watching the bambinos play, from the kitchen window
This week — the one between the Christmas holiday and the New Year holiday — is always a heavy-duty-mixed bag for me. For various reasons (and some combination of: 1] not having childcare during this particular week and, 2] me having a career that includes a very flexible work schedule), for every one of my years of mothering I’ve ended up staying home with the bambinos during this week. This is always on the heels of our traditional trip to New Hampshire for Christmas (so I’ve already been with them 24×7 for at least a week going into this week). And that week (the Christmas trip) comes on the heels of several weeks of pre-Christmas craze, the result of which is that I am utterly drained. And yet I set myself with very high expectations — looking forward, all fall long, to this week at home alone with my bambinos. Then it comes, and I am exhausted, and I am all over the map with my emotions. This week is like no other during the year. It is an intense and wild roller-coaster of emotion for me that goes something like this:
There is absolutely nowhere else in the entire world that I’d rather be right now than with them, doing this.
Oh.My.God. I’d.Rather.Be.Anywhere.But.Here.
I love them I love them I love them I love them. Could they be any more adorable? Oh.My.God. I.Love.Them.So.Freaking.Much.
I’m going to die. I cannot do this. I am going stir crazy. Cabin Fever. Get me outta here. I cannot go on like this.
I am about to explode I love them so much. I could play with them forever. There’s nothing better than playing checkers with your own kids. Or princesses.
I cannot believe I’m playing princesses. I hate this. I never did this as a child. Why do I have to do this now? I’ve always hated checkers too.
They are soooooooo cute. I want to remember this moment forever. I looooooove being a mommy!
I’ve heard of women who just can’t cope and just walk out and just leave it all. I totally get it.
I’ve waited all fall for this week, and it is just as awesome as I hoped it would be!!! Even better!
Oh the food production. They are bottomless pits. I swear. I am SO SICK AND TIRED OF PRODUCING FOOD.
I love feeding my children. There is nothing better in the world than feeding my kids good healthy food. I am so gratified by being a mother.
Oh my inbox. My ever-loving-inbox. Is overflowing. Oh the things that are slipping through the cracks. How will I ever catch up??? How? How? How?
Oh screw the inbox. It does not matter. This –these kids– this is what matters. This is all that matters.
I could never, ever, ever be a stay at home mother.
God, I wish I was a stay at home mother.
I am THE WORST mother on the entire planet.
I am THE BEST mother on the entire planet.
How many more hours/minutes until Braydon comes home? He needs to walk in the door RIGHT NOW.
Braydon is so missing out. He has no idea how much he’s missing out on.
God, I wish I was Braydon. I’d give anything to go to work right now.
God, I miss out on so much when I’m at work. I wish I had the guts to quit my job.
How many more hours until they go to bed? White wine or red? Maybe a cosmo.
There is absolutely nowhere else in the entire world that I’d rather be right now than with them, doing this.
Oh.My.God. I’d.Rather.Be.Anywhere.But.Here.
Judge me if you will. But, that’s how it goes. It just goes that way. And somehow, each year, it takes me by surprise. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the incredible energy and incredible exhaustion of this particular week. By last night I was tearing my hair out, crawling in my own skin, literally counting the hours until the boys went back to school. And yet, this morning, as I packed up their backpacks and kissed them goodbye, I had the hugest lump in my throat, on the verge of tears, in genuine agony over the idea of how many hours it would be until I saw them again.
This week we’ll be trying to get back into our groove after a two week hiatus from all-things-that-resemble-any-kind-of-routine. And while we welcome the return of our rhythm, we also hate to say goodbye to these past two weeks of full-time-togetherness. Yes, we drive each other crazy. But we love each other like crazy cakes too. Mixed emotions x5.
These crazy kids. They drive me nutty. But geesh, do I ever love ’em to pieces~~
After the Christmas food binge, this week always includes a strong desire to eat fresh and clean and get back on track~~
K & O, seriously, played basketball just about the entire week. They wore “sporty clothes” (their words) the entire week too~~
“Sporty clothes” the entire week. Even while pushing their “baby” in the (toy) stroller (and multi-tasking with video making with their new Flip cameras). Even while working on their Christmas Thank You Notes~~
And then there’s Meera. How did I (the sociologist mother) get such gendered children? No, don’t answer that. It is a rhetorical question. While the boys played basketball all week, Meera spent most of the week quietly focused on fine-motor-artistic-endeavors~~
Tomorrow Meera goes back to school (daycare). Which signals the official final end to this week-long-roller-coaster-of-emotion. I’ll get back to work. Things will fall back into place. And then I’ll start daydreaming about when I’ll have a whole week with them again. See?— it is a roller coaster.
Will post soon about our week-between-Christmas-and-New-Year, our New Year’s Eve, and our January 1! We have been relishing these past few days of out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new, reflecting a bit on the past, and getting psyched up for lots coming up in the new year (oh boy do we have some excitement brewing!!!). In the meantime, here is Meera, with the months of the year (click play)! Lots to come in the upcoming 12 months of 2012! Happy New Year!!!
It is 10:30 p.m. on December 25, 2011, and I can officially say: we had our best Christmas ever! (I know, I say that every year, but really, this one was it.) We hope your holiday season has been as good as ours. And we are sincerely wishing for peace, shelter, happy, joy for all! As always, thank you for reading!
Generations of tradition; life-times of tradition; traditions being taught; traditions being learned; traditions passed down, tweaked, changed, and followed. This is, for us, the most tradition-filled day of our year.
The centerpiece of our day: a campfire in MorMor and MorFar’s back yard. Roasted hot dogs and an “outdoor refrigerator”; friends and neighbors stopping by; glogg and s’mores; playing in the woods and field~~
The Christmas Eve finery~~
The centerpiece of the Swedish Christmas Cultural Tradition: The Swedish Smorgasbord~~
The centerpiece of the Lutheran Christmas Religious Tradition: Christmas Eve Church Service~~
The centerpiece of the late night: into pjs, notes and cookies for Santa, and MorFar’s reading of The Night Before Christmas~~
“‘Happy Christmas to all! And to all a good-night!'”
A long Christmas trip in New Hampshire means plenty of time with Cousin Sadie! The bambinos love their cousin, and their cousin loves the bambinos. They are non-stop fun together. This morning Braydon and I took these four cousins to swim at The Mill at Purity Spring (just down the road from MorMor and MorFar’s house). Much swimming and splashing were enjoyed by all. This afternoon (while Meera napped), the three eldest cousins had a long hike with MorMor and MorFar. Peppered in amongst their very active activities these kids also manage to create all sorts of artistic masterpieces (ranging from letters to Santa to full-scale dramatic productions of “Shows!” complete with singing and dancing and charging-for-admission), cause quite a ruckus, laugh up a storm, and have a generally-very-good-time. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Sadie.
This was our 2nd Annual Day at Bretton Woods. This day was much anticipated by K & O, who had been waiting for it for exactly one whole year. We were very worried when the weather report was for rain, but, given the level of excitement, we could not — under any circumstances — forgo this day trip. So, we left Meera at home with MorMor and MorFar and the Original Four J-Ms hit the slopes at our favorite mountain. We had some snow flurries early in the day, but then it did indeed rain for most of the afternoon (imagine! skiing in the rain!!!). Despite that, for the 2nd year in a row, it was an AWESOME day and there was not one complaint from any of the four of us.
Highlights from this year’s Day at Bretton Woods:
This year Owen mastered the art of The Parallel Turn. This, to me, is just amazing given that: a) he is only seven years old, and b) he only skis two or three days a year. Early in the morning Braydon gave him some pointers on parallel turns, and he proceeded to focus intensely on his technique for most of the rest of the day. Carefully, rhythmically, winding his way down the mountain in a perfect zig-zag pattern, Owen is a joy to watch on skis!
This year Kyle mastered the art of Bombing Down The Mountain So Fast That His Parents Could Barely Keep Up With Him. Seriously, we had to work extremely hard (and our sore bodies are the proof of it) just to try to keep up with this kid. He is fearless, a speed demon, and is ridiculously dare-devilish, constantly on the prowl for a ski jump to hurl him into the air. Bombing down the hill at mock speed, but in utter control of himself, Kyle is a joy to watch on skis!
We had lunch at the restaurant at the top of the mountain again this year (K & O love that we “ride the chairlift to the restaurant!”), and the boys got to order Coca Cola — a very rare and savored treat!
Keeping with the tradition we began last year (because K & O insisted), we met up with MorMor and MorFar and Meera at Red Parka Pub for dinner at the end of the day. My parents’ god-daughter, Betsey, joined us too.
This was our second year at Bretton Woods, but our fifth year skiing with K & O, and each year it just gets more and more fun.
My mother. She makes our Christmases happen. She makes everything happen. She’s the quintessential Family Matriarch (in the best possible way). And today she taught Meera to ski. She taught Kyle and Owen to ski too (the winter they were three). And she taught me to ski too (the winter I was three). She is AMAZING. Today was incredible– watching my mom with my daughter, on the slopes, both of them with huge smiles plastered on their faces, skiing together. My mom cheering on Braydon as he gently pushed his baby girl forward on the snow. Kyle and Owen, bursting with pride at their sister’s first day on skiis. My dad, watching on in amazement at my 60-something mother, as she did what she does best: be amazing. All of us, having an absolute blast together. Three generations skiing together. One of our most favorite annual Christmas traditions. Words can’t do it justice, so I’ll post pictures instead.
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