Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

Today was Day Two of our Spring Snow Spectacle.  School was canceled again.  My choir's Lenten concert at church was also canceled.  I could have been annoyed or depressed, but instead I chose to take the "Whee-Monster" out on the sled and pull her around the neighborhood.  She did not disappoint and cried out "Whee!  Whee!  Whee!!" all the way home. Her glee was so contagious that we all had to take turns running with her en tow. That was the only sane thing I did today since shortly after our jog through the snow, I thought I should take all three girls bathing suit and shoe shopping.  Lord help me!  Bathing suit shopping after you've had three children is depressing enough WITHOUT having those three children in the dressing room with you as you attempt to squeeze your stretch marks into some horrible piece of floral lycra.  Lili dumped goldfish crackers all over the floor, pulled everything out of my wallet and made several great esca...

What can I say?  Today is the third day of spring and we have about six inches of snow on the ground.  The children in this family are also getting over Strep throat, a wicked ear infection and some sort of virus that requires the afflicted to sleep on her mother's face and cough all night long.  I would seriously be losing my stuff if we didn't have a sunny holiday planned for the near future.  All of that being said, a snow day is still fun and a little bit magical, and I am almost annoyed to admit that it really is beautiful out there.  As Sophia said this morning, "Mom!  You have to come out and see this!  It's so crystal white!" A snow day also means that you must have something nice for breakfast.  On school mornings there typically isn't time for bacon and eggs or Granny's famous homemade coffee cake, but on a snow day, there is nothing but time.  Today this mama made waffles with a healthy twist. Choose a whole grain pancake mix ...

Since we all were at church on Thursday evening, we were a little late in celebrating St. Pat's Day at home, and we just HAD to celebrate at home since, for some reason, the United Methodists don't serve Guinness at  youth group gatherings in the fellowship hall.  Our little celebration tonight also gave Lili a chance to dress up in her fab new green t-shirt again and gave the rest of us a chance to eat lots of good food. First a little leprechaun visited our kitchen table and delivered a rainbow fruit salad and dropped a few of his gold pieces.  That cheeky little blighter also poured a whole pint of lager into my Irish stew as it simmered on the stove, but none of us minded that a bit. Cheers! Bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part. Of course Lili remembered last year's first and only taste of Guinness, and she decided to have another go.  Her brilliant mum did not discourage her. Don't the old hatch, Babe.* And finally, Sophie and Emma were ...

Here is a photo of the number one reason that I do not write as much as I would like.  I  have this precocious little helper.  She is ready to start her own blog since she is familiar with the workings of a PC and she is all full of self-awareness.  Allow me to 'splain and digress...  Earlier this week, Sophia and I almost lost our minds with excitement since, while reading a story called Peekaboo Park , our Lili identified herself by name for the first time.  Allow me to digress again.  Peekaboo Park is one of our favorite stories for several reasons: It is a very short story, and therefore, perfect for someone with the attention span of a gnat or a toddler.  Page two's lift-the-flap reveals "A Buzzing Bee," and gives Lili a chance to perform her first-class impression of a bee who zooms around buzzing, "Wee wee wee wee wee..."  The other flaps offer pleasant opportunities for quacking and ribbiting when lifted; always a good thing....

I have this daughter who challenges me on a daily basis.  She sometimes shows me things about myself that I do not like.  She stretches me and makes me grow as a person.  She also makes me mad, makes me laugh, and makes me think.  Wasn't life easier when she just needed some milk and a nap?  I do love that girl, but we have our struggles.  Sometimes I am not perfect.  Sometimes I do not say the right words.  Should I simply overlook it when she wants to leave my house for school with a ponytail sprouting from her forehead like a unicorn horn while wearing her Dad's Panama Jack tank top from 1989 over a pair of tight sweatpants and snowboots?  Often I long for a rewind button; I know that some of our exchanges could  be infused with a little more motherly love and understanding, but truly she can not leave the house like that, right?  Enter the journal... The journal was Miss Smarty-Face's idea, and when she suggested it, I was im...

We have been a house full of sickies all week, and I decided to take a few days off from the blog and not write about the joys of mopping up bodily eruptions at all hours of the day and night.  You are welcome. Still all of this mothering has made me feel tired and introspective... not that much introspection is very possible with three children, mind you.  I know that there is a season for all things.  Right now I am in the midst of the serving, mothering, laundering, sleepless season, and I find myself craving silence.  There will also be a season for silence, but then I will, of course, crave the noisy chaos that a house full of children brings. Over the weekend I was attempting to catch forty winks before an evening out with my husband.  I had just started to drift into that drowsy, dreamy wonderland where frogs wear tutus and angels whisper all of the secrets of the hereafter when dear, sweet Sophia stomped into my bedroom and announced (loudly), "Mom!...

It's St. David's Day again, and we have done just a little bit over here to celebrate the day.  First I did what every self-respecting Welsh granny does today.  I made my own Welsh cakes from scratch.  Thank you, Delia Smith.  I would have made you proud.  I have to admit that I am just a little bit proud of myself. Next I sauteed up some chopped bacon and leeks in a pan with some butter.  That's right.  I said bacon and leeks. Then I added some white wine, cream and Parmesan cheese and tossed it all with some pasta.  Trust me.  The leeks make it Welsh, and it had me singing that favorite rousing hymn of Welshmen from the Valleys to the Brecon Beacons: "Feed Me Till I Want No More." Emma and Sophie helped make a Welsh dragon out of Lili's hand prints. Mostly we just enjoyed having a meal with our favorite Welsh  lass, Lilianna Gwyneth.  Those Welsh kids are fabulous dinner companions... "Yes, those are leeks stuck to my eyebrow....