Happy Love Day. In the PM.

If ever there was a day that was executed perfectly from start to finish, it was this one. Valentine's Day 2011 will go down in history as a very good day for the Miller's.

Everything was perfect...behavior, atmosphere, food, expectations, movie. Everything. I am so proud of my kids for doing their very best to make this a wonderful day for all of us. I am also proud of myself for keeping my expectations in check which could have been a major drag. That is usually my trap on days like this. My expectations are set WAY TOO HIGH and nobody/nothing ever measures up. Then I get grumpy.

Anyone relate?

I fought the urge several times, but managed to keep everything in check. Thank you, LORD! I guess it goes to prove that when momma is happy, everyone is happy!

Our romantic dinner for five was just right. We got all fancy and brought out the good crystal candle holders that only see the light of day at Christmas. Zeb was so worried that Wit would do his usual mass destruction thing and burn the house down. We did have a few close calls, but all is well. The house is still standing! I think the candles made everyone relax and enjoy one another. It was beautiful!

Our menu was easy, but special. I worked hard to think of a meal that would satisfy everyone. The last thing we needed was to have someone upset and eating cereal by candlelight. So I chose...

Salad
Garlic Bread
Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Penne Pasta
Glassblock Jello--if there was ever a recipe you needed to make...this is it! Beautiful.
Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake--OH MY!
Ice Cream
Sparkling White Grape Juice

The menu was fantastic and everyone devoured it.  Which, of course, satisfies my love language of people pleasing.  Yay, family!

Special means Sparkling White Grape juice and fancy crystal.

They felt so grown up!

Even Wit had a glass.  A smaller, less special glass.  But he had one at least!

My Valentines.

Pretty much how he spent the night.  We kept relighting them.  Made his day!

After dinner we put Wit to bed and snuggled in our room to watch this movie. Fantastic!

Happy Love Day. In the AM.

Happy LOVE Day, Everyone! I hope you are enjoying this BRIGHT AND SUNNY day! I know I am!

I had so much fun last night planning a special day for my family. We are going to celebrate our love for one another today. Here's a peek at our Valentine morning. More fun to come tonight!

Love you all so much!

Our chalkboard which I LOVE!  I stole the idea from a great friend, Shelley.  Her chalkboard is TO DIE FOR.  This one is in my kitchen and I usually change it every month.  It's one of my favorite things. 

Setting the table for my Valentines.  This one is for Langley!

Zeb's Valentine.

My five minute LOVE banner.  I heart it. 

So easy and festive!

Ready for breakfast and little loves.

Picture looks like gross, but these are LOVE eggs.  Or, Pirate eggs if we have a big game that day.  Eggs with red food coloring.

They were so happy to use the fancy glasses for their milk!  Clink!

Big, gooey cinnamon rolls with amazing icing.  Yes, please.

The balloons on the light fixture didn't have a chance!

Looking forward to an easy and fun night!

My sleeping angels.

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day for two reasons. One, we made it through the crazy day and it's close to the finish line. {Hallelujah!!} And, two, our bedtime ritual is something I cherish. A time to be savored.

On most nights we put Wit down a little earlier than the other kids. He's easy to tuck in. He talks about music class and the snow and friends. Whatever comes to his mind. We giggle and tickle. We pray and kiss good night. Five minutes later, close door and see you in the morning.  It will get harder when he is older to make our nighttime ritual work, but we will adapt.  It will work out.  For now he's easy.

Then we turn our attention to Zeb and Langley. Skip and I have always switched nights with these two.  The nights that I am with Zeb, he is with Langley. Vice versa.

This is their time to be an only child with an attentive parent. No distractions. No noise. No interruptions. No excuses.  The stress of the day is over, melted away.  We can focus one to one.

We spend about 30 minutes with them. This is our time to talk about anything, or nothing. It's our time to address some issues that concern them that maybe they can't share with all the chaos of the day. It's our time to pray, to laugh, to hug, to affirm, to love, to rub backs, or to count freckles. It's our time for whatever.

It's their time to know we care about them. To show them that no matter what happens during the day we love them.   We accept them.  We forgive them.  There are nights when the day has been so stressful and so full of mistakes that all we do is hang on to each other.  And that's ok.

I treasure this ritual and I miss it when we don't have it. It's my hope that even when they have outgrown their bunkbeds and have a curfew that we can still make time for this.

It's my favorite thing about being a mommy...THEIR mommy.

Inside out and backwards.

There is a fun tradition on the eve of a big snow. Wearing your pj's inside out and backwards will ensure that school is canceled the next day. At least there is a 50% chance.  It's silly and fun and special. Waiting for snow days is thrilling. I love seeing my kids hopped up on the forecast and excited about snow days. The look on their faces the next morning is priceless.

Today is our 8th or 15th snow day of the year. Honestly, I have lost count. Between the snow days and 5 sick days, my internal calendar is inside out and backwards.

I have no idea if I am coming or going lately. What is normal? Don't get me wrong, our snow days have been memorable and I am glad to have my kids home.  The days have been full...

Lots of sledding.

Lots of eating.

Lots of gear.

Lots of playing.

Lots of fighting (lots)

Lots of laundry.

Lots of boredom.

Lots of crafts.

Lots of games.

Lots of cookies.

Lots of messes.

Lots of hot chocolate.

Lots of snuggles.

They look just like snow days are supposed to look like with young children.  They have been fun, lazy, maddening, and more.  They have literally zapped me.  All my energy is gone.  My house is a wreck.  My eating is a wreck.  My motivation is in the tank.

I am inside out and backwards.

One day last week I threw in the towel.  I was so angry at being trapped by the snow and trapped by all the work involved in having my darlings home 24/7.  I lost it.  Through my tears I admitted that this wasn't what I expected it be.  I was a nanny in college for a sweet family with two boys.  They were my practice family.  Playing with those boys was everything I thought parenting would be like.  It was easy and fun and HAPPY ALL THE TIME.  I used all my teacher tricks on them and they absorbed it like little sponges.  In my immaturity, I was convinced that I had this parenting thing down long before I was a parent.

Little did I know.  Being with those boys was my job...my 5 hour a day job.  When their mom got home, I left to do who knows what.  Sleep, rejuvenate, read, go to a movie, eat out.  Whatever.  The next day I was refreshed when I picked up those boys from school.  I didn't have the weight of raising them on my shoulders.  I had the privilege of having all the fun.

The things I didn't have with those boys was EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THE FUN.  The kisses at bedtime.  The bath time snuggles.  The late-night bad dreams.  The morning breath hugs.  The schedule.  The discipline.  The sibling rivalry.  All the stuff that a mommy gets to handle.  The weight of the world.

{Have you ever started writing something and it takes a whole different direction than you intended?  Hello, long random post that wasn't supposed to be all that deep}

I think I realized that it's not  the snow days that have me turned around, it is the intensity of this stage of our lives.  The constant demands of raising young children is hard. 

Soooo very hard. 

I don't really have any answers to this.  I just know that this inside out and backward feeling is fleeting and there will be a day when all the intensity is gone.  And I will miss this.  At least that's what I hear anyway.

So, I better go embrace snow day #8 or 15 and chase around some kids with mixed-up pajamas.  I should probably start by letting them out of time-out.

Ken hitched up the Barbie camper and headed south.

This is what I found in Langley's room tonight.  Clearly, we are all tired of the snow. 

Even the snowman seems indifferent.

Meet George.  He mocks me.

Post Traumatic Snow Disorder