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

I have been doing a bit (and hearing a bit) of Christmas griping lately.  I will admit that I was annoyed when the Christmas music was playing on the radio and in the stores well before Thanksgiving.  I have bristled at the Christmas-themed commercials on television telling me and my children that we need to go out and buy holiday-scented toilet paper, battery-operated, musical earmuffs, and the like.   I have rebelled against my own Christmas-loving nature since I do not like to have commercialized Christmas jammed down my throat before I've even had time to properly digest the Halloween candy that I stole from my kids' trick-or-treat bags. But today felt different since a somewhat unexpected winter storm converged upon us last night.  When we woke up, it looked like this in my front yard... School was delayed two hours, so there was extra time for morning chit-chat, hot breakfasts and crawling back into bed with our resident-little squirt to watch Blue'...

We've had another beautiful Thanksgiving and hope that you have too.  Lili celebrated the day with a festive neck scarf which she insisted upon wearing at the dinner table.  Friends shared the cooking duties (and feasting joys) with us, and we dined on all of the traditional favorites including a large turkey who previously lived less than a hour away and was gobbling his little heart out a week ago.  He was very fresh indeed, and everyone agreed that he tasted like he had led a very happy life. We are continuing the celebrations all through this weekend with leftovers, board games, special blessings, and public reflections on gratitude.  Emma and Sophie have enjoyed the Thanksgiving Alphabet Game wherein we go through the alphabet naming things for which we are grateful.  Lili contributed that she was thankful for "Elmo's World" even though the rest of us were on letter "P." None of us engage in the frenzy of Black Friday typically.   Today was...

Children are a conundrum.  I said it.  When they are babies, they require every ounce of energy a mother can summon...and then some.  When they are babies, we mothers find ourselves wishing on occasion that we didn't have to do every bloomin' thing in the world for them.  We rejoice when our babies complete tasks independently for the first time.  Recently I have found myself becoming ridiculously impressed with my two-year-old's jumping skills.  One day she just learned to jump with both feet like a professional kangaroo, and I was dazzled. Now my two year old can do all sorts of things independently.  She can feed herself for example.  The little genius peels her own bananas and clementines.  She also pushes a small chair around my house and gains access to "up high" things that used to require mom's help to acquire.  She dresses herself in completely mismatched clothes and cowboy boots.  Most of the time this is all great....

I have been stuggling this week.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I haven't even had enough "R" in me to struggle properly.  Thus, I stuggle.  Every year I stuggle right around this time as the days begin to get shorter.  It would appear that my brain and body truly need sunshine to function properly.  When the daily sunshine levels begin to decline, I feel as though a fog has settled over my brain.  All operations slow dramatically as my energy levels plummet.  I feel sad and overwhelmed.  This happens every year. I've tried slapping myself in the face and shouting, "Snap out of it!" a la Cher in Moonstruck , but that hasn't seemed to do the trick.  In the past spending early morning time in front of my old friend, the light therapy box and upping my intake of Omega 3 fish oils has been helpful in combating my seasonal depression.  Early in the morning I shockingly do not feel like standing in front of a blinding artificial light...

My life has been a bit stressful and serious lately which is why Halloween came at a very convenient time this year.  It is difficult to feel gloomy when introducing a toddler to her very first jack-o-lantern.  Wouldn't you agree? (The eerie shadow on the left was totally intentional.  I am an excellent photographer.) And even though I am a self-proclaimed hater of crafts, and pumpkin carving is clearly crafty, gathering round the table with my family, each of us wielding sharp knives, made me feel very happy and loved.  With my husband's artistic pattern I was even able to carve this top notch Cookie Monster-o-lantern making my excited toddler even more excited... My nine-year-old impressed us all with her super cool dragon-lantern.  She worked tirelessly (and probably a bit too late into the school night) on this fantastic design.  She is a little bit of a rock star fireball, you know. All of this wonderfulness happened the night befor...