Coffee, Cobbler, and Cuteness

The view from our front window is the same as it has been for 5 days - white. White and cold. I haven't really been brave enough to get out....my reasons being two fold :
1. I have no winter boots with good traction
2. I fear slipping and busting my "arse" and then going into labor or something dreadful like that.
Really...I think those are good reasons.

Thank goodness,however, for a husband that not only is BRAVE enough to go out in the weather with the kids....he enjoys it. He likes to be chilly....to have snowball fights and to build little snow firefighters in the yard....he likes to snowboard on his own homemade courses. A couple of days ago he and Brady rode over to the fire department because there was supposedly "the perfect hill" for snowboarding. They were out for TWO hours...spending most of their time running up the hill...because really....how long does it take to come down? Brady was so very worn out after that and slept like a baby at bedtime.

Yesterday Zac got a cold - the kind with the chest congestion where he just coughs and moans constantly all day. I will admit I have not been prepared this year for sickness...I've bought several medicinal teas but usually I have some homemade wild cherry bark tincture made up and some type of children's "boost the immunity" tincture brewed. I HAVE been giving everyone extra vitamin C and buying tons of kefir and yogurt to keep stomach illness at bay. At least that has been effective.

Needless to say, it was a rough night with my poor partner coughing constantly...the baby waking up and staying up for a hour...and I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I remember Zac and my conversation going something like this:

him : "Alyssa, I've gotta go to work soon....want to get up and take a shower?"

me : "no" (grumpy voice GREATLY implied.)

him : "would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee?"

me : "no" (even grumpier voice)

him : "are you feeling sick this morning? I could go make you a cup of tea with honey."

me : "no...I don't want tea." (voice went from grumpy to 100% annoyed.)

How very sad to have treated my super sweet, helpful husband that way. I DID get up and take a shower just because I realized that probably what he was trying to say was "Go take a shower and I will bring you a cup of coffee." :) Before he left I told him that I was sorry but that it was just one of those mornings where I didn't want to get up...go about my day...be a good mom - and there was NO choice. I had to be - basically "buck up" and I was "bucking against."

God was so very good because the day was the very opposite of my negative expectations. All my fears about being lonely, getting sick, the kids being horrible, feeling all *closed in* from the weather - actually never even became a reality. I wasn't lonely even a smidgen....I feel MUCH better, the kids were great....and I was able to totally clean their room up and clear clutter - always a good feeling for Alyssa (hence the picture at the top of this rather long segment. Sorry about the rambling.)

Brady and Trinity were reenacting Cinderella and needed to take a tea break (trin had milk.) I pretended to be their servant and addressed them as "your royal Highness" and so forth...this always got a little giggle. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again...I LOVE the fact that my little boys drinks herbal teas.

trinity was very helpful in cleaning her room...it went from being a death trap in there to a nice clean space...free of MANY toys. I love the way her dollhouse fits perfectly in the little nook under her bed. I basically applied my method of 'if you ain't using it, you don't keep it" to her room and it worked splendidly. I categorized all of her dolls and furry friends and would let her pick...say....2 out of 4 dolls to keep out...1 out of 3 monkeys....1 animal out of 5. It worked out very well and she was fine with the arrangement as long as I didn't actually get rid of her little friends (now would I do that?)

during this *prince and princess time* and cleaning of the room....little Tristan was up to being incredibly cute. I captured the moments in pictures....sorry I had to post three but they were just so darn cute.

see what I mean?

This afternoon Brady and I made a blueberry cobbler with all of it's honey whole wheat goodness...with a bit of flax and nutmeg. Yummo. I had just a tad too much...needless to say...it's fruit and yogurt for dinner this evening (for me, not the kids.) I love this recipe because it uses real ingredients and comes out delicately sweet and chock full of fruit.

And to end this somewhat disorganized post....my latest *deal.* Our lamp in the living room died...or at least was one it's way to death I'm sure. It was constantly flickering and sometimes wouldn't turn on...I had horrible visions of being burned to a crisp one night and Zac feeling complete crazed remorse and embarrassment that he lost his wife to a fire (remember folks that he's a fire fighter.) I always am careful not to burn myself just because I feel like it would embarrass him terribly...silly I know.

Anyways, we went to TJ Maxx and all the lamps were over 40 dollars, too much for my budget at the moment. On our way out I noticed a table set up in a corner with this white beauty sitting on top....clearanced down to 15 dollars. Score. I looked at Zac and said "like it?" He looked at the price and said "yep" - because the price was so perfect for our needs... I even got a bag of organic lollipops and some maple syrup. :) As the song goes "what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man." So, lessons learned from today :

- don't ever say "no" when your hubby is offering for you to shower and for him to bring you coffee in the morning - it's just plain stupid folks.

- don't predict the day before it starts - it's just plain stupid folks.

- continue to bake delicious desserts....try not to eat as much.

- de cluttering is definitely a good thing

- take pictures of your baby's cuteness so that when he crys for a hour in the night, you can have the photos flashing across your mind - a sure fire way to love him despite the chaos.

have a lovely evening,

xoxo Alyssa