammy and a puppy.  Do you think she's obsessed with dogs?

When the Little One presses her hands over her eyes and says, Where's me?

When I bought the Big One some vitamin gummy bears and her eyes lit up and she said, You're the bestest, Mommy... [pause]  And Daddy's the bestest too.

When the Little One says, Ehtooze me, as "excuse me."

How the Big One says, Oo-sually, instead of "usually."

How the Little One has started talking with her hands and shoulders in an "I don't know" position in emphasis.

How the Big One calls weeping willows, Hairy Trees.

*****

These are the moments my heart expands in my chest, the moments Adam and I give each other a knowing look and smile, the moments of head-throwing laughs.  These are the moments I want to hold onto with love, the moments to remember with sweetness.

Thanks for letting me share them with you.

xo,
Christine

Two Weeks in One

I missed Project 365 last week, not that anyone was complaining.  I don't think I was still too sick, or too busy, or too bored.  I think it just kind of slipped away from me.  In any case, because of that, here are a few glimpses into the past two weeks.  You know, ones that I may or may not have already written about or shown pictures from.

Week 20

Week 21

By the way, on our first day of the long weekend, Adam and I had a nice day-long date.  Painting the trim upstairs.  Two weeks worth of painting (if he does it alone during the week) done in one Saturday. A big Thank You to my parents for watching the girls all day.  And would you mind watching them again soon so that we can get another date.  Preferably, one that doesn't involve grubby clothes and house work?

Happy Weekend all!

xo,
Christine

Cough, sniff, ugh

I have been sick this week, as most everyone probably already knows since I have been croaking it from the mountain (read: whining) all week.  And it stinks, being sick.  But I also feel bad for my family.

I feel bad for my husband, who comes home from a long day of work to a house of chaos and hungry children.  But even more so, I feel bad for the girls.  My girls who love to be on the go, visit friends, and play outside.  My girls who have been watching all together too much TV (and don't even ask how much because I honestly haven't let myself keep track).

I have to say, I am very grateful and thankful for all the help this week.  My friends who got the girls out of the house, who brought over toys and movies for us to borrow so the girls would have something new to play with.  My friends who offered help and support.  And, of course, my family.  Who is always ready to do whatever they can whenever I need it.

Today I am feeling, not better, but better than I was.  At least better enough not to cry when Adam told me he was going for a run.

Or maybe that's just the DayQuil courage.  In either case, I'll take it.

Sounds of Saturday

Sometime between the hours of Way Too Early and Sleeping In, noises from the room next door drift over to us.  A light clicks on, books are looked at, giggles are exchanged.

When Hope scurries to the bathroom, Paige becomes impatient, Get me out, Mom! she calls, stretching out each word.  After a few more beckonings, Adam rolls out of bed and I snuggle under the covers grateful for the thirty more minutes of rest he's giving me.

I hear them in the kitchen negotiating breakfast.  Chocolate gets traded in for some oatmeal perhaps followed by a pop tart or doughnut.  An after breakfast treat.

When I emerge from the room I find a whole set-up in the kitchen.  Animals and Barbies living among pop cans and oven mitts.  The girls huddled in their togetherness, happily playing.  I quietly step into the living room, leaving them to the world they are building.

I will gladly take a few more moments of me time before jumping into the day.  Sitting on the sofa, I sip my coffee, surrounded by the sweet sounds of a Saturday.

Not This Time

Project 365 week 17

Well, sorry to disappoint, but Adam will not be guest posting here this week.  (In case you hadn't already figured that out.)  I did, at one point, have him convinced, but then he realized all on his "to do" list this week and just couldn't add "post on Christine's blog" without putting himself over the edge.  I hold onto hope that he might still post in the future.

So, because I don't handle disappointment well, (that is, your possible disappointment and my own) I am currently in the process of finding another someone in my life to guest post.  Because even though I have no real reason to need this, I seem unable to let go of the idea.

In other news, Adam's week of vacation is coming to a close.  We are all bummed that he'll be back at work on Monday, but at the same time, it'll be good for me to get back into our regular routine.  I've learned that it is hard for me to be motivated to do much while Adam is home.  Even when he's working hard on projects, I unintentionally find myself with the attitude of "I don't want to do the dishes/fold the laundry/clean the house/insert other chore here" more than usual.  Mostly because he's home and I know he could do it instead of me.  I guess it feels like because he has a break from work I should get a break from my regular day-to-day activities.

Don't worry.  I tried not to take advantage.  And I will surly be back to my half-way productive self come Monday.

Right now we're all just basking in the glow from our family togetherness these past couple days.

Happy Weekend to you all!