ahhhh vacation ...

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that my dream is to be a stay-at-home mom.  I always wanted it.  Of course, slightly impossible dream as a single mom with no lottery wins.  Oh well.  When I get vacation time, even if (actually especially if) it's just staying home I really realllly reallllly appreciate it.

Sure it's frustrating at times, Lucy can be really trying and it's hard to come up with a balance of activities for her and down time.  I am not a toy, and can't alway be at her beck and call.  We don't have the money to always be off doing fun adventures.  Still I am so much happier not having my energy/emotions drained one million different ways between Lucy and work. 

This is the second of two weeks of vacation.  Lucy is also on preschool vacation so we have loads of time together. 

Here is some of what we've done:

did some easy baking

some upper body workout

utilized our last few days of zoo membership

did some ballet moves for the dolphins

some bamboo peekaboo

snuggled with Zep

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Lucy was sort of sick for both of these family laden events.  She has a bad cough and has been on nebs now every four hours including over night.  I was really proud of her behavior both Christmas Eve and Christmas day given that she had a very disrupted sleep AND was on the albuterol ... which has historically turned her into a hyper - emotionally charged - challenging super-stinker.   She did really really well.

Lucy LOVES her cousin Tyler

getting weary of the coughing - mama forgot her nebulizar at home so she was over due

but cousin Tyler helps her ease her woes

a quick change into some fairy dress-up clothes

the GLOVES are back

Tyler loves Lucy too

a post-present cookie break

reading the Night Before Christmas with Grandpa before heading home.  Lucy got this book from a friend of mine before she came home.  I ask my dad to read it to her every Christmas Eve and then write a message inside the book.  It's a sweet tradition and Lucy will be able to read love notes from Grandpa forever.

after a night of coughing.  lucy gets bundled up for the snowy/icy drive to cousin Scotts.

she's quite the sight in the morning snow

as the abuterol kicks in so does the silly antics

a snuggle with cousin Scott

a scene I came across this morning

Christmas with Mel and Mo

Stole these photos from Mel.  My camera was MIA at the time.  Our Christmas celebration lasted half the day.  We had some lunch together, played, went for a nap drive, played more, opened gifts, had dinner, kids had a bath, had some hot cocoa and watched a Christmas movie. 

a little dress up

bubbly bubbles

new Christmas jammies

Cocoa and Christmas movie

Saturday - Day One Vacation!

Well vacation is pretty much living up to the norm here.  Someone has to be sick or it's not really a relaxing holiday.  This year it's me.  Hopefully I hit the low part last night and will be feeling better as time goes on.  Meanwhile the show must go on.  My child can only tolerate so much laying low. Friday night we celebrated Christmas with the boys.  We deviated a little from our tradition of appetizers for dinner, gifts and a holiday light-coffee-hot chocolate drive.  Instead we had dinner at a Vietnamese restauraurant and went directly to the hot chocolate-coffee drive.   I don't think the kids really got that we were celebrating Christmas.  We'll do better next year! Oh well.  Today I let Morgan and Lucy decorate our paper bag table cloth, and we hit an indoor park to let the kids blow off some steam while I blew my nose.  It was a good move, steam needed off blowing ... and I think we got some energy out!

waiting for the hot chocolate

decorating

the blue side of the table

admiring the decorations

jumping

preparing to take a spin

ready set go

best friends

sweet

All We* Want for Christmas is an Autoclave

Through the power of the internet let us see if we can fulfill this holiday dream.   *My friend Meghan who, since the camping trip last summer has awed me with her brilliance, her dedication, her self stretching for justice, for understanding for all that is awesome and right is in search of an autoclave.

The autoclave would sterilize reusable needles and guaze for a clinic in Gojjam Province in Ethiopia.  The clinic is run by a friend of Meghans.

If you know of someone who might have access to a used autoclave for donation, or you know a "rich aunt" please let us know. 

Christmas for my girl

I decided to go cheap this Christmas season.  Mostly because all my monies right now need to be sent to non gifting places (well unless you call my home a gift, or heat, health care, water ... WAIT, those ARE gifts and I am thankful for all of them).   Most of my favorite people in the world will get nothing from us this year.  A few of them will get gifts.  Thankfully I have a daughter who really covets nothing other then my time and energy.  A daughter who loves dancing.  A daughter who loves twirly skirts, and wants LONG skirts.  A sewing machine.  Leftover fabric from past quilting projects.  The internet.  A fairly easy "pattern" free from the internet.  A seam ripper.  A "we're not building a piano here" attitude.  Patience for a sewing maching that only works on one stitch length, doesn't have a functional bobbin winder function and randomly stops working.   In the end I have created clothing!!!! 

wanna make your own twirly skirt????   Click on TWIRLY SKIRT!

Tis the Season

to get dressed up

and head out in the frigid, dressed for fashion not the weather

To go to Daytons Marshall Fields Macys 8th Floor exhibit

and soak in the wonder of the Christmas Elves

and listen to singing trees

watch the animated elves make toys for good girls and boys

chat it up with the Mrs

Meet the big guy, who confirmed that he did INDEED have a list and check it twice

and go home to decorate our tree

The Babysitter

Tonight Lucy got to baby sit Ivy.  Her first job was to locate our lost marbles.  We lost our marbles some time ago.  She didn't locate them,  she did find a penny, a wheel to a toy car, random pieces of chewed up plastic (zeppelin!) and a hershey's kiss wrapper.   More importantly Ivy did not locate our marbles during her time here.  Whew! Her second job was to get find some baby toys.  Her third job was to ensure that Ivy had a good and safe meal.  She did good work. 

 The Ethiopian gursha in action!

Bedtime Conversation ...

Mama:  ok I love you, make sure you sleep until the clock is yellow.
Lucy:  ok mama because santa clause knows if you're sleeping right?
Mama: yes and he knows when you're awake
Lucy: yup and he's making a list
Mama: and checking it twice
Lucy:  why does he check it twice?
Mama: to make sure for sure that the kids are sleeping until their clocks are yellow.
Lucy:  looks around, wide eyes ...  Is he watching me now?????  Is he watching me sleep????
Mama:  um, I think he checks on kids.  He's a real nice guy. 
Lucy: oh ok.

so yeah, the thought of the big guy watching me sleep would freak me out too. 

Monkey Bar

totally worth the holes in the woodwork ...