Real Life is also Happening

Taking a brief pause from vacation recapping (which I have enjoyed so much, thank you for following along! The kids and James's very favorite day is yet to come) to reintroduce the real life that is happening between my reminisces. Because as it always does when we come back from our August vacations, real life yanked us right back in.

The kids started school on Monday.

Our Superintendent's mask mandate got overturned by a local judge the day before school started when a group of parents who REALLY want their children to have the opportunity to catch Covid sued to block it. My kids are in masks anyway, particularly my not-yet-old-enough-to-be-vaccinated girl children, but they're in the minority. So in this time of a more contagious variant that is affecting more children, we have no protocols, no spacing, no masks, and no virtual school option. So, with that intro, it's back to school pictures! Everything is FINE.

Cora is in 2nd grade and confidently marched her way into school all by herself. I can't believe we only have one elementary schooler left- it's so weird to run her off to school at 7:30 and come back to find two big kids just getting out of bed.

I thought the return might be a little rough because she has to get up so early, but she was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed each morning and was delighted by the return of homework and worksheets.

Claire started 6th grade - MIDDLE SCHOOL - and was a tiny bit nervous and lot bit excited. She required one extra hug when she got out of the car, but crossed the street and walked into school with a smile.

At the end of the day she BURST into the house, already telling me all about her day and how middle school is the BEST and all her classes are GREAT and she made two new friends and etc etc etc. She is in Theater and Choir and loves them both.

Landon is now in 8th grade, his last year before high school, which honestly blows my mind a little. He hopped out of the car early to walk the rest of the way to school with a friend, had a great day, and generally feels like he has middle school handled.

James doesn't start the swim school again until this Monday, so he was available to help pick up the kids each day. I have no idea what we're going to do next week when he's gone (finally!) at his indoor pool from 2-7 each day. I'm not excited about adding an after-school nanny, but I also don't know how I can get the kids from 3 schools every day or get them to swimming, soccer, and volleyball and continue working full time from home in my very busy job. This will all start tomorrow and I'm still just ignoring the problem completely because I don't know how to do a regular school year in an irregular world except to keep everyone in masks, generally only be near people outside, and get the girls vaccinated as soon as possible. And find a nanny. I guess.

Speaking of not leaving the house, we've really been enjoying the weekly Disney Plus shows. The kids have never had a show they had to wait 7 days between episodes and the anticipation adds a whole other level of anticipation and excitement. We loved Mighty Ducks and Big Shot and are now working through Turner & Hooch and The Mysterious Benedict Society. It makes for a great Friday or Saturday night tradition. Milo also watches. Or watches the snacks anyway.

Except this past Friday we had a mini pool party to let the kids wind out their week with splashing and pizza. My friend Kim brought over her goats and Maggie was THRILLED to be reunited with her goat pack.

She really does love them and they stuck very close together when she was outside.

In our biggest event of the last week (besides starting school and all), I took the kids to see Wicked yesterday!! After waiting months since I bought the tickets (and really, YEARS, since it became clear James was only pretending to like musicals while we were dating), I finally got to take the kids to see a broadway play and they LOVED IT.

It was so phenomenally well done and a perfect first show for the kids. I'd seen it many times (it was resident in Chicago while we lived there and I took everyone who visited me), but it had been 10 years since I saw it last and I'd forgotten just how fun it is. You could tell the audience was so excited to be there and the performers were as good or better than the original cast (LOVED this tour's Elphaba and Glinda).

We've been listening to the soundtrack non-stop since we left the theater.

I look forward to so many more Musicals with Mom in our future. James takes them to swim meets, I take them to plays. I actually just treated myself to Season Tickets for the Broadway Series at Bass Concert Hall this year with a friend and I can't wait to start adding seats to my block to bring the kids in future years. Watching musicals and singing to the sandtracks was a huge part of my childhood and I'm thrilled to pass it on.

Also thrilling - these post-its I found at Target when picking up some last minute school supplies for the kids. Rainbow colored list making? The perfect post-it for meny planning? I cannot even tell you how much they made my Monday.

Meanwhile, the cats would like to know why I'm 15 minutes late for their dinner reservation. New post-its are no excuse.

Maggie went to the vet for a checkup on Tuesday and was proclaimed in perfect health. This might be the only time we've gone to the vet and NOT left with a new prescription and we were both very excited. The vet is one of her very favorite places and she kept trotting off back to the exam room while I was trying to check out. She remains just the very best.

On food, I've updated our menu for this week below, but have to note from last week that this Tomato Soup was FANTASTIC. Best one I've ever made. Creamy without cream and so much flavor. Highly recommend, I followed the directions precisely and was duly rewarded.

I hope you all have a great week ahead- with something to be excited about and something fluffy to snuggle with when you're tired.

Tomorrow it's back to hiking recaps while very much wishing we were still there!

Menu
Sun: Rainbow Chicken Salad
Mon: Summer Chicken Soup (green beans instead of zucchini)
Tues: Bean and Beef Taquitos, Brown Rice, Avocado, Tomato
Wed: Take-Out Pizza Fundraiser Night for School
Thurs: Greek Pasta Salad with Chicken, Naan, Tzatziki Sauce
Fri: Meaty Spaghetti (ground beef + jar pasta + whole wheat pasta - easy as it gets at the end of the week)
Sat: Caprese Gnocchi (gnocchi, pesto, small mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes)
Sun: Tuna Melts

And that was February!

So! It's been a while. Again.

Work has been so busy, life got a little crazy, and too many big things happened that I kept feeling like I didn't have time to write them out and now here we are with too long of a list for one post. But we're going to try anyway. If there's one thing time does add, it's perspective, so here we go- the highlights and lowlights of the second half of February.

Highlight: Our family's sweet Valentine traditions. A decorated table, homemade cards, candy, and a stuffed armadillo for Cora who routinely asks for one at every occasion.

Lowlight: Landon got Covid. He never had any symptoms, but a basketball teammate did, so we had him tested- it was negative the first time and then positive a few days later. The whole team was quarantined immediately and then once Landon was positive, the rest of us were quarantined too- the girls came home, the swim school closed down, and actually nothing about my life changed much at all.

For two weeks, Landon wore a mask in the house and ate at a different table. Everyone schooled from home, James swam alone in our pool with stretch cords tied to a tree, and I continued on with my million video depositions. Everytime you heard Landon's giant feet hit our pier-and-beam flooring you'd hear James yell "PUT ON YOUR MASK" and it was all very relaxing and peaceful.

The first day of virtual school was a little rough- we'd forgotten passwords and were terribly out of practice, but by day 2 everyone hummed along pretty well and James managed it all while I lived in our bedroom. He and I both tested twice- at one week and two week's post Landon's positive test and were both negative each time, proving that both masks and yelling are very effective.

The biggest loss was the girls' missing their school Valentines parties (Claire's last one!) and having to cancel my parents' visit. They were supposed to come celebrate my birthday and see us before they had to quarantine to go to Colorado and see my sister and her new baby. They did drive by our house on their way to Colorado to drop off some items from my Grandma Jo and my birthday gift from them (the beautiful amythest jewelry; below); we waved from behind our glass storm door.

Highlight: Snow! Several days of snow actually sitting and staying on the ground made for lots of snow man building and sledding and let us finish out our quarantine with some excitement and school being closed down for everyone anyway.

Lowlight: SO MUCH SNOW! It overwhelmed our state and all its systems. People were without power for days and water mains and pipes burst absolutely everywhere. It was really pretty terrible for a lot of people and there was a lot of worry for various members of my family, including my grandparents, who were without electricity or water for days. We kept our house very cold to avoid adding strain to the grid, turned of all lights and devices, and basically quarantined for another week, this time with more card games and fuzzy blankets.

Highlight: We never lost power or water.

Lowlight: Except apparently we did lose power for 2 seconds in the middle of the night on February 14th and the surge blew out the control board of our refrigerator. We were able to get a repairman out 4 days later, but he wanted way too much money to fix the problem, so we went with a small local repair team, but the mail is a mess so our part was delayed and when it finally arrived on the 25th and the repairman came out to install it he discovered that TWO different control board things are fried and they have to order the second one. It will be here this Thursday. We've been without a fridge and freezer and ice for 14 days now and shopping for dinner ingredients each day like we live in a small European village with a market down the road has gotten VERY OLD.

Highlight: Pretty sure we'll get the fridge working on Thursday (Day 18) and we have the little beverage fridge we installed in the kitchen remodel to store 24 hours worth of dairy, meat, and produce at a time and if this is our worst side effect from the winter storm, we're obviously pretty lucky.

Lowlight: Despite never leaving the house for 3 weeks I fell off the exercise wagon and feel that the oxen have pulled the wagon far past me. Cheez-its don't have to be refrigerated and I've had MANY of them. Why is it so hard to exercise inside my own house that I never leave?

Highlight: Maggie had her greatest few weeks ever- full family quarantine + snowpocalypse = constant togetherness and fires in the fireplace. We were continually pulling her OUT of the fire and I feel like Moose was pretty judgey about lack of survival skills.

Lowlight: Moose would like us to get out the F out of his house sometimes, FTLOG. How can one hunt squirrels through the window if no one will BE QUIET and let him wind up an epic pounce? He basically walks around looking offended anytime he's awake.

Highlight: The big kids made $400 shoveling every sidewalk and driveway in an 8-street radius during the freeze. They worked all day every day and it was great for them to be out of the house together burning off their ENDLESS energy. One neighbor mentioned that a friend was supposed to get his second Covid shot but his driveway was covered in ice. James drove the kids to the address and they used a shovel to break up the ice and a big metal dust pan to haul it all away and the Covid-shot-getting homeowner gave out chocolate bars and everyone was VERY happy. They're thinking hard about what to spend their earnings on and are leaning towards a giant trampoline.

Lowlight: I think I'm out of these? We did have a pipe break the day before the Great Freeze that cost $500 to fix and we still have a small army of rats living in our attic, but that's old news.

Highlight: My sister had her baby! I'm an aunt for a third time to a third niece. Sweet little Sage Wylder was born just before 11 p.m. on February 23rd, weighing 7 lbs. 9 oz. and we are so excited to welcome Tia and crew to the beautiful, wonderful, love-and-laughter filled life as a family of five! (Even if selfies are a little challenging...)

Highlight: Age 13 is damn delightful.

Landon is a non-stop chatter box who suffered GREATLY while mask wearing and living in his room during his quarantine. Every night when I work he comes and drapes himself across my bed and talks, usually without pausing to breathe, for hours at a time. He is funny and witty and kind and the most fun little pre-adult. The other day he was sitting at my work desk, pretending to be me, and you guys, I was dying. "Okay, let me look into that... I'll consult my calendar and get back to you... [furious typing on the keyboard] Okay, so I can do 4:00 on Tuesday." ... "Now I'm going to review documents and type VERY FAST."

He just learned that "The Goat" means "Greatest of All Time" so now he declares himself the goat 57 times a day. But for my birthday, I got to be the goat and it was quite the honor, though he did let me know that my title was rescinded at bedtime.

Highlight: I turned 38! It wasn't my usual friend-filled day, but my family made it so sweet and special with cards and decorations and flowers. We ordered pizza, ate ALL the Crumbl cookies, and opened presents after dinner.

James got me Air Pod Pros which I'd mentioned months ago might actually work for me due to their changeable tips (I have the tiniest ears; the doctor always has to use the pediatric scope at my annual check-ups) and I could use on work calls and he remembered! Now I can listen to podcasts with curse words while I cook dinner and not get Maggie's leash tangled in the headphone cord on our walks. The big kids pooled together some of their cash to get me a beautiful case and James bought me my very own fuzzy Free Fly fleece like the one I got him for Christmas that I can't stop touching whenever he wears.

Friends dropped by cards and gifts (tea!) and I felt very loved and sugar-filled indeed.

And finally, as always- food! I'm clearly on a salad kick- between Valentine's, quarantine, and my Birthday I feel like every piece of lettuce I eat cancels out one gram of previously consumed sugar. The science checks out.

Sat: Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Sun: Homemade Pizza, Sunshine Citrus Avocado Salad
Mon: Clean Eating Summer Soup
Tues: Ground Beef Tacos, black refried beans, rice, toppings
Wed: Roasted Tomato Pasta Puttanesca grilled chicken
Thurs: Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry, and Quinoa Salad
**We are supposed to finally have a working fridge!**
Fri: Baked Chicken Meatballs, Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce, Salad

Sat: Honey Mustard Chopped Chicken Salad
Sun: BBQ Salmon with Mango Salsa, brown rice, black beans
Mon: Garlic Herb Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs
Tues: Mexican Quinoa, Taco Ground Beef, Chips
Wed: Sunshine Lentil Bowl
Thurs: Chicken Tortellini Soup
Fri: Cheeseburger Sliders, Oven Baked Fries, Fruit
Sat: Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad
Sun: Homemade Pasties

Rebecca the Red Nosed Reindeer and Other Stories of Holiday Magic

So I have Nasal Vestibulitis. It's a "rare type of bacterial infection at the opening of the nose." It makes the tip of my nose swollen, tender, and very red.

"I look like a clown," I lamented to James a few nights ago.

"Or," he responded, "in this holiday season, you could say you look like..."

Rudolph. I look like Rudolph. I've dubbed it Rudolph's Disease and sing extra loud when the song comes up on my Christmas playlist.

Yay for makeup

I went to the doctor on Monday and got topical and oral antibiotics. Apparently my tiny red nose requires multiple meds, plus a probiotic and decongestant because it was probably caused by me constantly squeezing my nose to clear it due to my chronically retracted ear drums. So now I have a chart because the oral antibiotics are 4x a day, while the topical is 2x a day, and the probiotic is only once but not within 2 hours of the antibiotic. It's ridiculous; all for a swollen little tip of a nose.

But it's timely, not only because we're almost upon Rudolph's night to shine, but because it was exactly 7 years ago yesterday that I, a 30-year-old well-read lawyer, googler, and mother of 3, first learned that reindeer were real.

[Scene: Visiting the Dallas Arboretum on a freezing day with all three kids, including our tiny 6-week old baby (#ThirdKid), to see Santa.]

Me: Oh look kids! It's Santa and one of his reindeer! *wink wink*

[The kids said hi to Vixen and then walked off with James to see Santa.]

Me, to the handler who almost certainly wasn't being paid enough: So, what animal is it really?

Handler: Um, it's a reindeer ma'am.

Me, motioning to the absent children: It's okay, you can tell me, they can't hear you.

Handler: Um, this is a reindeer.

Me, equally annoyed and impressed at the commitment to holiday magic: Yeah, okay.

[I walk off to join James.]

Me: So I tried to find out what kind of animal the pretend reindeer is, but the guy wouldn't tell me!

James: Um, that's a reindeer.

Me: Ugh, stop it! I really want to know!

James: Wait... do you not know that reindeer are real?

Me, googling: Oh my god.

James, dies of laughter. [End scene.]

The kids love that story and honestly, so do I. It's like the time I learned in college that snakes can climb stairs. I grew up in a house that bordered a forest and small creek. Snakes were a frequent guest in our yard and occasionally made it into the house via our cat. And while I liked snakes and often caught the garden variety ones to temporarily house in an old aquarium on our porch, I had one night where I guess I got scared that one would appear in my bed. My dad, probably tired and wanting alone time with my mom, told me snakes can't climb stairs. I took this as gospel truth and stubbornly believed it for YEARS despite knowing on some other level of my brain that snakes often live in very tall trees. My freshman year of college someone was telling a story about a snake that was found in an attic and I said, "No, they couldn't have; snakes can't climb stairs." There was also laughing- it's good to be humbled every now and then and I totally yelled at my dad the next time we talked on the phone.

But back to Christmas! While this is a strange and socially distant holiday season, we have been able to check off a few of our favorite traditions! Claire was able to perform in the 5th grade play, a mask-wearing, socially distant play that the music teacher filmed in small spread-out groups and then spliced dozens of video clips together because she is amazing and wanted to give the 5th graders a final play. Claire played "Mom" and Maggie played the puppy the little boy wants for Christmas and it was the very cutest.

The girls had their much anticipated annual Pajama Reading Day at school on Friday.

And I still got to read them our favorite Christmas book, Christmas Delicious, via Zoom from our living room. I wore my pajamas in solidarity, and not just because I'm pretty much always in pajamas. It was so special to still be able to read to them and I was surprisingly sentimental about the fact this was Claire's last PJ Reading Day. When Landon graduated 5th grade it felt okay since I had Cora about to start Kindergarten the next year, but now I'll just have one baby in elementary school and that seems impossible and gives me lots of feelings.

Maggie and Moose were also featured in the Zoom reading and the girls were so excited to show them to their classmates. It was a fun kick off to Winter Break for them.

Later that day, Moose got to open his stocking early and he was very excited about his new toys.

In other new toys, James designed holiday suits and they are the cutest.

Cora also wanted you to see her outfit for going out to net leaves from the pool.

On Monday we went to see Santa on my lunch break!

Maggie came too obviously. She's a Believer.

Cora wants a puppy, which is a hard no, so hopefully she'll be satisfied with legos, a marble run, and the perfect angel of a bulldog we already have.

My constant companion, she is beauty and grace and pure wrinkly love.

Also, pure love: my shipment of Twinings tea that got delivered yesterday. This is what happens when your friend recommended a tea you can't get in any nearby stores and the free shipping minimum is $50.

$51 and 13 boxes of tea later and I have quite the assortment now living in my old built-in wine storage rack. The Christmas Tea is perfection and Winter Spice and Peppermint Cheer are also lovely.

And while gingerbread houses aren't our usual treadition, a friend gifted us an extra set and the kids were very excited to put it together. They divided it into sections for decorating and then begged to eat it.

We tried to warn them that gingerbread houses don't usually taste like the soft, chewy, amazing gingerbread cookies their Gigi makes, but parents don't know anything.

Except when they do.

Their reactions cracked me up. They ate all the candy, we tossed the house, and considered it a successful holiday project. Then we drove around the neighborhood singing loudly to the Raffi Christmas album and admiring the lights. I'm on Day 62 and it's been a good month so far.

[I should also add that I am so enjoying and appreciating your comments and feedback. Each comment email that pops up in my inbox during the day is like a little hug from the outside world and it's the best. I've gone back to respond to the ones from the last few posts, but in case I missed any, I just wanted to say thank you for still being here when I wanted to write again and I wish you the Happiest of Holidays and a Joyful New Year.]