Grace was off to the city today with Biff's sister Cee. T.J. left with Biff yesterday for a Navy Lacrosse camp for the weekend.
I stayed home to be here for Grace this weekend.
After I walked the dogs through the snowdrifts in the woods, they leapt and bunny hopped and jumped and trudged...me too....we were all exhausted.
After a cup of coffee and some quiet time to think....... of the many choices available to me, with a day all to myself...solo..me...alone....on my own....I decided to make a huge commitment. This may be hard to believe but I chose to stay home to clean and scrub and mop and scour and do laundry and vacuum.
Did you faint? Yup. It's still me. Just a cleaner, fluffier me. Oh sure, there were so many more glamorous choices out there today. So tempting!
But no. I had the house to myself. Different than any other day, I had no interruptions...no calls from school, no visits to the gym or the grocery store. No calls from friends to walk the dogs. No need to shop....we have too much stuff.
With that in mind, I had a dream...a flash of inspiration...a moment of truth....a badge of courage...I cleaned for 4 hours!
I am exhausted. Our house is back to liveable. Until we're all here again...then it will be moments...just moments and the kitchen table will have mail and the foyer will have backpacks, the bathrooms will run out of toilet paper, shoes strewn all over at the back door.
It will feel like home. I love our family even though we're not perfect. I love our family BECAUSE we're not perfect!
This is the tree that came into our home as a little lesson for Grace and T.J...since they didn't come with me an Biff to cut down our tree. It was bare amd rather bedraggled and pathetic at first glance. It was the perfect remedy for our crabby and resistant Grinch-like, moody teens that day! They snapped right out of that when we showed them the real tree. They were just like little elves from that moment on. I painted and dressed and bedazzled that tree with sparkled and tinseled and sequined and glittered an glistened that tree. Just as our children sprang back into the spirit of Christmas , this tree sprang to life and gave us all peace and thw ability to laugh at our less than charming side. The tree gave us calm where there may have been a storm. There was abundant beauty in thi tree's simplicity. It has been a peaceful reminder. We have all found it to be calming with the little white lights, different from our colorful traditional tree trimmed with special ornaments, reminders of family and friends and Christmas' past. What a gift this Christmas season has been. The traditional tree has been down for awhile.....this tree is still standing....it still sparkles. Do we have to take it down? Maybe later. Not today.
"Get Out of My Life, but first could you drive me and Cberyl to rhe mall?" Great book...even if it wasn't a good book, the name is wonderful! Although we have no Cheryls in our life, we could insert many otber names....and the story is the same. Teenagers ups and downs and changes in plans and likes and dislikes and love and hate and highs and lows and chatter and sulking and sharing and secrets........
I laughed when I heard them working this out.....Grace shouted to me,"Oh no, look at this!" Then they had a little discussion. I heard Grace's voice,"T.J., you go first..." That made me laugh. They always make me laugh!
90 minute delay....we finally get a real snowstorm in Connecticut with 2 plus feet of snow. The schools were closed yesterday. Today while other schools are still closed, our schools are open. A 90 minute delay was disappointing considering they've had early dismissals from school with NO snow on the ground. I admit that i was hoping for another snowday. Now that Grace and T.J. have gotten on the bus. I admit that I breathed a sigh of relief ....since now I can get more done. I have lots to do.
Oh my achin' back...and arms...and legs...and neck. And I rhought I was in pretty good shape? One and a half hours and the path down thw driveway was done. Now how do I get out?
Daisy and Fitzgerald are looking out the window at the snow.....today they were up to their ears in the white fluffy stuff...literally! We couldn't open the door this morning....this is the snow day of my dreams.
Back in Vermont, we had dinner with our friends after a full day of skiing. We had lots of laughs. All off the kids played Trivial Pursuit with occasional outbursts by the parents who were desperate to "help" answer the random questions. Life has changed. The questions came to us via the iPhone App! The world is getting crazier by the minute. All of our wi-fi service and internet connections could never have given us the fun we all had with the crayons. T.J. crayoned a portrait of Kate,the 5th grader, while Kate drew a portrait of T.J. T.J promised Kate that he would make her T.J. portrait his facebook profile pi ture.The simplicity of crayons make them capable of connecting all ages. I am convinced that we could have peace in the world if every house in the world kept crayons on the table. Everyone has a different perspective. Coloring, side by side with anyone, crayons have the power to connect. We all seem to see and respect the other's perspective when crayons are the common drawing tool. So simplistic. Make crayons not war.
Biff and I had our first invitation to an engagement party....for an old friend's "little girl".....Yikes! We had a delightful time with our friends, their family and lots of old friends...old friends, not OLD friends. Although it does depend on one's perspective! The party was at a very toney club.....afterwards we had some fun back at the house with an intimate group of close family friends.....did I mention that it was semi formal? Oh...I didn't. Either did Biff. Thankfully, I was dressed appropriately. But WOW......I don't even want to think about what little mix up could have taken place!
The morning light is here. The snow. The sky. It's cold this morning. Just as Grace and T.J. walk through the deep, still fluffy snow leaving a trail all the way to the road, I realize that Grace is up to her ankles and she's wearing her brand new, back-ordered Christmas present....pale pink suede mocs lined with fleece that envelopes her foot in coziness. Grace wears no socks. Not necessarily her fashion statement as I had understood it for the last year or so....I just was notified by Grace that she finds it difficult to sort through so many socks.
Throughout these transitional teen years, my very own daughter does show real signs of being my daughter. Unlike other teenage moments and mother/daughter fantastic fiery words, so easily misconstrued and blown out of proportion, I am convinced that she is truly my daughter and not switched at birth like it seems as she seems when she is that other girl....the teenager with wild opinions and observations. I understood because of the socks. It all made sense. Her fashion statement. It has been because of our sock frenzy in our house. Not that she is different from any teenager morphing into her own self....it's just that some days I look at my sweet girl and think....WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?
I understood because of the socks. It all made sense. Her sockless fashion statement came to be all because of our family sock issues! We have sock frenzy in our house. Believe me, we are not lacking socks. We have oodles. I learned the hard way. For years, I bought only the cutest and most colorful patterned socks. A plethora of patterns...argyles, polka dots, stripes, florals ...and that's not including the seasonal socks for the family. Jolly santa socks, valentine socks, shamrock socks, American flag socks, sailboat socks....all reflecting our festive spirit throughout the year. That had to end.
Now, I have learned that white sport socks are the way to go. All the same. Except, sometimes I forget and buy the same style, different brand. While searching for my own pair of socks last week I came up with 7 different white socks, white with pink logo, white with gray logo, white with gray at heel and toe, white with pucker mid foot, white with wide band, white with no band, white with thin band....and that was just the start.
I like Grace's style. I like how she can adapt herself in different circumstances. I like that she is a free spirit. I like that she won't be held down by details. I like that she has priorities. I like that she works things out. I like that she has confidence in her choices. I like that she doesn't sweat the small stuff. I like that she doesn't miss the bus for the sake of socks. I
Grace is my daughter. I am sure of it. She has just tromped through the snow, with her toasty suede slippers lined and fluffy, warm and toasty...with no socks. I called to her a she lifted one foot out of the snow, preparing to plow forward, "Grace, why don't you walk down the driveway?" She turned to look at me. She gave me that look and muttered, "Mommmm." I know that look. I gave it to my mom. I recognized that tone. I gave it to my mom. Sometimes I wonder where she came from. Sometimes. Not today.
Daisy.....cozy by the fire. Tonight. Friday. Big talk of snow. Frantic weather reports. Early dismissal from school. No snow ....all day. Waiting all day. Shopping for the necessities. Walking the dogs before the big storm. Filling up the car with gas. Crediting some things that were never given as gifts. Meeting a couple of friends at the store....they were also waiting for the big storm.....doing some errands before the big storm! Dropping off a basket of flowers for a friend having a bad day. Home. Walking the dogs.....in snow. FINALLY. Snow.
It's nice to have a new year....fresh
start.......beginnings..... commencement.
1.Fitness
2.Healthy eating
3.Organization.
1.
Fitness. I think that's a natural turn of events just because of the "I'll just have one" mentality of the Christmas cookie season....oh, and the gingerbread houses....and chocolates.....and hot chocolate with whipped cream......and those Starbucks foofy coffees. I need exercise all year long. It's a part of my routine. I crave it.
I've started my ZUMBA classes! I've been trying to get to take ZUMBA for months. Finally, I realized it was available for the new year...it was meant to be. It's really fun. It's what my aerobics classes were to the 80's ...with Latin music...and a tad more wiggling of the hips.
Even with year long regular exercise, the beginning of the new year, the thought of more exercise with more discipline makes me feel invigorated.
2.
Healthy eating. We are aware. We stock the fridge with healthy choices.We look for new recipes. We don't buy junk food. We read labels. We make healthy dinners. Even with our efforts to keep our home stocked well, talk about healthy eating....still, we have lots to work on. It's the balance...eating the right balance...and learning more about what balance works best for us.
3.
Since my mom and I worked at Saks Fifth Avenue we each had lots of merchandise that we were our responsibility...and closets filled to the brim at home. I still remember my mom teaching her salespeople to put "like with like" and she gave them a pack of crayons to see the order of colors. Then I got married and had kids...and we had lots more stuff in our closets, playroom and bedrooms. That's when mom's words, "like with like" became my mantra. They laugh when I say it now...but it works. Especially when any one of us is overwhelmed by the project...closet, garage, junk drawer or cabinet..."Like with like"
Balance. Life is a balancing act. I try. Healthy. I try. Exercise. I try. Time. I try. Order. I try. Discipline. I try. Work. I try. Life. I try. I will always try. I am determined at this time of year to get it all together. For me, it's just like getting new notebooks and pens and folders for school in September.
