So Long, Feb.

Despite the fact that it is my birthday month, I have never been too fond of February. But this February has flown by. And I like it a little more than normal for just that reason.

In the quiet of an evening

Can I tell you something?

It's the eve of my birthday. I am getting older and I think it's sort of funny. Ask any of my 10 siblings and they think it's funny, too.

You know how every once in awhile you can step out of yourself for a second and see where you are in life and it's sort of a strange feeling that you are where you are? That happened to me a few nights ago. I was picking up a few things and the kids were swirling around me and it was probably dinner time and all of the sudden I was aware of me with 5 kids and it was such an odd thing to think "This is my life. This is where I am. Lots of cleaning up. And lots of kids."

It was a happy little moment of surreal but real.

For my 700th post I will declare my strong dislike of birthdays

I mean, actually, I like birthdays. Mine, yours, his, hers... But they are inevitably fraught. You name it, birthdays are somehow fraught with what ever it may be. But there was too much going on today. And maybe I should have finished my shopping last night, and not today, and maybe I should have cancelled dance class. Or made the cake with a mix. Or maybe we should have had cake and ice cream this afternoon instead of after dinner. Maybe I shouldn't have said no to the daughter whose birthday it isn't and kept the last straw off the camels back. Truly, it sucks to go to bed feeling like the day ended in complete disaster, despite best efforts at the beginning and frazzled efforts at the end. Some times I just want to say "I give up" and go to bed.

And hey, guess what? I can go to bed right now.

I guess things always look up in the end.

Going

February is moving through the space time continuum and I can't complain too much about its pace. Here we are already at the 18th, more than half-way through, and that's grand. February and March are so unpredictable in their weather habits swinging from one mood to another and back again. A few weeks ago it was absolutely frigid. It was gorgeous this week, at first. Then it was cold and snowy. This morning it's blah, and unfortunately, February can do blah pretty well. But the weather report suggests some sun and temperatures in the forties today. So, see what I mean? All over the map.

My house is begging for a thorough cleaning and I have yet to look at my sunday school lesson for this week. My baby's nap schedule has been a little crazy this week, so he's already down for his morning sleep. It would be tempting to follow suit but I'm going to resist so that I can get a few things done and keep the ball rolling and February moving surely through. I am getting ready for Spring.

to those I love

Ben, Madeleine, Ella, Oliver, Camille, Caleb, Lincoln, Alena, Towns, Stephanie, Kevin, Graham, Abi, Lorien, Bethany, Kip, Kimberly, Kevin, Isabella, Nith, Natalie, Christian, KK, Duke (Cameron), Dad, Mom, Dana, Angie, Bret, Bella, George, Lizzie, Emily, Blake, Hannah, Gavin, Laney, Canon, Penny, Brian, Laurel, Lily, Grandma, Grandpa, Grandmother, Rose, Lindsey, Lindsy, Shannon, Alan, M. Catherine, Julie B, Stanley K., W.S., Annie, Courtney, Beck, Julie Q, Jane, Madeleine L., James, the Browns, Joseph, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, aunties, uncles, cousins and such

and all those who read this blog.

this is a very semi-complete { or incomplete! } list of those who have made my life wonderful in some way or another, big or small, here or gone, met or unmet ~ happy valentine's day

These remain...

Egypt’s might is tumbled down

Down a-down the deeps of thought;

Greece is fallen and Troy down,

Glorious Rome hath lost her crown,

Venice’ pride is nought.

But the dreams their children dreamed

Fleeting, unsubstantial, vain.

Shadowy as the shadows seemed

Airy nothing, as they deemed,

These remain.

~ Mary Coleridge

Quite remarkable, what happened today. May those dreams keep moving forth.

So, it's Friday

And I'm in my pj's, eating chocolate and peanut butter chips, reading (and now writing) blog posts, bribing my kids to get dressed (Oliver changed out of his pajamas into some other pajamas - progress!), and keeping an eye on the baby who likes to pick up things off the floor that aren't good for him and stick them in his mouth.

In any case, the girls are at school, Ben is off at meetings and I have a house to clean and organize and tax questions to write down and get answered because this, my friends, will be a slightly crazy year for taxes (which I just typed as raxes, because I must be channeling my inner-scooby doo) due to changes in employment, etc. And etc. (Just thought I should throw that in there. The additional etc., that is.)

So, I am off to the races a little bit, albeit, in pajamas. (It's because I need to have an air of restfulness about me, because I am trying to Not Get Strep and I think pajamas help with that. Don't worry. At some point I'll shower and put on my velour leisure pants, because those should accomplish the job that needs to be done as well. And that's what it's all about.)

It's cold.

We're welcoming in February with 0 degree temperatures tonight. Lovely. I just went downstairs and put extra blankets over my girls. Oliver already sleeps with about four extra blankets and I tucked the baby in well-enough, with several layers.

Ben got anti-biotics today because he has strep. I am hoping not to get it. In that spirit I should go to bed now, with extra blankets piled upon me.

The baby is crying now. I will let him cry it out for a few minutes to see if he will go back to sleep. And then I will sneak downstairs and, yep, cover him up with extra blankets.