Cold Creativity

I just got in the house from rolling the garbage to the curb.  My once cleared driveway (thanks to the help of my toddler), is now covered with a mix of new snow, and blown snow.  The wind is starting to howl yet again, and I am about to lose my mind.  This winter is BRUTAL.  Vinnie and I stayed pretty much home-bound all weekend.  The one chance we took to venture outside was to get groceries, and it was so windy, miserable and cold to pack him and the groceries into the car after our shopping that I decided at that moment it was going to take an emergency to pull us out again this weekend.  We did end up venturing out, just for a short while to shovel the driveway (in an effort to save $25 on our "driveway guy"), and by the time we were finishing up the wind had blown most of our shoveled snow onto our clothes, or our "cleared" driveway.  So, what to do when you are housebound and alone with a 2 1/2 year old?  You get creative...

When the usual toys and routines were just not cutting it yesterday, I turned to Pinterest, found my "For my Vinnie" board and searched for ideas.  Once there I found this activity that I thought was a perfect opportunity to practice some fine motor, have some fun, and was sure to hold his attention for more than 10 minutes.  Gobs of play-doh were stuck to the table, and into those when several spaghetti noodles.  I only had Angel Hair, which was a wee-bit too fine for my Vinnie, but we made it work.  I gave him a bowl of cheerios and showed him how to carefully and slowly thread the cheerios onto the noodles.  Fun!  For about 5 minutes, before he discovered he could pull the noodles out of the play-doh, throw the cheerios on the table, and begin playing with the good stuff...the play-doh.  I was a little disappointed that he didn't really appreciate my efforts, but he was content for the next 45 minutes breaking the dough into small pieces, plopping them into the container, dumping them out, and starting over again.  It wasn't an aggressive exercise for his fine motor, but it kept him happy, and I got to unload the dishwasher and make preparations for the next meal.

Last night it was another "moomie night," which, thanks to this weather, and my single-mother status, has become our Saturday night ritual.  Our feature presentation happened to be, "The Croods," which we both actually enjoyed.  Well, Vinnie enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed the excuse to have my very busy and mobile toddler curled up with a fuzzy blanket and sprawled across my lap!

Today's adventures have included a trip outside to shovel the driveway, definitely a highlight, especially because of Vinnie's very own shovel.  We also played the Toy Story Memory game, which has been slightly modified by starting with all the cards turned over to make it a little easier for Vin.  This is a fun activity and holds Vinnie's attention for a good 45 minutes to an hour.  I have bounced between making meals, finishing laundry, and now my new "hobby", my job search.  I actually found a job today, so ALL of Vinnie's nap time was spent going through the online application, scanning necessary documents, hunting down necessary information, mathematically figuring out my "major GPA" from college (much more difficult than it should have been), and then showering, brushing my teeth and getting dressed in about 5 minutes before finally grabbing a chatty Vin from his crib.  I DO NOT know how I am going to manage to complete all my mommy and home responsibilities, work my full time job, search for my new job, AND show a house in the next few months.  I am hoping I grab a job early so that one part of the insane equation can be eliminated!

As the wind picks up and the temperatures drop, I anticipate the potential for another day at home tomorrow.  Better get back on Pinterest to get my creative juices flowing...

Time as a family of three...

Vinnie and I are just wrapping an extended weekend with Jon...and it was PERFECT!  As are most of our weekends as a family of three.  While we enjoyed two weeks of solid time together in Minnesota over the holidays, it means so much more when its just us, at home, with no big plans.  Its when we feel normal again.  We quickly settle back into our routines of old, our comfort zone and just enjoy time together.  This weekend provided the opportunity for just that.

Jon arrived Friday evening and we enjoyed some toys and Darby playtime before Vinnie headed to bed.  Due to his excitement to see Daddy, Vinnie was early to rise Saturday morning.  Jon got up with him, giving me a chance to sleep in (what is that?!?) and the two of them enjoyed some toy time downstairs.  Vinnie also helped prepare pancakes for breakfast before we headed out to select and order flooring for the kitchen and dining room and running some other errands.  After Vinnie's nap we enjoyed a trip to church.  This is probably my favorite part of our time as a family of three on these special weekends.  Vinnie is just too much for me to handle at church by myself, so I only get there when Jon visits.  I love being surrounded by our church family.  It refreshes me and excites me to find a new church family in our future community in Minnesota.  After church we did grocery shopping and picked up Monster's University before heading home.  Jon grilled a delicious dinner (another rarity when he's not around...that grill terrifies me), and we cozied up for the adorable movie before all heading to bed early.  Thanks to the federal holiday, we not only got all day Sunday, but all day Monday with Jon home too.  He chose to "work from Iowa" on Monday, spending his whole day working on a writing piece, and left this morning to head back North.

While the time together gives me the opportunity to rest and is a much welcomed break, I always hate the days immediately after we part ways.  The support and companionship both Vinnie and I feel when Jon is here is ripped away and that takes some adjusting.  We both just kind of mope for a day or two, trying to remember what our roles in our partnership.  The hardest part this time, is seeing the contrast in Vinnie's demeanor between time as a family of three, and the rest of the time.  Vinnie is all around a much happier kid when we are all together.  He plays well, eats well, sleeps well (for the most part), and is all around a much happier kid.  This discovery has uncovered a whole new layer of guilt that I hadn't experienced before, and then begins the process of questioning, "is this the right choice?" and "are we doing what's best by Vinnie?"  But, I then move past the guild and remind myself, good or bad, it was what we HAD to do.  It was the best choice for our family.  We are all growing from this experience, and we probably won't see just how much until we have reached the other side.

And so...I leave you today with this thought, one that I found not too long ago and use it to get through the rough days...
"You can't be brave if only wonderful things happen to you." Mary Tyler Moore

What a winter!

It's only January 12th and I feel like we have been dealing with winter weather for FOREVER!  Upon our return to Iowa from Minnesota, we were greeted by a snap of some very cold weather.  So cold, that I had two days of no school.  Actual temperatures dropped down to the -20's with wind chills of -30 to -40 degrees!  CRAZY!  We took advantage of the cold weather by doing activities we'd rather not do when it is nice outside.  Cleaning out, rearranging, packing away old toys that Vinnie has outgrown.  While it was a bummer to delay my return to school (and even more of a bummer that I will now have to go two days later in June), I certainly made the most of it!

This weekend, things warmed up, making it a little more manageable to be out and about, and giving us the opportunity to finally get outside and play in the snow.  Vinnie enjoyed this.  I think he was most excited about all the clothes he got to wear, especially his Lightening McQueen snow boots!  A thin layer of ice on top of the snow made it a little difficult to get around, but he managed and had a lot of fun.

After a good day together (he was content in the cart while I grocery shopped, went down for a nap, and altogether ate well), we decided to celebrate a good day with a very special "moomie night."  Out came the blankets, mom threw some cookie dough in the oven, and Vinnie enjoyed "Turbo".  I tried to watch, but got bored and ended up reading a magazine. ;-)

Today we spent some time running around town, collecting the necessities for some awesome Valentines and picking up diapers.  I hope to start working on his Valentines after he wakes up from nap.

It amazes me how much Vinnie has grown up in the last month or so.  No longer a baby, he enjoys the things "big boys" enjoy.  As he plays, I hear him jabbering and putting together stories and make-believe and it is evident that his imagination is growing.  He is patient to complete art projects and is starting to pay attention to coloring "in" the pictures of the color books, rather than just scribbling over the top.  He could look at books for hours, and I am noticing that he remembers bits and pieces of favorite and familiar stories and is piecing them together on his own.  He remembers everything!  So much, that sometimes it makes my job all the more difficult.  He is smart, and demanding to be challenged and engaged, and I am finding now that if I don't...he gets naughty.

What a blessing he is...even with all of his tantrums and battles, we make each other better and learn lessons together every day!

It's the most wonderful time...

Two full weeks with family and friends in Minnesota...where to I start to recap the memories made over the past two weeks?!?  What a special time!

Our time began earlier than expected, by several hours.  Due to typical Iowa weather, I had no school on Friday 12/20.  I spent the early morning keeping a close eye on the road conditions, and when the Iowa DOT told me my route was "normal," Vinnie and I hit the road and headed North.  We managed to arrive in the cities about the time we were originally planning on leaving Iowa.  The perks: no night driving, dinner as a family, and a little more time together. 

We decided to try our luck at Santa one more time, so Saturday morning, we headed to Macy's in Minneapolis.  We walked through the display, still a little over Vinnie's head, and got in line for Santa.  While we waited, we sweetened the experience with a little gingerbread cookie and chatted with Vinnie about all the things he could talk to Santa about.  It could have been the sugar, it could have been the idea of a new conversation partner, but when our turn came to visit Santa, Vinnie did not hesitate to climb up on Santa's lap and begin chatting.  Santa was quite impressed with all he had to say!  A little different than our last Santa experience...so we were happy we gave it another go!  From there we enjoyed a nice lunch and headed out to Buffalo later that evening.

The next few days consisted of lots of celebrating, from birthdays to Christmas festivities.  On Monday 12/23 I enjoyed some time with my mom, sister, and niece Ella at the Children's Theater production of "Cinderella".  Christmas Eve brought birthday gifts to Ella in the AM, a beautiful church service in the evening, and a night of good food and good company. 

Christmas day we enjoyed some family time in Buffalo before heading to White Bear.  Jeremy, Laura, and Caleb joined us in the celebration on 12/26.  Vinnie enjoyed playing with and doting on his youngest cousin Caleb.  We spent time catching up with Derek, and even squeezed in a game of bowling!  We wrapped up our time in White Bear with a trip to St. Paul for a Wild hockey game, our family Christmas gift.  This experience further supported how much greater life gets when you have kids and get to experience everything for the first time again through their eyes.  Vinnie enjoyed every moment of the game and took in all his surroundings of hockey!

We returned to Iowa on 1/3, although I'm not sure where the universe was sure where it wanted us to be...what a rough ride home!  I spent the 5+ hour drive fighting to keep the car on the right path, all the while wishing I could just let it turn me around and bring me straight back to Minnesota.  All in good time I suppose.

Now, we are left to piece routine back together and find normal in the quiet that is our lives here in Iowa...which has not been easy on anyone.  Today brought a trip to the grocery store, sorting out toys to make room for the new ones, and packing up the holiday decorations.  Tomorrow's agenda...laundry and hoping this cold everyone is talking about isn't as bad as it sounds!