The Snowfall of 2008

My Life as a Pot

Youngest son #4 had just finished a lollipop and was sticky with blue goo. Oldest son #1 walked by and said "Eeeech! He's a mess!" and proceeded to grab the sponge from the sink to wipe him off. I thought this was a little gross, but considering I just finished dishes and the sponge was probably clean from dish soap...well, it would be ok. Plus, how nice for Oldest Son to take initiative.
I watched him bent over the wee one swiping his face, when he said "Hey Mom this blue stuff isn't coming off." That's when he flipped the sponge over to the green, scouring side and starting scrubbing!

Audrey's First Trip to the Dentist

She was extremely brave and we were so proud of her. There's not much else to report, but it's a milestone worthy of blogging.

Tips for the Holidays

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free.
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

A metaphor for motherhood:

How is this like motherhood? Well if you are asking, you probably haven't birthed any offspring.

As I watched this thin man stack these bricks on his head, I thought how every single muscle in his body must have to work to support this load. As mothers, I would say we use all of our muscles every day bending to tie shoes, lifting a wee one who's scraped her knee, stretching to reach that sippy cup lid that blew beneath the dishwasher rack, and twisting around to see if our rear ends look ok in those sweatpants. Could it be that we use our smiling muscles the very least?

There is the man, first stacking the bricks one by one. Yet when the load grows taller than his hands can reach he begins to TOSS THEM onto the top with great skill. I think of how many "bricks" mother carry every day, stacking them on top of ourselves every morning. How willing we are to take on the load. Could Jesus take these burdens and lighten our loads? How unwilling we are to give them to Him.

The man's friend keeps handing him the bricks...and probably would keep doing so until the load toppled over. Isn't that like the world? It will push us to the very limit if we let it. We can make the choice to stop...stop our bad habits, stop our overcomitting, stop our selfishness, etc. God is the One who makes it possible to say NO.

Once the man decides he's at his limit and can take no more, he turns and walks across a plank. As if the mere act of stacking the bricks wasn't incredible enough, he now carries them over the flimsiest of boards!! Ah, just like a mother. We take all that we can in a day, but still have just a little more energy to soothe the child who's had a bad dream at night, or woken up with a sore throat at 3am. I know that only Jesus could possibly give us the strength to always give a little bit more than we thought we had in us...to finish the race we've begun.

"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:30