I woke this morning to snow falling quietly outside my windows.  The children are still sleeping, and with my hot coffee in my hand, it gave me a moment to ponder the peacefulness.  The snow fall has muted the cars that are passing my home on their morning commute, and there is a type of magic in the air.  The magic that comes from nature doing her best to remind us that she's still here.

Yes, I cringe when I see the white stuff falling, knowing that in a very short time, I will be piling on layers of clothing and thick boots, to go out and make a path from the door to the cars.  After that comes the fight to get out of the drive way, the sliding onto the road, and the careful turns and stops to keep from meeting other drivers on the road in an unpleasant manner.  I know that the plows will be by shortly and push all the snow off of the road, and into the little dip at the end of my driveway, effectively creating a dam that my car will need to barrel through.

I know I will be cold and somewhat miserable, and that there is a very good chance that my children will come home from school today damp and carrying a cold.

But, despite all that, right now, in this moment, there is peace.  As each flake falls, effectively covering the world in an icy blanket, there is the promise of beauty.  Beauty that has not been marred by the footprints of men, or yellow snow, or dirty trucks.  Beauty that signals a new start, fresh from all expectations.  Beauty and quiet;  quiet and peace.

So as we go out today, try to capture just a second of the tranquility of that very moment.  It may not be staring out the window at fresh snow with a hot cup of coffee.  You may be looking at the sun peaking over the mountains, the ocean, or even the beauty of the desert.  Just remember to take a moment for you to breath it in before your day begins and feel the magic of the moment.  Enjoy.

I was scrolling through the latest fashion trends for 2012, and have to say that for the most part, I am sadly disappointed. More skin, less function.  What a sad spring.  [Although I will not give specific names of designers, as I expect you will decide for yourself if you like them or not, I think that someone should graduate from Fashion design and go against the grain.]  For photos and specific designers, go to http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/010912_Trend_Report/

 Ladies, if you don't have great abs, skip spring trends all together.  The Crop Top is making a comeback. The idea is to show everything from right below the bra line to just above your belly button.  If you live in cold climates like I do, the designers have come up with some very bizarre over coats to cover your bare stomach.

 Sports gear is now being worn as everyday wear, or at least, that's what I could tell from the items on the runway.  No one would actually be able to workout in the sports wear that the major designers have come up with this season.

And they say that the 20's are coming back, which, in my opinion, was the only line that had the most tasteful clothing.  However, many of these ideas were evening gowns, and truly, how many people go to black tie events?

Colors are turning from the loud and blaring to pastels again. Does anyone actually look good in pastel?  On second thought, some of the pastel designs are quite pretty.  Score 1/2 for the designers.

The last trend for this season is an underwater theme.  Many clothes will have the colors found in the ocean, and the cuts of the clothes will be very flowing.  Again, nothing coming off of the runway seems to be practical in any way.

Why is it that all of the clothes that come off of a runway have to be strange and lacking in coverage?  Who are these people designing for?  Not the general public.  I admit, I am usually the one who lives in blue jeans and a sweat shirt, however, I have a 12 year old daughter, and I truly wish that the designers would think about the people that are going to be affected by these designs.

Not always the most savvy...

Here's just a quick look at what i'm doing this week.  Not the best trip I have, but sometimes it doesn't all work out the way I want it to.  I'm seriously paying way too much for all of this, but I didn't plan ahead enough to do it right.  Unfortunately, the kids really like to eat, so here goes.

Unnamed Table

	Quantity	Item	Price	Total	Coupon	Final Cost
FALSE	4	roundy’s drumsticks	$0.99	$3.96		$4.00
FALSE	6	general mills cereal	$2.50	$15.00	2x 1.00 (2.00)/3	$12.00
FALSE	4	oscar mayer franks	$3.00	$12.00	2x 1.00 (2.00)/2	$8.00
FALSE	2	go-gurt	$2.00	$4.00	1x .75 (1.50)/2	$2.50
FALSE	1	skippy pb	$0.98	$0.98	Pns q	$0.98
FALSE	62	chicken of the sea tuna	$0.48	$29.76	Rain check + pns q	$29.76
FALSE	2	fresh express garden salad	$0.88	$1.76	2 pns q	$1.76
FALSE	4	heluva good dip	$1.00	$4.00	4x .75 (1.50)/1	-$2.00
FALSE	3	pop-tarts	$2.50	$7.50	1x 1.00/3 (2.00), 1pns 1.48	$4.52
FALSE	2	bananas	$0.59	$1.18		$1.18
FALSE	2	mushrooms	$1.00	$2.00		$2.00
FALSE	10	butterball turkey bacon	$1.00	$10.00		$10.00
FALSE	5	old orchard apple, cranberry or pomegranate juice frozen	$1.00	$5.00		$5.00
FALSE				$0.00
FALSE				$0.00
FALSE	10	Bush’s best refried beans	$1.00	$10.00		$10.00
FALSE				$0.00
FALSE				$0.00
FALSE				$0.00
FALSE				$0.00
	14			$107.14		$89.70

Harry Potter's Finale

The end has come for our friends in the Potter series.  July 15th Harry Potter 7 part 2 comes out in 3D, and I plan on being there.  If you are like me, you have followed Harry, Ron and Hermine from their beginining at Hogwarts through the years, watching as each grew up and found their personalities.

We have seen Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) go from a cute little kid to a heartthrob, battling the forces of evil while trying to remain a normal wizard.  But Daniel seems determined not to be locked into the role of Harry Potter for the rest of his career.  He has starred in several other movies, including December Boys (2007), The Woman in Black (due 2012), the TV movie My Boy Jack (2007), appeared in an episode of The Simpsons in 2010, and starred in a very controversial Broadway debut.

Emma Watson (Hermine) and Rupert Grint(Ron) have also branched away from the Potter series, but without quite as much hype.  Besides being the brilliant sidekick to Harry in all the Potter movies, Emma has lent her voice to The Tale of Despereaux as the Princess (2008), played in the TV movie Ballet Shoes (2007), is in post production of My Week With Marylin(due late 2011) and pre- production of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (due 2012).

 Rupert also grew up before our eyes, going from the goofy kid with a black smudge on his nose in the first movie, to the unlikely hero of the last movie.  He has been branching away from the Potter series through his work in movies such as Driving Lessons (2006), Cherry Bomb (2009), Wild Target (2010), Eddie the Eagle (2011), is in the middle of filming Comrade (due 2012) and is rumored to be contemplating the movie Cross Country.

So now we have the last movie in the Potter series, and we must watch as our young hero's walk away from the magical world they have grown up in.  But are we ready to let them go?  Will we be able to watch our young stars as they grow away from Harry, Ron and Hermine?  Or will the wizarding world be forever etched upon these young people as it has been etched into the minds of their adoring public?

Terrible Three's

I never would have believed that going through the terrible 3's would be as bad as they joke about.  My first child was so easy.  Could it really be that bad?

Anastasia has found her voice, and normally it's in the form of the word NO.  NO, I don't want to eat dinner.  NO, I am not getting out of the car.  NO, I will not get off the computer.  NO, NO, NO.

Then, there's this new development we've been subjected to.  The TANTRUM.  It's the moment when she has been asked, very reasonably I believe, to do something...Anything.

  "Ana, lets pick up your toys before we have lunch."

  The shakes start, the stress expands, her little face scrunches up, her arms start spazing, and suddenly, we're experiencing a full blown 3.5 on the Riktor scale tantrum. Tearless crying combined with slumping on the floor, and there I am, watching her, wondering what in the hell has happened to my little girl.  

As many helpless parents have figured out, there really isn't a great way to deal with this.  Do you ignore it?  Stepping over and ignoring the child works, but grates on the parents last nerve.  Should I yank her into my lap and dole out the spanking she's definitely asking for?  Not a good idea in public.  Is there a way to curb this acting out, without loosing your temper, pulling your hair out and looking like the parent you never wanted to be?

So far, the only thing I have come up with is picking her up and putting her in her room until she is finished.  Then when she's quiet, she's allowed to come out, as long as she's going to act like a little girl, and not throw a tantrum.  I don't think that I am rewarding this behavior in doing so.  She still will not be able to get whatever it is she was wanting, and if she throws a tantrum again, she can do so in her room.

It's really weird, because Alexandra was not like this in the slightest.  I remember the separation anxiety, but never the tantrums.  They really weren't kidding when they said that no two children will ever be alike.

Anyone else have good ideas?  Feel free to post them back to me.  I do like my hair.  :)

Learning a new language...kinda

So, here I am two years almost since I started dating a Mexican.  This love of my life is so wonderful, and now I have the oppertunity to get to know his parents as well, and wouldn't you know it....I can't speak a damn little bit of Spanish.  What's wrong with this particular situation? 

1.  Even though I took two years of Spanish in college, I can't speak more than the really good four letter words.  Most that I wouldn't say in english, due that the fact that it would probably make me blush.

2.  Those are not the types of words you want to say to your future in-laws.  It is guarenteed not to impress them.


3.  I have bought all kinds of books.  Spanish for Dummies 1-4, Mexican Spanish Phrasebooks by Lonley planet, and signed up with an online school called Livemocha.com.  They are pretty cool, except, I seem to be having problems staying awake while I am reading them.  The online thing is great, but....

4.  I FEEL LIKE A HUGE IDIOT. 

I think this is what has kept me captive to the English language, not allowing me to venture forth into the language that will open up a good portion of the world to me.  Have I gotten too old to learn a new language? 

So, this is me, one week before my in-laws arrive, trying to learn more than cuss words so I can speak to his parents while they stay with us for the next month.  If anyone has any good ideas, let me know.

Change?

Addendum:  This is a paper I wrote for my Creative Non-Fiction Class this week.  I thought it was kind of fun and some what snarky.  Hope you enjoy it.

 

When I was four, I dreamed about the day when I would walk down the aisle, staring into the blue eyes of my intended. His name was Charles, and I was supposed to be his wife, to grow up to add to the population of pastor’s babies.  Never dreamed that change would come. 

            When I turned ten, the innocent fun was over.  I begged him to stay, but with a slam of the proverbial door, and a very steep hill in the setting desert sand, Charles followed my father’s departure into the horizon.  Change had arrived.  I also started my period that summer, making the changes in my bra area that much more prevalent.  Gee wiz…talk about luck. 

            I met a boy, again. A blue eyed god this one, with the voice of an angel and the exotic skin of the Mediterranean.  The other girls thought so too.  I caught his eyes with my own dark looks, but couldn’t manage to keep them.  Not long before he changed his mind too. 

            Love ‘em and leave ‘em became my personal motto.  Love them in a way they’d never forget.  Leave ‘em first.  Most still remember me. At least that’s what Facebook displays every time a new lost memory surfaces to request my friendship.  Did I ever really talk to you people?  I don’t remember if I did.  Hope it was good, although I have doubts on the stimulation of the brain cells with the passage of time.

 I left all my great loves before I was twenty.  Left the blue-eyed best friend I believed to be my soul mate for a cold and indifferent lover.  Stationed in Ft. Jackson, SC.  The arms of the ARMY beckoned me with promises of adventure and change.  Change from the little dust bowl I called home.  Off came the long tresses that branded me woman.  Donned were those beautifully proud greens, backed by the red, white and blue.  Change arrived again as swiftly as the day I signed the papers handing my life to that so-called lover, instead of attending a rather famous, (and very naked) bunny photo shoot in California.  My love for things green dwindled as freedom beckoned me with a tantalizing finger. 

            So I married a stripper in a gay bar after obtaining my release papers.  How’s that for a loop?  On top of the world, living in someone’s kitchen and sleeping on an air mattress.

 On top is how I found him over my best friend, and roommate when I was seven months pregnant with our baby girl.  Baby had no daddy after my night in a cold jail cell.  None of the officers blamed me of course, but they just couldn’t let me smack a guy in such a defenseless position.  Changed my mind about jail.  Sucked much worse than I first believed. 

Back home, hate Ohio, hate him.  Loved him, or the idea of him, ideal perhaps?  Safe in the desert sands again.  Safe and unchanging… except for the life that grew.  One sunny October morning, the biggest change of my nineteen years occurred.  I became Mommy.  Not only did my center of gravity shift, but my name changed in that second.  Regret?   Never.  It’s been ten years since that day, and I have continued the changing process.  Graduated from college, late, but done none-the-less.  Working on another degree.  Amazing for one who flunked out of Honors English in high school. 

Now, Baby two is almost three, and again, I dream of walking down the isle with my blue eyed fiance.  Only this time, he’s got a Spanish accent (although still named Charles), and a promise in his eyes.  The promise of changes to come.  The promise of no regrets, and of a future that only requires me to love.