March comes in like a lion.....

Last night we had our first real snowstorm of the year. It was so bad that the school district canceled school before I even went to bed! They do this auto-dial thingy where your phone usually rings at 5:50 AM to announce that school is canceled or delayed. I was grateful to get the call at 9:30 PM instead!

Anyway, we woke to a storm in progress and were just now able to go outside to shovel out the sidewalks and driveway. It's really cold, so we didn't stay out long - just enough time to shovel, make some snow angels and eat really clean snow. Then it was inside for freshly baked brownies!

catching snowflakes on her tongue

making snow angels in the driveway

nola liked doing a downward dog to lick the snow

Where did she come from?

OK. So tonight at the dinner table Nola comes out and says "Can I talk to you about some bus problems, Mom?" She proceeds to tell me that the "mean boys" on the bus have once again called her a name. This time it's "potato head".

Now, being the wonderful mom that I am, I talk with her about her feelings, possible solutions, and what actions to take next. When I asked her what she did about the name-calling, she said "I turned to my friend and enjoyed the ride". Seriously. She actually said that.

She seemed to like the extreme idea of not taking the bus home to avoid the "mean boys", but after thinking about this one for a while she came up with the following:

Nola: "Mom, I think that not riding the bus on Mondays would be ok. I think that I can do 4 days on the bus."

Me: "What do you mean 'on Mondays"?"

Nola: "Well, on Tuesdays I usually ride with xxxxx, on Wednesdays I ride with yyyyyyy, on Thursdays I sit next to zzzz and aaaaa, and Fridays is ALWAYS bbbbb and cccc, since they only ride the bus home on Fridays."

Me: "Huh? You mean that you ride with these kids on the same days each week?"

Nola: "Yes."

What's going on here? Doesn't she know that she's FIVE??? And who has a schedule of friends to ride with on the bus anyway? The best part of this whole thing was that NONE of the kids she named in her bus riding schedule are actually kindergartners! I am constantly amazed at this child's ability to make friends and build social networks anywhere she goes.

Later on this evening, she asked "Mom, can I talk to you about some of my other life problems?"
LIFE PROBLEMS? From a five year old?!? Turns out that she had a bit of a scare from some dogs on leashes while she was walking home from the bus stop. Nothing major, since she once again refused my offer to come and pick her up at the bus stop after school. (She prefers to walk home by herself.)

She's an amazing kid, that Nola....

The Month of Love

OK. Here's the reality here in Herding Cats land. My camera is holding all my recent photos hostage. Seriously. Have no idea why I can't get them onto the computer, and neither does Greg. No photos, then.

However, I do need to tell all 3 of you who read this blog that February is officially the Month of Love in the Dowd house (at least in my mind. Greg mocks me.). What does that mean? Well, for Jennie over at the Squeaky Wheel, it means that there's a lot of great cooking and kind words. For me, the month of love means...GET THE CRAP OUT OF THE MASTER BEDROOM!!!!

If I had a photo of my bedroom right now, you would be scared. Truly. No one in his or her right mind would sleep in this room. There are piles of kid clothes waiting to be sorted and donated/sold, piles of almost filed papers, and other piles of who knows what. You see, I made all these piles in JANUARY thinking that I'd blow through the sorting in time for February 1 (the kick-off day of the Month of Love). Apparently I forgot that I had 3 kids under 6.

I am now praying for a miracle. Valentine's Day is Saturday, and I'd like to give Greg the gift of a clean bedroom. Will it happen? I hope so. I just have to take care of the kids, teach an art lesson to the kindergartners, organize the preschool's 100 day celebration, take the kids to their activities and keep the rest of the house in some semblance of order. Cross your fingers for me!

New Year's Past

I was just over at The Squeaky Wheel reading my friend Jennie's post about our visit to Louisville for New Year's Eve a couple of years ago. I can't resist posting some of the photos we took while we were there. All of this will seem pointless unless you go here to read the accompanying text.

How did I get so laid back about Christmas this year?

I must say that this has been the least stressful holiday season I have ever experienced as an adult. Maybe it's because I'm older, maybe because we've decided not to go overboard with the presents, or maybe just because I've chosen to ignore many of the holiday preparations that agitated me in the past. (Like getting your cards out in time to reach you before the holiday - oh well!)

For instance, today I was planning on finishing up my holiday food shopping. I went to Trader Joe's early hoping to avoid the massive crowds that have been swarming the region as Christmas grows nearer. It actually WORKED - I was in and out (with a detailed list) in a half hour. Yippee!

Next, the plan was to hit the Wine & Spirits store for wine and, well, spirits. Not so lucky. It was 11 am and there was nary a parking spot to be had. Instead of getting frustrated, I opted to drive right on by and head to my third spot, The Head Nut. The Head Nut is a fantastic coffee/nut roaster that is packed with all sorts of spices, baking goods, teas, candies, ice cream and a coffee bar. This is one of my favorite places to go around here. Local and YUMMY.

Anyway, seems like many others had the same idea as me. I snagged the last spot in the lot and headed inside. Big mistake. You see, at the Head Nut, you have to choose what you want from the myriad of options, bring it to the front counter and have the 3 clerks measure/weigh it and price it. That is, unless you want coffee as well. In that case, the clerk has to leave the counter, make his/her way back into the depths of the store to measure, weigh, grind and bag your beans before returning to the counter to ring you up. On a regular day, this takes forever. Today the line snaked almost out to the exit. I replaced my tub of holiday sprinkles and beat a hasty retreat.

Why do I mention all this? Because it didn't bother me at all! Have no idea why, but the Christmas Spirit has mellowed me out this year. Hassles and mishaps seem to be rolling off my back like water off a duck. Keep it coming, St. Nick!

Back in the Saddle

getting the christmas tree

santa's little helpers screwing the tree into the base

hanging ornaments

voila! the star is on!

Please Touch (me) Museum

Yippee! I cannot begin to express how incredibly excited I am that the Please Touch Museum has opened its brand spankin' new doors in Philly. I was first introduced to the Please Touch Museum by my dear friend Jennie Burke and her sister in law (who lived in Chadds Ford at the time). I can't get out of the habit of calling it the "Please Touch Me" museum, since that's what I initially thought it was named! (Thanks, Jennie and Heather.....)

Now, the old PTM was cool, but had rough parking, a long drive, and was a bit worn to say the least. Going there was a very special treat saved for the entire family. Now, however, we feel like we're playing in a palace every time we go. Since it's open at 9 am, we can even jet over during a weekday morning before Nola has to go to afternoon kindergarten. If you're ever in the neighborhood, let's go!

the PTM is in the old Memorial Hall. it's very grand looking.

this is the vestibule. huge and grandiose. the statue of liberty arm is made out of recycled materials and kids can run around in the base.

this is a gigantic restored carousel from a park in philly that was relocated INSIDE the museum. it's really, really impressive when you first see it. rides are only $1!!

declan and daddy riding the traditional horse.

aubry insisted on riding the rabbit. she was very happy about it, too.

nola's favorite part of the museum was the aviation room. kids create their own flying things out of foam shapes, winch them up to the incredibly high ceiling, and watch them flutter down. this was a fun place for all of us, even declan!