Five on Friday: In Praise of the Big Kid (Holiday Edition)

 I, like most parents, have been in conversations with other parents lamenting how fast their kids are growing. "I can't believe they're graduating 8th grade! Getting their license! Almost done with High School!" 

While I also find it hard to believe, I also have to be the lone voice of dissent, pointing out "It's not all bad! As a matter of fact, there's a lot to be said for having adult children!" Then I share some of the ways it's really fantastic having kids that aren't kids. 

I still can and sometimes do miss the tiny, cute, sweet people my children used to be--yes, I've occasionally even cried about it. But recently I've been thinking a lot about how many great things there are about older and adult kids, most of them specific to this time of year! 

For example:

1. These wrapped gifts have been piled in the dining room corner for weeks. They are the same gifts that will migrate to the family room to go under the tree on Christmas morning. It's been wonderful not having to figure out places to hide them.

2. I am really not missing having to make holiday magic this year (subject to change in upcoming years).  I am too busy and tired to, for example, make sure the wrapping paper from Santa is not the same as the wrapping paper from us. 

3. No need to hide or explain stuff like this!

4. Sick kids home from school can lay around on the couch all day just fine without me if I need to work or run errands.

5. Formerly sick big kids remember (sometimes) to say, "Thanks for taking care of me, Mom."

Five on Friday: My Own Little Tree

When the Christmas decorations came down from the attic this year, there was a small artificial table top tree in one of the boxes. I immediately and excitedly remembered that I had bought this with a very specific purpose in mind. 

Ha! Just kidding, I actually spent a day and a half wondering, "What the hell is this? We don't have a fake tree. We don't do fake trees. Where did this come from?"

Eventually I got to, "Oooh that's right! I bought this tree! For myself! And I LOOOOVE it!"

Why would Little Miss "We Don't Do Fake Trees" buy and loooove a three-foot-tall sparsely branched artificial tree? Because once I remembered the plan, I remembered how much it was something I had wanted to do for a very long time and how, in January, I impulsively decided to just do it already.

The plan? To have my own little tree for some very special, poignant, vintage holiday decor that would get broken or not noticed on our regular, big, live tree. So I put them on the little tree and I think it's just perfect.

Let me show you around, starting from the top:

                                                 

1. The blue-haired angel. When I was a kid, she was our tree-topper and I thought she was absolutely magical. One year, my mom got a gift of a new angel. She was okay, I mean, if you like blonde angels. 

Actually, I did think this new topper was very pretty. But when I found out she was to replace blue-hair, I felt absolutely betrayed. Mom was insistent but did let blue-hair sit near the top at fancy angel's feet. 

Harumph.

She has been in my possession for years but she is not as appreciated by everyone else as she is by me and, quite frankly, she sort of gets lost at the top of a big tree. So now she has a  unintentionally blue-and-silver themed, appropriately-proportioned tree of her very own to preside over.

Working our way down, you will find:

2. Vintage ornaments and silver tinsel that belonged to my Babci. (Yes, when I was a kid I thought it was insane that she put the tinsel up strand-by-strand every year and then also took it off and saved it. Now I do that.)

3. Vintage tiny glass ball garland that my mother-in-law gave me years ago and I've been too scared to use around the kids.

Then at the bottom:

4. I needed something to cover up the battery pack for the lights so used a scrap of white chenille for a snowy look.

5. Lastly, I found this little pink metal car with my ornaments--it had been part of Babci's under-the-tree train/town display. 

Ta-da! My own, special, little, blue-and-silver, vintage, poignant, artificial, table-top tree:

BONUS HOLIDAY PICS:

                                          

Five on Friday: Spring Ahead

Just a little photo essay made up of scenes from this past week of the season of hopes dashed and fulfilled, for today's post:

1. Thursday

Took a hike in a light jacket; took it off.
Found a few of these guys.

2. Saturday

3. Monday 

morning

afternoon

4.  Tuesday

5. Friday

Was really hoping these were going to be open by this morning for today's post! Alas, I forgot we live above the magical weather line of Hunterdon County and always have the latest bloomers.
At least the buds give me hope . . . we are definitely springing forward!

Five on Friday: Mornings Here

On Monday, I got a very lovely and unexpected card. It has a picture of a little girl with a bathrobe on, messy hair, laptop under her arm and she's sipping a giant mug of coffee that says "step one: COFFEE." The message on the inside is this:

When our 11-year-old daughter got home from school, she saw the card and said, "OH MY GOD MOM, that is YOU!"

I laughed and messaged the card giver to let her know. She very thoughtfully replied:

I had to tell her that my daughter's assessment was based solely on the picture on the outside:

So now that you have an idea of what I look like in the morning, I thought I'd give you a little sneak peek into what the actual typical steps are for this Mom's mornings (late winter in-the-country version):

1. Stumble into kitchen and either find the coffee maker all set up and internally praise myself for being "quite possibly the SMARTEST person in the ENTIRE WORLD" . . . or, just as likely, find it looking like this and thinking the opposite.

Oh Gina why are you the absolute worst?!

2. While the coffee is brewing . . . check the mousetraps for any overnight kills (ooooh that reminds me, I forgot to do something this morning. BRB.)

3. Next, contemplate restarting the fire: check to see how much ash is in there (requires more effort if i need to clean it out) how many embers (less effort as fire will restart more easily if many) if any kindling is cut (requires way more effort if I have to use a heavy tool pre-caffeinated) . . . usually decide it's too much effort and I'll do it a little later.

4. Sit down with coffee (and a blanket because it's cold in here! Somebody should start that fire!) Do all my daily nerdy things: take my online Scrabble turns, do a few duolingo lessons . . . 

5. Finally admit it's time to start thinking about my day. Look at the to-do list and feel slightly dejected at how many things from the day before didn't get accomplished. Commence creative rearranging, prioritizing and justifying (I only have time for one call today and don't need to call the doctor today per se as there's nothing wrong with me,  just need a physical so that can be put onto next week's list!) When possible, decide on some delegating. 

This normally leads to me thinking, "What day is it? Is it my turn for carpooling to high school/jazz band/flute ensemble in the morning or for stage crew or basketball pick up this afternoon? Do I have time to throw on some clothes before I have to pick up the neighbor kid or will it be a pajama drive for me again?" 

Then of course I realize how late it is and have to start yelling at the kids to get their acts together. So now you can see why my daughter said the card--outside only!--is exactly me in the mornings.

She's not wrong.

Five on Friday: First Five

This week's title is a double entendre--it is the first Five on Friday list of the year, but the content is also "first five." As in highlights from the first five days of the New Year . . . or at least the first five of the work week (that counts because this is my page and I just said so). 

My highlights from the first five days of 2022 include:

1. One public nap (Oh, yes I did . . . and not just in my own vehicle in a public parking lot as I have been known to do but a legit waiting room couch where anybody could see me. And, given the chance, I will absolutely do it again.) 

2. Two classic games played with my oldest kid before she goes back to college.

Pente is one, Rummy 500 (our favorite) is the other

3. Three dinners eaten by me that were prepared by someone else--that must be a new record for (adult) me.

4. Four tasks (to prepare for the 19th annual/2nd drive-through MLK Day of Community Service) that I delegated out to capable and willing volunteers. (Thank you, volunteers!)

5. Five workouts (the kind that actually make me sweat and feel that good-sore the next day) done, in a row, even on the days that I was tired and full of pizza.

This is my home gym. It is also my dining room.

And this is my four-legged stalker who, I can see, has made the same exact resolution again this year. 

Unlike my dog, I personally did not make any resolutions this year . . . but if these first five are any indication of how the rest of my year will go, I'm off to quite an auspicious start! Happy New Year!

Five on Friday: Last Minute Gift Ideas for Mom

If you celebrate Christmas and are still looking for a something to put under the tree for Mom, I'd like to say, on her behalf, what the hell have you been doing for the last 364 days? 

I'm sure she understands you've just been so busy with more important things, even after all she's done for you, sniff sniff. 

Fear not, though, for I have created a list of gifts that I would love and I'm sure that, really, almost any mother would adore. You should have no problem purchasing any of these items today. Hurry up, though, they might be closing early as it is literally the day before Christmas.

My ideas are:

1. HOMING SCISSORS: Here's a conversation that happened at my house just the other day:

Daddy O: Where are the scissors?
Me: Got me.
Big Sis: Z had them last.
Daddy O: Why don't we have more than one pair of scissors?
Me: WE DID.
Daddy O: Well what happened to them all?
Me: I WISH I KNEW.

Still life: junk drawer sans les ciseaux

So at first I was thinking that I'd like some sort of scissors that can only be used if unlocked by fingerprint, like my iPhone. But it's not that I don't want anyone else to use the scissors, I just want them to return the scissors. So homing scissors are clearly the answer! 

2. BODY OF MY 20-YEAR-OLD SELF: Not the whole body, just the bladder will do, thanks.

3. SLEEP MICROWAVE: This is an idea I came up with in High School and still don't own, so I've been waiting a long time for this. It's a sleep microwave! Say you only slept four hours one night and really need another three or four hours but literally only have about fifteen minutes to nap. Just climb into the sleep microwave, set the timer for fifteen minutes and go to sleep. You'll wake up as refreshed as if you slept for hours.

4. ADDITIONAL HOURS IN THE DAY: I'll admit, the science on this (and the previous) gift idea may be a little fuzzy but I'm just saying, some days I could really use another hour or two. 

In the event that any of the above four are somehow not locally available for purchase, I have one last suggestion which should be simple to make at home:

5. AUTHENTIC HUGS FROM TEENAGERS: Okay, maybe any of the other four choices would be easier . . .

Happy holidays! Go do something nice for someone you love.

Five on Friday: The Evolution of Holiday Traditions

It's family tradition season, folks! It starts annually in October when the bin of Halloween decor comes out of the attic only to be swapped out for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year . . . 

Every year there's the possibility for slight tweaks but the changes have picked up in frequency, due to three main factors:

* First: Kids insisting on growing up. Our oldest two are off at college so aren't home to participate in some traditions. Some of them start to feel a little too babyish, so it's understandable that the young teens will begin to roll their eyes at them. But with a ten-year age gap between oldest and youngest, I've always wanted to make sure there was plenty of holiday magic for the youngest to experience, too.

Somehow, though, even the baby has grown though and she's now a tween herself. This means she wants to act grown but still be a little girl. This extends to how she approaches holiday traditions (eye-roll or get excited?)

Some examples from this category include:

1. Decor placement! I shared this meme with my friend and we both chuckled. 

I can relate to the sentiment while also realizing how silly it is. This year my 11-year-old wanted to place all the Halloween decorations around the house and she was absolutely putting things where I didn't usually put them. I had to tell myself to relax and appreciate how excited she was to be doing it herself. And really, who cares? (Okay fine. It's me. I care. I stealthily switched some things around but I swear, just a few.)

2. The Thanks-Giving Turkey has traditionally been made of paper and added to after dinner the entire month of November. This wasn't really possible since two kids were at college and three kids didn't care that much about it. I still wanted to have an option on Thanksgiving Day so this year it was relegated to the chalkboard door, participation optional:

* Second factor, related to first: parents getting burnt out.

3. The annual gingerbread creation, originally my husband's idea and project, has been feeling overwhelming to him in the past couple of years. It is really fun, though, so many of  us are not ready to abandon it. 

My oldest daughter and I usually take the lead on it but this year it felt particularly burdensome . . . I wondered if this might be the end. Somehow all five kids ended up getting really invested in it (in a way I hadn't expected) and it turned out great. It's our family's Museum of Art:

4. Aw, look how cute these card holders are that I made! I hated throwing away all the great holiday cards we get so I started saving them in homemade pouches. I was delighted that my children loved poring through them each year.

Uh, apparently last year's card holder looks like this:

This is a plastic zippered pouch that bedsheets probably came in, with 2020 written on it in marker. Is it because I was burnt out--or does this one really belong under the . . . 

* Third Factor: Pandemic influencing everything.

Because maybe a shitty plastic low-effort card holder just sums up 2020, am I right? 

Lastly. . . 

5.  When I opened up the bin of Christmas decor, I thought, "Why the heck is there a face mask in here?" 

Oh. A holiday-themed one I made last year and surely put away thinking that by 2021 it'd be a funny blast from the past . . . that's sort of bittersweet, isn't it? Because now I wonder if we'll be wearing it again in 2022.

Man, is that a bummer way to end this list? I didn't mean it to be. Overall I want to express that times and our family are changing and actually, I'm okay with it. Yeah we have holiday-themed masks but now we also have vaccines and boosters . . . we spent time with family, in person (!!), this Thanksgiving. 

I'm thankful to be alive and healthy to experience these evolving traditions together . . . might have to add it that to my chalkboard turkey.

 

Five on Friday: Basketball Mom Double Feature

As I snuggled in on the couch to watch my son's basketball game being live streamed, I couldn't help remembering how much my back was utterly killing me by the end of last year's season. Backless bleacher seats are so unkind to aging backs! It made me realize that watching games from home on the laptop has its advantages:

1. Not only is the couch literally billions of times more comfortable than bleachers . . . in general the living room is much warmer and cozier than any  school gym.

2. The couch is really, really comfy . . . and when I'm watching from home, a mid-game snooze is totally possible.

3. We can share the link with family members who live too far away to make live games.

4. Volume control when the squeak-squeak-squeak of the sneakers or the drone of the buzzer become too annoying.

5. I don't have to divide my time watching my son play and wondering what kind of trouble my other kids are getting into under the bleachers or in the hallways.

UPDATE! 

I wrote the above observations before they began allowing parents in to watch games in person. Since that time I've been to two in-person games and have to admit . . . there are also things I really like about watching my son play in person. 

Does that mean I take back any of the above? Nope! I have the ability to like two different things simultaneously! So while I continue to appreciate the comfort and convenience of live streamed games, I also really appreciate some aspects of watching in person. (Though I do wish I had volume control in person--that buzzer is excessively loud and annoying.) 

Here are five things I was reminded of  enjoying when I got to sit in the gym:

1. I derive a sort of weird pleasure out of watching grown men lose their minds over a school sports game. (Not when they take it too far and have to be carded or asked to leave--but luckily I haven't really witnessed much of that. Just the sort of run-of-the-mill disagreeing with the ref's call that makes me cue up Heart Attack Man in my head.)

2. It's easier for me to actually see my own son when I'm in direct danger of getting hit by a ball . . .  and I really do love watching him play, even if I don't like the idea of getting hit by a flying ball or smelly teenage boy.

3. I get a little charge out of hearing the coach from the other team repeatedly warning his players to watch out for my son.

4.  In years past, trying to make sure I got to all the games sometimes felt like a real struggle. But this year, any chance to get out of the house and see other people is such a treat!

5. My husband says this wasn't a date since one of our kids was technically present, but it was still nice to just sit with him alone with nothing else to do but enjoy watching the game together. (Plus I got to listen to him be a sideline coach/ref and cue up the Beastie Boys in my brain. Bonus!)

Five on Friday: Getting Shoveling to Count as Exercise

Not sure where you're reading this from, but where I live we've had a bit of snow lately.

 

First there was a 2+ foot dump over a 48-hour period followed by two or three (Or four? Five? I've lost track.) more smaller snowfalls. As a person who uncharacteristically likes shoveling (I hate being cold) and strives for near-daily exercise (if for no other reason but to live long enough to be a burden on my children), I've found myself recently wondering how much of my shoveling I can count as actual exercise.

Isn't it always exercise? Meh, sometimes it feels like a cop-out, like when it's not so much shoveling as just pushing a light dusting off to the side. In my completely unprofessional opinion, there are five steps one should follow to make sure that snow removal job is also a valid workout.

These include:

1. Dress in exercise clothes instead of snow clothes to get yourself in the workout mindset. Bonus: those pants are pretty thin so you'll have to really get moving to stay warm.

2. Try to make sure there's so much freaking snow that it becomes increasingly difficult to find a place to shovel it to thereby assuring you have to give a good, solid heave to get each shovelful off of the driveway.

3. Bend with the knees!

4. Get some headphones and blast dance music in your ears while you shovel.

5. Lastly, and I cannot stress this one enough: have your children see you dance-shoveling and singing out loud to music nobody else can hear out in the driveway. Every time they die a little death of embarrassment, you lose another 500 calories, at least. 

*This has not been proven yet but I am proud to help support scientific research.

 

 

Five on Friday: Last One About MLK Day (for this year anyway)

I hesitated writing a third Five on Friday list in a row about Martin Luther King Day, but it’s kind of a big deal around here. Seeing how it occupies most of my life, brainpower and dining room for the majority of the month, it only makes sense that it would also dominate my blog.

 

To be completely honest, it also took over a good portion of the living room for a few days.

I’ve already shared with you my tongue-in-cheek tips followed by my genuine pointers for hosting a Day of Service, now I’m going to share some highlights from this year’s event.

 

As overwhelming as it was to plan and prepare for it, it all came together beautifully in the end. I’m not going to lie, some things even went smoother than usual. Even so, I never want to do it this way again. I long for the events of the past, with a room packed full of people and so many hugs. I want that again very badly. But this year’s drive-through Day of Service was terrific! Here are some of my favorite parts:

 

1. People! I'm so grateful for people. People in general for annually reminding me how good we can be. I'm grateful for both people who know me and my event and especially for those who don't for donating money, goods and time. My favorites are always the people who jump right in; especially this year, having no experience with what our event is normally like but still just deciding to go for it. I appreciate them all so much.

2. We tried a few new projects this year that worked out so well, they are already on the list for next year. 

3. The creation of a little new terminology “We’ve got to Tetris this insane number of diaper packages into the back of that Subaru” and a new unit of measurement: “We ended up with three Subarus-full of diaper donations!”

 

Still lots of space in there!

4. Everyone was really good at following instructions on how to complete their projects at home. They even remembered to take pictures and send them to me.

 

 5. The weather!! Someone wanted to know what our inclement weather plan was. I laughed and told her we fly by the seat of our pants on that, 18 years strong now!  Two years ago it was about 20 degrees outside. I felt bad about sending my son and some other teenage boys outside to direct traffic but . . . I still did. We really needed traffic to be directed.

This year I was going to be the outside (along with other volunteers) and I despise being cold. Well lucky me! It was sunny and mild all day! A little breezy at times but really not bad at all. I am pretty sure I was being rewarded for my good deeds. Like instant karma, but in the good direction.

Additionally, I just wanted to share that our motto for this year was "Doing good together while safely apart." I think this picture sums that up beautifully:

 

 

 

Five on Friday: How to Host a Successful Day of Service

Last year started like any other for us like it always does, with me falling asleep long before the stroke of midnight followed by a cold month with two beloved annual events: visiting the kids’ Great Grandmother for her birthday and then the Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service that I organize.

This event, which started in my dining room, is now so big we reach capacity at the church hall where it is held. Participants come from all over the county and beyond because there aren't many other public days of service around. This prompted me to plan a workshop on how to host a successful day of community service so that others could start them in their own towns.

Then Covid happened.

You can guess how this ended.

Since I never got to hold that workshop, I thought I would at least share my unofficial steps to hosting a successful day of service. (Later I may post real tips, but for now I leave you with this tongue-in-cheek checklist.)

1. Late January: Realize that if I got started earlier next time, maybe I wouldn’t have that crunch time freakout. Write well-thought out reminders and tasks on the calendar, starting in October and adequately spaced out.

2. Early October: Have first reminder pop up. Push snooze. Repeat in late October when the reminder comes back up. Push delete this time.

3. Mid-November: Begin to feel overwhelmed by the impending holidays combined with the thought of planning a day of service even though I literally broke it down into very easy-to-do tasks for myself, some of them literally being as easy as “email so-and-so.”

4. Late December: Commence the real freakout*.

(*this year compounded by "how the hell do I do ^this remotely??")

5. Mid January: Somehow* manage to pull off another successful event. Pat myself on the back. Realize that if I got started earlier next time, maybe I wouldn’t have that crunch time freak out. Write well-thought out reminders and tasks on the calendar, starting in October and adequately spaced out.

*Full disclosure: that "somehow" is made up of many generous donors who fund the event, my co-organizer Mom, my family for dealing with boxes of supplies that take over the house and for helping me sort and move them, the church that I don't even go to letting me use their space, volunteers who help purchase supplies, set up the room, direct traffic, run tables, deliver projects, host bake sales, set up screen printing stations, clean up the room and MORE!!  I absolutely COULD NOT do this without the strength of an entire community behind me.  Hey, I should hold a workshop to teach people how to get to started with this . . .

 

Five on Friday: Things I Forgot I Liked So Much

It must be true that absence makes the heart grow fonder . . . because these things haven't happened in awhile and I had forgotten how much I dig them.

1. Sunrises this time of year. I really dislike winter and this one in particular is looming rather dreadfully. Changing the clocks back signifies the start of the dark days ahead . . . but then I'm reminded of just how beautiful the sunrises are here this time of year. This picture does not do them justice at all--I usually don't even to try to take them anymore because they never do, so I just enjoy them in the moment. But I thought this post would be better with a visual so I snapped a picture real quick on my phone this morning. Imagine this ten times prettier:

2. A solo excursion to the big, messy thrift shop where you really have to dig and can find some absolute treasures. It had been so long since I'd been able to do that!! I had a few hours of time to myself and almost didn't go because it was pouring rain . . . but I forced myself to and I have zero regrets.

3. Overalls! One of my thrift scores from that day was a pair of overalls for myself. I started to post pictures of every day I was wearing them on my Instagram but realized that'd end up being pretty boring, because I have been wearing them a lot. Like, a lot-a lot.

 4. The first snow! Again, I don't like winter. But I can't deny how pretty the snow is, especially the first time when I'm totally annoyed by it yet. Also this is my backyard, so it's nice to be amazed by it and reminded again of how lucky I am.

5. The simple pleasure of sitting near the open fire and watching it snap and burn and swirl with color. It's absolutely mesmerizing . . . and since I'm not a fan of the cold, you'll be able to find me here all winter long, just sitting by the fire and being hypnotized.

Five on Friday: How to Make Winter Not Totally Suck/Early Autumn Gratitude

I’ve been noticing my kitchen could use a good scrub lately.

 

“Didn’t I just do a deep clean recently though? Oh, man, I guess that was way back in early quarantine!"

I keep hearing that we are entering COVID’s phase two, so I suppose that means it's time to deep clean the kitchen a second time. In some ways we are moving a lot towards what it was like back in March: the kids are taking classes remotely and soon the colder weather will isolate us again. Maybe we'll be reviving the Zoom cocktail hours that had been replaced by drinks on the patio.

 

I don't want to stop walk-and-talks with friends and potlucks on the patio. I know these things are still possible in cold weather but I despise being cold. I've been asking my husband if we're old enough to be snowbirds yet since we were in our late thirties. So I’m trying to prepare myself for it: physically, I’ve purchased new, warmer winter boots and mentally I've been visualizing how much I will enjoy the fresh air, movement and socialization of brisk winter walks with friends.

 

Naturally, when this headline showed up in my feed it caught my eye.

 

 

 The article suggests " . . . cultivating different states — social connectedness, a clear purpose, inspiration . . .  focus on something outside yourself." I reviewed the suggestions and realized I do most of those things already. Now when I do them, I will try to appreciate them for their apparently dual purpose of not just being things that feel good to do, but that are hopefully going to help this winter not totally suck.

Since autumn is the harbinger of winter, and winter is what I'm dreading, I thought I'd start with a gratitude list for the sights and smells I've been so thoroughly enjoying lately:

 

 1. Cinnamon Pine Cones: Starting in September, our supermarket places this highly scented cinnamon pine cones by the front door. I always inhale deeply and walk on by, such a weird product and frivolous purchase! 

Well last week I bought them, on a whim, and they have brought at least $4.99 worth of joy into my life if not more. I can't explain why I love them so much but I do.

2. Lip Balm: On the same day my lips were feeling chapped last week, a friend randomly gave me this lip balm. I like it quite a bit; it feels nice on my lips, has a good flavor . . . and when my 10-year-old saw it, she let me know that owning this brand lip balm means I am now entered into the category of "cool Mom." 

 

 

 

At long last, I'm cool! Thanks, eos.

 3. This Squirrel Thief: Pretty sure this furry little bandit stole that ear of corn from the farmer's cows but I enjoyed watching it maneuver it with its tiny hands anyway. Sorry, cows.

 

4. Montauk Daisies: All summer I kept thinking, "What's this green thing again? And is it ever going to flower or do anything exciting?" Ah, yes, they are my October bloomers, the Montauk Daisies! I don't pick favorite anything (ask my kids what my favorite color is and they will correctly tell you it's rainbow) but I have said that crocuses may be one of my favorite flowers since they signal the start of spring. I realized that Montauk Daisies may bump crocuses out of that toppish place on my list since they extend the flowering season. 

 

They also provide a lovely home for this tiny spider who now has no reason to make a web in my house.

 5. Walk Surprises: A walk through the park, when taken thoughtfully, can always produce a surprise or two. I find when I slow down a little and pay attention to my surroundings I can be amazed by interesting mushrooms or delicate spiderwebs that seemed crystallized by the morning dew. But sometimes I don't have to be paying that much attention at all to be delighted by the unexpected. For example, this wild animal I saw at the State Park earlier in the week;

Really, you're just pollution. But you did make me smile.

 

Five on Friday: Challenges in Keeping My Kids Healthy

Long before the current virus scare, I've spent many a flu season  trying to keep my home disinfected and my children healthy. The minute I hear "four kids puked at the all-school meeting today," I enter super-hyper-disinfecting-mode.

Of course, it's never as easy as it should be to keep my kids healthy and that's because they present some unique challenges to my pursuit:

1. All winter long I frequently clean"high touch surfaces" like door handles, light switches and the toilet flush but the joke's on me: nobody turns out the lights, shuts the door OR flushes the toilet in this house!

2. "I wasn't paying attention and just grabbed someone else's toothbrush so I used it."

3. They think it's hysterical to breath directly into each other's faces to prove how stinky their breath is.

4.  They don't think to mention to me, in spite of how much illness is going around school and at home, that their throat has been hurting for a few days.

5. Three-and-a-half out of five of my kids think wetting is equivalent to washing.

This seems to be improving lately and I am sure the school would like to take credit for this since they have been subjecting them to "so many boring videos about hand washing" 

But I'm going to thank virus hysteria: it has made publicly shaming people for not washing their hands properly perfectly acceptable. The kids are all starting to call each other out on this at school and actually use soap at home.