stopping by!

biff's home! grace was home sick today with a rasory sore throat. in case you're counting, i have had 5 days of the last 9 school days with either grace or t.j. sick...i guess for all of the years that they had no school absentees,we are now making up for that!

meanwhile grace has been having a very hard time keeping up with her spanish work...she had mono the first semester which was the cause of her loss of momentum. we thought by now, she would be pushing ahead.

she and t.j. have both been blessed with a good ear for language. grace has alwayss been curious about people from other countries. tonight, sh talked with me about her class and her options with her teacher. it's hard to be a parent...when we encourage, they hear criticism. when we believe in them, they doubt us and themselves.

when they were younger, they knew that the work they did and the effort put into work had payoff. now, it seems when our kids trip and fall once or twice, they have a hard time picking themself up, dusting themselves off and starting all over again.

i know that i've been discouraged. i understand her frustration. it's very hard to learn tenses in spanish...when they just don't make sense....i look now and see how logical the tenses are...but, they make me tense!

as the mom, i want to jump in and save my sweet girl from drowning. she is now in over her head. i know she's smart enough. i know she is a very determined 15 yeaar old! i know that being 14 and in the first year of high school is very big! there is so much to learn.

this is oh so new to me. i have never had to work on this problem. it's been a blessing to see them work hard and be rewarded with good grades. this year, there are more distractions. some kids have a harder time keeping up with the workload...i don't think thatt;s her problem....i think she is used to good grades just by working. it takes alot more work now.

easier said than done! i am here to help. i am willing and ready...... and somewhat able.

tonight we talked and talked ...her frustration level is 10 out of 10....i want her to understand her teacher is ready and on call to help. he believes in her too.

i asked biff to review some spanish with grace tonight....i think everyone is tired of my voice since we've had so much togetherness lately.

t.j.sat doing his homework...history...writing....and this year he loves history and the teacher. that helps him to plow through the work.

grace loves her teacher...she feel bad to disappoint the teacher. she feels like giving up ....i've never seen this before. it makes me sad to see grace feeling so overwhelmed...i know being a good student matters to her...she just doesn't know how to get back on track.

this is one frustrating time...for me, for grace, for griff....we haven'[t had this happen in our parenting years...until now...it's our latest conundrum. we have to learn how to help.....or how to help the best way for grace.

i'm so tired my eyes are closing. i have to take the dogs out and get to sleep. biff got home from buffalo/canada tonight. i'm grateful to have a partner who backs me up and helps me to do our best...and reming me that this too shall passs. i know it but, just like grace and t.j., it's hard to imagine...even when i believe in them.

fitzy is breathing on me. daisy is sleeping. i ran them hard in the woods this morning with snow up to their chests. i was clomping the whole way through...enjoying the winter wonderland. i forgot my camera. i almost went back...but i decided to just walk the trails, enjoying the beauty and quiet....especially when my mind is so busy solving the world's problems. i can't fix everything to keep our kids in a bubble. i can do my best...and help the kids do their best...and pray! good night! thanks for stopping by!

aren't they all?

before i go to sleep, i must make note of a few little things that were not quite in my "daydream snowday".....

as the saying goes," if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans!"

i planned a nice quiet morning, waking up before the kids....i thought i'd have my "maxwell house moment"....that's what i call the dream cup of delicious coffee...that perfect cup.....a quiet moment....a reflective moment....and that sip of coffee heated to perfection and the perfect color....just the right amount of milk.  just that one sip, if not the whole cup, if i have one sip that allows me a quiet moment to gather my thoughts.......then the whole day follows with ease.

and some days, i make a cup of coffee in the keurig(http://www.keurig.com/company.asp)......i have it in a cup that i like.....buying just the right mug is another issue, size, pattern, color, handle, lip.....it gets very complex juat picking the mug...which reminds me, i'd love to get some new matching mugs because the ones i have now are just a tad too big and too muggy at the lip.......they are muggy more than cuppy.....it matters....to me.  i know i'm scary. biff knows it too!  he loves me anyway!  he embraces my peccadillos....or was that enables them?  anyway, he makes me the perfect cup of coffee considering that he likes his coffee black, at any temperature.  ya know, sometimes i make a cup of coffee in the right mug, pour in some milk to get just the right color.....i may have gone one spilsh too far...(are you wondering about the spilsh thing...it's kind of a spill and a splash)......and the cup of perfection must be touched up in the microwave.

and you think it's easy!  once the coffee goes into the microwave it has the possibility of being a tad tainted.....by some gamma sooopa dooopa rays.....meaning that sometimes i imagine that with allof the microwaving we do, will sometime turn our world green.

i know that might not take place today but depending on the day, i am sometimes mildly suspicious.....and no! they don't put things in my coffee to make me this way!

back to the perfect cup.....oh! ....i forgot!....and that's exactly what happens.....we go out and we buy the keurig, the great coffee, we store the coffee in the freezer instead of one of those cute tins on the counter......we make the coffee in the perfectly delightful mug .......and,"mom, where are my ski pants.....oh! they're out in the car with my gear from ski bus!"

i'll get one outrageously perfect hot maxwell house cup to my lips and "woof,woof,woof"...."ding dong"...."ring, ring, ring" and "meow, meow".....the fish never really causes much of a stir relating to my coffee......unless he's in it.....or....d-e-a-d.....dead.  thankfully it's never been both!

so, today was a comedy of errors or just life.......here are some of the things that were not as i expected....

the maxwell house moment with my own coffee.
having the kids come with me to walk the dogs in the woods, in the snow.....o.k. that was ten years ago...maybe even four years ago they might have come......i know, but i can wish.

the roaring fire on the day of the fierce blizzard was an"epic fail", as grace and t.j. say....from the moment i stacked the wood, crumpled the newspaper, put in some kindling and the cheater stick, the fire helper block....and lit the match.....i knew i was having bad fire karma....and i did.....t.j. was right there to tell me what i was doing wrong...he wanted to help.....you know the rest of the ugly story......"i - know - how - to - make - a -fire ------ do - you - know - how -many - fires - that - i - have - made - in - my - life-----just - because - dad - is - not- here - does - not - mean - that - i cannot - light - this - fire!"......o.k. not one of my better moments....especially when t.j. said something that i have myself said to my children.....ready!  here goes! he said,"mom! (hear his exasperation, see my perspiration) i can't believe how deliberate you seem to be.....it's like you refuse any help?  why do you do this?"......o.k., i'm ashamed of myself....especially now that i see this in writing....and since i'm the one always saying...."never be too proud to ask for help!"

i had all of the best cozy food in the house....but the way the tim  y wanted what he could not have....out of principle..."A SNOW DAY".....he wanted me to drive to town to "BUY" a subway sub for dinner.  and here we were in our un-cozy-home-with-no fire-in-the-fireplace-no-cozy-food-in-the-oven! ....and we were all bothered by then!  ahhhhhh....comfort!  ahhhh! home!

we did have a very nice dinner together.  we did have some nice conversation and laughter.

then i had some reluctant help in the kitchen......but they did help...and they are good kids....i'm reminding myself....they are good kids....i'm reminding....

i was applying some special groovy, earth conscious, granola, peaceful aloe natural......au natural.........to fitz's sore ears.....she loved it .....until......she  didn't!

i was taking fitzy and daisy out in the snow.....just as we got to the door.....fitz started galloping across the lawn and she was gone in a white haze.......i whistled....i called her name....i did that two finger LOUD whistle......and the winds were blowing and daisy was hunting for her and i was searching.......i decided to drive down the driveway....and up the driveway....and down the driveway.........and daisy came herding fitzy to me.......lassie had come home!  ahhhhh a relaxing snow day!

i was all set to put the movie in....we had eaten....i certainly had some exercise.....and the kids....oh! no! they did not want to watch a d.v.d!  they had other things to do......and then they needed showers....and t.j. said he had reading for school!....o.k. not a d..v.d.

they went to sleep.  i took out the julie and julia d.v.d......and.....i could not make it work.  i could not turn it on...i could not get the d.v.d. to accept it.....

 

my phone rang....it was biff.  he wanted to hear all about the nice snowday we had!  it's a loooooong story!  aren't they all!

very grateful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-l1liNjk0so now that our little blizzard is over?...and grace and t.j. have gone to sleep, i've had some time to sit down and reflect on this day..........since schools have a 90 minute delay in the
morning, i'm just going to write down a few thoughts.

i love my kids everyday....even though sometimes they can't ever understand how much.  i'm grateful that they are such good and loving kids.....even though they don't like me to tell them that.  they are so beautiful inside and out....they have good heads on their shoulders....they think things through...they are smart even though they don't think that they are....they choose really nice friends.....they  have respect for all kinds of different people....they repect the sense of family even if sometimes we make them crazy......they are both really kind to others in
different ways....

i feel very blessed to have these kids....even though they don't like me to remind them that there are dishes in the sink.

i feel blessed to live in a happy home...where we laugh and listen to each other.

i feel blessed that t.j.and grace get along so well.....really!...except for when they don't.....and i know that they will come back together after some of their teen stuff....just because they have been so, so close for their whole lives.  i see the way they are together at the end of the day and it's just them.....they are blessed to have each other.

i feel blessed to live in a place where we share so many nice friends.

i feel blessed that we live or try to live kind of healthy lives.

i feel blessed that our children have had so many great teachers along the way.

i feel blessed that our kids share our sense of humor even though they don[t always like to admit it.

i feel blessed that we have sweet animals in our home.

i feel blessed that our kids can welcome friends into their home whenever they like....even though we're not perfect!

i feel blessed that we're honest enough to know that we don't have to pretend that we're perfect.

i feel blessed that our kids dare to ask questions of us....and that they share it when they don't agree with us....and that they are honest and open about what bothers them.....even though it's sometimes hard to hear.

i feel blessed that i have found how happy it makes me to write.  i have always been blessed with my own artistic talent....that has healed me in many ways throughout my life.....writing, i have always loved and now i have found a place to write for me.....no matter who reads it, i'm happy to be writing and sharing.

i feel blessed to have so many great friends in my life.  as funny as it sounds, i realize i am grateful for facebook....for keeping me in touch with so many people who  i enjoy!

i feel blessed to share some pretty wonderful days and nights with my husband, who makes me laugh.  everyday he makes me laugh....and we laugh together no matter how hard it gets!

i feel blessed to have so many people in my life who have been there for me to help me through some of the worst days of my life.

i feel blessed to live a life for our family that we consciously try to keep as uncomplicated as possible.....even though life gets complicated.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-l1liNjk0

i feel blessed that my husband and i have made the choices we have along the way.

i just feel blessed. 

and grateful.

very grateful!

more weather!

the snow is here.  does it seem like that's all i ever talk about?  yes.  it seems that's all anyone in the northeast talks about lately....actually, everyone in the midwest has always talked about weather ....oh, and the mid-atlantic states are all talking about weather too!  and then there are the people in the south....thy like to watch the weather on television...just to gloat....and see what they're missing!  unless it's september....then they're the ones taping up windows for the hurricanes!  of course, the california surfer dudes and movie stars have weather issues too......it affects their bleached naturally in the sun or professionally....i'm assuming that the surfers get naturally bleached blonde.....but who knows these days.  oh, and then there's seattle...rain, rain, all year long! and we have the dry states in some places like new mexico......and oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains.

weather. we all talk about it!  i went to the grocery store last night, before i picked up t.j. at his ski bus.  i was concerned that by then it would be sold out of milk, bread and who knows what.  i was hoping that there would be chocolate chip cookie mix....now, that's crucial on a snow day!  as i strolled through the aisles, i looked at what people were buying....some had grocery carts full of chips and salsa and cheeses and hamburger and they seemed to be preparing for a super bowl party, some were buying soups and stew type meats, they appeared to be hunkering in to cook some cozy dinners for the rest of the winter, others were laiden with gallons of milk and juice of every variety, an elderly couple carried a small container of milk and english muffins.....and there i was, a stereotype with 3 gallons of milk which we needed anyway, waffles, popcorn, hamburger for meatloaf and some tacos, chocolate chip cookie mix and some butter....for the cookies. and the milk is for the cookies too.  halfway through stop and shop, i saw a friend...we talked about the weather....her husband had just called to let her know school would be canceled.  i trusted his word....he's a police officer in town!  woo hoo!  they called it the night before! relief! life is good!

after checking out, i realized that i should stop and get a couple of redbox (http://www.redbox.com/?cid=PS:Google:Redbox:BrandKeywordsGeneralOpt:redbox:376&cid=4059664465&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=redbox&utm_campaign=Redbox&tracking_ID=7261bc0f-d35f-8f69-4bb4-000037441fad) movies.  i finally got julie and julia(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YybhuBmzhvA) and duplicity(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py5Iyz0_0aA).  that's where i bumped into another friend who was coming to pick up some tidbits to make a pie.

did i mention that i left my whole order at stop and shop to go pick up t.j.....the ski bus had arrived.  i dropped him at home to shower and i drove back to stop and shop to collect the groceries that they were nice enough to hold for me!  i guess i should have thought ahead and used peapod by stop and shop...(http://www.peapod.com/?001=3144&002=33&003=1&004=&005=&006=10122)

when i stopped at the library earlier in the day, i was paying the debt for the family wing and the librarian, a photographer and writer shared photography blog with me....(http://www.cjpphotos.blogspot.com/)...i decided to tryout some of their d.v.d.s.....just in case!  i like to prepare...just in case of stircraziness....it doesn't usually happen.....when i'm prepared.  people at the library were not talking about weather

these are the movies that i got ..............
a fish called wanda(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqAJUlSRCwo)

envy....(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTTqmmR5FZk)

phoebe in wonderland(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZA6APB-TMc)

so far today....
i have brewed delicious coffee from my favorite farm in old lyme....they have a delicious variety with clever names (http://www.farmcoffee.com/). yesterday, i bought  the obama blend to mail to our very democratic friends!  i buy farm blend for us.  i have just tried their "organic mexico" which is  "rich, balanced and straightforward"..is that the coffee, or the people who buy it?!

i have been treated to delicious chocolate chip cookies baked by grace.
i have walked the dogs for a beautiful walk in the woods.....the long route with the camera.
i've talked on the phone to a few friends...about their weather.
we've had grace's friend over to sled.
i've carried in some chopped wood to make a nice fire....i'm expecting some help from t.j. and grace.
we've heard from biff....who will be spending the night in buffalo!  with one of the other guys he works with.  we all laughed because they deserve each other....they both snore!

and the regular stuff....laundry, dishwasher etc.

not much going on here.....just more weather!