Weekend Recap

It wouldn't be winter without a selfie from the ski lift.

I can feel the days getting longer. It's not quite as dark in the mornings as it had been. That said, we are still pretty far away from spring. It's still time to enjoy and appreciate winter. 

We had an especially busy weekend, but it felt balanced and good all around. Saturday included yoga, errands (hair cuts, grocery shopping...), basketball, and an evening at our house with good friends and their boys. We grilled steaks (yes, the grill still works in January, and no, I didn't eat a steak) and enjoyed catching up with friends. Kevin and I had attempted another alcohol-free January, but we agreed to end it a few days early to sip some wine on the last Saturday of the month. Four weeks is pretty good, right? (Side note:  I only had a couple glasses but still slept like crap and felt not-so-great the next day. I think I'll be continuing to decrease my alcohol consumption overall, because I think my body isn't digging it any more.)  

Sunday was skiing. We went to a local mountain (an hour away) and enjoyed a beautiful day on the slopes. We got home mid-afternoon and watched another couple episodes of Game of Thrones before our dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.  

That's a good weekend!

Weekend Recap

My handsome goalie

The sun is coming up a little later and going down a little earlier every day. Getting out of bed in the morning keeps getting harder. Having a good book to read never helps. On the other hand, the chilly weather puts us in the mood for turning on the fireplace, watching football, baking cookies. 

A few highlights from the weekend:

*Nathan played in his first soccer tournament. He and most of his friends formed a team and entered our town's Columbus Day weekend tournament. They are all second-graders (ages 7-8), and they played against third-graders. This team hadn't played together before and only had two practices, so we were a little nervous about it, but they did great! They played four games, and they ended the weekend with 3 wins and 1 hard fought loss. It was a really special experience for all of the boys, and even though it was raining all day on Sunday, it was a ton of fun to watch.  

*We made these pumpkin cookies - such a great recipe, and it's become an annual fall tradition. (Note:  Every time I make them, Kevin complains that there aren't enough chocolate chips in them.)

*My sister-in-law, a friend, and their toddlers came for a visit on Sunday afternoon. It was loud and messy for a while, but we managed to have a nice time relaxing and hanging out, even with the kids in the mix. 

*Kevin and the boys played a lot of football together. They have such a great time, until someone inevitably loses and has a tantrum. At some point, they'll learn to deal with losing, right? 

*I made this vegetarian chili on Monday. (Note:  I only used one chipotle pepper, since it was too spicy for us last time.  Also, don't skimp on the cilantro - it is absolutely the key ingredient in this awesome recipe.)

*Kevin and I watched the first two episodes of Westworld. I'm fascinated. 

A Baseball Weekend...

Nice that Boston was in first place for these shots, too. :-)

It's been a busy spring. Fun, but busy. This past weekend, the boys had soccer and baseball games as usual. After the baseball game, we invited both boys' baseball teams over to our house for a cookout. Our house is a convenient location, since the field is literally right in our back yard! Kevin and I had talked about doing something like that for years, and it was fun to get to the point of being able to do it. There were tons of kids - almost all boys - running through the house and around the yard. Football games and soccer and tag and... I kept the food coming, filling up the grill with burgers and dogs and slicing up watermelon. Once we were down to a handful of families, I got to take a breath and enjoy myself a bit more, relaxing and talking with friends, and watching the next little league game over the wall.  It was a good time, and it helped that it was a perfect June day - warm and sunny.

On Sunday, we headed to Fenway. Kevin bid on a set of Red Sox tickets at a charity auction, and it included a tour of the park and an opportunity to go onto the field before the game. So cool! The game was really fun, too. It was the first time that both boys were totally into the game the entire time, and we stayed until the very last out. It was great!

On our way home, we noted that the entire week was very full of baseball. Since it was a cool and rainy evening, we decided to cap it all off with a viewing of "Field of Dreams".  As I've said many, many times now:  it's a good thing I love baseball.  

Peeking inside the scoreboard. 

The view is nice from left field.

Beach time...

The obligatory boys in the water shot

Man, did I need that long weekend. It managed to be long enough for me to fully disconnect from work and the everyday stresses of life, and it helped that we went away for a night. We went to Connecticut to stay with family and enjoy a Memorial Day barbecue. On Sunday, we drove the hour and a half to the coast, discovering a new beach town that we had never been to before. It is called Watch Hill, in Rhode Island, and it is an adorable little town with a lovely beach, and we very much enjoyed our day there.  The water was sooooo cold, but it didn't prevent the boys from having a blast jumping in the waves. The weather was beautiful, with a hot sun and cool breeze; and it felt great to relax with my feet in the sand. The restorative power of the beach never fails.

Weekend Recap

We finally got a couple great days of skiing in! So far, winter has been pretty mean to the ski resort owners in New England. January was so warm that there hasn't been an opportunity for us to get back out on the slopes. We were invited to spend a weekend with friends who are renting a place in New Hampshire, and we took them up on the offer last weekend. 

There was still very little snow in the forecast, but we decided to take the chance anyway. We were pleasantly surprised at the conditions. Most of the trails were open, and the nice weather made it really fun. As an added bonus, nobody was there! There were no lines for the lifts or for food in the lodges. It was great!

Our friends have two boys, similar ages to ours, and we all skied together. This was our first trip where the adults were having a hard time keeping up with the kids! 

I hope we're able to get some more skiing in this winter - it makes the whole season so much more enjoyable. I also love the fact that my legs feel tight and strong as a result of the shoop-shoop.  Happy February!

Weekend Recap and Goals

It's beautiful Fall in New England. I say it every year, because every year it's true - there's nowhere better. I almost pulled over to the side of the road on my way to work a few days ago, because the color of the trees was so breathtaking. I was driving through a sea of orange, and it was gorgeous. 

On Saturday, we took the opportunity to have a friend take family pictures for us. It was a spectacular day, and we walked around the lake at Wellesley College. It was a good long walk, and the boys mostly cooperated. I haven't seen the results yet, but I'm hopeful that there is a holiday card shot in the bunch. 

On Sunday, we went to watch Kevin finish his half-marathon. His only goal was to beat his time from last year, which he did, so he was happy. I'm happy that my boys got to see their dad achieve his goal. 

The best part about the weekend, though?  On Saturday afternoon, I was busy putting everything back into our pantry (I probably haven't mentioned, since I haven't been here much lately, but we're painting the interior of our house. It's chaos.), and Kevin took the boys outside to play football. All of a sudden, the house was quiet, and I got tired. Like, 'had to sit down and close my eyes immediately' tired. So I got on the couch and closed my eyes. For over an hour.  It was amazing. I haven't taken a true nap in forever and ever, and I absolutely needed it.  

Goals for the week:

I know, I haven't done these in forever, and it's already the middle of the week, but making goals is a good thing anytime, right? 

1. Write another blog post.  I miss this space. Gotta get my groove back.

2. Get at least two more workouts in.

3. No alcohol. I'm taking a booze break. I'm busy and tired, and I need good sleep. Which leads to...

4. Go to bed earlier. Lights out by 10? Is that even possible? Let's see.

5. Start putting the house back together. It's stressing me out.

A New Site Design and a Weekend...

Hi! Well, I finally got around to updating the blog design. Thanks to Danielle for making it ridiculously easy, and of course now I'm wondering why I didn't do it sooner. It's clean and simple, I love it, and it has made this space even more of a happy place for me. What do you think?

We had a nice weekend at home. Soccer, yard work, date night (we went out for tapas and saw Pitch Perfect 2 - not quite as good as the first, but still funny and great), sleeping in (the boys slept until after 9 on Sunday!), cleaning, and a canoe ride. Our neighbors were nice enough to let us borrow their canoe on Sunday. It was the perfect day for a ride on the river, and now I have the satisfaction of having sore biceps. Good stuff all around.

Weekend Recap and Making Plans...

I was recently reminded about Waterlogue.  So fun, and yes my house still looks like this. It's supposed to be relatively warm this week, so I expect the mounds will start to get smaller, gradually. We set our clocks forward over the weekend, and it was light outside as we ate dinner last night. Summer is coming!

I had a pedicure and lunch with a friend of mine over the weekend. We've been friends for over 15 years now - long enough to have "do you remember when?" conversations, which is always fun. She's also one of those friends that can really make me laugh - as in, really belly-laugh. It feels so good to do that. We should all do it more. She has three (!) boys now, and she handles everything with such grace; I will forever and always be in awe of her. I adore having such inspiring and uplifting friends in my life. 

The boys were both invited to a birthday party on Saturday evening. A movie-themed party at their house, which is just genius. Kevin and I enjoyed a free date-night, going out to dinner at a new Spanish restaurant in town. On Sunday, we split up - Kevin and Aaron got one last day of skiing in, and Nathan and I puttered around the house, cleaning and laundry and a trip to the grocery store. As annoying as those tasks are, I must admit I had a really nice time hanging out with my little helper all day. We mixed in some coloring and baking to increase the fun factor. (We used up our overripe bananas the way we always do. These banana bars are soooooo good!)

Kevin's 40th birthday is next month - finally, it's his turn! We booked a long weekend away to celebrate, and although we were originally intending it to be a kid-free vacation, Kevin decided that he wanted the kids to have a break from the cold as well. So we will all be heading to the Dominican Republic for a few days. I can't wait! I even bought a new bathing suit and tried it on and didn't cringe at the mirror. (JCrew bathing suits never fail me.) I can't wait to lounge in the shade while the boys play in the pool or the sea. As I look outside at the melting snow, I will be looking forward to this...

From snow and mud to this.  Can't wait!  Picture via here.

Weekend Recap and Goals

The structure of our weekends is changing along with everything else.  Since I am no longer running errands and cleaning and grocery shopping during the week, some of these jobs must necessarily get done on the weekends.  I will remain focused, however, on making sure we fit in fun and quality family time as well. 

This weekend's highlights included a visit to the farmer's market, along with some free painting in the park. It was a gorgeous weekend, with typical September blue skies.  The weather also called for apple-picking.  We hit an orchard and loaded a couple bags.  And when you have a lot of apples, you must make pie.  So I did.  The mornings are getting chillier, and the dark is closing in earlier; and we all know what that means.  We have to savor every little bit of Fall before the Winter sets in. 

As I get back into the swing of things, I'm also going to go back to setting some goals at the beginning of the week.  I'm still figuring out how best to manage work and home together, and having some overall goals is a good thing. 

Goals for this week:
1.  Hire a new sitter.  (Don't ask - very stressed.) 
2.  Research apps for maintaining grocery lists to determine if it'd be worth getting one.  Maybe I should eliminate some of the paper from my life/kitchen counter?  Do any of you use one you like?
3.  Get up early to exercise two more times this week.  (I did today!  Go me!)
4.  Purchase some more work clothes.  Kevin actually asked me to add this one, after watching me sift through my clothes in the closet and sigh, struggling to find an outfit.  I seem to have clothes, but very few outfits.
5.  Plan a date to get together with friends.  Social planning is one of those things that will fall away easily if I don't make it a priority. 

Newport and the Month of Fun...

Entering July, we realized we had really fun plans for every single weekend, so we entitled it the "Month of Fun".  And it was!  We had a wonderful week at the lake, a visit to the Cape, a fun weekend in Maine with family, and we capped it all off with a weekend in Newport!  Whew - that's a lot of driving! 

Newport was a lot of fun.  I have to remind myself that my boys are 5 and 7 - not quite old enough to want to sit still for long periods of time to listen to music.  I came prepared with lots of diversions, but we also spent a lot of time in the family tent, which is thoughtfully full of crafts and snacks and even included a couple sets of corn hole.  We played games and did crafts while still getting to enjoy fabulous music on the main stage.  I did also make it to one of the smaller stages to see The Oh Hellos, which was my favorite show of the day.  Aaron stayed with me and agreed they were a ton of fun.  All in all, despite a few sprinkles in the middle of the afternoon, it was a beautiful day full of beautiful music.  

If you like that sort of thing, you could listen to a few of the shows we saw.  NPR has several of the main stage concerts online, including Nickel Creek, Aoife O'Donovan, and Shovels & Rope.  They were all really good.

So our month of fun is over, and we haven't even gone on our big trip yet!  Only 12 days until Spain and Amsterdam!  Wow I'm spoiled.  

What's Going On...

I love that we live near the coast.  I really don't think I could ever live too far away from the ocean.  To be honest, we don't go very often, but I like knowing it's there, and we do make it to the beach at least a few times during the summer.  In fact, we've spent the last two weekends on the beach.  The first was a beautiful weekend with friends on Cape Cod, and this past weekend we were in Maine.  

We have visited the same town in Maine every summer for five years now, and I think it is a pretty solid family tradition at this point.  It's a perfect long weekend trip (actually we could easily spend an entire summer here!) - not too far away, great hotel with indoor and outdoor pools, walking distance to everything, lots of good restaurants to choose from, beautiful beaches, harbors, shops, etc.  It's great.  

What else is going on?  Well, my job search continues.  The boys started camp last week, and it was perfect timing, since I had interviews every day!  I have two good possibilities at this point, and I'm encouraged by the fact that I've made progress so quickly.  Both jobs have pros and cons, of course, and although I've been trying to soak in the family vacation moments, I must confess that I find myself thinking about my future employment pretty much all the time.  In addition to thinking about what our new schedule will look like, I've been contemplating after-school care for the boys and managing their activities.  It's intimidating to say the least.  Overall, though, I feel optimistic and positive about the whole venture.  

When I'm not interviewing or job searching or emailing contacts, I'm exercising and tackling house cleaning/organizing tasks.  Today I started cleaning out the fridge.  Ick.  But oh it will feel so good when I'm done.  I want to be as organized as possible when my return to work begins.  I also want to appreciate my last weeks at home.  I'm thinking I need to do something a bit decadent next week...   

As I was taking pictures of the boys running into the (very cold!) ocean in Maine, I realized that I always take the same picture.  Every year, the same beach.  It is already fun to look back and see the boys growing.  My, how the time flies...

To Not Making Plans...

We had a really nice weekend.  The weather has been glorious, and it has allowed us to play outside in the warm sunshine all day long.   The weekend was a mix of planned events - birthday parties, camp orientation, a neighbor's graduation party - and the unplanned.  

After camp orientation, we decided to go out to dinner, but we had some extra time to kill.  So we went to a nearby playground for a bit.  When the boys wanted to leave, we still had some time, so we went into a local bookstore.  I just love bookstores, and I really loved my boys' reactions to the idea of going into one.   "Ooh I LOVE bookstores!  Can we get a book?  Please?!?"  I'm a sucker when it comes to books, and all four of us left with a couple.  We then enjoyed a nice dinner, eating outside, and the boys were entertained by their new books.  Awesome.

Sunday was similar.  The day was relatively wide open, so we spent a lot of time working and playing in the yard.  The boys were getting a little bored, though, so I thought I'd take them someplace nearby to ride bikes.  The place we were going to go had an event going on, so we had to come up with a plan B.  We decided to go to Wellesley College, which is also very close.  My husband goes running there all the time, but I actually hadn't seen a lot of the campus, even though I pass it every day.  It is a beautiful school, and we had a really nice walk while the boys had fun riding through tunnels and down the hills.  

We had fun at a neighbor's cookout, and we finished the day eating ice cream and yelling at the TV during that crazy USA-Portugal World Cup game.  

A beautiful weekend.  The planned and the unplanned.  

Aaron asked me what we have planned to do this week.  He is one who appreciates having plans every day.  I have a few ideas of things we might do, but we're going to play it by ear.  I need to show him that being spontaneous is a beautiful thing too.  

Weekend Accomplishments

I ran a 5K.  Yes, we must start with this one, because who would believe it?  I have long professed my hatred of running, and I'm still not exactly sure how I got talked into doing this.  A friend of mine was running a Mother's Day race with a few other girlfriends and invited me to join them.  What compelled me to say yes, I do not know.  I think I just wanted to see if I could do it.  It was not easy, especially since I did nothing to prepare for it and stayed up too late the night before drinking wine.  But despite this, I jogged the entire time and finished the dang thing.  Slowly, of course, but I did it.  Maybe there's a little runner in me after all.

I planted the garden.  It was a gorgeous weekend, and we spent the entire time outside, loving every second of it.  This year, I planted tomatoes, kale, broccoli, lettuce, green beans, zucchini, butternut squash, and cucumbers.  In addition to our usual herb barrel containing cilantro, rosemary, scallions, and basil.

We worked in the yard.  Besides preparing the garden, I weeded and planted some flowers.  Kevin mowed and seeded and watered and cleaned the shed and edged and did what he does.

We stopped working to play catch and soccer with the boys.  The boys had a great time playing outside together, but sometimes they wanted us to join in.  We played two-on-two soccer and had fun trying to see how long we could keep a catching streak going.

We entertained friends.  Some friends and their two boys came over to hang out in our yard with us.  The boys ran around playing while we got to talk and catch up.  They live about two miles away in the same town, and yet we only see each other every few months.  It was fun to get together.  We let the boys stay up way too late so we could extend our visit, and I hope we get to do it again soon.

I prepared myself a Mother's Day brunch.  Pancakes, fruit, bacon, and mimosas, enjoyed on our patio in the warm sunshine.  Me and my boys.  Does it get any better than that?  No, no it doesn't.

Spring Weekend

Spring is such a tease.  April loves oscillating between warm, sunny days and cold, dreary ones.  This year, we've only had a couple of those warm ones, so I was all the more grateful for a trip south to visit family.  

In my hometown, April is warm and green and full of flowers.  Putting on my sandals and shorts felt amazing.  We spent a day at the beach, watching the kids run and splash and squeal.  They were so happy!  We ate out a lot, we spent time hanging out and talking and laughing.  With little kids, the atmosphere is almost always loud and chaotic, but it is most certainly fun.  My sister and I fit in a yoga class, my husband and brother-in-law fit in a man-date, and we even managed an awesome night out as grown-ups!  (Thank you, Mom!)  

The highlight of the trip for most of us was a Sunday morning kayaking adventure.  We took the kids in tandem kayaks through a waterway over to a little island where they could run and splash and squeal some more, and we then enjoyed a well-earned brunch afterwards.  The sun beat down on my shoulders, and I soaked it in.  I didn't bring my phone, for fear of getting it wet.  With no pictures or instagramming or facebooking...did it really happen?  It felt really good to leave it behind and stay in that moment.  It is etched in my memory.

It was a fabulous weekend, full of laughs and relaxing and good food and fun and, most importantly for me this time of year, warm sunshine.  Hooray for Spring!  Now, of course, we're back home in the cloudy cold.  I'm going to cling to the memories of this past weekend until Spring makes its arrival here. 

Thoughts of Spring...

Finally, finally, the boys are running around outside in shorts.  Their excitement is contagious, and I just adore the sounds of happy squealing coming in the open windows.  It's been a very chilly April, and that makes the warmth all the more satisfying now.  Of course, it's back to chilly tomorrow, but we are leaving on Thursday for sunny and warm North Carolina, so it's all good.

Easter was really nice.  We spent the day with Kevin's family.  His mom hosted, and she cooked lots of family favorites for an Easter brunch.  The boys found eggs in the yard, and they had fun with the books and toys that filled their baskets.  Meanwhile, we all had fun catching up.  Kevin's aunt and uncle bestowed upon us a rather large box full of their old vinyl records.  What fun!  I'm listening to The Beatles' White album right now.  I'm thinking Stevie Wonder or Linda Ronstadt is up next.

Yesterday was Patriot's Day here in Massachusetts.  The boys and I spent the day in our local town center, playing catch, saying hello to friends, and cheering on the runners.  It was a gorgeous sunny day, and it felt just like Marathon Monday always has - a big wonderful block party.  The crowds were huge, and everybody was happy.  If only the Red Sox had won, it would've been perfect.  

I haven't written much here lately, but I've been thinking about what I want to do with this space.  Taking a step back sometimes is a good thing, and I tend to come back even more motivated to create posts.  I want to update the blog, though.  I want a new name and a fresh design.  I have no idea how to do that, so it may not happen any time soon, but I've been thinking about it.  I actually sat at the computer a couple weeks ago, typing in possible names, but of course they were all taken.  (Including maryloves.blogspot.com, unfortunately.)  So we'll see.  In the meantime, I'm thinking May will allow me to get my writing groove back.  

We are off on Thursday for a long weekend in the sun.  I'll be back next week with a tan on my shoulders and a spring in my step! 

Memories, Stress, and other Stuff of Life

I feel like we are finally turning the corner into Spring.  Granted, that means lots of rainy and cool days, but it also means the occasional sunny and warm day, teasing us with a glimpse of what's to come.  Today is one of those rainy days, but we did get some sunshine over the weekend.  We went to our first Red Sox game of the season.   To me, baseball is one of the best signs of Spring.  It was a cool but sunny day, and we had a great time.  After the game, they allowed kids to run the bases on the field.  It was so much fun to watch them run as fast as they could around each base!  I often think, as they get cool opportunities like this....will they remember it when they get older?  As I think back on my earliest memories, it's interesting which moments I've retained.  Some of them are the "bigger" or more unique days, but most of them aren't at all, and I wonder how or why some memories stay with us over others.

I mentioned that I haven't been feeling great in the last couple weeks.  Part of it is physical - not sleeping well, upset stomach - and part of it is stress.  As my sister astutely pointed out, most likely those things are related.  As you know, I'm not currently working, but the plan has always been for me to return to work in the Fall, once Nathan starts school.  We are getting closer to that time, and my job search is slowly kicking into gear.  I'm trying, and apparently failing, not to let it stress me out.  I simply don't want to go back to the way it was before.  The boys are older now, but in many ways the logistics have become harder, with after-school activities and other considerations.  At this point, though, it is mostly a fear of the unknown.  I will try to let that go, and I will deal with issues as they arise.  Easier said than done, of course, but I will try. 

What else is on my mind?  Dinner.  I swear, the energy it takes to figure out what to make every single night is tremendous.  I get lazy at times, especially when Kevin's not home for dinner, but I don't like to do that very often.  I want to make sure my family is eating a variety of healthy meals.  Do you have any family-friendly favorites you'd like to share with me?  I need some inspiration.

Have you heard of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey?  If you haven't, you should.  It's a 13-episode series being shown on Fox and National Geographic.  It's a revival of a show created by Carl Sagan in 1980, and this current version is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, for whom I've professed my admiration before.  It's really well done, and it's fascinating.  We've been watching it with Aaron, and it has prompted some interesting conversations.  It's really, really cool.  

This song, and this song.  Sometimes music appeals to me because of the beat - it gets me dancing.  Sometimes it's because it's fun to sing.  Sometimes it's the lyrics that draw me in.  If you get all of that in one song...well.  The second one is by a band called Brown Bird.  The guy in that band is named Dave Lamb, and he died of leukemia over the weekend.  He was 35.  Newport Folk Festival posted this tribute to him.  

Sigh.  And with that I'll say good-bye for now.  Have a happy week.

New York, New York

New York....it had been way too long.  I promise not to let that much time go by before my next visit.   As we drove into the city and stepped out of the car, feeling excited and happy that our day got off to an excellent start by finding a free parking space, I was instantly transported back to a different time.  Those carefree days before kids.  I love my life, but it's nice to be able to step outside of it every now and then.  It gives us perspective, helps us appreciate all we have.  And it gives us a break!

I spent the day with one of my best friends.  We started the day with massages, which is an excellent way to start any day.  We met two other friends for lunch and had the best time relishing our freedom.    We moved at our own pace, reminding ourselves how different that is from the everyday at home, when we are responsible for moving at the speed of our kids.  We of course talked about our kids and husbands, but we also talked about life, work, movies, home, and how much fun we were having.  An uninterrupted adult conversation is a beautiful thing.  

We saw 'Once' on Broadway, and it was spectacular.  I was moved by the play and awestruck at the amount of talent displayed on the stage.  So amazing.  We ended the night at a karaoke club with another group of friends.  If you've only done karaoke a few times as I have, each outing will prove to be so memorable and hysterical that you will remember every song.  As familiar songs were chosen, I was instantly reminded of other nights.  Alanis Morissette brought me back to college, singing at a house party with my little sister.  Guns 'N Roses brought me back to my older sister's bachelorette party.  

We got a few hours of sleep before getting up, enjoying a New York bagel, and heading back to our families.  My cheeks hurt from smiling, my throat hurt from singing/screaming, and my heart was full from spending time with friends.  It was a beautiful weekend, and the perfect way to begin the 40th celebrations.  

I forgot how bright it is in Times Square.

Getting Off The Couch...

I feel like I didn't leave the couch this weekend, but when I look back, I realize I did.  A pancake breakfast fundraiser at the school, out to see a movie with the kids, some errands, and an afternoon on the sledding hill.  Fill in the gaps with a lot of Olympics and movie-watching at home.  

I think I just wanted to stay on the couch all weekend.  I was fighting a cold and felt like I was walking in a fog.  I slept poorly and was therefore tired and impatient during the day.  A lot of apologies on my part as I sounded like Mommy Dearest at times.  They're boys, they're loud, they're slow when I want them to speed up and crazy when I want them to slow down.  I know this, I accept this, but I do not handle this well when I am not at my best.  

Even though I wasn't feeling well, I'm glad I got off the couch.  The pancakes were good, the movie (The Lego movie) was funny, the errands are now done, and the fresh air felt good as I mostly watched the boys sled.  It enabled them to get some of their energy out, which is an absolute necessity.

Although I stayed up way too late reading, as I always do when Kevin is out of town, I got a good night's sleep, and I woke up feeling whole again.  I had a productive day, and I'm energized to have a good week.  

Hot Stove Cool Music

photo by Kelly Davidson

Overall, the weekend was quiet, a little too quiet at times.  It's tough containing the massive energy of two little boys within the walls of our little house.  With no snow to lure them outside, it's common to see them literally bouncing off the walls.  But we managed.  Lots of games and watching winter sports championships in preparation for the upcoming olympics.

The highlight of the weekend was our outing Saturday night.  Kevin and I attended a benefit concert hosted by Theo Epstein (former GM of the Boston Red Sox), Peter Gammons (baseball commentator), and Mike O'Malley (actor/writer).  They rounded up some of their musician friends for the 14th year in a row to raise money for The Foundation to be Named Later, which benefits many wonderful charities in Boston.  Not only is it for a great cause, but they also just happen to include some of my favorite musicians.

Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo) and Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Belly) are two of my all-time favorites, and they are the main reasons I wanted to attend.  They did not disappoint.  We also got to see Kingsley Flood again, and if you haven't checked them out yet, you should.  Especially if you get a chance to see them live.

Live music is so good for my soul.  It fills me up.  Standing in a crowd, feeling the bass in my chest, singing along (or listening), dancing (or standing still).  One of my absolute favorite things in life.

Kingsley Flood

Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz

Art Party Birthday Weekend Recap

What a nice weekend!  Saturday was a day to celebrate my fabulous seven-year-old!  We spent the morning opening a few family presents and then preparing for the afternoon party.  Aaron again opted for an at-home party with a few friends - three boys and three girls.  I'm so happy that he enjoys hosting these small celebrations at home.  He loves being a part of the planning process and having his friends at his house, and I love keeping the party small and relatively simple.  

This year, he wanted to have an art party.  The main activity was doing canvas paintings.  Happily, all the kids were really into their paintings, and they each got to take home their work of art!  Aaron's Christmas tree, shown above, is destined to become a regular part of our Christmas decorations from now on.  The other activity we did was a "blindfold masterpiece".  In the spirit of a pin-the-tail game, each kid took a turn to draw a part of Aaron on a big piece of paper taped to the wall.  Aaron started by drawing an oval for his head, and then each person added another feature - eyes, ears, nose, neck…  Blindfolded!  It was pretty funny, and the kids thought it was hilarious to see the arms way over to one side of the drawing and his eyes outside of his head!  

Instead of a cake or cupcakes, Aaron and I thought it would be fun to have the kids create their own ice cream sundaes.  We lined up a bunch of toppings, served the ice cream, and let them go nuts!  Aaron blew out his candles in his bowl this year!  It was a ton of fun.  

We wrapped up Saturday with a dinner out, as the heavy snow began to fall.  We got about six inches overnight, so Sunday included some shoveling and tons of sledding for the boys.  Later that afternoon, I popped some popcorn, turned on the fireplace, and put 'Elf' on the TV.  It was a cozy and festive way to end a really fun weekend.