In which these bring me joy in the midst of poo

I could sit down and write a post today entitled: “In which these are the things that are making me want to go back to work” today. At the top of that list would be the fact that I have had to scrub poo more than any self-respecting female not being paid to do so should. Yes, my two-tinies-with-a-cold has now morphed into one-tiny-one-with-a-cold and one-not-so-tiny-tiny-with-a-cold-and-diarrhea. Let’s just say the washer and the bathtub have been in good use today.
But no one comes here to read about poo. I think.
So in an effort to cheer myself up, here are the things/moments/people that are bring me joy:
1. It’s snowing. All morning long, we’ve had the closest thing to a blizzard that I’ve seen in Vancouver since moving here. The wind is howling, the temperature is low, there is snow swirling and everything is covered. It’s just beautiful. Anne is very captivated. I have lifted all of the blinds and am enjoying the view immensely. Few things make you feel as warm and cozy as the lights of a Christmas tree, a snowy day and a fireplace.



2.  Even when the kids are sick, they’re never whiny. (I wish I could say the same for myself…) Last night, Joseph woke himself up with a coughing fit. He could hardly breathe out of his nose, poor wee man. So Brian gets up and suctions his nose out and changes his diaper. Joseph starts cracking up and giving him these big toothless smiles. It’s four in the morning. He’s sick and snotty and tired. And happy as a clam. Even after The Great Poo Incident of the Morning, she managed to enjoy herself immensely, even playing in the “baff” for almost an hour.
3. Joe has started to laugh. And no one can get him going like Annie. When he laughs at her, she chuckles, shakes her head and says indulgently, “Oh, Baby Joe Brudder Boy” like she’s about 80 years old. That just makes him (and me) laugh harder.
4. The way that my mother dances with Anne. She makes up songs and then she and Annie dance together. We stopped at their office this week for lunch (thanks for buying, Dad! Think I forgot to mention that…). Before we left, Anne wanted to dance. So they did.


5.  The Starbucks drive-thru. See? Me and Annie are so happy. (Joe just sleeps through it but he’ll learn.)

6.  Joseph’s personality. He’s easily the most easygoing baby ever. We enjoy him so much. But man, he’s got some funny expressions!




Hey, wait! That’s not a nipple!

7.  With two sick kids (one of which as a tendency to poo a lot lately – have I mentioned that?) and a blizzard, we’re housebound. I had some leftover pumpkin and was trying to figure out what to do with it. It wasn’t enough for most of my recipes so I started looking around for something. I’m on a new kick called “Never throw it out” when it comes to food. Basically, I’m tired of buying food, eating half of it and throwing it away when it turns bad. Things like leftovers or remnants from sour cream to veggies. So I had to use this up before it turned. Well, lo and behold, this is the best pumpkin muffin recipe EVER. I did two cups of pumpkin puree (as IF I’m going to do pumpkin puree from scratch…come ON!) and added a cup of raisins to mine.  I got about 20 muffins out of this. And yes, I’ve already eaten two today. Did I mention I’m housebound with two sick kids? Let me self-medicate…
8. Good music. I’ve found some new tunes lately and as a result, I’m listening to my own blog page for music during the day. Which reminds me, I like how the page is coming together. Still not done designing it but I’m enjoying it. It’s nice to learn something new.
9. The complete lack of consumerism that I’m experiencing this Christmas. I love that. We don’t have a TV and so that means….no commercials! I don’t have to deal with a whiny kid begging for this or that. Brian doesn’t have to deal with me begging for this or that (of course, I’m usually begging for just another 500 square feet…)I’ve enjoyed this Christmas and Advent season so much – the baking, the writing, the cards, the phone calls, the occasional get-together with friends, the snow, the planning, even the gifts since we’re not going into debt over them. I guess I feel like we’ve captured what the season is supposed to be like. And it’s beautiful.
10. This outfit. My sister-in-law bought it for Joseph. And I couldn’t wait to put him in it and take pictures. I know he’ll hate me for this later. The expression on his face is one of patient resignation.


Seriously. Dog ears on the hoodie! What’s not to love about THAT?
Finally, I love that I have two kids that sleep well so that I get a break, every day, for at least an hour. An hour to eat another muffin (!), drink a pot of tea, read and blog.
And just enjoy the silence.