Generally in Colorado we are known for the snow. We natives of Colorado sneer at the people who think that Colorado is like the Arctic Circle. Last year we may be had a few inches of snow in Denver but most of the weather was up in the mountains. We gleefully get aside our snow blowers, shovels, and de-icing materials because we know that 9 times out of 10 the snow will be gone the next day. Not so this week.
About one time every 5-10 years we get a doozy of a storm. I talked to Hula Hubby’s sister in Finland and they have no snow. We on the other hand have at least 4 feet. They had a “black” Christmas, we definitely had a white one.
The city is closed…AGAIN. The mail will not be delivered….AGAIN. Paying the neighbor kid to shovel the driveway is getting rather expensive. (although Hula Hubby did the first four feet) Sledding off of a four foot wall and not falling…PRICELESS. We are expecting another foot or so up here in the foothills. I think I might have to put on my fishing waders just to keep dry. Pretty soon we’ll be seding out smoke signals for the search and resue teams because that will be all you will see of our house. The dog caught a cold and so did Hula Boy and Hula Hubby. (the women are strong in this household) The kids can not wait to be able to put on their snow clothes and make another fort Hula Boy can stand in. Me, I have cabin fever and Christmas money to burn. Oh well…another day of cookie baking couldn’t hurt my figure any more than it already has.
So that’s the 911 from the storm. How’s the weather where you are?

If you ask Hula Boy he seems to start out his sentences like this, “When Santa came to our house…” and “When Christmas came to our house…” For some reason he feels very special that Santa would consider him to be a good boy and stop his reindeer here to give him Moon Sand. He also feels very spoiled by all of his aunts and uncles and grandparents. Hula Girl is reveling in the fact that she will be receiving a new bed. Due to the fact that we were literally snow bound last week the box was not delivered. Oh well. She thinks it was too heavy for the reindeer.
Christmas came to our house in a mad rush. As I set the table with my mother in law for the twenty some odd guests we were expecting I stopped the rush rush and enjoyed the aspect that we do have twenty some odd people around us.
Christmas was nice with my in laws here. My mother in law bless her heart was the biggest help EVER. When I came home after church she had everything ready to go. I had started a bit of everything but she finished it. If it was not for her I probably would have been brain dead and completely worn out.
I pray that your holiday was blessed. Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Hula Girl asked Santa for a new bed this Christmas. Santa is seeing to getting it done. In the meantime I have felt like one of Santa’s elves getting ready for the great reveal on Christmas morning.
This weekend we cleaned out her room to the extreme. As I started going through her toys I asked her if she was ready to let some of them go. Her answer was a solid “Yes”. I was stunned. She has been my pack rat since the day she could pack rat. I asked her to make a pile out of the section in her closet and chose the things that she was ready to let go. As she said, “Mommy, do you think another little girl would like these things.” a lump stuck in the back of my throat. I had to fight the tears that were threatening to spill over. “Yes” I replied. “I know a little girl would feel very lucky to have the things that you no longer play with.” As she started going through everything I realized that as the pile got bigger, my emotions became very overwhelming. She asked me if we could take the things to the shelter downtown and if she could hand her precious My Little Pony collection, and her cherished Polly Pockets that she had meticulously taken care of over to a new caretaker. I swallowed hard. I asked her if she was sure she was ready. Her response….”Mommy I do not play with them as often as I probably should. I know that these are very popular with the little girls. I would much rather give them to someone that would love them as much as I did then let them sit and collect dust in my closet.” “Also I know that if I did miss them I could remember the look on her face when I handed it to her and I would be OK.” With that I had to leave the room. Was it me holding tight to her childhood? Was it me that was holding her back and not letting her give the way she felt she should. Yes it was. As I sat there with the box of toys I realized that these toys held sentimental meaning to me as well as to her. She was willing to let go. I was not. She was willing to let go. I was selfishly holding on.
As a mother I learn so much from my children. I have always taught them not to hold on to material things because they do not bring joy. Yet there I was clutching Barbie not willing to look at the joy it could bring to another. I was selfishly holding on to these things in hopes that my children would not grow up. Time is not waiting for me to come to grips with her maturity and age.
As I cleaned out the past I found new hope that we would have a new beginning in a new room. We would make more memories. She will still need me. I will still need her. It was just another season of her life. She is ready to bloom. I get to stand by and watch her blossom into a beautiful young lady.

I went in for Hula Boy’s teacher conference. He goes to a T/TH class. I really didn’t know what to expect for his first conference. His teachers were entertaining and filled wtih stories of how he is a little boy that they will never forget. His antics and his verbage send them over the edge. The fact that he is such a happy child that never had a bad day was so encouraging.
I am a mother of a very happy go lucky, plays wtih anyone that will give him the time of day, laid back, funny, mouthy, silly, boy. I am so blessed

In the spirit of Amberbamberboo’s post…I had to post a little verbiage that my mother so lovingly put into my vocabulary. The phrase that I heard quite often as a child rings in my mind over and over. I can hear her now saying, “Hula….you’re suckin’ hind tit!” This was said over and over because frankly I ran behind a lot growing up.
My parents said more than one time that I would be late to my own funeral because the only time I ran on time was my birth. I came at the doctor’s precise time when he was teeing off on the date that he predicted would be the worst possible for his schedule. Two hours of labor later I entered the world to the doctor’s dismay. His charity golf game went down the tubes.
I wondered what the origin of my mother’s statement for years. So again in the spirit of Amberbamberboo’s post I looked it up. I loved the Google example….”Since the introduction of Windows 95, Apple Computer has been sucking hind tit. BAHAHAHAHA Not getting it’s fair share. Basically you come late to the party the alcohol is gone and everyone is passed out!
Anyway I found her post interesting and thought I would share.

I have been doing a lot of reading for the beginning to the end of my certification. I have enjoyed this somewhat arduous journey. I know that one day I will look back on this and think to myself….IT WAS REALLY WORTH IT!
I never knew there were so many books on lactation. I mean it is a well developed subject. It is almost like they have dissected it from beginning to end and everything in between. I know that breastfeeding is of course a great kick off for a baby and it is cheap! I mean…free is better than paying big bucks no whammies for formula.
Yes, at the beginning the first time feeding a baby can be like nails on a chalkboard painful. If the latch isn’t right you can get blisters…etc. To me though after getting through those first days after that it was so worth it. After paying $60.00/month is diapers not having another $60.00 a month in formula was a big relief.
I know at times I felt run down because it was not hubby getting up 3 - 5 times a night. It was me. I sometimes wonder if PP isn’t caused somewhat by the sleep deprivation that is so prevalent in the first month. Ok, so there might be a few hormones involved, but mixing hormones with tiredness is a recipe for emotional, and a little nutty.
Anyway this has been a great learning experience for me. I have enjoyed the books and the opinions of many great writers and people in the field. It just makes me more and more excited to think that I am halfway there.

Who told my children it was ok that they sprout up and get older?? I mean where has the time gone?
I was looking at my scrapbook yesterday and realized that I in fact am getting older and so are my children. The reality of HG being only 8 1/2 years from college is a reality check that I don’t care to experience every day.
So I say…”GIVE THEM MORE COFFEE TO STUNT THEIR GROWTH!” That will stunt their growth…now to find a cure for growing up.

Is it ok to say that going to a child’s Christmas program sometimes is more work than fun. Let me explain.
At Hula Girl’s school this year they have a new music director. He of course wants to be very different than the last person. (which is fine by me) Our Grandparent’s Day program was 2 hours long. TWO HOURS. That of which I only saw my precious daughter 2 times for may be 5 minutes. I didn’t really see her. I only heard the voices of her class. He put the shortest people on the floor of the stage right behind the bells. The bell table is huge so did we see the front row? NOPE. So not only did I have to endure 2 hours of seeing nothing but I didn’t get any pictures. Now that to a mother is a crime.
I must dutifully go and see my darling daughter perform one song tonight and endure the rest of the 1 hour and 55 minutes of being upset because they put her behind the bells yet AGAIN. For someone that has performing arts in his blood I think he needs to observe his staging from the ground. No one can see worth beans.
Ok done with my rant now….carry on.