Are the groundhogs out yet?

Okay this is really the first day I need spring. 

I think my cold is making me long for the warm breezes, the poking bulbs and peeking flowers. I dream of mountains covered with the tiniest chartreuse green, like coming out of a dream, saying where did you come from green.

Open windows, children running, playing and quarreling outside as I dig, cook, clean, create.

Spring you mean more this year then any other. I suppose I have Winter to thank for that. Just not today. I will say thank you tomorrow. Sniff, sniff, blow, blow... with a headache to boot.

Rohan and Max having a wonderful weekend at Grandma's and Grandad's

with lots of Aunts and Uncles to make the fun even funner. 

(I know funner is not a word but I love using incorrect grammer)

Fridays can be Thursdays too.

This has nothing to do with today but I sure do love these boys.

The day began, as it usually does, with coffee and lunch making.

 Breakfast and breakfast for others, school transportation, dishes, laundry and motivation to do something physical...

Today I took the dog to his favorite spot in Asheville, one of mine too, Bent Creek. This is one of the last havens for dog owners who love to see their dogs run in nature.. free of those rascally leashes.

Next home to hang with Max, listen to him read Green Eggs and Ham, and help him set up his homemade car map, made by his special Baba, for which he drives all over Black Mountain and Asheville, to his favorite locations.

I decided I was in need, long, long, long, over due need, of some... well, bras.

Off I went to shop (I do not shop for myself unless it is at Goodwill).

By wonderful chance, I met a wonderful friend who inspired me to take this adventure by the straps ;o).

Let's just say that once I had two bras and now I own six brand new bras. I am a woman. Today I actually feel a little more like one. It makes me smile under my clothes.

Now the boys are home, projects being built, games being assembled, cars, dragons and negotiation on going and tomorrow is another school day. A Saturday school day. Fridays can be Thursdays too.

Happy Thursday to you.

Love and Life

making the card

putting the money together

Let me start with the love part:

Max decided, after saving for a long time to give money 

to help sea turtles,

that he wanted to give his money to "people who are homeless".

He made a card, got his money together and Mom

found several local organizations for him to choose from.

He chose Homeward Bound.

We called, got directions and 30 minutes later

Max had completed his wish.

The director said to Max: "You made my day"

(He was very shy but full of love)

He made my day too and helped me

to cherish this ability to be home and

seize the moment.

Beauty.

Now for the life part:

A wonderful birthday present for the curious, adventurous and amazed.

Mad scientist live at our house. Beware.

Wonder as you wander?

Do you ever wonder why it is so hard to seize a moment. To live for now and soak it in to create that forever kind of memory?

I do.

I sit down with my kids to play cars or pretend I am some character and it is virtually impossible for be to be fully in the moment. (at least 92.5% of the time) My heart wants me to be present for them, to be fully engaged in their excitement. I can just think of 103 other things that need to be done or that I would rather be doing.

That is not to say that I can't sit down and snuggle, read, build, play board games or do art projects with them. I just am not good at pretending to be a character of any sort and creating this elaborate scene for them to float in and out of. I struggle.

I grasp for the moment and watch it blow by into the next room. "Come back!", I say to the moment... "I did not seize you!"

I will continue to reach for that moment and sometime, when I least expect it, it will be seized!

Since almost

burning my house down,

I have been thinking about toys

 and what 5 sets of toys we would 

keep if we had to give all the others away.

 (This excludes art supplies, 

board games, books and dress up clothes ;o))

So here they are in no

 particular order to favorites:
~legos

~magna-tiles
http://www.magnatiles.com/
~playmobile anything
http://www.playmobil.com/index.html
~trains and tracks
~wooden blocks

Can't wait to find out what your favorites are....

What makes our days typical? Nothing. Not sure what we do normally, if there is such a thing. Lots of movin' and shakin' and encouragement and often criticism. I guess we try hard to live and take each moment for what it's worth. As a parent, sometimes I am there to yell Whoo Hoo and sometimes I fail with a grimace and a groan. Rohan and Max teach me to be a better parent. Actually they demand I be a better parent. I say sorry a lot. I also sing praises and shout joys to roof top about how amazing I think they are. Science, blocks, and beer caps. That says it all. (really Max wanted to collect beer bottles and I said not until college so he settled for the caps instead, for which we scored all of these at our local Indian restaurant, Chai Pani, yesterday. A good day indeed.)

Sunny Sunday

Let's be honest...

Yesterday there was a small gathering to celebrate two of my favorite people:
Rohan and Jay.
Rohan turned 8 almost a month ago but snow took control and our party days pushed further and further on into February. So as it turns out we had a double party. A spooky, ghoulish party with Cake and Beer! Let's just say that after making witches toe jam (guacamole), sea serpents (focaccia snakes), ogre's bath water (bean dip), ogre poop (peanut butter balls) and so much more....

Sunday is going to be mine.
The coffee was made, the tired big birthday boy was out late and is slumbering, and I, the not-so-good, told the younger boys to go watch t.v (the brain zapper), so their Dad could sleep. (It is Dad's last day of Staycation and he needs a day of pure rest).

So here I am creating this blog, drinking coffee and plotting all the wonderful ways this Sunny Sunday will be mine and theirs and ours.
I am excited about the journey of words, of self discovery, release, and guttural joy spewed from my finger tips. The artist in me, the mom in me, the wife in me and the kid in me is ready.