Unexpected Snow Day

Or ice day. Potential sleet day. Extra cold day. Call it what you will, schools are closed today. The roads are actually fine where we are, which is a good thing, because it means that I could drop Violet off at daycare this morning. And that has resulted in me, in my pajamas, sitting here cozy on the couch. Ah yes. I am that mother who takes her child to school so she can enjoy some me time. Because as much as I crave time with Violet, right now it is more important to have some time for myself.

I may grade some papers. I may not. I'll hopefully take a nap and continue to knock out what remains of Super Cold 2013. I'll have some soup. Maybe some hot tea. I'll watch some crap television. I might even summon enough energy to whip up a batch of these cookies. It's so delicious and unexpected to have a whole unplanned day ahead of me!

In other news, this creepy guy showed up at the house. The 'stach only lasted 24 hours. Thankfully.

Violet tried her hand at karaoke.

Going Back to Bed

Ugh, I am so sick right now. I have this awful stuffy nose hacking cough crud that I just can't kick. I'm going to blame my first graders for sharing their germs with me. We're single-handedly keeping the Kleenex company in business in my classroom. It didn't help that we were stuck inside all week this week due to the rain. The kids were awful, I lost my voice Monday afternoon and it's still cowering under a rock somewhere, I spent two hours in the urgent care clinic on Wednesday while the students terrorized my substitute. It's just been that kind of week. I'm really hoping having Monday off will help me recover. And I'm really hoping no one else in this house catches anything!

Poor Matt has been bearing the brunt of parenting duties this week. Someone get that guy a medal. He's dealt not only with Violet having a nighttime accident, but our cat also deciding to treat our bed (with it's brand-new bedding set) as a litter box. Grr. Fortunately my lovely new washing machine managed to erase any trace of either misdeed.

When you're stuck in bed all day suffering from whatever this illness is, you need some entertainment. Do any of you remember that show Felicity? Oh my gosh, I loved that show. It came out right before I started college, and I remember my friends and I watched mouth-agape at the freshman college antics the characters got into. We wondered, is that what college will really be like? I remember one episode in particular, when Felicity and friends are studying for exams. There was a countdown clock on the screen, detailing how many hours were left to study, libraries were packed with grumpy, stressed students "SHHH-ing!" everyone who dared breath too loudly, Noel took some crazy "smart powder" and had an allergic reaction causing him to sweat and yell at people. I guess it's a good thing that my own freshman experience turned out to be much tamer.

Well folks, that's it. My wonder-hubby is making me a cup of hot tea with lemon and honey, and I'm taking my pathetic self back to bed.

Guster, Day 2

Violet decided that Guster wanted to watch Lion King.

So, life with a kitten. I forgot. I've had kittens before, but it has been years. I've forgotten what they're like. Kind of the way you forget what infants are like. And then you're around one again and remember, oh yeah, they're a lot of work.

Much like an infant, Guster seems to have his days and nights mixed up. He was prowling around all night last night, much to my dismay. When he did decide to settle down, he showed a preference for sleeping on my head, my pillow, my neck, my face. Finally we kicked him out of the room, just in time for our other child to wake up at 6:30 a.m. Both of them were rearing to play. Oh well, I'll be going back to a school schedule in just two days, so I might as well get used the early wake-up call!

Guster has continued to show off his kitty climbing skills by jumping on everything in sight - the kitchen counter, the ironing board, Violet's table (while she's eating lunch). Perhaps he'll have learned his lesson after today, when he took a running leap at our kitchen island, skidded across the granite and straight over the side, taking a loaf of bread to the floor with him. We shall see.

Also, I might be allergic to our new friend. Although I suppose anyone could have a case of the sneezes after inhaling cat fur all night. Again, time will tell.

Making the most of this last weekend by stocking up on some groceries.

Finally, a sunny day to play outside.

Blue skies for everyone!

Meet Gus!

We are wrapping up this holiday by getting one last present...

Yesterday Matt told Violet that she would be getting a surprise. Her first guess was scissors. Her next guess was a bumble bee. She obviously has the bar set pretty low when it comes to surprises. Must remember this for her upcoming birthday.

The surprise turned out to be neither scissors or a bee. Hopefully she's not disappointed. But it did turn out to be this little fellow!

Guster!

One of Matt's coworkers was telling him about this sweet homeless kitten, who wandered into a neighbor's house one cold December day. He needed a home (said neighbor already had two cats) and I gave an enthusiastic yes to my hubby's casual "Do you want a cat?" query. And here he is!

Finally! Another man in the house!

Guster is already proving quite at home in the Loughman household. He has put up with Violet's curious pokes and chasing, he seems quite content to snuggle up on available laps, and his only downside so far is a desire to perch on the dining room table.

I'm going to make a real effort to call him by his chosen name, not Kitty.

What I'm Reading

I just finished reading this remarkable book. It's told from the perspective of an 11-year-old girl set during a time of change. Not just her own coming-of-age, but for the earth as well.

The earth's rotation, for reasons scientists cannot explain, has started to slow. Minutes are being added to each day. Soon a day stretches to 30 hours, more. The consequences of this make for a fascinating read. The world's food supply begins to fail. Gravity changes and the magnetic field decays.

And through it all, the freezing stretches of darkness, the blazing, endless days, the main character experiences the familiar pangs of adolescence, even as everything around her becomes alien. First love, first betrayal, some things remain constant and recognizable to us as readers, even as the world become an unrecognizable place. Fascinating.

Resolution 2013

Ah, another year. Another clean slate. Another empty calendar, waiting to be filled, full of possibility, hope, dreams.

I love a good to-do list, and New Year's resolutions are the ultimate to-do list.

Last year my resolution was to read and consecutively watch the entire Harry Potter series. Not a lofty goal, but an interesting (to me, at least) one, and I had it in the bag well before the deadline. So, yay to me!

The year before that, my resolution was to start going to church regularly. It failed spectacularly, then we joined a small group next door, then we finally started attending the church it belonged to (despite the 45 minute trek each Sunday). That was back in September, and we've been going ever since. So I guess I can finally cross this resolution off the list, just a couple years behind schedule.

This year I have two resolutions. One is similar to last year's, an easy-to-quantify goal that I shouldn't have too much problem meeting. Setting myself up for success here. And it is: to read through the Chronicles of Narnia. I read them all before, and listened to them all being read to me even before that. But it's been years. And I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot more out of the stories this time around.

The second goal is (don't laugh).... to become "more financially aware". The thing is (and it's such a stereotypical thing I'm embarrassed to say I even fall into this category) I have no clue about our household finances. And it's not because Matt doesn't try to involve me. It's because I just don't care. I don't pay the bills. I don't even know what bills we pay, nor how much they should be. I have no idea how much my paycheck is (it's automatically deposited). I don't even know the password to our online banking. Even as I type this confession, I'm mortified. I feel like a 1940's housewife or something, totally clueless, blithely living my life, trotting to the grocery store, swiping my debit card with no real clue what the state of the household is.

Now, the good news, and the only reason I've been able to hold this blissful state of unawareness, is because my husband is a good man and extremely good with our finances. I don't have to worry about swiping my debit card at the grocery store because I know all our pennies are in a row. We make it a point to live well within our means. And I'm by nature a saver, so I'm not likely to go out and make a crazy purchase, certainly never without first debating the merits with Matt. So I know it could be worse, much worse, that I don't pay attention to money matters.

But still, it's so irresponsible of me! Like I said, I'm embarrassed and this is the year to change that! I mean, if something ever happened to Matt and I had to suddenly take on the financial responsibilities of the family, we'd be in trouble. I'd probably have to throw myself on the mercy of my bank and have someone help me sort through everything. Or at least tell me my own password.

So there you go. I'll learn my password. I'll check the online account. (Okay, probably not, but at least I'll know how, for God's sake!) I'll take a look at every bill that comes through the door. I'll become more financially aware. And biggest of all, perhaps (and I really, really want to make this happen in 2013) Matt and I will find ourselves A Guy, a financial planner who can help us start getting things laid down for the future (a college fund, refinancing, retirement, investments, all those fancy grown-up things). How grown-up would that be?

Now let's see how this whole 2013 thing shakes out!

Happy New Year!

Many blessings to you in this new year! Let's make it a good one!