Snow Related Anecdotes

Lotta's teacher was chatting up the class before their zoom officially began this morning.  She asked who had played in the snow (it snowed yesterday).  Lotta said she had.  Her teacher inquired if the snow as pack-able, if she'd been able to make snowballs.  Lotta said that wasn't what they had been playing outside.  Her teacher, confused, then asked what they had been playing.  Lotta paused for awhile, and I chimed in, "It's COMPLICATED."  Ms. Cratic laughed and responded, "Oh there was a narrative involved."  

Then as Zibbi and Lotta were preparing to go out today.  Zibbi started to slip her gloves on and noted that the insides were still damp.  I explained how I had washed all the snow clothing from yesterday and the dryer had only dried the outside of the gloves, unfortunately, NOT the inside.  As I helped her adjust them, I almost said, "At least your hands will stay dry."  Luckily, I caught myself before I made that gaff.  Of course, I then had to share that was what I'd almost said.  So.  Yeah.  Was it last week that I wrote

about going to the park for the first time??  

Ambivalent Birthdays

Most years I am ALL about a big bold birthday celebration.  Including getting all the free birthday items I can get my hands on. (The willingness to advertise pays off in these scenarios.) Some years, however, it just doesn't feel right to celebrate a birthday.  It's not the temperature of the room.   I felt this way the year Ellie died.  It felt ludicrous to celebrate another year when she wouldn't.  {Because my siblings are so incredible, a weekend trip was planned to NYC that year where we could do a joint birthday celebration (because our birthdays are on March 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 14th).}  

This year I had that same heavy feeling.  How could I actually celebrate another year, when so many will not get to?  Over 500,000 in the US alone.   I knew however, for the sake of my family, I needed to rally myself.  

So my birthday morning rolled around and I was doing my morning workout.  When suddenly, screaming erupted from upstairs.  Morning kerfuffles have really been THE thing lately.  I crossed my fingers as the screaming increased in frequency as well as pitch.  (Thom was submerged in the sound proofed basement, so he had no idea what was occurring above ground.)  Now, I have been a parent long enough to know that just because it is my birthday does not mean that there won't be high emotions.  There may even be higher emotions due to the expectations of the day.  Still, I was hopeful that perhaps the girls could work it out themselves.  They emerged downstairs still in the midst of the unrest.  Zibbi said something snide and Lotta began to sob.  I gave Lotta a hug.  A few minutes passed, Zibbi requested Lotta follow her to the back bathroom.  They emerged a few minutes later, tightly squeezing each other's shoulders.  

It was a gift to have a break from meditation.  Although, I know the true gift of another birthday is having the opportunity to live another year.  I know this.  Sometimes, the weight of all the loss makes even that prospect seem overwhelming.  

Dinner Stories

 

We have been having many family dinners filled with stories as of late (my favorite!).  One that came up recently was when Zibbi was in kindergarten, she came home one day, crestfallen.  She had had to go to the bathroom.  Her teacher was in the bathroom while Zibbi was in the actual stall.  So, being in love with her teacher (she was everything you'd want in a kindergarten teacher) she began to chat her teacher up.  Instead of chatting, her teacher very sternly told Zibbi that she should focus and NOT talk.  Zibbi tries very hard at school to follow all the rules, so she just could not believe she'd made such a grievous error in judgement.  Zibbi was so uncomfortable about the whole thing, she couldn't really talk about it for very long.  (At the end of the year, her teacher told me she had been labeled "excess" staff by the school district and asked to step down.  We were all heartbroken, as she was a tremendous teacher, kind, patient, loving.) 

Then Lotta shared a time at Lapham (the 4K-2nd Grade elementary school my children attend).  She said one day after recess there was a pile up outside the door back inside.  She had begun to cry because she was in the middle of the pile.  My brain immediately began to create a story about how perhaps the children had been distracted by something on the playground, and so were not facing forward.  Perhaps one child had tripped over another child, and the whole sequence was repeated.  Lotta had assured me that in fact, this is NOT what happened.  I guess that one, will remain a mystery.  

Finding the Fun

A few years ago, my brother Kip, came to visit during a big winter storm.  When we walked outstide, we were surrounded by that lovely muffled snowy quiet that occurs only after or during a big snow.  We looked up and there was a couple cross country skiing down the street.  Kip was amazed at the resiliency of Madisonians, finding a way to ski even when the roads were becoming too slippery to drive upon.  Our street used to flood regularly before the weather drains were changed in the streets and the kids in the neighborhood would run to the flooded parts to swim and splash and play.  Yesterday, we went sledding.  There is a superb sledding hill, right on Lake Monona where everyone goes.  We went last Sunday after we had around 6 inches of snow Friday/Saturday.  On our way there, it was a parade of snow people.  Including, one that looked as if he ha fallen over with his feet up.  I love the attitude of transforming something that could be challenging into fun.  I think that is what children in particular are SO good at.  AND why it takes Zibbi SO long to brush her teeth, as she is constantly finding things to play with, or things that might be more entertaining than tooth brushing to occupy her.  Maybe this thought will help give me patience tonight.  

Show and Tell

 Last night, Lotta asked me to join her in her room to figure out what to share during Show and Tell the next morning.  I suggested maybe the giraffe she had that belonged to Ellie?  The one that had been given to Ellie right before her surgery by our amazing friend, Esther.  Nope, Lotta thought she'd already shared that.  The more we pondered, the more we realized that there wasn't one special thing that she could share.  Then it hit us, Zibbi.  Just like Benja shared Lotta when he had his very first show and tell in Kindergarten (here's the blog I wrote, if you want a review http://sunnydayswithdebi.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-ben-really-really-loves.html.  It's from December 2011, if the link doesn't work and is entitled, What Ben REALLY Loves).   Lotta could share Zibbi.  So this morning, Lotta made a point of braiding Zibbi's hair, so she was presentable.  And Zibbi left her zoom meeting to join Lotta.  I overheard during Lotta's zoom, someone else had brought their pet Rat to the zoom, while Zibbi ran in and sat on Lotta's lap.  Lotta brought her pet sister, basically.