Lonely Lexa

Chloe has her first sleep over tonight at a friend's house. She has had lots of playdates up until this point, but I felt she was a little young for a sleep over. I would probably still be saying that if the calendar and kind people hadn't intervened. I have to go back to work tomorrow, but Chloe's school is scheduled for an inservice day (teachers go but not kids). It is a pain when these things happen, and it is one of the times that I wish I lived closer to family. Nothing says daycare in a pinch like being able to drop your kids for the day with their grandmother or aunt. I was down to thinking that Chloe would have to go to work with me tomorrow. A plan that she was pretty excited about, but I was not sure it would work too well. As fate would have it I talked to a fellow working mom last week. The parent of one of Chloe's friends who also happens to have a child in preschool with Alexa. We have gotten to know one another fairly well over the years at birthday parties, girl scouts, open houses, and concerts. She offered to let Chloe come play on Tuesday while I was at work. I thought this sounded great to me and called her this weekend to make sure it would still work. She is a teacher as well (although her district is still off tomorrow). I wanted to be sure that she was OK with the early hour that I would need to drop Chloe off. It was at this point that she said they were wondering if Chloe would like to have a sleepover and that way she wouldn't have to get up early. I ran it by Chloe and she was over joyed at the idea. She was packing her bag, pillow, and sleeping bag first thing this morning.

Alexa on the other hand was less excited. There was the initial grumpiness about Chloe going to play while she was at preschool. Then she moved on to sadness about not wanting Chloe to leave. We tried to make the best of it. After dropping Chloe off this evening we stopped by City Market. I told her that she could pick out whatever she wanted for dinner. She created quite a feast.

We of course made sure to have dessert. Her favorite strawberry ice cream, topped off with a chocolate chip cookie, and chocolate ball on top.

She got a nice long bubble bath before bed.

Cabbie tried to fill in as a playmate.

She was still sad about missing Chloe as she went off to sleep, but too tired to complain for very long.

A Sunday...

This is what your Sunday afternoon looks like if your mother learns that you have neglected to complete any of the entire week's reading homework you were suppose to be working on all vacation.Good thing she is a good reader, and we have a public library really close to our house.

Is It Over Yet?

On Groundhog's Day we got a snow storm. It was a big storm. We got about a foot of snow. Really heavy wet snow. That foot of snow was on top of a storm that had a good 6 inches fall plus all the other storms before that. It has been kind of crazy. People every where were warning about cleaning off your roof and the dangers of ice dams. Until I moved here I had never heard of a roof rake or an ice dam. Now I was calling around trying to find roofer to remove my roof top snow and ice dams as they were causing my roof to leak. And then, suddenly, it was 50 degrees out. Just last week, the Friday starting vacation driving home my car thermometer read 53 degrees outside. It was amazing. You started to dream. Dreaming of going to work with only one pair of shoes instead of wearing the snow boots and changing into nicer foot wear once you got there. Dreaming of not having to wind scarves around your neck and stuff the kids into snow pants. There were big slushy puddles to dodge around on a run and the snow drifts dropped down about a foot in two days. Then it ended. Just as quickly as it began.

It shouldn't have surprised me. It is only February. Those words were on the lips of people everywhere. It started out with just a temperature drop. Over thirty degrees in 24 hours. A reality check. All those puddles turned to ice and sidewalks became a skating rink. Then, yesterday, came the snow. Another big storm of about ten inches. Although it is hard to measure really because it was so windy it blew it all over the place. I am suppose to feel grateful for the wind, since it blew things around so much there isn't a lot of snow back on my roof. And I am grateful, but there is still some up there and new ice is forming and with it probably new ice dams.

According to the weather people we have a chance of setting a new snow fall record for February. Apparently we are on the cusp of beating the record set in 2008. They feel our odds are good since we are due to receive another storm on Sunday into Monday of a scant 2-4 inches, but just enough to push us over the record. I find them to be a little too excited about these records. For me I keep thinking the same thing, "Where am I suppose to put all this snow?" Just look at it...

piled everywhere.

Usually I can fit two cars in my driveway. Now, it is down to one. See that gate?

Most winters I shovel a path so that I can open it. Fat chance on that this winter. Once they shoveled everything off the roof and into the driveway, there went any chance of actually being able to use the gate.

The dog is another challenge with this much snow. This is his path.

It leads over to the gate which, if opened, would lead you to a wall of snow. it doesn't really matter to the dog. He hates the cold and snow and spends most of his day seeking out warmth.

It has been a long winter. We are all feeling it. The mail isn't helping with its influx of catalogs bearing models in, of all things, swimsuits. I stare at them in as if they are from another planet. Who could be thinking about wearing a swimsuit? It seems to far away to even contemplate. I was cleaning out my closet this week and came across my sandals. I stared at them wistfully. They look like foot wear from another life time. So, come on winter, is it over yet?

Empty Nest

The girls have been gone for four days now visiting their dad. They will be gone for another four before I can pick them up on Saturday. It is definitely as different place when they are not here. I think it is safe to say that I am not the only one who misses them.

Cabbie has spent each day camped out on Lexa's bed waiting for her to come home.

And apparently I don't remember a fresh carrot every day.

It Comes in Threes...

You know that old saying bad things happen in threes? Well, I would dearly like to hope that it is accurate and that my three things are done. A few weeks ago, tired from about two feet of snow and ice piles up on top of it, my roof began to leak. I was able to get help from a friend who came and cleared a lot of snow and ice off the roof. What he wasn't able to get I was able to hire someone to get the rest. The clearing off of the snow plus warmer weather was able to stop the constant drip of water into my dining room. The ceiling now looks like this...

I am using my vacation this week to try to track down a roofer who can repair the roof before any more damage occurs.

My car may also be complaining about the tough winter as I found evidence of an antifreeze leak a little over a week ago. Luckily without having to go to work this week, I can drop it off at my mechanic down the street tomorrow for them to look at.

The third (and dare I hope final) issue was this weekend when the dryer called it quits on actually drying anything.Now granted the dryer handle is held on with duct tape and there is a lot of rust on the top of it (apparently I should get a dehumidifier into the basement).

So the fact that it decided to die shouldn't really shock me. Not to mention its washing machine partner died about two years ago, so really it was on borrowed time. I thought about calling the repair guys. However the last time I did that I ended up being without a washer for a month and a half and spent more money to repair the washer than I would have buy a new one, and it still wasn't fixed. I did consider attempting to fix the dryer myself. I looked on line and found that my dryer had 159 parts. There were diagrams explaining the dryer parts and how they all fit together.

There were three more pages with even more. Several things quickly became obvious to me #1 the odds of me figuring out what part needed to be replaced was slim to none. #2 Even if I could guess the right part figuring out this diagram, with any part of my sanity still in tact, was highly unlikely.

I decided to use my time off today to research new dryers. Specifically ones that would actually fit into my basement through the 24 inch doorway (that's with the door off the hinges). Interestingly there are only a couple that are that small. However the people from Lowes will bring it in a few weeks. Until then I get to spend the next few weekends at the Laundromat.

As They Roll

Alexa's hamster, Cutie, has been living with us for about month now. She is becoming relatively friendly, and the kids like to sit in bathtub with her (without any water of course) and let her run around on them. It works well as a playpen for her as it lets them play together without the risk of her escaping. We decided to add to her exercises routine a bit by purchasing the hamster ball. Alexa wanted one from the moment she got her, but I had her hold off until she got more use to her surroundings. Last weekend we stopped by the pet store to purchase a ball. Alexa picked out the purple glittery one feeling sure that is the one Cutie would prefer.

She does seem to like it; racing around the house. I read the instructions to Alexa, and she is dutifully following them. Don't use near stairs (as she could fall). Don't leave her to play in the direct sunlight (as she could over heat). She follows her around the house saying, "Oops no sunlight for you that's not on the Cutie menu." "Let's not get stuck under there. I'll move you over here."

Cabbie find the hamster ball rather interesting too. This is the closest he has been allowed to be with her and he isnt' exactly sure what to make of her.

My Secret Life

So it turns out I secret identity was revealed in preschool. Alexa brought home this picture she drew in school this week. The kids were studying heroes and they were asked to draw their hero. Alexa chose me. I was pretty touched that she said that... even more so when I saw the picture.

Yep, here I am. It is titled, "My Mom, going to save people." There you have it folks, my secret super hero identity is out. Sigh... next you are all going to want a ride in my rocket car.

Twins

Chloe and Alexa occasionally decide that they want to match. I don't know why they do it, but they enjoy it. I think that it started soon after Alexa was born. They got matching hats, sweaters, and dresses.
They still like to dress that way occasionally. Last night Alexa was picking out her clothes and ran in to Chloe's room asking if she would wear her seahorse dress too. Chloe readily agreed and they set to trying to make everything else the same too. Pink shirts underneath and braids.




Thing is, I can remember trying to dress the same as my friends in school but not my sister. Given that she and I actually are twins we seemed to have little interest in willingly dressing the same. Oh we had to early on in life... but after a point we certainly didn't do it willingly. I am not sure how long this will last for the girls, but I have to say it makes it easy to keep track of them in a crowd.

Cinderella Really Did Eat my Daughter

I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and I heard an interview with Peggy Orenstein. She was motivated to write the book Cinderella Ate My Daughter by her own daughter's conversion to all things princess. Specifically all things Disney princess. I totally could relate to her story. My oldest daughter Chloe was a dinosaur fanatic from ages two through five. She could have cared less about princesses, but she could list off any number of dinosaurs. One of her favorite bedtime reads was a nonfiction book describing all kinds of prehistoric creatures and plants well over half of which I totally made up the pronunciation of. It practically put me to sleep to read it and she would lay there wide eyed totally captivated by it all.

Notice the huge smile over the stuffed dinosaur left in her Easter basket. Imagine my confusion then when her sister wanted nothing to do with dinosaurs, but instead fell in love with of all things... princesses. My kids hardly ever even watch TV and I have never take them to Disney World. Alexa was (just as Peggy's daughter was) introduced through daycare. There seems to be no end to the amount of crowns, fluffy dresses, and wands in her room. And unless they are leggings just try to stuff her in a pair of pants. It isn't happening, nope, not without a major battle. So tonight when she asked me, "Mommy guess what I am?"

I was going to guess some type of royalty. Imagine my surprise when she said, "I am Mary Poppins."

Well now, that just seems a little bit better somehow.

Valentines Day

Ugh. This is my feeling about this holiday. I know it makes me sound cynical. It isn't the concept of love that makes me feel this way. I am a hopeless romantic really I am. I watch (and sob my way through) more love stories than I can count. I love love, really, honest. It is the forced you-have-to-do-something-for-me-because-the-whole-nation-says-you-have-to-today kind of thing that gets to me. Would you rather someone just did something for you because they wanted to? Not because the whole country is reminding them to? Obviously I am in the minority here as plenty of other people snatch up gobs of flowers, chocolates, and jewelry.

All that being said I still have my obligations of motherhood to fulfill this holiday. The kids made all their Valentines. I baked some brownies and sent them in to the respective locations for the parties. I have a cute stuffed dog set at the place for each of the girls at breakfast and snuck my little note and small gift into their lunch boxes for them to find when they ate. All the usually Valentine's Day treats.

For me though the best part of today came after I woke the girls up and headed downstairs to put the dog out. As I headed back up the stairs I found Alexa laying down at the top of the stairs in her pajamas. "What's the matter Boo, don't you feel good."

She curled around and looked at me with a smile, "Mommy, I am your Valentine."

That was probably just about the nicest Valentine that I could have every gotten. She was really proud to give me a card she made for me last week in school too. She hid it in her room so it would be a surprise.
"I wrote it all by myself. The teacher had the words up on the board and I copied them."


Pretty awesome huh? She made me another one at Linda's house today too.

What a sweet kid. She ended the day in her princess finery.

Hope you all had a lovely day.

Questions...

My girls have been asking me questions lately. Not the usual questions like, "Can I have a cookie?" and "Will you buy me this?" No, no those are the easy ones. I have been getting BIG questions. The ones that make you want to put your head down and wish there a was some book you could open up a read a well scripted answer for them.

I was tucking Alexa into bed the other night. I leaned over to give her a good night kiss and she looked up at me with those big honest eyes and asked, "Mommy, what is this God thing all about."

Oh boy. At bed time. Really? I have about 15 things still left to do downstairs before I can go to bed. God? Really? This really isn't a quick bed time conversation, but I did my best. I summed things up in as simplified a manner as possible. Alexa has been testing out her new information. In the middle of dinner two nights later I look over and she has her hands clasped together in front of her. "What are doing?" I asked.

"I am praying," she responded.

"What are you praying about?" I asked.

"I'm praying for God to help all the people to be nice to each other." I told her that was a really good thing to pray for. It has gone on sporadically for the last few weeks. In the middle of various activities you will see Alexa clasp her hands together and pray. Each time I have to suppress a giggle at the abruptness of it all.

In thinking I had done a pretty good job with the whole God explanation, I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Until two nights ago at dinner Chloe asked me, "Mommy how can people who are not married have babies?" At this point... I began to pray.

"Well, it takes a man and a woman to have a baby and that can happen when people are not married." Silence... whew... yeah... that will cover it... excellent... or not...

"How? What if it is a boy you don't know?" OK so possibly my first attempt was a little too vague. I added a few more details and (following the advice from all those parenting articles) a few vocabulary terms that would be age appropriate. That seemed to satisfy the questions... for now.

I know more is coming. I struggle, like many parents I am sure, with giving them enough accurate information to answer the questions without exposing them to too much that they aren't ready for. We all want our kids to grow up, just not too fast. And possibly when I have had a chance to script out a really good answer and get plenty of sleep first.

Snow Day

Mother nature is dumping a lot of snow on us today.

As a rare twist of luck both my school district and Chloe's canceled school the night before. Chloe's school almost never cancels due to bad weather and mine seems to be approaching a close second as of late. Knowing the night before that we didn't need to get up was wonderful indeed. Especially since when it does snow any large amount I have to get up at around 4:30AM to get my driveway shoveled so that I can get myself and then the kids ready for school. It is exceptionally nice not to go through all that and then get the call that you don't need to go to work.

We made sure to make the most of our snow day. I bundled them up...

and we headed outside for most of the afternoon. Here are some of our highlights:

Snow fort building,

trying out the swings,

pretending you are a sled dog,

wallowing in the snow,

digging a snow cave,

and Alexa tried out some skiing.

We, of course, finished up with hot chocolate.

You Can Answer Your Phones Again Soon...

Chloe has been working her way through the contacts list on my cell phone calling friends and family. What has driven her to reach out and chat with all these people? Simple... it's Girl Scout Cookie Time! Your kindness is much appreciated as you can see by her "great big brownie smile."

She hasn't gotten to you yet??? What??? Don't worry schools have already been cancelled for the big storm tomorrow. I am sure she will get to you! After all, she only has another week to sell.